Baby Food Recipes!

So, the twins have discovered baby food and are IN LOVE!!! Of course, buying for two is rediculously expensive- at this rate we will spend over $100 a month! So, do any of you have any good links to websites or recipes you might recommend? Having to double everything is expensive! Thanks ladies.

Carrie

The easiest recipe is no recipe at all. I just pureed individual food items, froze them in ice cube trays and then popped them out and stored them in ziploc bags. That way I could combine things to make a lot of different combinations and easily adjust serving amounts. I did carrots, butternut squash, tomatos, zucchini, spinach, peas, sweet potatos, etc. Meat doesn't freeze well by itself, so you can mix a bit of pureed chicken or fish in with some of the veggies. Rowan's favorites were butternut squash mixed with some tomato and with a little cheese mixed in when I heated it or spinach + tomato + chicken with basil. I left of all of them without seasoning and then I would season them when I heated them up. I would also do the same thing with leftovers of whatever daddy and I were eating, so I also froze things like chicken and pasta alfredo with broccoli, or pot roast and veggies.

I was too lazy to make stuff ahead of time, so I just tossed whatever we where having for dinner in the magic bullet with a little breastmilk. If I had food leftover that was maybe just enough for one person I would just puree that and toss it into baby food trays so I would have stuff to take out with us, but other then that I never went out of my way to make baby food for the triplets or Matty.

The only thing I really premade was the oatmeal, I would get the oats and put them though the food processor and then sift them really quick to make sure there was not any big pieces, and I used that instead of the baby cereals they sell. So much more healthy and cheap!

When you think they could be on stage 2 foods, you will have a lot more options. Do you have a mini food processor? You can throw almost anything in there (maybe leave off some of the salt & spices). Especially chicken or ground beef, just add some water and chicken broth. You can buy frozen fresh vegetables, steam them, and throw them in there too.
I remember the baby food chicken & beef being twice as expensive as the fruits. So definitely keep this option when cooking protiens for the rest of your family.

I have a BUNCH of recipes in my FB notes. PM me for my name if you want to add me, or send me your e mail and I would be happy to share. Hooray for making your own food ... it's such a gift to give your baby! At 16 months, Lydia still prefers my applesauce and lots of others! 

mmmmm, applesauce, this is my new favorite thing to make (and eat)! It also makes the house smell SOOO good.

We have also started making our own butter, which leaves me with tons of buttermilk, there is nothing better then homemade buttermilk biscuts with homemade applesauce.....MMMMMMMMMM......

Now I am hungry!

I don't have babies as of yet, but I do do daycare and my niece, whom's babies I do watch gave me this website to make food for her boys.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

Hope this helps.  Also the little girl I watch, her mom just does the bullet thingy with whatever she is eating for dinner for her daughter.  So you can go either way.

Have you considered baby led weaning? It's the new PC term for it and didn't interfere with my little hoovers love of breast milk. Basically, if you have no food allergies, in your family, you give the baby or babies in your case, what you are eating. They learn their hand/eye/food co-ordination, and it lets them explore and try all kinds of foods. Apart from keeping an eye on them during meal times, and making sure they don't get thing that can choke them, it was awesome. My DD who is now about 23 months LOVED it