Making baby food

I'm a do-it-myself, thrifty, explore my options and alternatives kind of gal. Making baby food's right up my alley. I'm willing to put in the work, and I do enjoy the processes and products, too.

I looked into a couple of books, but by friend's recommendation, use Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. My copy is now dog earred and food stained. The way any good cookbook should be!

Mine was published in 1996, refers to K-Mart before the store's reemergence, but is timeless on the things that still matter. Kids need to be fed well. Money doesn't grow on trees. Creativity and ingenuity go a long way. Eating from the table with the family is a good goal.

Ruth (I'd like to think we'd be on first name basis by now) focuses on nutrition and food for babies through school-age. It is dense. It can be overwhelming. It is a manual that includes instructions on how to use it! But it is wonderful. Things are cross referenced, the index is spot on, and I got a sense of it pretty quick.

I don't do everything she suggests (such as making your own cereal from dried rice), but she's taught me a lot and broadened our food horizons. Which, honestly, is impressive, because we were already cook from scratch people. I had wedding registered as if I was going to be Martha Stewartish, so I had the food processor, steamer, etc. and didn't have to invest in new kitchen equipment.

The result: I felt informed and able to make good first food choices on behalf of Georgia. She had variety, color, and food we'd eat ourselves. I cannot tell you how many times I'd catch Noah eating along with her or finishing the last bite in her bowl! 

I like learning what mamas all over the world do and have done for their babies. I have much too narrow of an American perspective usually, and I appreciate when I learn something that reminds me HEY! babies have been babies since the beginning of time and mamas have always done the best they knew how to care for them.

First foods for babies all over the globe are bananas and avacodos. It makes sense, right! They are nature's soft, easy, and readily available foods. Mash and serve. Convienent!

The bad thing is they brown once peeled or cut open, so they need to be used or preserved quickly. Here are Ruth's steps for doing just that in frozen cubes.

1. Food process the RIPE avocado or banana. (This is my small one for 1-2 "cados" or "nay-nays" as we call them. My big one can handle 8-12.)

2. Blend until smooth. Add water until the consistency is right. First foods should be slightly thicker than breastmilk. That's quite a bit of water!

3. Pour the liquified food into ice cube trays, cover, and freeze. I have dedicated food trays. Later foods, like plums, can stain the trays.

4. Give cubes plenty of time to freeze. Then dump the tray onto a cutting board or cookie sheet.

5. Bag them. Label them. Put the expiration date on them. Ruth gives time lengths for all food listed. Usually 3 months. Then put them in bigger freezer bags.

6. Defrost as many cubes you need and feed baby. Judah is a big fan!

That's a bit oversimplified and of course I didn't mention doing the dishes, but that's the general idea! Healthy, inexpensive, iron unlocking first foods to accompany cereal!