Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The Babyfood Storage Solution


Many of you probably make your own baby food, or at least have thought about it. Well I'm hear to tell you that it is so simple, way cheaper, and so much healthier and safer for your baby. There are plenty of great books out there that outline the benefits and simple plans to make it, so I won't spend much time on that now. (Simple recipe below) What I'm excited about today is how to store your homemade baby food! Yes, I've enjoyed the economical and health benefits of making my own baby food, but I did miss the ease of grabbing a jar from the cupboard and throwing it in my diaper bag on my way out the door. Solution: Why not put my own baby food in jars! Duh! These adorable little 4 ounce or 8 ounce jars can be bought at Walmart for under $8.00 a dozen. So all you have to do is make up your baby food, pour it into these cute little jars, and stick them in the freezer. Viola! Next time you're running out the door with your baby, grab a jar from the freezer and throw it in your diaper bag. No need to refrigerate it while you're out. It will defrost by the time you need to use it! It's that simple.



 Homemade Sweet Potato Babyfood

Ingredients:

3-4 sweet potatoes (make sure they are about the same size)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a fork, poke a few holes in each sweet potato. Place sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with foil and place in oven. 

2. Bake for about an hour. Let cool for a few minutes and then remove the skins. (They will come off easily, with your fingers.) 

3. Slice into small chunks and blend in a blender with water. Add enough water to get your desired consistency.

4. Pour into 4 or 8 ounce jars and place in the freezer. You may want to label them with the contents and date to help you remember what's in there! (For 4 sweet potatoes, I used about 24 of the 4-oz jars.) Enjoy!

 





Pin It!

4 comments:

  1. We froze a lot of our home-made baby food in ice cube trays and stored the cubes in freezer bags. It was really easy to grab a few cubes and put them in baggies or other types of travel-ready storage. It was also really nice to cool down hot soups with real food cubes, instead of diluting with water/ice cubes.

    Might I also mention how much better the home made baby food tastes. I ate everything that I fed my children and most of the store bought baby food tasted awful. I think the transition to solid foods is easier when they can recognize the taste. (the store bought baby food really didn't taste like fresh food)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jacob, I've heard of the ice cube tray idea before and it sounds like a great idea. But since I am trying to avoid using plastic with my food, I wanted to find another option.

      And yes, homemade baby food has so many benefits! That weird taste with the store-bought food also probably has something to do with all of the preservatives they put in there!

      Delete
  2. I do the ice cube tray version :) that way I can grab one or two or three ice cubes depending on how hungry she is. And I love steaming the baby food instead of baking it. Cute jars!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steaming veggies is definitely the best way to cook them, as the food retains the most nutrients that way. I guess I just love the way the skin peels off so easy when you bake sweet potatoes, but I will have to try steaming them next time!

      Delete