Making Mush

just re-read this before hitting publish. it's lame folks, really lame. it's a slow day in mommyhood when you're taking pictures of baby food. next up, paint drying.

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This is how I make mush. Or rather, this is how I make homemade baby food so that I feel like a rockstar supermom. Or rather, because I am most definitely not a supermom, this is how I feed my baby on the cheap. Because I am most definitely cheap. Well, cheap as in frugal. Not cheap as in cheap. ;)

This is not earth shattering, but the whole process seemed so daunting to me before I began that I though I would share just how easy peasy it actually is. There's probably even easier/better/quicker/more tasty ways to do this, but this is my version.

STEP 1: Get your veggies and fruits. You can use fresh or frozen. Remember frozen veggies are picked at their freshness peak so they are just as, if not more, fresh than fresh produce. (that's a whole lotta fresh in that sentence) At least that's what I've read and since I read it, it is true. Because everything you read is true. Right? Anybody?

The good thing about making your own baby food is that you know what you're feeding your baby. Or rather, what your not feeding him. So far I've made green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, peas, and bananas (although I haven't frozen any banana). And I don't add anything extra which gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. The same warm fuzzy feeling I get from a McDonald's cheeseburger. What? I feed my baby healthy - there's no way I'm eating that mush. ;)

Plus, it really is cheaper than the store jars - only about .10-.12 a serving. Cheap is great for beginning eaters or eaters much more interested in flinging the baby spoon to see just how much mush they can get stuck on the ceiling rather than eating.

STEP 2: Cut up and steam, until fork tender, the veggies and fruit (although if your fruit is really ripe, you can skip this step because it will be soft enough already). You can steam in a double pot thingy with a basket or in the microwave. That last sentence, by the way, was brought to you by Mr. Obvious.

STEP 3: Dump the food into your fancy schmancy food processor. A blender works great too. Or one of these grinders (I bought one at Target). Really you could just use a mixer or big spoon to mash it up if needed. Don't buy anything new, you don't need to. Add water, or formula, or breastmilk. I chose water because I've thrown my pump in a corner never to be looked at again - we had a bad breakup. Add the liquid about two tablespoons at a time and puree. Don't make it the perfect consistency because the act of freezing and then defrosting will make the food a little more watery. So, make it just shy of perfect. Does that make sense?

the finished puree - in this case, sweet potato

STEP 4: Spoon the puree into ice cube trays, cover and freeze. Wait until the food is room temperature before you freeze to avoid some sort of bacteria problem that I don't quite understand but I've read that you should wait and, therefore, I wait.

Pop out the frozen chunks and there you have it.

I currently warm up two chunks at a time, but that's the good thing, just warm up what you need. After warming, if too watery, add cereal or oatmeal. If too thick, add some liquid. I know, rocket science, right?

Seriously easy folks. In just an hour or so, you can make enough to feed your rugrat for more than a month. It would take even less time if there wasn't an actual baby in the house. :)

Bon appetite!