Baby Food

After much urging from a friend of mine, I decided to try making baby food for Nola. I hate to cook. I hate to clean up the kitchen. I am not one that anyone would ever think would make baby food. But, I have to admit, this was ridiculously easy.

I bought some frozen veggies (peas, carrots, squash & green beans) and a couple of sweet potatoes. I microwaved each one (individually, not mixed together), added a little water, put it in the blender and pureed it to baby food consistency. That's honestly all there is to it. I put the purees into ice trays, put some press & seal on it and stuck it in the freezer. Each cube is 1 oz (I measured out of curiosity). Here's what I made on day one:
When it's time for Nola to eat, I pop out a couple of cubes, microwave to thaw and warm and voila - dinner.

I'm amazed at how easy it was to do. I figured there would be more to it. Plus, there are a few other benefits that won me over:

1. Cost. Packaged baby food is 50 cents to a dollar per container. I bought a whole bag of peas for less than a dollar and it makes at least 10 servings.
2. Preservatives. Have you ever read the ingredients on a container of baby food? Lots of stuff I can't pronounce. The ingredients on the back of the bag of peas? "Peas" I figure she'll eat enough preservatives and chemicals in her life...why add to it if it's not necessary?
3. Waste. It just feels better not to throw those containers away after every meal. Like I'm doing a little bit for Nola and the planet at the same time.

Now...I'm not planning to put Gerber out of business with this venture. We'll still buy a few containers here and there. We'll take packaged food when we are away from home, but when we're here, she can have what I make.

We all know I'm no great chef. I'd probably get fired from McDonald's for messing up hamburgers. But, what does Nola think? So far, so good. She wasn't crazy about the carrots (6/10/10)......but she really likes peas, sweet potatoes and green beans. She did not like the squash, though. I can't say that I blame her. I don't like it either.