Healthy, nutritious and tasty food without all of the added preservatives, sugars and fillers is what most parents want to feed their kids. Sound about right? If you said yes, you are among the majority.
Most parents want to give their kids the best possible foods available, but sometimes other factors come in to play. Not enough time. Not knowing how to make food from scratch. Thinking it is cheaper to buy pre-made baby foods. All reasons that some parents opt to buy pre-made food over making it.
When it come to making baby food it is actually quite simple and easy to do, not to mention cheaper and healthier overall. You can also control what goes in to your foods. I have made baby food at home several times and find it very simple. Here is how:
Homemade Baby Food
What you need:
2 zucchini
4 carrots
2-3 cups butternut squash
1/2 head cauliflower
Or, any combination of vegetables of your choice. I used the above list for this recipe.
Chop: Cut zucchini, carrots & squash into approximately the same size. Chop cauliflower into smaller pieces.
Steam: In a large steamer, add all vegetables and cover. Steam until fork tender (about 7-10 minutes).
Blend: In a blender, add individual vegetables or mix and match as you wish. Add enough water to puree vegetables (approx 1/2 cup, but add less water for the zucchini).
Freeze: Add the pureed mixture to individual portion containers. Ice cube trays work too! Put in Freezer. Store up to 3 months in freezer.
Yield: This recipe made 20 meal portions for a 12 month-old toddler.
Tips:
An added bonus, you don’t have to follow a recipe. Just add any amount, any kind of vegetable that you desire! Be cautious of high water vegetables and make sure to reduce the amount of water that you add when pureeing.
Look for pre-cut butternut squash in the produce section, or for the freshest choice, buy a small butternut squash if you are ready to tackle cutting one open.
Make some individual (one) vegetable meals, and some vegetable mixtures for variety.
Puree vegetables for about one minute to reach a thick and smooth consistency. Add Water slowly. You can always add more water if you need to.
Start boiling your water before chopping veggies. When you are done chopping, the water will be that much closer to boiling!