With our twin boys getting ready to start solid food, I have been
reading about making and freezing my own baby food. It is very
easy!
You can make up large quantities of baby meals and freeze them
for later use.
Green beans are in season and were on sale at the grocery store,
so I bought several pounds to prepare and freeze. I steamed them
in an electric steamer for about 20 minutes and then blended them
in the blender with some water until they were pureed. I then
poured the puree into ice cube trays. After the cubes were
frozen I transferred them to a reclosable freezer bag and labeled
the bag with the name of the vegetable and the date. These cubes
can be stored in the freezer for 1-2 months.
One cube is approximately 1 ounce of food and can be thawed out
in the refrigerator or microwaved for a quick meal. You can also
mix cubes together (e.g. one meat, one vegetable) for a
combination meal. The cubes also travel well, just place a
frozen cube in a sealed container until ready to eat...it will be
all thawed out and ready to go.
Many types of foods can be prepared ahead of time and frozen.
Try freezing cereals, pureed meats, vegetables, and fruits.
Fruits (except bananas) need to be cooked before they are pureed
and served to baby. Cubes of the same type (vegetables, fruits,
meats) can be stored in the freezer together.
The possibilities are endless. When you have leftovers from a
family meal, puree it and freeze it for baby. I also pureed some
leftover chicken I had on hand for a later meal. Just make sure
that baby's portion hasn't had any seasoning of any kind added to
it.
There are many resources that can help you get started. Here is
a link to suggested meal plans for babies of different ages. It
also includes information about storing and preparing food:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babymenu.htmHere are many easy recipes for making your own baby food,
including teething biscuits:
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/baby/baby.htmlMaking and freezing your own baby food is very easy and I look
forward to exploring all the possibilities. It is healthier for
your baby and a lot easier on your grocery budget.
It's a good thing the green beans will keep in the freezer for
awhile, because when I gave a bite of them to my 4-month-olds
they looked at me like I had just fed them the most disgusting
thing they'd ever tasted. Guess we'll have to try something else
first!
About the Author
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of
What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick
easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home
decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative
Homemaking at
http://www.creativehomemaking.com.
