Wednesday, February 29, 2012

An Easy-Peezy Guide for Making Homemade Baby Foods and Purees

Nothing about me screams organic or green.  I have the smallest recycling bin on the block. We don’t drive hybrid vehicles.  And I prefer a good bottle of water vs. anything out of the tap. These aren’t things to brag about – but it’s my reality. I barely have time to brush my teeth each morning, let alone worry about saving the planet (I’ll get to that tomorrow…). I take an average of half a shower each day, sweatpants are my uniform, my makeup routine consists of slapping on some cherry Chapstick and my hair can almost put itself up in a messy bun.  Sound familiar? Being a mom is a 24-hour job.  And let’s be honest - we’re all just trying to keep our kids out of therapy and off the next episode of Dr. Phil.

Which brings me back to homemade baby food and purees. By far the most "organic" thing I do. With all the things every mama has on her plate each and every day, is making homemade baby food necessary? No. It’s not a must-have. But it’s definitely a nice-to-have. And it’s easy - I promise. If it weren’t super simple, I most likely wouldn’t be doing it. 

I started my journey into making homemade purees and baby food out of the most instinctual, primal feeling every mother has: guilt. I wasn’t able to breastfeed my babies, and I felt terrible about it. I tried and tried, but when my nipples literally fell off, I figured it was time to throw in the towel and stir up some formula. My children didn’t grow horns or wither away from lack of mother-child bonding, but I still felt guilty for not being able to breastfeed.

So when it came time for them to begin eating solids, I knew I had to step up my game. It was redemption time, people! I felt good about giving my babies homemade food right from the start – free of preservatives, hormones and other unnecessary additives. Organic, pure foods.

Not to mention, the enormous cost savings. The cost of pre-made baby foods really add up – especially if your babies are hungry, hungry hippos like mine. At an average of $1.00 per serving of the leading baby food brand, you could be spending up to $45 each week – nearly $200 a month!  By making your own purees, you’ll spend a fraction of that – a mere $0.10 or less per serving.  That’s less than $5.00 per week! Makes ‘cents’ to me.

For the next few days I plan to post information about making your own baby food and purees - from the Basics, to FAQs, to Recipes I've developed over the last few years. All the links can be found on this one page: http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/p/easy-peezy-homemade-baby-food-and.html

Enjoy your puree journey!!

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Be sure to click here - http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/p/easy-peezy-homemade-baby-food-and.html - to read all the posts on making your own baby food and purees! It will be an easy way to keep track and look for new updates!

Or follow the links below to all my other posts on making homemade baby food and purees:
Easy-Peezy Purees - What You Need to Get Started:
http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/2012/03/basics-of-making-your-own-baby-food-and.html

The Basics of Making Homemade Baby Food - How to Puree: http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/2012/03/basics-of-making-your-own-baby-food-and_02.html

Easy-Peezy Purees - The Essential 17 Fruits and Veggies Every Mama Needs to Know: http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/2012/03/easy-peezy-purees-essential-17-fruits.html

Easy-Peezy Homemade Baby Food and Purees - Foods to Avoid: http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/2012/03/easy-peezy-homemade-baby-food-and-puree.html

The Whys and Hows of Transitioning Your Little One to Solids: http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/2012/03/easy-peezy-purees-whys-and-hows-of.html