How to Make Homemade Baby Food - Pears

As I mentioned in this post here, I knew for sure that I would make Rex's baby food when the time came to introduce solids into his diet. The main reason driving this desire was my passion for cooking and feeding that homemade food to the ones I love. But of course, there were other benefits that would go along with making his meals. I would know what he is getting in each meal and could be sure there are no preservatives or additives in each serving. I also wouldn't have to store tons of those mini glass jars in our pantry or worry about stocking up at the grocery. And of course it would be cheaper. I think that last benefit is one that could have been easily thrown out the window if I chose to do it the wrong way though. If I were to give into the urge to purchase all of the fancy baby food making accessories that are on the market today, telling myself it was cheaper would be a lie. Don't get me wrong - these homemade baby food products for assisting in this endeavor are super cool. There are appliances, cook books and snazzy ice cube storage trays. All of which I am sure would be helpful, but I was determined to make it work with what I had. After all, I have a fully equipped kitchen for making adult food and I figured I would be able to pull it off sans any unnecessary purchases. Pear puree (Rex's all time favorite so far) is the perfect recipe to showcase how I used what I already had in my kitchen to make baby food without the aid of any baby food specific kitchen items.

Homemade Baby Food - Pears

Ingredients

4 Ripened Pears

Directions

1.) Peel Pears using a vegetable peeler. Cut pear into cubes; discarding stem and core.

2.) Place a colander over a small sauce pan filled with 2 inches of water making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the colander. Place over medium heat. When the water begins to boil, place the cubed pear into the colander

3.) Cover with the top of a pot cover that will fit inside the colendar. Steam for 10 minutes.

4.) Remove steamed pears and puree using an immersion blender, a food processer or liquid drink blender.
5.) Store in small containers and cover immediately to avoid browning. Let cool and refrigerate or freeze.

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.