Freezer Friday: Baby Food

Welcome to Freezer Fridays!  Usually through the course of the week, there is something that is being stored in the freezer for later.  It may be batch meals, sauces or staple items. This time of year, produce from the garden, farmers’ market or sale often gets stashed.  This week more of our meals have come from the freezer rather than gone into it. Our garden is under attack by the local wildlife and poor weather patterns so there is a dismal amount of produce actually destined for the freezer.  So, this week, the meals that made it to the freezer were GBaby’s!

I made batches of yellow squash, zucchini and sweet potatoes baby food to have stashed for the next couple of weeks.  (I also made peaches, but the need to perfect that technique before I share it here.)

First, I scrubbed the veggies very well and chopped them into small pieces.  I ended up with about 4 cups of each vegetables.  Put the pieces in the bowl and then put the vegetables into the microwave.  While microwaves differ in power and cook times, the rule of thumb that I use is that when the vegetable is cooked enough that I would eat it (albeit with more seasonings!) it is ready to be made into baby food.  The zucchini and squash took about 4 minutes in my microwave and the sweet potatoes took about 6 minutes.



Then, puree the vegetables.  I like to use the immersion blender for this as I find it easier to get a good, smooth consistency without having to make the food too runny.  Others may choose their blender or food processor.  For me, I dump the cooked veggies into the mixing cup and attack them with the immersion blender.  The squash and zucchini had enough liquid in them that they blend down just fine.  I had to add about ½ cup of water to the sweet potatoes to get them smooth.  The consistency of the food is subjective and you may make it as thick or thin as you would like.  I like to make it on the thicker side and then thin it with breast milk or water when I serve it.



Once your puree has reached the consistency you like, spoon it into an ice-cube tray.  Put the tray in the freezer and freeze the baby food.  This is a great way to portion out your baby food.  Once the cubes are frozen they can be stored in a zip lock and the combined for baby food du jour when you are ready to serve them.

I have small plastic containers that perfectly fit one large cube or two smaller ones.  I pull enough food for 1-2 days at a time and stack up frozen cubes in these containers in the fridge to defrost.  At mealtime I combine the food with cereal and additional liquid if necessary and serve.  GBaby has preferred hers cold lately due to teething, but you may heat it with whatever method you are comfortable.

For 30 minutes of work and $2 in produce I was able to make three trays of food, with 12 ounces of baby food of food per tray.  36 ounces of Gerber: approximately $14. Not bad for a half hour’s work!

Thinking about making your own baby food?  Check out WholesomeBabyfood.com for more information.

Have you made your own baby food?  What was your experience?  Please share your reply below :)