The Basics of Making Your Own Baby Food and Purees: How to Puree

The Basics of Making Your Own Baby Food and Purees: How to Puree

Wash: When using fresh fruits and veggies, be sure to rinse thoroughly to remove any pesticides, dirt and other unmentionables that may have latched onto your food.

Chop: Cut into small chunks in preparation for steaming - or in the case of fruits that don’t need to be cooked – to throw right into the blender. Be sure to remove all seeds, cores and rinds. No need to peel apples, zucchinis, pears, etc – the skin adds fiber and virtually disappears in the puree.

{Cheat Sheet: No time to wash and chop fresh fruits and veggies? No worries. Bagged frozen vegetables are a lifesaver and work just as well. Most are “flash frozen” to keep in the nutrients, and they are already the right size to steam, and then puree. Canned can also work if you’re in a jam – just make sure you avoid additives like salt, sugar, preservatives, and high-sugar juices or syrups.}

Steam: Most vegetables need to be cooked prior to pureeing (with the exception of avocados and cucumbers). Steaming gets the job done while keeping the lion’s share of nutrients in place. Fill a pot with about ½ cup of water. Place chopped vegetables in pot with water, cover and turn on stove top to medium heat. Then, let the steam go to work. But don’t overdo it – about 10 minutes of steaming is enough to get the job done. 

Puree: Now the fun part. Throw your steamed veggies (along with the remaining water from the pot) into the blender or food processor and puree away. Uncooked fruits may need a bit of water (a tablespoon at a time to avoid overdoing it) to keep the blades from getting stuck or the fruit from getting jammed. Puree on high until you reach desired consistency – Stage 1: extra smooth/fine; Stage 2: smooth but thicker; Stage 3: thick and a little bit chunky; Stage 4: chunky and coarse. Puree a bit too thin? Add a tablespoon of single grain cereal before serving. Too thick? Stir in an ounce of breast milk or formula immediately before serving.

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 previous posts on making homemade baby food and purees:

Why I Puree: http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/2012/02/easy-peezy-guide-for-making-homemade.html

The Basics: 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 Your Own Baby Food and Purees: What You Need to Get Started

The Basics: What You Need to Get Started

• A pot for cooking and steaming
• A spoon for stirring
• A fork for mashing
• A can-opener
• A knife for chopping
• A bowl for mixing
• A blender or food processor for pureeing
• Ice-cube trays for freezing

{I told you it was easy-peezy!} Of course you can get fancy with your supplies and invest in a specialized baby-food steamer and puree maker, custom food storage trays, etc. but I’ve found it’s not necessary. It complicates things. You have enough on your plate - don’t make things harder than they need to be!

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!

Why I Puree: http://sweetleighmama.blogspot.com/2012/02/easy-peezy-guide-for-making-homemade.html

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!!

***

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