5 on Friday - Baby Food Edition

In an effort to clean up my draft posts, I accidentally deleted my Baby Food Edition Post.  

So, here is a new version!

In our house, we use a combo of Baby Led Weaning and homemade puree's.  I personally have a hard time letting #wiggydiggy  eat something that I cannot.  So I try everything I make and I eat everything I serve him (even Gerber Puffs!  Apple Cinnamon....YUM)

Step 1
The Supplies

Gather your necessary utensils:
Food Processor or Blender
Steamer/Rice Cooker or Pot with Steamer Rack
Knife
Cutting Board
Peeler
Trash Bowl
Ice Cube Trays
Spatula
Freezer Bags
Marker

Step 2
Gather up your fruits and veggies and start prepping.

Peel, slice, and dice to your hearts content.  The smaller the pieces, the faster they'll cook.  The exceptions are soft fruits (banana, plum, peach, blueberry, etc.  Just throw straight into the processor) and squash (cut length wise, place face down on a cookie sheet with some water and bake at 350 for about 60 minutes *depends on size of squash*)

I like to put my blends into bowls so I have everything portioned out and easy to see.

Step 3
Steam and Blend

If you have an electric steamer, you can use their User Guide to determine length of steam time.  Tougher fruits/veggies take longer to steam.  If you are steaming on the stove-top - just check periodically until a fork can pierce the food easily and cleanly.

I like to start steaming my toughest veggies first.  While they are steaming, I will blend up a puree of soft fruits that don't require steaming.

In the beginning I made single fruit or veggie purees.  Now I mix a variety together for fun flavors
Simple combinations:

Sweet potato, Apple and Pear
Apple, Banana, Peach and Plum
Pumpkin, Banana and Apple with Cinnamon
Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana
Sweet Potato, Pumpkin and Carrot

Step 4
Pour into Ice Cube Trays and Freeze

I'm not a stickler for the 1 oz equal size.  I buy ice cube trays from the dollar store (2 for $1!).

Once you have a blend all mixed together, grab your spatula and get to pouring!

If you have a better memory than me, you may not need this next tip
I keep a sticky note on the counter with a diagram of what tray is filled with what.  That way when I pull them out of the freeze hours later, I remember what I made!

Once everything is in the freezer, I write out all the freezer bags - Puree and Date.  It helps keep Justin and I on the same page and from letting a puree get ignored for too long.

Step 5
Clean up, Bag and Tag :)

Pop those yummy purees into their freezer bag for easy access in the future!