Making Baby Food
By Emily Saunders
One thing I don’t love- cooking. Actually, let me take that back. I don’t love cooking that involves more than one pot/pan or my crockpot. It’s got to be easy, healthy and fast. Some women love to slave away in the kitchen for hours and feel very fulfilled by the effort they put in to making a tasty meal for their families. I look up to those women. I really do. I am NOT domestic… at all, BUT, feeding my family healthy and tasty food is important. Personally, I feel fulfilled when the meal took me less than 20 minutes of hands on time to prepare and my husband loves it. That, my friends, fills me up 🙂
What does this have to do with baby food? I’ve heard so many Moms tell me that they love the “idea” of making baby food, but that it stresses them out even thinking about taking the time to do it! I’m here to tell you that I take the EXACT same approach to feeding my baby as I do my husband. It’s got to be quick folks and there are some great tools available to us!
A few reasons why I make my baby food:
1. It’s way cheaper: Case in point. I spent roughly $1.50 on the below batch which made 5 servings of organic food. If I bought the same at the store it would be at least $5 and that’s IF the pouches are on sale.
2. No preservatives: Unfortunately even the organic baby pouches have to have a shelf life- that means they have to be preserved.
3. Flavor Variety: There are a lot of pre-packaged options that are quite adventurous now, but it’s still really fun to experiment at home. Adler loves trying different kinds of squash, berries, various types of apples, brussel sprouts etc. I also love to play with spices which are great for exposing babies to a varied palate.
4. Convenience is Key: I’m about to hop on a plane this afternoon and I WILL be taking pre-packaged pouches with me. We’ve gotta be flexible folks. I am not an all or nothing kind of Mama!
My two favorite gadgets for making baby food:
1. Vitamix or other high powered blender: I can literally put halved pears and frozen spinach in my Vitamix and have them become baby food in seconds. That, my friends is beautiful. I’ve had my Vitamix for over 5 years and it works like the day I bought it. They ARE expensive, but they are amazing!!
2. Yummi Pouches: My baby won’t eat with a spoon. You see, we have employed mostly baby-led-weaning methods with Adler’s solid foods and he literally will not let me feed him at this point. That said, he loves Yummi Pouches. And so do I!
2 Pears plus One cup Spinach= 5- 6 oz Servings!
Yummi Pouches are re-usable, re-sealable, dishwasher safe, BPA free pouches that hold 6 oz of food per pouch. To eat the food one simply squeezes the pouch into baby’s mouth- no spoon required. They travel well, freeze well and clean easily. I truly love them!
Not only are the pouches great for babies, but also older kids. Why not make your own apple sauce and put it in these easy on-the-go pouches? I’ve even had friends tell me that their kids were more adventurous in trying new things like smoothies out of the pouches than they would be from a glass or bowl. They also cut down on spills and mess for older kids.
One tip: Don’t over-fill the pouches. I’ve made that mistake a couple of times and unfortunately I’ve ended up breaking the seal on a couple of my pouches. I’ve had issues with following instructions my entire life- just take a look at my Kindergarten Report Card 🙂
Emily Saunders is part of the Momsanity Team, which is a community of Moms striving to achieve balance through physical, emotional and spiritual wellness. You can read more about this amazing program here, and also get information about the Momsanity Sisterhood here. The Sisterhood is a closed group with nutrition guidelines, workouts designed for fat loss and strength building, daily spiritual guidance, and more!
