Baby Food Making Moms

[littlelysser]

Just wondering how many of the PSmoms make their own food?

I''ve been making C''s food and it is easier than I thought, but still pretty tough.

Anyone have recommendations for books, websites, etc?

Maybe we could share what recipes work and stuff?

Just a thought!

 

[Mandarine]

I am! So far I love it and find it super easy!...of course they''re only eating a little bit

I steam their veggies using a little basket, then puree using the hand blender. If I make enough to freeze, then I''m using silicone ice cube trays (I don''t love the ones I got, but they work). Once I fill up the cubes, then I put parchment paper on the top, freeze. The next day I empty the cubes on a freezer bag and voila!. If they are eating frozen cubes, I just take what I need and thaw it overnight in the fridge.

Once they start gettign a mix of things, I will probably just grab different cubes or freeze them as a mix. Once meats go in I will probably add that fresh and puree it with the food (fresh or frozen).

They also love pears and I just peel, cut them up and put them in the microwave like 30 seconds...then mash them up. They LOVE those!. I will probably do the same thing with apples.

This is the site I use (and love):

Baby Food site

 

[ChinaCat]

I don''t do this, but would love to if I had more time. I really can''t make ALL his food but I''d like to try and my nanny said she''d make whatever I wanted.

So great idea for a thread, I will definitely be checking for ideas.

So for beginners like me, how did you start? What do you need in the kitchen to start? I know I have a food processor/blender but not sure about a steaming basket.

 

[Mandarine]

China,

Steaming is one of the healthiest ways to cook up the veggies since they conserve most of their nutrients that way (rather than boiling). They sell cheap steam baskets in the supermarkets, you really don''t need anything fancy.

I''ve made:

- Green beans: Bought a bag of fresh organic green beans. Cut the ends off, steamed for like 15-20 minutes and then blend with a little water.
- Sweet peas: bag of frozen organic green peas, steamed for 10 minutes or less, then blend.
- Sweet potatoes: Got lazy here but it worked. Organic sweet potato with skin and all in microwave for like 5 minutes. Then peel, mash with fork and add a little water.
- Avocado: just mash it up with a fork with a little water.
- Pears: Peel, cut up in pieces and in the microwave for like 20 seconds...then mash it up. This (like the avocado) is better to do when it''s time to eat because they brown up quickly.

So far that''s all I''ve made!

 

[ChinaCat]

Mandarine-

Thanks! That''s what I was thinking. I did buy some organic green peas and green beans with this intention. But I need the little steamer, I will pick one up at the grocery store. These are great ways to start.

Lysser- I know you''ve gotten "fancier" with your recipies, so feel free to share!

 

[choro72]

When I was being weaned, my mom painstakingly pureed, cooked, mashed, chopped and steamed all kind of stuff. She studied food nutrition or something like that in college, and she wanted to be the best mommy she could be.
I was the most non-corporative child, would not eat, and my mom was in all shades of depressed from the lingering blues and sense of failure.

My younger sister was born soon after. Now faced with 2 screaming toddlers, my mom said "F*** this". She opened a can of food, it went "BLOP!!" in a bowl, threw them in front of us like dogs. My sister gobbled it up like the obedient angel that she was (I still wasn''t interested), and we pass the health test with flying colors.

 

[Mandarine]

hehe, the BLOP sounds sounded just not so appealing!!!. Thankfully I think jarred food has also come a long way!!!....and I'm sure I was fed the same thing and I'm pretty healthy myself!.

I personally though, love to cook and have become MUCH more aware of what we eat in the house. Neither DH or I eat fast food or processed foods, so for me making their food was important.

What I also think is important though (for the food making mamas!!!) is that you also give them the store bought stuff!!!!. My sister made all the food for her babies and they HATED the store bought/ready made food. So it was just a nightmare to travel with those two when they were babies!.

What I'm doing (not sure about you LL) is giving them store bought stuff occasionally. Just so they are somewhat used to it and remain a little flexible. We have a trip coming up in July and I don't ant to have to worry sbout them not eating unless it's freshly made by mom!!!.

 

[littlelysser]

Gah. Today has been busy!

China - I use the babycook. It steams and purees all in one. I love it. You''ll also need some freezer storage for the stuff. We bought a bunch of trays from kidco. They are basically ice cube trays with covers. And really, that is all you need that you don''t already have in your kitchen.

And there are tons of things to cook that are really amazingly simple. Calvin loved acorn squash - and all I did was brush some melted butter on it and roast it in the oven. It tasted so darn good. The cookbook I use recommends mixing a bit of cereal with some of the stronger tasting veggies and mixing a bit for formula/bm with it, to lessen the impact a bit. One of Calvin''s staples is 1/2 and avocado with like 1/4 of a banana and a bit of bm mixed with it. Just mash the heck of it and serve. He loves it.

I''m soo tired right now, but I''d be more than happy to transcribe a couple recipes. I''ve definitely gotten more complex as I''ve gone on...but in the beginning it was a lot of steaming and pureeing. And I roasted the squash and sweet potatoes.

Mandy - I''ve used that site many times. I found it helpful too! That is a really good point about giving other food as well. Other than mixing prunes into his oatmeal, I haven''t given Calvin any jar food. I''m not opposed, just haven''t really had the need. But I do see what you are saying about wanting to be able to feed them on the go...I know there are some really good frozen premade baby food out there but I haven''t tried them yet.

I''ve made Calvin a bunch of different stuff - we don''t have any issues with allergies in my family and after six months, you can be a bit looser with the allergy worries. No citrus, strawberries, shellfish, eggs or peanuts but he''s had a pretty wide variety.

So far he''s had: Chicken, fish (sole), sweet potato, squash, carrots, parsnips, cheese, avocado, yogurt, potato, leeks, oatmeal, banana, pears, mango, prunes, peas, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, tomato, apple...and I''ve cooked using olive oil, butter and some flour. I''ve also given him some baby MumMums and puffs. The kid really likes his food. So far, he hasn''t liked green beans, but that is it.

I''ve found a couple pretty good shortcuts, fwiw...although I make most of his food, some stuff I just don''t make. Applesauce, for example...I just buy organic, unsweetened applesauce from wholefoods. And I''ve taken to buying a decent amount of frozen veggies...still organic and they stay good for a bit longer. Oh, and I cheat and buy organic prune baby food. Don''t know if you remember, but Calvin was a great non-pooper before he got solids, and although he''s much better now, I still mix some prunes with his oatmeal in the morning...

Calvin has had a couple favorites. I made a broccoli tomato gratin and fish with cheesy broccoli that he really likes.

What foods have your guys not cared for?

In terms of taste/texture, what is the big difference between jar and home made food?

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I made all of Amelia''s food, it was (if you''re as chaotic and disorganised as me) just easier than finding stuff she''d eat out of jars and always having a stock of them to hand.

I steamed veggies and fruit and mashed them with a fork or pureed them with a stick blender if I was feeling particularly energetic. Once she was about a year old, she just ate what we ate, mashed with a fork if necessary. If we ate out, I just mashed some of my veggies for her.

When I had more time, once she was past the pureed veg only stage, I made batches of meals to freeze (breastmilk storage bags are great for that). Her favourites were cottage pie and chicken curry:

Cottage Pie (sort of):
Any quantities you like of the following:
Ground beef, dry fried and any fat poured off
Potatoes, chopped small and boiled really soft
onions, peas, carrots or any other veg you have, chopped and boiled or steamed
Salt free stock cube

Fry the beef and pour off any fat that comes out. Add a little stock and let it simmer until it''s cooked. When it''s well cooked, add the veggies and potatoes and stir through. Cool, the put into bags (or whatever containers you use) and freeze in portions.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Jen, those are still my favorite meals! LOL...

I''m so engrossed in this thread, I would love to make my own BF.

Little, I recall from when my brother had jarred food the flavor was, um...unique. It had a clear "canned" taste, almost metallic like the flavor that canned green beans and progresso soup have. I can definitely see how a little one used to eating fresh would have an issue adapting to jarred. Now, granted jarred food has come leaps and bounds past where it was in ''93-''94 but I imagine with exception of the food that comes in the plastic containers this unique flavor is still present because it''s a side effect of the canning/jarring process itself.

 

[Mandarine]

Lucas didn''t want his green beans (that I made) yesterday so I tried to give him the jarred earth''s best peas

Yikes. They taste nothing like peas!!!. He tried them, but wasn''t crazy about them either.

I have heard good things about the Sprout brand. I may try that. I want to give them something not fresh maybe once a week or something...just to give us that flexibility.

I''m going to try acorn squash! I love it and I''m sure they''ll love it too!...I also want to try broccoli.

LL, at what age did you start giving Calvin yogurt/cheese, etc?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

OMG jarred peas have to be the worst variety ever! Blegh!

 

[Mandarine]

LL..do you like the kidco trays?

I bought these:

Green sprouts tray

and I gotta say I don't love them. It's hard to take the cubes out without freezing your fingers..and when trying to squeeze one of the cubes out I accidentally tore one of the sides a bit!.

I wanted to use silicone since plastic has so much bad stuff in it!

ETA: This is the store food I'll try next: Sprout

 

[LitigatorChick]

Hey, I did what Mandarine describes. I found awesome icecube trays (and bigger ones too) at Ikea - they are silicone. Made in bulk and froze.

I also roasted squash or yams in the oven, and then pureed them, so an alternative to steaming.

Miller''s favorite thing was avocado and bananas with rice cereal, so that was a no fuss meal in an instant!

I also made a dried fruit compote - fresh apples with a variety of dried fruit (prunes, mangos, peaches) cooked on the stove and pureed - great for when things get "backed up".

I never once bought a jar of baby food and it didn''t take very much time at all.

 

[ChinaCat]

Go Calvin! He''s eaten WAY more food than O.

Well O LOVES the peas and green beans. There hasn''t really been anything he doesn''t like yet, though he seems to prefer the veggies to the fruits. I''ve given him Gerber (organic), Earth''s Best and Sprout and he likes them all.

I also give him bites of real food when we are out at restaurants. So french fries, whole wheat pancakes, bananas. Mostly he just eats puffs when we are out though.

I gave him yogurt once but he seemed like he had a stomach-ache that day, so I haven''t given it to him again. I am going to try again this weekend.

Mandarine- I held off on the dairy but it seems like they can have small pieces of cheese pretty soon.

I thought we had a babycook but either we don''t or we can''t find it. You all have inspired me to do some baby cooking this weekend!

Lysser- when you are un-tired- or I guess I should say when you are not AS tired, would love the fish and broccoli/tomato recipies.

 

[littlelysser]

CC - I promise to post those recipes tonight! They are pretty easy...well, they were new to me, but I am the anti-cook...so take that for what its worth! and if you have a babycook, GO FIND IT! It totally rocks...And interesting about yogurt...Calvin did well on it before, but I gave him some with bananas and prunes for breakfast and I think it bugged him. He had a couple spit ups yesterday and they smelled like sour yogurt. It was yuckster. SO I''m going to hold off on any more yogurt for a couple days at least.

Mandy - I do like the kidco trays. They come with a lid, which is nice, and they have a lip on the front and back where you can write what it is in and the date with a dry erase marker. They are good. We also have a set of the babycubes...which i DO NOT LIKE. They are nice in that they are individual size and I always put aside a serving or two of whatever I most recently made so I can take it with if we need to go somewhere around mealtime. That having been said, they tend to open in the freezer and if you fill them as high as the fill line, they overflow once they freeze...so yeah, not a huge fan.

We started giving Calvin dairy at around 6 and 1/2 months. I know the website says 8 months, but lots of stuff I read basically said that after 6 months, dairy is alright. He''s done fine with cheese and milk, both of which I used in recipes. I watched for any issues and he has done really well with both.

mrsM - That sounds like a great meal! Did you blend it when A was younger or did you wait until she was a bit older to give it to her?

HH - I have no idea if you are a cook, but I am so NOT a cook, but it really is easy to make baby food, espeically the early stuff. I have a feeling I''m going to struggle once we get to real solids, but I''ll keep on keeping on. And hoping I don''t give Calvin food poisoning!

I''ve officially got to stop making so much food. Calvin has seriously got enough food to last him forever! I just like trying recipes and making stuff...which is ironic, as I rarely cook for DH and I!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

littlelysser, I didn't blend that type of meal, just made sure everything was in really tiny pieces. I started her off at six months on puree veg and fruit, then by about 8 - 9 months, introduced things with a little more texture. She never choked or even gagged much on anything (until yesterday, aged nearly two, which was a bit of a scare but she's fine). Off topic, but I always love your avatar - what breed are the dogs? They look adorable.

HH I do see babyfood in jars on sale here, but I've never actually seen anyone buy it. If you want to serve home made food, go for it - there's no obligation to buy a jar, I never did and I don't know anyone here who did. They aren't popular where I live. Unless you eat pre-packed food yourselves, it's easy to adapt a little of your own meal to feed a little person (just mash or use a stick blender on some the veggies for example), or to have frozen home made meals cooked in batches. Just avoid adding salt in any form to anything you're giving to the LO - little kidneys can't cope with much salt. I really do recommend freezing meals in breastmilk storage bags, because the icecube trays etc can be a bit fiddly and my girl ate more than that quantity from a pretty early age.

You'll find what works for you though, and as with all things parenting, there's no right answer! I did make sure that kitchen equipment was scrupulously, fastidiously clean, but I didn't sterilize or sanitize anything - one advantage of the jars is that they're sterile until opened, and would have been handy for out and about. I bought a small flask with a wide neck, so I could put frozen meals in breastmilk bags inside to take out with me - I defrosted by filling the flask with hot water and putting the sealed bag back in it.

Jen

ETA if I was doing this again, I would be going with baby led weaning, which I think would make things even easier. Plus it would give me a nudge towards keeping my own diet very healthy, since I'd be sharing most of it.

 

[Mandarine]

I just scored a Beaba on craigslist from another twin momma for $50!

I pick it up tomorrow! Can''t wait!!!

Any of you use it?. Seems like I would make less of a mess in the kitchen! Plus I can just throw in there (eventually) whatever we are having for dinner (chicken, veggies, rice, etc). Plus I can just use it to steam a little later on when don''t eat the purees anymore.. So excited!

 

[Mandarine]

Got my Beaba, in AWESOME condition! So happy!
Gave it a good cleaning yesterday and will use it today for sweet potatoes!
Also, wanted to share this blog with YUMMY recipes (a lot for older babies, but also some for younger ones

Baby Food Exchange

 

[ChinaCat]

Mandarine- Score on the babycook. And thanks for that site!

Do you guys think you''ll use the babycook past the puree stage? Am thinking of looking for one, but not if I will only use it for the next few months (O is almost 9 months).

Also, came across this recipie that sounded good. If I cooked, I would make it for him.

I like that it gives 2 versions, one for babies and then a bake with cheese version for toddlers.

SWEET POTATO TURKEY CASSEROLE

Jarred sweet potato puree combines with tiny pieces from your family turkey to make a quick holiday taste treat for babies 6 months and up. For a healthy, hearty toddler meal, place the rough mash in a small ovenproof dish, top with cheese, and bake at 350° until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly before serving in a child-friendly dish.
Ingredients
• 1 tsp olive oil or vegetable oil

• 1/8 cup diced onions

• 1/4 cup finely chopped roast turkey

• 1/8 cup finely chopped cooked peas (fresh or frozen)

• 1/4 cup water

• pinch finely chopped rosemary

• 4 oz sweet potatoes puree (jarred or homemade)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Mix in the roast turkey, peas, rosemary, and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2. For babies 6 - 9 months, puree the whole meal in a blender. Add extra water if necessary. For older babies, roughly mash the mixture in the pan with a potato masher.

3. Warm Plum Organics Sweet Potatoes separately and fold into final blended or mashed mixture. Allow to cool, then serve.

 

[littlelysser]

Gah. I stink!

Okay - first off -

Mandy - SCORE on beaba. I love mine. I use it to make pretty much all of Calvin's food. It rocks. I was talking about it when I mentioned the babycook. I love love love it.

China - Okay, here are the recipes:

Now, this was originally supposed to be a tomato cauliflower gratin, but our cauliflower was fresh and organic. and had bugs. EWWWWWWWWWWWWW. So we tossed that and I subbed in broccoli.

Broccoli Tomato Gratin

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups broccoli, cut into florets

2 tbsp butter

1 and 1/3 cups tomatoes skinned, deseeded, and roughly chopped

1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese.

Directions

Steam the broc until it is pretty darn soft, about 12 mins - OR a 3 on the babycook.

Warm the butter in a pan, add the tomatoes and saute until super soft.

Remove from heat and the cheese, keep on stirring until it is all melty fantastic.

Mix the broc with the cheesy tomato sauce and puree. Voila. AND SO FREAKING GOOD!

 

[littlelysser]

China - I think I''ll use the babycook for a while. Of course, I''m not totally sure, it seems to me that easy steaming of veggies will be handy for a while...I think. I don''t know for sure. And really, purees can be so many different textures, I''d imagine C will be eating some kind of puree for a while... And really, I love using it. And I SOOOO don''t cook. Can you borrow one to try? I''ve really really enjoyed using mine. It is really nice to steam and puree in the same little unit.

Okay, here is the fish recipe. C loves this. It is his favorite thing I''ve made. It is kind of a pain, but he just loves it sooo much. I doubled the recipe last time and it worked out just fine.

Fish with cheese sauce and broccoli

Ingredients
1/4 lb sole fillet, skinned

3 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

sprig of parsley

2/3 cup milk

1 and 1/2 cups broccoli, cut into florets

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1/3 cup grated cheddar or edam cheese

Directions

Put the fish in a pan with milk, peppercorns, bay leaf and parsley, bring to a boil and then simmer covered until the fish flakes - 3 or 4 minutes.

Remove and flake the fish, strain the spices from the milk and keep the milk.

Steam the broccoli for 5-7 minutes

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook over a low heat for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring until thickened.

take it off the heat and add the cheese, stir it til it melts

THEN puree everything together.

Oh, and both recipes are totally fine for freezing!

 

[Mara]

one of my friends gave me a baby food book at my shower... i haven''t looked at it yet but we''re coming up on solids in a few months i guess.

just curious, have you guys tasted the full ''meal'' foods (aka recipe that was just posted) after pureed? wondering what it tastes like... because a previous BF had a broken jaw and i remember making a few ''meals'' for him then pureeing them so that he could get full meal nutrients, and he said they were gross.

he ended up existing on a diet of chicken broth, ensure shakes and baskin robbins shakes for the next month instead.

great idea on the microwaving the pear/apple as a quickie meal, mandarine. if you microwave the fruit, does it lose any of it''s ''healthy'' properties, aka fiber etc? like when you cook instant oatmeal instead of regular?

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I worked in a nursing home one summer while I was a student. DON''T TASTE THE PUREE MEALS! They are revolting. It''s a texture thing, I think. My theory is that you expect certain flavours to ''feel'' a certain way and there''s a horrible cognitive dissonance when they don''t. Like, you expect a piece of fish to have a firm texture and a cheese sauce to be smooth, so finding the fish flavour in the smooth form is weird and a little gross.

I guess it isn''t a problem for babies, since they have no such expectations?

 

[littlelysser]

I can totally understand not wanting to taste stuff (especially at a nursing home, YIKES), but due to the fact that I have absolutely NO faith in my cooking abilities, I taste everything I give to C.

Believe it or not, so far I think pretty much everything I''ve made tastes really good! I also make my DH, my mom, my dad and anyone else that happens along after I''ve made something taste it too...and it has been unanimously well received.

The fish recipe tastes like a thick fish soup to me...and the broccoli tomato gratin tastes like a really yummy, thick, pasta sauce (and I''ll probably use it as one once C gets a bit older). I figure if I think it tastes awful C probably won''t like it either. Although I''ve made him a couple chicken dishes and he preferred the one I didn''t care for as much...but there is no accounting for taste!

So yeah...I''ve been really impressed with the quality of the recipes I''ve made - they are from the book First Meals by Annabel Karmel.

 

[Sha]

I''m glad to see this thread again. I''m starting solids next month and feeling a bit clueless. Thanks for the ideas posted here!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Date: 5/5/2010 8:43:06 AM
Author: littlelysser
I can totally understand not wanting to taste stuff (especially at a nursing home, YIKES), but due to the fact that I have absolutely NO faith in my cooking abilities, I taste everything I give to C.

Believe it or not, so far I think pretty much everything I''ve made tastes really good! I also make my DH, my mom, my dad and anyone else that happens along after I''ve made something taste it too...and it has been unanimously well received.

The fish recipe tastes like a thick fish soup to me...and the broccoli tomato gratin tastes like a really yummy, thick, pasta sauce (and I''ll probably use it as one once C gets a bit older). I figure if I think it tastes awful C probably won''t like it either. Although I''ve made him a couple chicken dishes and he preferred the one I didn''t care for as much...but there is no accounting for taste!

So yeah...I''ve been really impressed with the quality of the recipes I''ve made - they are from the book First Meals by Annabel Karmel.

LOL! I wasn''t suggesting you make horrible tasting food!

I just have a thing about texture. I could taste A''s meals before I mashed them up, but not after.

I just found some little notes I made of recipes she liked, if they''re any use:

Pasta bake
Cooked pasta stars (or any other tiny piece pasta)
sauce - courgettes, sweet peppers, chopped onions, spinach (and any other veggies you have) all sauteed together then pureed or mashed, and mixed with passata or canned tomatoes in tomato juice. Mix the sauce into the pasta and top with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs, bake in a hot oven until it''s browned, then freeze in portions.

For a younger baby, any pasta will do, just puree it before you freeze (and you can skip the cheese and crumbs if you prefer).

Risotto
Risotto rice
mushrooms
courgettes
onions
garlic
asparagus
Salt-free stock
Parmesan

Chop all of the veggies (substitute any you fancy) into tiny pieces. I used a food processor
Put a scrap of oil or butter in a heavy skillet and sautee the chopped veggies with the garlic (crushed).
When they are soft and well cooked, stir in the rice.
Add a little of the stock and stir.
Add the rest of the stock a little at a time as it is absorbed. When the rice is cooked and very soft, let it sit for a few minutes to rest, then stir in some grated parmesan.
Freeze in portions.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Take pity on us Yanks. What''s a "courgette"?

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Ah. I don''t know. It''s a .... courgette, is what it is...

Long, green (or yellow) vegetable, needs to be cooked, looks a bit like a small cucumber. I''ll ask my cousin, she''s American but went to school in the UK - she''ll translate!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

She tells me (via fb chat) that it's a zuchinni