Adventures in baby-food Making: Chicken

Making home-made pureed meat is probably the last thing I would ever see my self doing! It sounds gross and weird BUT I committed to attempting to make all of Sawyer's food and making meat should be no different. Of course I decided to start with chicken because I'll be honest I know NOTHING about cooking red meat or even ham so we are starting with what I know and then I will try to teach myself.

Usually we buy SmartChicken because it is hormone, antibiotics and preservative free. Dillon's now has a brand of chicken (Simple Truth Organic) that is exactly the same as SmartChicken but tons cheaper (like half). It worked great! We added some frozen carrots, half an onion and we had already made broccoli for dinner so threw a few florets in and it made a really nice Chicken Dinner for Sawyer.

Dillon's new SmartChicken- like chicken breasts

Steps

1. Add chicken and vegetables of your choice (we used frozen carrots & half an onion) to a pot covered in water

2. Cook on medium to high heat for 25-30 minutes covered until meat & veggies are very soft
3. Strain out stock in a separate container to use for processing.
4. shred or cut chicken into smaller pieces.

5. Put into a food processor, blender or Baby Bullet add some of the stock from cooking to the blender. I added about 1/2 cup. Puree. 

6. Put in storage containers, freeze or refrigerator depending on when you plan to use them. (Here are some rules of thumb – 3 days in refrigerator or 30 days in freezer)

Made 38 oz. of food which is more than 9 servings for Sawyer

The Math

This turned out to be way cheaper than I anticipated. When I think about cooking meat, I expect it to cost a lot. With just 2 chicken breasts, half a bag of frozen carrots, half an onion and some already cooked broccoli, the total only came to $4.02. That's a whole chicken meal practically! It made a ton too!

HOME-MADE

2 chicken breasts at  $3.27 for 1.37 lbs, half a bag of frozen carrots for 50 cents and half an onion for 25 cents – made 38 oz of baby food = $4.02

Total cost per ounce = 11 cents

STORE BOUGHT

Gerber 3rd Food Chicken & Mixed Vegetable comes in 1 – 6 oz. jar for $1.25 each,
so 38 ounces = $6.33

Total cost per ounce = 17 cents

TOTAL SAVINGS PER OUNCE = 6 cents

1 day of Gerber 3rd Food Chicken & Mixed Veggie (1.5 containers or 9 ounces per day) = $1.63

1 day of Home-made Chicken & Veggies (9 ounces per day) = 99 cents

Total Savings per day = 64 cents

Total Savings per week (7 days) = $4.48

Total Savings per month (30 day month) = $19.20

Total Savings per year (365 days) = $233.60

Adventures in baby-food Making: Cherries

 

I'll admit it, it never crossed my mind to make Sawyer cherries to try until my mom mentinoed them as the next fruit we make. I quickly decided this was an excellent food he NEEDED to try. After doing a little research on Cherries (yes I am a nerd and am a little obsessed with nutritional facts) I learned a ton about why Cherries are considered a "Super Fruit".

Ten Great Health Benefits of Eating Cherries

1. Cherries, known as a “super-fruit”, are packed with antioxidants called anthocyanins which aid in the reduction of heart disease and cancer.

2. Cherries are one of the few food sources that contain melatonin, an antioxidant that helps regulate heart rhythms and the body’s sleep cycles.

3. Cherries are an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A). In fact they contain 19 times more beta carotene than blueberries and strawberries.

4. Cherries are rich in vitamins C, E, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fiber.

5. Cherries are referred to as “brain food”, aiding in brain health and in the prevention of memory loss.

6. Because cherries contain anthocyanins, they can reduce inflammation and symptoms of arthritis and gout.

7. Eating cherries reduces the risk of diabetes.

8. Cherries are a good source of fiber which is important for digestive health.

9. Cherries are a great snack or dessert choice important for weight-maintenance.

10. Because of their powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, cherries are said to reduce pain and joint soreness for runners and athletes after workouts.

source: Ingredients, Inc.

I couldn't find fresh cherries at Dillon's so I opted for the Red Tart Pitted Cherries canned in water. This option is super fast with only 4 steps.

Steps

1. Open Jar of Cherries

2. Strain almost all liquid out (leave a small amount for mixing)

3. Put into a food processor, blender or Baby Bullet and puree .

5. Put in storage containers, freeze or refrigerator depending on when you plan to use them. (Here are some rules of thumb – 3 days in refrigerator or 30 days in freezer)

No this is not a weird looking Cherry! We decided to let Sawyer try Pickles while
we made Cherries and he loved them...no funny face or anything!

2 cans of Cherries made 23 ounces of food which is almost 7 servings for Sawyer

The Math

Cherries are pretty pricey but I figured since I wanted him to try them it was worth it. Like a lot of the fruits/veggies we have made, I couldn’t find a Gerber or other Brand baby food in just cherries. They do have cherry mixed with other things like apples & bananas. So once again I couldn't do a straight comparision on cost but found a Happy Baby brand food with Apples & Cherries to compare. Surprisingly, even though home-made cherries were expensive they were still cheaper than store-bought.

HOME-MADE

2 cans of Cherries at $3.35 for 14.5 ounces – made 23 oz of baby food = $6.70

Total cost per ounce = 29 cents

STORE BOUGHT

Happy Baby Apple & Cherry Stage 2 Baby Food comes in 1 – 3.5 oz. pouch for $1.35 each, so 23 ounces = $8.87

Total cost per ounce = 38 cents

TOTAL SAVINGS PER OUNCE = 9 cents

1 day of Happy Baby Apple & Cherry Pouches (2 containers or 7 ounces per day) = $2.70

1 day of Home-made Cherries (7 ounces per day) = $2.03

Total Savings per day = 67 cents

Total Savings per week (7 days) = $4.69

Total Savings per month (30 day month) = $20.10

Total Savings per year (365 days) = $244.55