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This is one of the bigger money savers I have found if you have a little bit of patience to nail down a routine. I guess the motivation too. It’s a new world these days where convenience trumps cost saving and waste. I feel really good after I complete a batch of food for my daughter and fill 2-3 large ziplock baggies. So it’s definitely not as convenient as just buying baby food pre-made, but let’s be real, it adds up fast! I bought a few jars in the beginning to mainly test out what our daughter was liking, so I knew what to buy at the store when it came to real food. The first time I will say I got a bit hooked! It felt like cooking again, but baby steps (no pun intended!). Let’s be real again, since having a baby I have struggled to make an actual home cooked meal. The closest has been grilled cheese and tomato soup and gator tot hotdish. Which I guess is a cooked meal, but it’s definitely on the easy side where i just had to throw a bunch of stuff in a dish and bake it. Like it feels put together, but it’s really not. So while I am making our dinner, I toss whatever I have decided to cook for her over the next 2 weeks into some pots. It’s actually as easy as cut, boil, purée and freeze!
I made like 5 different things this night. We go to Costco and buy in bulk fresh items and also frozen. In this trip we bought a large bag of apples, carrots, a big bag of spinach and kale, frozen mangos and frozen blueberries.
I start by just cutting everything up and throwing them in different pots. I like to keep things separate because then I can mix things later on. These are my favorite knifes! I am a little obsessed with Fiesta! It’s almost like a family tradition that started with my grandma. She had all Fiesta in multiple colors. Then my mom has all Fiesta, and when my grandma passed away, my mom inherited that entire set she had. And someday I’ll be able to add her set to my collection! These Fiesta sets are my favorite because you get one of each to begin your own collection.
Once everything is in the pots and pans I turn it on a medium. The mangos and blueberries were frozen, so I didn’t need any extra water.
The peaches or any items that were fresh and I needed to cut up, I add I little water. Things that are a little tougher like apples, need more water. These pots are also the best, another Fiesta find! I told you I am obsessed! They come in a set, and have been the best pots and pans we own.
Once everything is pretty soft and ready to purée, you dump it into your food processor. I purchased this Cuisinart one prior to having our daughter knowing that it was a goal of mine to try and make her food vs buying. I did a lot of research (I always do!) and this one seemed to be one of the best out there. To be honest, it’s what kept me excited about wanting to make her food and it still keeps me going on it! I love this thing. I am hoping to make other things too like homemade peanut butter. More to come on that when I try it! It’s now a staple in my kitchen that gets lots of love! This is the time to add in any fresh greens too that you want to sneak in. I think of it as those morning green shakes for babies. You can’t taste it at all! And blend away!
It looks messy, but it’s not too bad. Once you’ve blended it’s time to move on to storing and freezing. I bought these really cool storage containers at a used kids sale, and then a couple more on Amazon. Never looking back! A lot of people use ice cube trays, but I really like these because of the top and because they are much larger. They pop out so much easier too!
This is now where you can get a little creative. Some I fill with just one type of food and some I mix any layer. Our daughter has been trying a bunch a new things lately, so it’s nice to have the single food to see if she likes something first before I give her a mixed one where she didn’t like one thing and now won’t eat any of it. The nice thing about these too, if if they don’t like it, you aren’t throwing away nearly as much as if you purchased a pre-made jar.
Pop in the freezer, store and just heat up when it’s ready to eat! I put these into little wide mouth canning jars and pack them on the go or bring them to daycare!
Yummmmm!!!
Barbie Has A Budget 