The Baby Cook

A few weeks ago I ventured into baby food making. I had been putting it off thinking it was going to be more work than I was ready for. But, after Grampa bought Camden the amazing Baby Cook by Beaba, I jumped right into it.

Armed with tons of fresh, organic produce I began peeling, slicing and dicing, steaming and pureeing.

In one day I made sweet potatoes, apples, pears, bananas. Then a week later I made peas, green beans, zucchini, carrots.

I have avocado and more bananas to make tomorrow, but overall I think I may need to slow down! The baby food is taking over the freezer, and Camden hasn't been able to even try all of the things I have made yet, thanks to the dang 3 day wait rule.

When I make the baby food, I use the Beaba silicone containers (if they are not used) to hold 2 ounces of baby food, but I have found ice cube trays to be just as convenient to use. An ice cube square is one ounce, and then I just pop them out of the tray, put them in a freezer safe bag and label and date them. And voila! So easy.

At daycare they asked if I was, "you know, overly healthy". I think they were trying to nicely ask if I was a health nut. Now, that is definitely NOT the case, or I would be super skinny. But, I do like being able to control what goes in his little body while he is still developing and growing (and while he doesn't have much of a choice! :) And knowing that he is getting organic and a fresh product is a nice comfort.

The only downside to buying organic? You have to really hope your fruit or veggie is in season. I have found organic produce at all kinds of places. I had originally thought that I would HAVE to go to Whole Foods, but that is the one place I haven't been to yet. Akin's has had plenty of options, and they absolutely do not allow non-organic product in the store, which is actually a step up from Whole Foods. AND...there are Akin's much closer to home. Wheee! Also, Reasors and Target have had impressive selections of organics. I was disappointed the other day when I wanted an organic bell pepper for our chili at home, and they just flat out didn't have them anymore at Target. They had been replaced by organic broccoli. Oh well, that is how fruit and veggies are really supposed to be eaten, according to what is in season, not what is in season halfway around the world that they can ship here. I am looking forward to spring/summer and farmer's markets and getting to know local growers. That is really the absolutely best option.

But back to the baby food making. Very easy. Largely made so easy by Grampa's awesome gift. Once you peel and dice the Baby Cook steams for fifteen minutes, then you just dump it right in the same container and puree. Then pour into containers and freeze. Camden definitely loves the gift, he's getting to try all kinds of yummy foods!