Mish Mash Fun...

John and I try to lead a healthy life...we work out and try to eat "lean and clean". We both love trying new foods and cooking at home together. We hope FC shares that love someday too! John and I both have siblings that are very picky eaters - so we are going to try and start developing those taste buds young!

This past week I tested my hand at baby food making - two words...CHEAP and EASY! You mommies out there have to give it a try! By making her food I can control where her food comes from and what her food contains...another bonus is that we can now afford organic food for her. We are definitely not an "organic" family, but I think it's important to give your child the best you can.

For babies first foods, you will want to steam your fruits and veggies and then simply puree with some of your cooking water until it reaches the desired consistency. Roasting veggies comes later (it changes the consistency and taste) along with making yummy combinations (like roasted spinach and strawberries!). We went for a slightly thicker consistency because a) you can always add more liquid later (i.e., formula, breastmilk, water) and b) FC seemed to prefer a thicker cereal. Use your pediatrician as a guide for what foods to try first and how often you can introduce a new food. We have started with sweet potatoes and butternut squash - because these veggies get very soft when roasted I opted to roast vs. steaming for these. We have a good food processor which blended the veggies up in no time at all! (Literally less than 1 minute!) I then poured the purees into store-bought babyfood cups. HOWEVER, as experience has taught me, Don't bother with the cups!! (Should have listened to my good friend, Becca!) Ours popped open, were extra mess to clean, and pretty much just unecessary. Use a few ice cube trays: Sterilize in your dishwasher and then pour your puree into the tray and freeze. Each "cube" is approximately one ounce. Pop out your cubes once frozen (4-6 hrs/overnight) and put into freeze safe bags. Homemade babyfood is generally good for 3-6 months when stored in a deep freeze, but you shouldn't need to keep it very long if baby is eating so don't stress over the timeline.

We had fun making food as a family (Daddy was at work) - even the pups got in on the action and acted as official taste-testers too.

Ah-num, Ah-num, Ah-num!

Has potential mom...lets try another bite!

Trusty food processor - one of my favorite kitchen appliances (I even make pie dough and cookies with it!)

The cute, but not so functional storage cups. I did buy some super cheap ones so maybe a more expensive brand is better. As for us, we'll stick to the ice cube trays and freezer bags.

Just a cute picture of FC on our first day going to church completely by ourselves...made Daddy proud. She did so good!

A typical scene from a Friday or Saturday morning...Mommy trying to knock out paperwork while appeasing the baby. Amazing how much multitasking a girl can do when pressed for time!