Braxton has been eating some solid foods for a month and half now. I have been making his baby food myself using fresh or frozen fruits and veggies since day one. What I've been doing is making about a week's worth of baby food at the beginning of each week. Since he has only been eating one kind of fruit or vegetable over the course of several days as I introduce new foods to him, the preparation process has been quick and I have only made a little at a time. Now that he has tried a variety of foods, I have been wanting to try making his baby food in larger batches. That way I only have to make his food once or twice a month and I can freeze it and take out the amount I need for each meal. In looking at different websites online I found one called Once a Month Mom. This site has some great seasonal baby menus, each with a grocery list and instructions on how to prepare a month's worth of baby food. How convenient is that?! :)
I used one that is specifically for 6-8 month olds. Since it was my first time batch cooking baby food and Brax only eats 2 solid meals a day right now I decided to 1/2 the amount of fruits and veggies the menu called for and see how long it will last us.
The instructions I followed highly recommended to peel and chop up all your fruits and veggies the night before you plan on making everything. I ended up peeling, chopping, cooking and processing all in the same day. It wasn't bad, but it did end up adding about an hour and half to the whole process. Next time, I will do my best to get all the prepping done the day before.
I started with washing, peeling, and chopping up all the fruits and veggies I was going to use. While the sweet potatoes baked in the oven, I would steam and/or boil another fruit or veggie. As each item was ready, I used my Ninja processor to puree the food. Then I transferred the pureed baby food into ice cube trays and stuck them in the freezer. Each cube holds about 2 oz.
The entire process from start to finish took me about six hours. I know that sounds like a long time, but doing the prep work of peeling and chopping the day before will shave off a chunk of time. This was my first experience and I know the more I do it, the more efficient I will become and the less time it'll take me. You do have to set aside a few hours, but I think it is going to be worth it to schedule a day each month to prepare my own baby food.
I ended up with 7 full ice cube trays (one is not pictured). Here is what I made.
- carrots
- carrots, sweet potato and cauliflower
- mashed potato and peas
- sweet potatoes
- apples
- pears
- banana avacado (*not pictured)
Here is the cost break down of what I spent.
2.5 lbs of sweet potatoes ($2.15)
3 lbs of carrots ($.78)
1 avocado ($1.24)
2.5 lbs of apples ($2.35)
1 russet potato ($.59)
2.27 lbs of pears ($3.34)
1 head of cauliflower ((2.78)
1/4 bag of frozen peas (I already had it in the freezer)
1banana (already had on hand)
Total = $13.23
All of that made 112 cubes of food. That's 224 ounces. I should have enough to last through most of October. I'll have to see though. So, I think that is pretty good!
Why I Decided To Go The Route Of Homemade Baby Food
Before I started introducing Braxton to solid foods I already knew I wanted to make my own baby food as opposed to buying it in a jar from the store. My main reasons for wanting to do this are:
1. I enjoy it. This is probably the biggest reason. Cooking is something I like to do. It's a way for me to be creative and it makes me feel productive. Trust me, I don't think I would spend time making homemade baby food if I didn't have fun doing it.
2. It is cost effective. Those little jars of squash and carrots can quickly add up on your grocery bill. I recently read that the average baby can consume up to 600 jars of baby food a year, which can cost up to $600. By making your own baby food, on average, you can save up to 75% of that. That's $450 a year you could save!
3. It is pretty simple to do. Once I started reading and watch videos on how to make your own baby food, I was surprised by how easy it looked. And after doing it, I can confirm that it is not hard at all. All you need to do is prepare the vegetable or fruit, cook it, and puree it in a blender or food processor (adding a little liquid helps). That's it!
4. I know exactly what's in it. This one is self-explanatory.
5. It tastes better. I always taste what Braxton is going to eat because I want to know. I fed him some jar food a couple of times when we were traveling and he didn't care for it at all. After tasting it I can't say that I blame him. Compared to homemade food, the jar food tasted gross. Some were better than others, but still no comparison.
The first month of my baby food making journey has been a success and I'm hoping it continues to be! Do you like to make your own baby food? Would you ever consider it? Happy Fall everybody!
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