I love food. I love cooking, trying new recipes, and going to new restaurants. A year ago, while I was at the gym, the Today Show was on and they were featuring Matthew Amster-Burton author of a cute book called, Hungry Monkey . Matthew and his daughter Iris are adventurous eaters, so I picked up the book and loved reading about the different eating adventures they had. Then a few months later I was at Barnes and Noble browsing the bargain section when I came across a book called Wholesome Food for Babies and Toddlers which has tons of fun recipes, I picked it up and I was set on making my own baby food. My determination was even more set in stone when we played “guess what your eating?” at my baby shower, the store bought baby food was processed, bland, and gross!
Last week a friend of my husband gave us some freshly picked peaches. I was excited to can them, but when we brought them home, they were too ripe. I thought about making jam, but my baby had just started on rice cereal and I thought peaches would be a fun food for him to try! So my adventures in home made baby food began! First, I cut the peaches in half and removed the pits. I placed them pit side down into an old cake pan with the bottom of the pan covered in a thin layer of water.
I baked them at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes, until they were just soft. The skin peeled off perfectly and I threw them into a bowl with a spout. (The spout makes this process even easier.)
Baby food doesn’t need any additional salt or sugar, babies digestive systems aren’t ready for that yet. I did read somewhere to help babies have a wider pallet add a small amount of spice to their meal. I added a dash of cinnamon and then used my immersion blender to get a fine puree. If you are planning on making your own baby food I highly suggest an immersion blender, quick use and clean up.
I poured my puree into ice cube trays, covered them with foil, and froze them. I can just pop out a square and warm it up when I need them and it is the perfect portion.
I also picked up a few of these containers at Babies R Us for when I need to take some food on the go.
