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Make Your Own Baby Food The Fast and Inexpensive Way

by Teresa Higginbotham

Ever pick up all those cute little jars of baby food in your grocery store? As your baby gets older you find that those specialty jars get more and more expensive. Think about what's in those little jars and that's when you start saving money. You can do this yourself. You already know about introducing your child to new foods slowly, so here's how to make those simple foods that they love.

If you just want to give your baby a simple vegetable like carrots, then put carrot pieces with some bottled water into the microwave and cook until they are tender. Then puree the carrots until they are the right consistency for your child. Bananas are even simpler. Just mash them and add a little breast milk or formula to desired consistency. As I gradually introduced my children to new foods I finally ended up just taking what we ate and putting it in the blender. They had spaghetti, beef stew, mashed potatoes, simple soups, etc. Once you have made your smoothed out dishes then put them in an ice cube tray and freeze them. You can pop out those little chunks of baby food and put them in a ziploc bag, label them and put them back in the freezer. With all the costs of a little one, having one area where you can cut down helps. Here are a few recipes for baby food but always remember, the simpler the better.

Carrot-Rice Puree

2 tb Brown rice uncooked

6 Carrots, scrubbed and -chopped in small pieces

1 1/3 c Water

A nutritious, smooth dish with a bit of texture for older infants. (or broth or leftover ooking liquid from cooking vegetables) 1 teaspoon sweet butter (optional) Place rice and carrots in a saucepan with the water and cover. Simmer until the water is absorbed--about 30 to 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, puree in blender or food processor with butter until smooth refrigerate, or freeze leftovers in ice cube tray. Makes 1-1/ cups .

This recipe take from "Baby's First Helpings" by Chris Casson Madden

Pureed Peas

2 1 c Fresh peas

1 ts Sweet butter

Formula, breast milk, or cooking water (about 8 teaspoons)

Boil or steam peas for 7 to 12 minutes or until tender. Drain and puree in your food processor or blender with some of the steam water or formula or breast milk until very smooth. Remove from the blender and mash with butter. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers in ice cube trays. Makes 2-8 servings.

This recipe taken From "Baby's First Helpings" by Chris Casson Madden

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