I have been exercising my culinary prowess as of late. Not for myself or even Steve for that matter, but rather for my voracious child. One of my desires when with child was to prepare the first solid foods for our baby. Even if it was only momentary I wanted to at least give it a try. Cutter has humored me graciously and devoured (almost) everything I have presented to him. Peas seem to be the nemesis to his taste buds lately. It seems that his favorites currently are butternut squash and sweet potatoes – the standard vegetables of choice for the 5-month old crowd these days.
Thankfully, I have not been overwhelmed or turned off to the preparation – yet. I have actually found the process to be both relaxing and rewarding. Steve has aided me as sous-chef de cuisine a few times, and I’ll be honest – it was an enjoyable evening (who knew?!).
I purchase all of the vegetables and fruits, fresh at the market, and then prepare them all over the course of a few days. I cut them up, cook them in the microwave, and then puree them in the blender until they are smooth. I pour them into ice cube trays, conveniently portioned to one ounce each, and then once they are frozen remove them from the trays and place them in freezer bags. Then I just pull out an ounce or two of whatever we are having that day and leave them in the fridge to defrost.
Hither to, the freezer is stocked with butternut squash, acorn squash, peas, apples, pears, and sweet potatoes. Ever the frugal household manager, I was able to save nearly $55 by making the food at home vs. buying it pre-packaged at the store. That monetary savings alone is enough to convince me to continue for as long as I can.
5 comments:
I did this for Ava and it was so worth it! I loved knowing she was getting 100% fruit/veg and nothing else, and it was so rewarding to make it myself. And cheap! Double bonus. Ava hated green beans and peas pureed but eats them well in solid form so don't be too worried. Also, I used to mix cucumber with fruit for Ava and she LOVED it and I loved that she was getting a little extra veg.
Hey! This is exactly what I do as well. I was going to ask you if you did this as as well when I saw you.
Pax hates peas too. He actually spits them out.
I have to add a fruit to carrots and green beans to have him eat those.
So glad to hear that you both do this too! Thanks for the tips with the other veggies - he is getting better with peas but so far they are the only ones that he actually made the 'yuk' face with. Aimee it was so great to see you and Paxton! I'm sorry it was so short :(
It is soo much cheaper to do it at home! I have been making all of Elijah's food for a couple of months, but I do mix in a few jars here and there! I have also used frozen veggies when they are on major sale and they work just fine!
Go you Laur! I think making your own food (not that I have a baby) is awesome! I hope/plan to do the same one day. Not only are there cost benefits, but also the benefit of know exactly what your baby is consuming, no unpronounceable additives!
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