Baby Food Making

First taste of baby food, carrots

When Sawyer was a baby, my mother and I got together every week and made his baby food. We would visit the farmer's market or produce section at the grocery store and experiment with all different types of food for him.

Now that Scout is old enough to try foods, we have started the tradition again. We have already made carrots and sweet potatoes...he has approved of both. My mom found small containers at Dollar General (4 for $1) since I had thrown all Sawyer's out. They are the perfect size.

To  help other Moms out there who might be going through this same stage, I have compiled my entire list of baby food recipes in this one blog, in order.

For us, it saved money but also was comforting to know exactly what we are feeding our boys.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Have fun!

Carrots

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/06/adventures-in-baby-food-making-carrots.html

Sweet Potatoes

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/07/adventures-in-baby-food-making-sweet.html

Squash & Green Beans

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/07/adventures-in-baby-food-making-sqaush.html

Spinach

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/07/adventures-in-baby-food-making-spinach.html

Peas

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/08/adventures-in-baby-food-making-peas.html

Apples

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/08/adventures-in-baby-food-making-apples.html

Beets

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/08/adventures-in-baby-food-making-beets.html

Plums

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/09/adventures-in-baby-food-making-plums.html

Bananas

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/09/adventures-in-baby-food-making-bananas.html

Pears

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/09/adventures-in-baby-food-making-pears.html

Peaches

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/09/adventures-in-baby-food-making-peaches.html

Cherries

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/10/adventures-in-baby-food-making-cherries.html

Turnips, Egg Yolks, Mangoes, Lima Beans

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/11/adventures-in-baby-food-making-turnips.html

Chicken

http://www.hamratime.com/2012/10/adventures-in-baby-food-making-chicken.html

Adventures in baby-food Making: Turnips, Egg Yolks, Mangoes, Lima Beans

Should last us a while!

We are now in the “what has Sawyer not tried” phase so we are having fun brainstorming fruits and veggies that aren’t so typical. My mom is great at this, she knows way more about foods than I do so I have leaned on her for help (love you mom!). Sunday we decided to have a food making party while the boys watched football. After two hours, we had made 97 oz. of baby food, a huge success! I have actually been thinking about offering my services to other moms who want home-made food but don’t have time or equipment. So if you need baby food, let’s talk.

So patient as we cooked! You can see the excitement in his eyes!

With out further delay, here is a heaping dose of baby food instructions? This is the longest list I’ve compiled thus far.

We made: Turnips, Peaches (frozen), egg yolks, bananas and lima beans (frozen).

Bananas & Peaches are super simple, you just throw them in a blender with a little water and they’re done. The other foods have more steps, so instructions are below.

A couple weekends back, we also made mangoes that were a little tricky to make so I included direction on them as well.

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

Adventures in baby-food Making: Pears

I love Pears. I actually like them better than peaches, so I was excited for Sawyer to get to try them.  I am already salivating thinking of Christmas deliveries at work when those amazing pears arrive from Harry and David!
We have been mixing pears (or whatever fruit he is trying at the time) with his rice cereal in the morning and he just devours them! But like I have said before there really isn't anything this boy doesn't like.

Steps

1. Scrub & clean pears

2. Peal pears so there is no skin remaining

3. cut into small cubes

4. put into a food processor, blender or Baby Bullet with about a ¼ cup of water 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)

4 pears made 22 oz. of food. That is about 5.5 servings for Sawyer

The Math 

The math came out the extremely close (less than a cent different) to the same on the pears as it did with the peaches. So once again, it's worth it to make your own.

HOME-MADE

4 pears at $1.89 a pound – made 22 oz of baby food = $2.97

Total cost per ounce = 13.5 cents

STORE BOUGHT

Gerber 1st Foods SmartNourish Organic baby food (pears) comes in 2 – 3.5 containers for $1.49 each, so 16.5 ounces = $3.47

Total cost per ounce = 21 cents

TOTAL SAVINGS PER OUNCE = 8 cents

1 day of Gerber’s Peaches (2 containers or 7 ounces per day) =$1.49

1 day of Home-made Peaches (7 ounces per day) =  $.91

Total Savings per day = $.58

Total Savings per week (7 days) = $4.06

Total Savings per month (30 day month) = $17.40

Total Savings per year (365 days) = $211.70

Adventures in baby-food Making: Peaches

The peaches right now are delicious! Lucky for Sawyer that was the next fruit on his list to try.  Once again, he loved them! There are a couple more steps but still pretty simple.

Steps

1. Scrub & clean peaches

2. Peal peaches so there is no skin remaining

3. remove pits from center of the peach

4. cut into small cubes

5. put into a food processor, blender or Baby Bullet with about a ¼ cup of water and puree .

3. 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)

Sawyer had to crawl in to see what we were doing

we used 2 oz, 3.5 oz and 4 oz containers

The Math 

After making home-made baby food for the past 3 months I have found that you are most likely going to save money making your own. Even if it is less than a dollar a day, over time it’s still a savings and to me (being the frugal mom I am) it is worth it.

HOME-MADE

4 peaches at $1.49 a pound – made 23.5 oz of baby food = $3.00

Total cost per ounce = 13 cents

STORE BOUGHT

Gerber 1st Foods SmartNourish Organic baby food (peaches) comes in 2 – 3.5 containers for $1.49 each, so 16.5 ounces = $3.47

Total cost per ounce = 21 cents

TOTAL SAVINGS PER OUNCE = 8 cents

1 day of Gerber’s Peaches (2 containers or 7 ounces per day) =$1.49

1 day of Home-made Peaches (7 ounces per day) =  $.91

Total Savings per day = $.58

Total Savings per week (7 days) = $4.06

Total Savings per month (30 day month) = $17.40

Total Savings per year (365 days) = $211.70

Adventures in baby-food Making: Bananas

So I know a lot of moms can't find extra time to make their own baby food, I definitely wouldn't be able to do it without my mom's help (GO MOM!). BUT if you still want to try it then I have the easiest fruit there is...BANANAS. It's 3 easy steps and it makes yummy nanners.

If you buy your bananas a few days in advance they will taste better than the green un-ripened ones. Also, don't be worried when the finished product looks brown. This is normal!

See only 3 steps.

Steps

1. Peal Bananas

2. cut up, add about 1/4 cup water (per every 2 bananas) and put in processor, Baby Bullet or blender and Puree

3. 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)

can get a little runny so you might not need as much water

5 bananas made 16.5 ounces of food, that is almost 2.5 days of food for Sawyer.

The Math

Sawyer is up to about 7 ounces now of fruits & veggies a day. He has gone from the supporter sitter to sitter level in Gerber's foods. This is a 2 ounce increase, so the savings have decreased a little. Bananas are about 49 cents a pound, one of the cheapest fruits I can think of so it is worth trying for sure. They yield some great savings and it is so easy it's something you could do really quickly if you are out of food. It's a good food to mix too with other fruits or even in rice cereal.

HOME-MADE

5 – bananas made 16.5 oz. of baby food = 61 cents

Total cost per ounce = 4 cents

STORE BOUGHT

Gerber 1st Foods SmartNourish Organic baby food (bananas) comes in 2 – 3.5 containers for $1.49 each, so 16.5 ounces = $3.47

Total cost per ounce = 21 cents

TOTAL SAVINGS PER OUNCE = 17 cents

1 day of Gerber’s Bananas (2 containers or 7 ounces per day) =$1.49

1 day of Home-made Bananas (5 ounces per day) =  $.28

Total Savings per day = $1.21

Total Savings per week (7 days) = $8.47

Total Savings per month (30 day month) = $36.30

Total Savings per year (365 days) = $441.65

Adventures in baby-food Making: Apples

Apples to me are the perfect fall fruit! I have been sort putting off starting Sawyer on the fruits because I just know he is going to love them more than veggies but as soon as the weather started to cool down, I starting thinking about apples. I picked up a huge bag of gala apples at Sam’s Club and decided to try to make some for little man. The best part, my friend Hugo & Wendy decided to give me their brand new, never been used Baby Bullet. They received it as a gift and knew they would never use it. Thank you guys sooooo much, it was so easy to use and made the best puree!! You guys are the best!

The very helpful Baby Bullet instruction guide

My mom did a little research on adding spices to baby food and found a really interesting article on the myths of baby food and why they don’t always have to be bland. The article raises some interesting & valid points and after reading it we decided to add Cinnamon to the apples in our recipe. You can read the article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9646449/#.UD5CCo5438s

Cinnamon actually has a lot of health benefits associated with it and tastes delicious, to me it was a win win for Saywer. Here you can find the 11 health benefits of Cinnamon: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

Steps

1. Rinse and scrub Apples

2. Peel apples of all their skin

3. Core (we used a Pampered Chef apple corer)

4. Place in a large pot with ¼ cup water per apple used (add cinnamon sticks if desired)

5. Cook on medium/high heat until they boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until apples are very soft

6. Put Beets in Baby Bullet or processor (discard cinnamon sticks) and Puree.

7. 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)

The adorable storage containers even have a date stamp

The Math

You can really choose any type of apple that suits your fancy...I choose Gala and they were $2.57 a pound and I used 6 (they were about a half a pound each)

HOME-MADE

6 – Gala Apples made 27 oz. of baby food = $7.71

Total cost per ounce = 29 cents

STORE BOUGHT

Gerber 1st Foods SmartNourish Organic baby food (apples) comes in 2 – 2.5 containers for $1.59 each, so 27 ounces = $8.59

Total cost per ounce = 31 cents

TOTAL SAVINGS PER OUNCE = 0.028 cents

*While this isn't a huge savings it tastes fantastic and John and I actually said we would eat it. It comes out just like applesauce. **