Baby Food

Before Ryder was born, Patrick and I researched everything we could think of in order to prepare for our first child's arrival.  One of the many decisions we made then was that we would make Ryder's baby food.  After researching multiple methods, recipes, etc, we took what we liked from each, and followed our own path.  The book, "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron, was probably our favorite - and one that sat on our counter until just recently.

Although making Ryder's baby food took more prep work than using food from a jar, for us, we were happy that we stuck with it.  We were able to introduce Ryder to many foods that aren't typically in baby food (asparagus, peppers, onions, kiwi, grapes, etc), and we knew exactly what he was eating.

When we found we were expecting twins, we contemplated doing things differently, but ultimately decided to try making their food.  With some planning/organization, we were able to meet this goal!

Some "highlights" of our baby food making experience:

- We would do as much in one weekend as possible.  Sure, our house smelt a bit odd with so many different veggies having been broiled, baked, boiled, or steamed.  But, it was nice to get it done in a short period of time.

- We cooked most veggies first, then pureed.  Fruits were pureed fresh (or canned when not in season).  Once pureed, we would freeze them in ice cube trays (about 1 Tablespoon).  The "cubes" would be stored in Ziploc Quart bags (we found this size was best, as we went through it quickly enough that they didn't get freezer burned, but also it didn't use as many as snack/sandwich bags!).

- We would make fresh "grains" every 3 days, using water to cook them, then extra breastmilk to thin it when pureeing.  Our boys mostly ate brown rice, quinoa, or oatmeal for their grains.

- Breakfast was oatmeal pureed with plenty of fresh fruit, and 2 Tablespoons of plain yogurt (Mountain High)

- For lunch, we mixed 3 Tablespoons of (fresh) grains with 2-3 veggie cubes.  And, 3 Tablespoons of plain yogurt (Mountain High or Greek Yogurt) with 1 Tablespoon applesauce, 1 teaspoon flax seed, and 1-2 fruit cubes.

- Every evening we would prepare the next day (or sometimes up to the next 3 days) meals in divided containers.  Overnight the cubes would thaw, and be ready by lunch.  We would heat the veggie side in warm water until it was room temperature (or a little warmer).

- We used A LOT (A LOT!) of yogurt...immediately, we realized this, and started saving the containers.  We were hoping we might find a use for them, or maybe my dad could use them in his classroom for a project...

What happens when you leave Patrick alone with the containers...

The containers pictured here are 1 quart in size.  They represent the yogurt consumed (not including individual cups in lunches) November-June, just 8 months (at 4.3 weeks per month, that is about 34 weeks).  There are 99 quarts, about 3 quarts per week!

Looking back, making their food was worth it, for us.  Despite the extra work involved!