224 oz of baby food made and in the freezer!

I had an unexpected 3 day weekend, I got a new job and didn't realize that I got Monday off until last Friday. I decided to spend it making baby food for my boys. They are starting to eat so much and I get tired of the weekly trips to the Gerber aisle at the grocery store. Luckily my MIL was there to help watch the boys and the kitchen is gated so they weren't underfoot.

They now have a freezer full of avocado/bananas, applesauce, pear sauce, mango sauce, apricot sauce, and blueberry sauce. I shouldn't need fruit for quite a while.

Tonight I am off to the Gerber aisle again for veggies and meats and the canned food aisle for no sodium canned veggies for finger foods. There wasn't enough time to get those made up.

Now I just need to hope that little Owen will start eating pureed food again, he quit eating it the day that I spent making all the baby food. Ironic isn't it?

 

Good for you! I cook up all of my veggies & fruits in a weekend then puree it all together. Sometimes I throw in some protein. I call it baby "yum yum". Bananas are the strongest taste. My babies love it! It's so easy because I know they're getting all their fruits & veggies every time they eat yum yum. The most recent batch has green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, avocado, pears, peaches, apples, & bananas.

 

I just discovered that if you add spinach to applesauce it doesn't change the flavor. A great way to add greens. I do just the fruit and then the day of I puree it again to mix and match flavors and give them a variety of flavors.

 

At 11 months I'm surpised you would make that much purees. My 11 month old pretty much eats what we eat these days. And avacados and bananas come ready to serve--why puree them for an 11 month old? But if they don't eat through your freezer stash quickly you can start making smoothies with the mango sauce, blueberry sauce, etc--sounds delicious.

 

We had horrible texture issues ourselves until about 13-14 months...and no teeth. That is a great idea for smoothies - I have snuck a lot of nutrients over time into smoothies and dips...also I used up purees by mixing them with plain yogurt.

To the original poster - fantastic job! I should have hired you.

 

I made an ice cube tray full of sweet potatoes and one of pears. Going to try more veggies but the thought of pureeing meats grosses me out LOL

 

Melissa:

We still give them baby cereal at 3 meals a day and always mix it with fruit or veggies in it. I use the purees for that mainly. They love the avocado and banana pureed together and get cranky with their lunches if they don't get it. I work and my MIL does daycare, by having the frozen stuff and a menu that doesn't change much it makes it easier for her to know what she is giving the boys most days. Right now they either like food that is completely pureed or as finger food. If it is mashed with a fork or run through the baby food mill they will spit out every single bite.

Sample menu. Most of the time they split jars of veggies or veggies and meat so they are getting a bit more than 2 oz of each. Also, I am still pumping so they are getting mostly breast milk but my supply has been steadily dropping so we have started to supplement with whole milk for about 8 oz a day.

Breakfast:
- 5 oz bottle about 20 minutes before breakfast
- 2 oz cereal (dry) with 1 tbsp yogurt and 1 - 2 oz of pureed fruit
- one or two of toast, eggs, bananas, other fruit, or what ever we are having

Mid morning: 5 oz bottle.

Lunch:
- 2 oz of avocado/ banana puree
- 2 oz cereal with pureed fruit (different flavor from breakfast)
- Pancakes, french toast, Baby mum mums, toast, canned no sodium veggies, or other finger foods
- Glass with 2 oz of cows milk that they are still just playing with and not yet drinking

Mid afternoon: 5 oz bottle

Dinner:
- 2 oz cereal with fruit or veggies (depending on what we are having for supper. we usually change this up for what ever starch we are having)
- 2 oz jar of baby food with meat in it
- more veggies or what ever we are eating
- Glass with 2 oz of cows milk that they are still just playing with and not yet drinking

Bed time: 5 oz bottle