Baby Food Making!!

As a wannabe crunchy momma, I decided to undertake making some of Baby A.'s solid food myself. Aside from just having the time to do it, I enjoy cooking, and I like having control over what goes into my family members' bellies. I plan meals out when I write my grocery shopping lists, and I keep a whole separate Pinterest board for just the meals/recipes I plan on making for the week. I love being organized and planning, so it's a lot of fun to see my plans come together when I see Baby A. or hubs (or Tallulah Bear lol) enjoy some food I put together.

 My goal is for Baby A. to be able to enjoy whatever I'm making for dinner on his own plate, but I know you are supposed to start with individual ingredients for baby to monitor reactions, so I started with steaming fruits and veggies individually, and freezing them into ice cube trays until they were ready to be eaten. I found out Baby A. likes Gerber puffs while we were at his Auntie's house, and so those have been an on-the-go snack, but other than that, he mostly eats fruits, veggies, oatmeal, and the occasional pureed protein. 

Pureed fruits & veggies in the cute Baby Bullet containers

We were given a Baby Bullet set as a shower gift, and it came with cute little 1-2 oz containers that have an adjustable date slider, which is great. I used my bullet to make different purees and found out that Baby A. likes carrots, beets, peas, and broccoli a lot! When I started feeling uninspired, I turned to Pinterest and found this website called Baby FoodE (like foodie?!) that has interesting mixes and gave me the courage to give Baby A. some herbs and spices. I started with the bananas and rosemary mix, and now when I roast the bananas, I toss in a bit of honey and cinnamon with them. 

At this point, I am comfortable meal prepping his food alongside my own, and I love going to the farmer's market for fresh veggies, raw organic honey, and locally produced meats for the whole family to enjoy. I generally pick a few things, like these yummy beets, and roast up large batches with olive oil drizzles and salt and pepper (beets take about 45 minutes). The portions for baby food get set aside for pureeing, and I just stick whatever is left in tupperwares for dinner sides or snacks. We have definitely been on a beets and Brussels sprouts kick lately, but I am working to get some more meats and dairy in his mixes. Tonight, for instance, I made Giada's California Turkey Chili  and set aside some ground turkey, onions, and white beans for a puree, so later on, he can have his own chili dish!

Another great item we have is a Squooshi filling station that I found on Amazon. I was looking at another brand that was more expensive but it wasn't available at the time so I got this, and it's been perfectly functional for putting purees into little pouches (like those Gerber to go pouches). Baby A. has just started to get the hang of sucking them down without assistance, and he loves being able to do it on his own. I try to only put fruit and veggie mixes in the pouches because I think the meats mixes are best warmed up, and the point is that he can have it while we're out. He especially loves the pear and cucumber blend, and the apples and onions (although that is also better warm in my opinion). 

Baby A. also loves to feed himself, so i typically steam or roast up a batch of veggies and/or fruits, in addition to raw ones that I think he can smash up enough in his mouth. A few great things we have for the more baby-led weaning part of his eating are:

- Bumpkins silicone tray that was recommended to us by a great lady at the Zoolikins store we stopped into in Arizona a few weeks ago. It's better than the mats because it fits well on our high chair tray and other surfaces, and because it doesn't have the suction part sticking out from under the plate part, Baby A. can't peel up the edges.
- Bib shirts/silicon bibs that have a cupped bottom to catch food. Baby A. has gotten great at scooping larger dropped portions from inside of his own bib, haha.
- Boon Flair High Chair- A good friend of ours had one when I went to visit her, and the sleek design was what first attacted me, but the ability to easily wipe it completely clean, toss the plastic tray part in the dishwasher, and adjust the straps and height made me convinced that it was the best. Also, it's on a very sturdy base that my lab can't knock over, and it rolls! I often drag Baby A. in it to the sink or to whatever room I'm in so he can see me and I can make sure he's not choking or anything.

It's been a fun journey of food introduction with him so far, and I hope that as we continue and begin weaning him off of breast milk, it continues to be enjoyable. Do you make your own baby food? Do you have any especially thrilling recipes we should try? Definitely let me know!

-Big A.