6. Making baby food...JUST DO IT.

Before I posted any further articles, I thought it important to explain how I came about this little hobby of mine. Really, I owe it all to a dear friend/mentor of mine, Kimberly. Kimberly has a daughter named Madeleine. Kimberly had Madeleine before I ever had children. One day while out lunching, I noticed that Madeleine was noshing away at sauteed spinach, mushrooms and grilled chicken. All the other children were eating chicken fingers, french fries and drinking Sprite. I looked at Madeleine. Looked at the other children. Looked at Madeleine. WOW, I thought. That is crazy. After peppering Kimberly with tons of questions about how she got her kid to eat that way, the bottom line was clear. Make your own baby food. Start early with fresh, simple, unprocessed, unpasteurized baby food. You'll mold their taste buds and they will forever be grateful for it. So I went out and bought the "Bible" of baby food making, Mommy Made, and off I went the minute my first child was ready for solids. And the rest is history. I LOVE IT. Currently, my 6-month-old son is quite the little foodie himself. Just last night he had a carrot-sweet potato-blueberry blend. I couldn't even sit here and list all the nutrients in that little mixture if I wanted to...

Now I don't mind saying, I'm known in many a social circle for how my kids eat. They eat great. Better than any kid(s) I've ever come across. When people ask me, which is all the time, why it is they eat so good, the answer is swift and confident, "I made all their baby food." I have been accused of being some hippy, tree-hugging, broom-skirt wearing mom for this. You'd think I breastfed for two years or something. On the contrary I couldn't be more different than the aforementioned description. It all goes back to my original post. I'm so hard on myself about the way I parent. I'm hard on myself about everything I care about. So for me, to be able to so definitively control something so important is great. And to feel so good about it is worth all the effort (which is really minimal to be honest).

It's so easy. I can't stress that enough. A couple hours one Sunday afternoon and you can make enough for a month! Or you can make a little here and there. Whatever works for you, find it and stick to it! For me, it's cathartic to watch mango become this Heavenly looking fluff. Or for pear, in all it's sweetness, to literally look like liquid brown sugar once pureed. I even loved mashing up egg yolk with a fork to mix in my babies' cereals. Just typing it makes me relish in the pride I take in feeding my kids well.

Let us get started...

Consult the Baby Food Introduction information in a previous post to find out "where" your baby is age-wise for the appropriate foods.

Feel free to get more creative as you get more comfortable with this and your baby's diet broadens. You can start having a ton of fun mixing different fruits and vegetables! My son's very favorite is a pear-apple-banana puree. He can't get it fast enough and he can't grunt more to get it! Get creative. Have fun. And feel great about that growing baby of yours as vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants flood his or her little body! They're getting healthier by the second as their little cells are getting substantial nourishment.


What you need:

1. A food processor.

2. A small enough silicone spatula to scrape around the inside of the processor taking into account the center opening (try Sur La Table or Williams-Sonoma).

3. * Storage containers or ice cube trays for storing your food.

4. Freezer space.

5. Knife and cutting board (depending on the fruit/vegetable you're working with).

6. A Pyrex measuring cup to pour water into the processor.

* See the comments section below for some tips on storage containers.

Have your fruits and vegetables already prepped. This means thawed, washed, cut, steamed, peeled or whatever else you need to do to get it "baby food ready."

What to do:

1. Put fruit or vegetable in processor.

2. Hit food process then puree.

3. Get to desired texture (This will depend on the age of your child. Young baby ='s puree. Older baby ='s chunkier texture. I didn't put an age because every baby is different.)

* You want to start introducing different textures all throughout this process. There are "texture sensitive" babies out there. You know who's fault that is? The parents.

4. Once happy with your puree, spoon into storage container(s) of choice.

5. Freeze.

You're done! Congrats! Now pour a glass of wine as you clean-up and treat yourself to a bubble bath. You just did a good thing for your baby. Now go do a good thing for you!