I did not do all of my baby food homemade. But I did do a large portion of it that way in order to save money and cut down on the amount of preservatives Samuel was eating. I mostly found making my own baby food to be very simple. I have actually been looking forward to this week b/c I think some of the other ladies out there do a really good job with homemade baby food and nutrition in general. I have learned a lot so far this week.
The point of my post is to encourage you moms who’ve never made your own to at least do a few things on your own to save money and give your baby fresh/fresher foods. Here are just two ways to get started:
1. Start using fresh fruits with your baby. This is pretty simple to do – just buy some fruit in the produce section and mash it by hand or in the blender/food processor. The easiest fruits include: bananas, kiwis, strawberries, mangos, avocados, and blueberries. If you have a baby that is beyond purees, go for those five plus pears, peaches, pineapples, and oranges.
2. Buy fresh or frozen (not canned) carrots, peas, and green beans. Cook them on the stove until tender, then blend them in the blender (you can add some of the water from the stovetop if needed). Pour the puree into ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop the cubes into freezer bags labeled with the name of the veggie and the date you put them in the freezer. Just thaw out one or two in the refrigerator in a small bowl each day. This is SUPER cheap, SUPER easy, and SO good for your baby. You can even start to mix the veggies once you know your baby isn’t allergic.
Don’t think that you have to go all or nothing with homemade baby food. Even a few changes, like those above, can make a big difference in how much you are spending on food each week and the quality of nutrition your baby is getting. Give it a try!
6 comments:
I have really enjoyed your blog and the commitment you ladies have made to raising Godly children. I wonder if you guys would post some more general blogs about nutrition. Also, what are your opinions on vitamins, prenatal and otherwise?
If you guys have any favorite healthy recipes, I'd love to have them!
Meagan
KC,
Vitamins are important, but only if they are GOOD vitamins. For them to be effective, you really need vitamins made from whole foods and put together in a way that your body can absorb them. You will pay money for these, but they are worth it. As with most things, you get what you pay for and you are just throwing away money by getting vitamins at Wal-Mart, etc. Prenatal are important, especially the folic acid. With a good diet, I still think investing in good vitamins is smart (especially for women during the child bearing years!) because our soil is so depleted. Even organic foods aren't as rich in vitamins and minerals as they were a hundred years ago.
I know that this has nothing to do with making baby food but . . . I was wondering how you all handle Christmas. Do you do Santa? If not, how do you handle telling family members how you feel about it? My husband and I are at the point that we have to deal with family members about this. My mom will make comments like "You did Santa growing up, it did bother you." We know how we will handle the situation for now (since our children are still under the age of two) what we believe but I was just curious as to how you ladies handle Pagan holidays. Also what you plan to do when your children start asking about who is this Santa that everyone is talking about. Thanks!
Anonymous,
Thanks for the question. I think we will hold on to that one until the Spring when we start our new list of topics. It is definitely a good one to discuss and one that has a variety of answers. In the mean time, I hope you have a blessed Holiday season with your family!
Responding to anonymous,
We know exactly where you're coming from and we decided to do "santa". We went back to the "yes we did it as children, and we enjoyed it." However, we keep Christ the absolute CENTER of our Christmas. We enjoy the decorations that display Santa bowing to the cross, and explain that even Santa bows to worship the Christ. Santa is just a person...Jesus is our Savior and the reason for the season.
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