Making your child's food is very easy and rewarding -- especially since you know exactly what's in it! It is also cheaper than buying baby food at the grocery store. Choose local produce, if possible, at the local farmers' markets.
What You'll Need
Preparation
Rinse the food. If using vegetables, a quick peel and chop before cooking makes it easier to mash. If using fruits, like apples or pears, do not peel as most of the nutrition is in the peel. It is fun to combine sweet potatoes with apples or pears; or peas, potatoes and apples.
Don't slow cook bananas! They are best mashed immediately before use and added, as they turn brown and don't look so good. Apples also will turn brown when cooked, but that is normal!
Cook It
Fill your slow cooker with fruit or vegetables and cook on "low" overnight. Do not add water.
If adding meat, cook it separately and use the food processor to puree it.
Mash It
Use the food mill to crank the cooked food through. I use my Grandma's and it is some arm work, but they end result is lots of yummy, mushy baby food! The food mill separates all the peel and seeds, and leaves a homemade fruit-veggie sauce delight!
Store It
Put the food into jars and refrigerate. You can also freeze them in ice cube trays. Spray the tray with "Pam" to reduce sticking.
Store any pureed meat separately from the vegetables and fruit.
Serve It
If using meat, combine the pureed meat with the vegetables and fruit.
Microwave the food to warm it up -- make sure it's not too hot! If the food is a little thick, add some water and stir to get that perfect mushy baby food consistency.
My 5 qt. cooker, when filled with fresh apples and sweet potatoes, made 24 oz. of baby food! I then boiled a chicken breast, used my food processor to puree it, and then added the chicken to my veggies or fruit for a "dinner" meal!
Serve It
If using meat, combine the pureed meat with the vegetables and fruit.
Microwave the food to warm it up -- make sure it's not too hot! If the food is a little thick, add some water and stir to get that perfect mushy baby food consistency.
My 5 qt. cooker, when filled with fresh apples and sweet potatoes, made 24 oz. of baby food! I then boiled a chicken breast, used my food processor to puree it, and then added the chicken to my veggies or fruit for a "dinner" meal!
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