The reason for this post? I've had my fair share now of attempts at making homemade baby food for baby E. Figured I better have some way to record them so that I can always go back to my go to recipes since everything learned is through trial and error and all my non-stop reading on the web.
Hubby and I started to feed baby E solids 2x/day when she turned 6 months. Just like this blog, I thought I'd have mucho time to make her baby food. Of course I was wrong, and opted for Plum/Nature's Best/BRU baby food. Even though I'd only purchase the brand that would be on sale for the week, it adds up $$$!! What I spent on single food pouches/jars for 1 week was the same as what I'm spending now on foods to feed baby E for the whole month. And as much as I tried to just purchase the foods that did not have any of those unnecessary additives, some foods had it no matter which brand. I figured, if I can bake in the kitchen and cook (when there's free time available) I better make time to cook for our baby as well!!
So I'm proud to say that I'm going on a month so far of making baby E's food. It took a few tries to figure out what consistency worked well for her, so I decided to jot them down for my memory and to help other moms as well.
First up - APPLES
Apples:
1) What I used - apples & apple corer (optional - but after 3 batches of coring them myself, I finally got a corer. Saves SO much time!!).
2) Now, you can either steam them or bake them. I've tried both, and it's more of do you to preserve more nutrients for your baby or do you want the faster method?
Baking*
- set oven to 400 degrees and start your prep work
- either core apples by hand or using an apple corer
this is the one I have OXO Good Grips Corer
: 
-I usually do batches of 4-6 apples so that I have leftovers for future meals
- fill a baking pan with about 2-3 inches of water
- place cored apples (peeled or unpeeled)** in pan and voila, wait for them to bake
- set timer to 45 mins (though it can take anywhere from 45-60mins depending on your oven settings). To check if apples are done, use tongs to squeeze apples and check that they are tender.
- wait for apples to cool, then place in blender/baby food processor.
- you can either add the water you used to bake apples in or use fresh water, up to you
-amount of water used depends on what kind of apple sauce consistency you want.
- I add a tablespoon and just add more if I need to as I blend
- Ready to serve baby freshly made apple sauce, apple sauce used to mix in a baby meal, or store in freezer for future use.
- Store in fridge for about 3 days, or place in freezer and try to use within the month.
Steaming*
- either core apples by hand or using a corer (OXO Good Grips Corer
)-I usually do batches of 4-6 apples so that I have leftovers for future meals
- fill your steamer with the required water amount OR if using a pot to steam, fill it up with about 1-2 inches of water.
- slice apples into wedges
- place apples wedges (peeled or unpeeled)** in steaming tray and let the steamer do it's thing!
- set timer to 15 mins (though it can be more or less depending on your settings). To check if apples are done, use tongs/fork to squeeze apples and check that they are tender.
- wait for apples to cool, then place in blender/baby food processor.
- add water to blender/processor to get desired apple texture
-amount of water used depends on what kind of apple sauce consistency you want.
- I add a tablespoon and just add more if I need to as I blend
- Ready to serve baby freshly made apple sauce, apple sauce used to mix in a baby meal, or store in freezer for future use.
- You can store in fridge for about 3 days, or place in freezer and try to use within the month.
*Countless articles I've read say that baking is the best way to preserve the nutrients for your baby. It does take longer, so if you are short on time steaming is the 2nd best way to go for at least 1/3 of the time it takes to bake!
**I think it's up to you to leave the skins on or off - I've tried both, so I think it may be more your comfort level. Articles I've read say that it is okay to leave the skins on for babies 6 months and older, before pureeing it. I will say, that I was a bit wary leaving the skins on this last time I made apple sauce and also pear puree. So I tried to take out any skins I saw that didn't break down to small enough pieces in my baby blender. That's just the paranoid freak in me. I'm sure it's okay for our 9 month old now, but mommy is always worried=P.
Now, that wasn't so bad was it? My brother-in-law saw me making home made baby food for baby E and asked me why I do it. Well, if I can cook hubby and my meals at home shouldn't I do the same for our daughter? I know it's always more convenient to try the store bought way, but doing it this way makes me feel good that I'm providing something that I know is good for my baby. No preservatives, no additives....just all NATURAL!
Get to it, mama!=)
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