Homemade Baby Food

As a new grandmother, I was thrilled when my daughter-in-law asked me to make my grandbaby’s first baby foods. I love knowing the baby foods I make are made with the highest quality ingredients. It’s really easy to do, and with commercial baby food costing anywhere from $1.20 to $4.30 for one 4-ounce jar, you can save a small fortune making your own.

Items used to make this homemade baby food:

(affiliate links)

• baby food jars https://amzn.to/3EKvkfq

• baby spoons https://amzn.to/3VkFhHv

• nutribullet https://amzn.to/3Ur2XZE

• label maker https://amzn.to/3OOEEDM

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Homemade Baby Food (Stage 1 and 2)

make as much or as little as you like

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• steamed fruits and vegetables (see notes below)

• liquid of choice (water, formula, breast milk)

Directions

1. Steam or roast fruits or vegetables until soft (if needed - see notes below).

2. Puree in personal blender with water, formula, or breast milk until the desired consistency is reached (very thin for Stage !, thicker for Stage 2).

3. Pour into baby food jars leaving 1/2-inch head space, label, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

• Stage 1 Food Ideas: Start with easy to digest fruits and veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, peas, pumpkin, mango, apples, peaches, pears, bananas (no need to cook).

• Stage 2 Food Ideas: try thicker consistency combinations like blueberry/strawberry/apple, spinach/zucchini/peas, sweet corn/green beans, carrots/sweet corn, pumpkin, apple/pumpkin/cinnamon, etc. This is also a good time to start introducing small amounts of herbs and spices. Hold of on added sugar or salt until baby reaches 12 months of age.

• Thaw frozen baby food in the fridge overnight, and use within 72 hours. If you feed directly from container, don’t try to save leftovers (they will liquify). If the entire jar isn’t going to be used, I suggest dispensing into a separate bowl before feeding.

• Bananas should be pureed as needed as they do not store well once pureed.

• Organic fruits canned in water with no sugar added can be pureed straight out of the can.

• For sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and squash, I prefer to roast them rather than steam them.

• Garden fresh fruits and vegetables are wonderful, but frozen are an excellent option when fresh fruits and veggies are out of season.

Cherry Pit Simple Syrup

I recently made a batch Very Cherry Gelato, which means I found myself with a bunch of leftover cherry pits. I could have thrown them away, but instead, I steeped them in a sugar water solution to make delicious Cherry Pit Simple Syrup. Add it to sparking water or your favorite spirit for a refreshing beverage. It’s great drizzled on ice cream too.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• cherry pitter https://amzn.to/3T63z7x

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3QX7GRn

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Cherry Pit Simple Syrup

makes about 1 cup

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cherry pits (from about 1 pound of fresh cherries)

• 1 cup cold water

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• pinch of salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place cherry pits, water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Remove mixture from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

3. Strain pits and store syrup in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Note

• Cherry pits contain amygdalin, a naturally occurring compound found in the seeds and pits of many fruits. The body turns amygdalin to cyanide, but have no fear… not only do you have to ingest an unreasonably large amount of amygdalin for it to be dangerous, the cooking process renders it completely harmless. But just to be on the safe side, experts suggest you avoid crushing, chopping, or chewing cherry pits.