How to Make Baby Food

Name: Apple Carrot Baby Food
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 1 large apple; 2 large carrots; Distilled water

A visit from Amber

My daughter-in-law, Amber, makes my granddaughter’s baby food. That always sounded overwhelming to me, but she walked me through it and not only was it not hard, but it was also a lot cheaper as well.

First things first, my son, Joseph, and Amber both repeatedly told me the most important part was a concern about allergies and when it was the right time to introduce certain foods. They both felt it imperative that parents and caregivers should visit this site first:

HealthyChildren.org — when to introduce common food allergens

Note: I am not a doctor nor am I a nutritionist. I am just trying to pass along helpful information for young families.

Now that that is all out of the way, let’s start with the recipe she made at my house. She had already fed my granddaughter apples and carrots separately, so she knew there was not an allergy.

Apple Carrot Baby Food

10 servings

Ingredients

1 large apple
2 large carrots
Distilled water

Directions

Start steamer. Peel the carrot and apple. Dice into 1" pieces.
Steam for 10 minutes or until tender enough it easily breaks apart with a fork.
Place in blender or small food processor.
Process until smooth.
If the mixture is too thick, add distilled water.
For beginning eaters, process until entirely smooth. Include enough distilled water for it to be a little bit runny.

She brought with her two large baby food jars and silicone ice trays. The baby food will last 3–4 days in the refrigerator. Amber usually makes just enough for that time frame, but if there is more they fill enough for a few days for the fridge and then freeze the rest in the ice cube trays and then vacuum seal each cube. (A freezer bag would also work for this.)

Finished baby food in jars and ice cube trays

Their other concern was about chemicals. Any foods that are part of the dirty dozen they buy as frozen. Not only do they not have to clean them, but frozen fruits and vegetables are harvested at their peak, so the produce has more nutrients.

The Dirty Dozen—produce items that typically carry the highest pesticide residues

The “Dirty Dozen” refers to the produce items that typically carry the highest pesticide residues when grown conventionally.

Hint: Steamer bags are a great way to make the process faster.

Another note from Amber was to rinse the equipment right after she uses it. It will stick if she lets it sit for any length of time.

I hope this was helpful and you will use it for your own family. If you’d like to share your creations or ask questions, please join our Facebook group.