Homemade Baby Food

Here is a really good link that describes how to make your own.. with ease!!!
http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/articles.asp?id=648

Cooked Meats and Poultry: Place ½ cup cubed, cooked meat into the blender. Add about 4 tablespoons of liquid (such as meat broth, water, breast milk, or formula). Blend until smooth.


Fruits and Vegetables: Put ¾ cup cooked fruits or vegetables into the blender. Add 2 tablespoons of water or juice. Process until smooth.

Creamed Fruit and Cottage Cheese: Put ½ cup of cottage cheese and 3 tablespoons of canned or cooked fruit into a blender. Add breast milk, formula or juice to reach the desired consistency. Process until smooth.

Meal-in-One: Place 1 cup cooked meat, 2/3 cup cooked vegetables, ½ cup cooked rice (or noodles, potatoes, or baby cereal), 1 cup liquid (brother, vegetable juice, breast milk, or formula) into a blender. Puree to desired consistency. Freeze in ice cube trays. Makes 3 cups, or 15 food cubes.

Homemade Babyfood

I have gotten many request for homemade babyfood lately...  so I thought I would share.  Do you want to offer your baby the best that nature has to offer? You can skip the pricey jars of organic baby food and head to the produce section for ingredients to make your own.  With my oldest I didn't make our own baby food, and he turned ou to be my pickest eater.  With all the rest, I made our own, and they eat everything!  There is such versatility with flavors when you make your own food, that you can really get your little one experimenting with new flavors.  You would be surprised at what your little one wil eat!  Mine would eat turnips, cabbage, esparagus, etc.

Here are some advantages to making your own organic baby food:

1. It's less expensive. A pound of fresh organic carrots will run you about $1. A four-ounce jar of organic baby food carrots cost about $.75--or $3 a pound!

2. It tastes better. Homemade baby food actually tastes like food, and your baby will grow accustomed to the flavor of fresh fruits and vegetables, possibly making them more likely to accept those foods later.

3. You know what's in it. You know for sure that it's free of additives and preservatives.

4. You can tailor the texture to your baby's preference and developmental stage.

5. It is more nutrient-rich than jarred. Since you made it, you know it hasn't been sitting for months on the supermarket shelves.

6. It's fun!

Tip I had share: Gerber started canning baby food in 1928. Before that, babies ate food that their parents mashed and stained for them. Now that we have blenders and food processors, making homemade baby food is a breeze

I will share some of our favorite recipes this week!  Enjoy!
~Mommy of 6 <3

Gluten Free Chewy Granola Bars

Gluten free chewy granola bars

1 3/4 cup gluten-free quick-cooking oatmeal
1 1/4 cup gluten-free crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup miniature gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey

Ingredients:
1. Mix oatmeal and rice cereal together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, mix together brown sugar, oil, and honey.  Place over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat and pour over oatmeal and rice cereal. Stir until well-coated. Spray 8x8 pan with cooking spray, and pour mixture into an 8x8 pan; lightly pat into pan. Sprinkle chips and fruit on top and press down into pan. Let bars to completely cool, cut into bars and enjoy!

~Mommy of 6 <3

Homemade Baby Food

I have had many moms ask me what to feed their baby, or what did I use?  how do I get my little ones to eat all thier veggies?  I have been a mom for going on 8 years, and although it didn't always work out the way I wanted it, for the most part my kids eat well!  They get a full days worth of veggies and sometimes don't even know it.  Thats right, I am a sneaky chef!!!  I hide it everywhere...  But it all starts when they are babies, because I have always made my own baby food.  Yes thats right, even when I had three babies under the age of 1, I still found time to make my own baby food.  I felt it was easier (ok maybe not, but give me a break), cheaper, and healthier (no preservatives, or added anything). This worked great as a foundation to getting my little ones to eat all ther veggies!  :)

1.  First thing first, be patient.  Kids refuse greens because it is in our DNA.  We naturally eat whites and orange colored veggies before we would greens and this goes back to caveman days. 
2. Always offer them so they have the choice.  You can hide them too in things they like, but always offer them on the side, and make them take at least one bite.  This doesn't mean make it a battle, but coax them (as my husband would say).
3. Start off with smooth texture veggies, babies especially are turned off by texture before taste.

So I found this little article on  Babyfit.com, and thought anyone asking these questions would enjoy this article!
Enjoy,
~Mommy of 6 <3