::Baby Gourmet::

Hey y'all!

Last week I posted about making Lennon's BABY FOOD. Being able to stay home with my little nugget has definitely made it easier to make her food, but really it's not hard to begin with. The only time consuming part of it all is waiting for the stuff to freeze. 

I thought I would share a few of the easy-peasy foods I make for Lemmon.

Broccoli / Green Beans / Peas :

I have found that buying these 3 frozen is much easier than buying fresh. I started off buying all of these fresh, but noticed the organic frozen varieties and decided it was just as good {I try to buy organic, but it's not the end of the world if I don't}. 

- 4 Simple Steps -

{1} Boil

Just follow the directions on the bag... EASY PEASY!

{2} Puree 

I currently have a machine that is a variation of the Bullet. When Lemmon was just starting to eat solids, I would be vary careful to make sure there were no chunks. Now she can handle some, as long as they are not too big.
Depending on how thick the puree is you may have to add water {I just use the water that the veggies were boiled in}.

{3} Freeze

I did my research when it came to freezer trays. This may seem silly, but there were many that had bad reviews about it being hard to get the food out. The kind I purchased {OXO Tot Baby Food Freezer Tray} is pretty much just a glorified ice cube tray with a lid, BUT I swear by it. It is easy to get the food out and pop in a freezer bag until you need it!

{4} Serve
Throw a cube in the microwave, until it is soft. Make sure the food is not hot. I usually test it by touching a tad to my lip. Definitely don't want to burn your little one's mouth!

Strawberries & Spinach:

These instructions can be used for more than just strawberries & spinach. Any soft fruit can be prepared in this way.

- 4 Simple Steps -

{1} Prep

Wash. Wash. Wash.

Chop.

 If you use smaller berries, you can get away without chopping, but it does make it easier to fit more of the larger fruit.

{2} Puree

No water needed when pureeing berries. Their delicious juices make them the perfect. 

{3} Freeze

{4} Serve

Since they are pretty thin when thawed, I mix it with her iron fortified oatmeal cereal. This gives it a thicker consistency and gives her bland cereal a better taste. 

Grilled or Roasted Veggies:

The last topic of this baby food craze. Grilling & roasting veggies give them a flavor that you can't get from just boiling. You have to be careful when roasting certain things, such as potatoes, that way they don't get tough. I personally LOVE crispy potatoes, but little Lemmon can't quite chew them, since she only has one tooth. 

I was so excited to find these BABY EGGPLANTS for a each whopping 10₵ each. They were almost too cute to eat... Almost.

- 5 Simple Steps -

{1} Prep

To peel or not to peel? To chop or to slice? Questions that have plagued the world for centuries... Well maybe not. I rarely do the same thing twice. As I always say to Mattie, "Use your best judgement". 

{2} Roast or Grill

In this case, I roasted the eggplants, but I plan on grilling them for her next time. 

It's super easy, just drizzle a little olive oil on them {spice them up if you want} and place them in the oven at 350° {or on the grill}. The time really depends on what kind of food it is. I flipped these eggplants after about 5 minutes, then let them cook another 5 minutes.

{3} Puree

{4} Freeze

{5} Serve

I happend to skip step {4} all together when I made these. Since they were so tiny, they didn't yield much. I served her some right then and put the rest in the fridge for the next day.

Baby Foodie

I love making her food and LOVE it even more when she gets excited to try new things!
Happy Sunday y'all!