Tuesday, March 22, 2011

How to Make Homemade Baby Food

I love to cook and I especially love to cook for the people I love. I take pride in spending time picking out the perfect recipes, shopping for quality ingredients, carefully preparing each dish and deciding on the perfect presentation. It is so rewarding after all of the aforementioned effort to see the faces of my loved ones as they taste my meals and to hear their praise and appreciation. There is nothing better.

With all that being said, I couldn't wait to cook for my baby. I know I have years of making meals for him, packing his lunch and deciding on snacks so I tried not to rush the process. After all - I was "making" his food for the last five months anyway, just not in the kitchen ;-) But when the time came to start Rex on solids I knew there was no way I would be popping a metal top to that glass jarred baby mush anytime soon.

I researched safe first foods for babies and I set off to prepare my baby's first "meal". I couldn't have been more excited to see his reaction. And as it normally goes with babies, it was priceless. Unsure at first, in love by bite #5. It was a success and I was one proud mommy chef!


Homemade Baby Food (Sweet Potatoes)


Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash sweet potato thoroughly under running water using a clean kitchen towel.

2. Poke holes in the sweet potato using a fork.

3. Wrap sweet potato in aluminum foil and place in a square baking dish.

4. Bake for 60 minutes for a large sweet potato and 40 minutes for a small sweet potato.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool.

6. Peel the skin from the sweet potato and cut out any brown spots.

7. Add about an ounce of formula or breast milk to the sweet potato meat.

8. Puree using an immersion blender, drink blender or food processor.

9. Serve to your precious baby.

3 comments:

Sush said...

Oh Elizabeth...that is one beautiful cher bebe, and he is just loving his sweet pataters! I remember making baby food for my brood of five...what fun you have ahead!

Cynthia said...

I love making my own baby food...it is so easy and I know for sure what is going into it! Have you looked at wholesomebabyfood.com? It is a great site for those making their own baby food - lots of pointers and charts for when foods can be introduced, and all sorts of ideas of things I would never have thought to feed baby.

Elizabeth said...

Cynthia,

I do know about that website. I have found it very helpful as well, especially the food charts for the different age groups.

Baby food making is fun!