homemade baby food

i'm not an earthy crunchy type girl, but i do love the thought of good nutrition and saving money...and that is why i started making my own baby food. my SIL, meg, inspired me...like she always does...and off i went.

so here's my sofie's fav peaches recipe...babyfood style

what you need:
peaches
knife
pot
collander
food processor, blender or masher
ice cube trays for storage

start with super yummy peaches fresh from the store. i like to get organic, but never the less, wash them good before you start cutting them. you don't all that gook from moving them around in your baby's food.
a good peach is firm, but will give a little when pushed (a little like me)...and don't pick up the rejects with cuts or bruises

peel and pit the peaches and cut up into 1" chunks or so...no precision necessary. rinse off the pieces and place in a quart pot for boiling.

add enough water to cover peaches and a little extra.
boil for about 6 minutes or until the peaches are soft...you'll be ready for some peach cobbler at this point...i'm warning you...the smell is DELCIOUS!!!

when you drain the boiling water off, you may want to reserve some of the water to add to cereal for extra moisture. the "water juice" is full of vitamins and the sugars are all boiled out so your babies tummy can tolerate it well.
{if you have questions on food timing and juices, please consult your pediatrician or doctor for feeding questions}

i like a food processor, but my SIL uses her blender, so use what you have...and if you don't have any special kitchen equipment, use a masher and good old fashioned elbow grease.
toss it in and puree to the consistancy that your baby prefers.
typically for young eaters, total puree is preferred and then from there, more and more chunks are preferred.
puree'd food will look like this delicious stuff...yummy!

i normally keep a few servings out in sotrage containers and freeze the remainder in ice cube trays. after a day in the freezer, i break up the ice cube trays, dispense into freezer bags and label contents with date.

when it's time to eat, pull out the food from the freezer and viola! you can defrost on the counter for 10 minutes or add some hot cereal and some of your leftover water juice!

then look for the smiles...and they are priceless!!
you won't want to miss all the great ideas for your home below...check them out!

wanna see more of my clan, come and visit me (mommaof4wife2r) at a thorn among roses.