Homemade baby food is more nutritious and more economical than store bought food. In order to achieve a long shelf life the foods are heated to very high temperatures to sterilize them, which kills vitamins and nutrients.
Hannah started on solids about a month ago. The first food I attempted to make was rice cereal. It did NOT go well, let me tell you. The recipe seemed simple enough - grind up some brown rice, cook in water, and puree with breast milk or formula. Well the rice to water ratio in the recipe book I have was not even close to correct, so I ruined my first two batches. So now my man is in charge of making all of the cereals.
It's so easy (with the exception of cereals, as noted above) to make your own baby food and really doesn't take much time at all. I make food in large batches and freeze so I am not spending a lot of time in the kitchen each day preparing food. Much to my chagrin, we are using our Baby Bullett!
I am also purchasing organic meat for my girl. There has been some debate in our house if Hannah should eat meat at all, as I am vegetarian. Since she will be eating some meat, I don't want that meat to be injected with hormones and who knows what else!
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| Measure 1 cup of long grain brown rice |
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| Use milling attachment on Baby Bullet (if you have one) |
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| Cook ground brown rice in water until done, and then transfer puree to blender. Whirl until smooth while adding breast milk or formula. |
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| Freeze in ice cube or silicone trays and then transfer to storage bags or glass containers |
The Cost of Homemade
Chicken
Where to buy: I bought boneless skinless chicken breasts from Field Gate Organics in Covent Garden MarketCost: $13.95 (2 Breasts - $5.58 & $8.37)
Yield: 9 servings (current serving size is 2 tablespoons)
Cost Per Serving: $1.55
Brown Rice
Where to buy: I bought NuPak Long Grain Brown Rice at Fresh Co.
Cost: $1.97/900g (equal to about 3.5 cups)
Yield: 1 cup of rice yields 19 serving (current serving size is 2 tablespoons)
Cost Per Serving: 1 cup of rice costs about $0.57. That means each serving is $0.03.
Do you make some or all of your own baby food?
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