making baby food

You guys, I made a mood board. I don't have a program to make it, I went old school style and used powerpoint. I'm not sure if I did it right, but some lady on the internet charges like $20 to make one! I mean, come on! Anyway, I thought I'd put this together to share how I make Eliza's food. I did the same with Avery and it's actually pretty fun. I'm guessing it's like cloth diapers, cheaper then store bought but takes more time to manage. No biggie seeing how I'm home with them now. Here's how it goes down. 

1. Food storage trays- I use one of these and then a few ice cube trays. Once they're frozen, I bag them in ziploc freezer bags. I label the bags and it's a party every night picking what meal Eliza will enjoy.

2. Immersion Blender- This is a must have! You use it so much when making baby food, and soups! I never use the cup that comes with it, I just stick the blender in whatever I'm cooking the food in.

3. Blender- I use this for some foods and it's handy for big batches of food.

4. Crockpot- I have two of these and when I make baby food, both of these are going strong. I cook peas in one and apples in the other. Life saver!

5. Pyrex Glass Storage- Some foods I don't freeze right away because I know I'll use them within the week. The apples are just like apple sauce so you don't have to freeze them. I love using glass because if I put the food in hot, I don't have to worry about chemicals from plastic.

And look at that, yummy in my tummy. Here's a brief description of how I prepare each of them:

• Apples- peel and core a bunch of apples, cut them in to big chunks, put them in a crockpot with a bit of water and sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Let them cook on high for about 3 hours. When soft, let them cool for a little bit, the puree them. You can freeze them or store them in the fridge.
• Peas- buy a frozen bag of peas, put them in the crockpot, add a little bit of water. Cook, puree, and freeze.
• Pears- They are so soft you don't have to cook them. Just peel, core, cut and puree. Freeze, boom.
• Carrots- Stove top for this one, use a basic pot and steam them for about 20 minutes. When cooked, puree and freeze. 
• Broccoli- Same as with the carrots, and I blended these in the stand up blender slowly adding water when I needed to. They kinda taste like crap, so I'll add some rice for flavor. 
• Blueberries- I boiled some water, then added the blueberries and boiled them for 15 minutes. I pureed it with the liquid and it was really runny. I'll use this puree to add to different dry cereals I give Eliza for extra flavor. 
• Butternut Squash- Cut your squash in half, take out seeds and lay the pieces face down in a baking dish with about an inch of water. Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. When done, take it out and scoop out the mushy insides. Puree and then store in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Yeah for homemade!