Veggies & Bullets.

Here goes it. I am by no means an expert on baby food. I read a lot on different ways of making it and went with my mom's and sister's advise, and I'm not downing or criticizing anyone who has fed their kids Gerber or any other type of ready-to-eat food. We are also kind of winging it on the veggies. This is just my own view and my decision to do this.

As I mentioned before, I knew even before I was pregnant that I would want to make all of my baby's meals. I saw my sister do the same for my niece and she ate sooo good and so healthy and I wanted my kids to be the same way. I also thought about how Jack and I don't eat a lot of canned/processed foods so it was pretty natural for me (no pun intended) to make my own baby food.

I also had (have) some guilt about having to supplement Elliot with formula at two and a half months old due to me not producing enough breast milk for him so making my own food helps (ha). (The guilt is gone though because -all feelings aside- I know ultimately I did what's best for my baby).

My process is actually super simple. It takes me about ten minutes from start to end to make his purees.

You're going to need a good food processor, or like me, a Magic Bullet. It is damn good if you ask me. Purees quick and you won't even be able to tell the difference between Gerber and what you made. I do not recommend the food processors that are supposed to be specifically for baby food. They're way over priced and if you're going to dish out some cash for a semi-expensive one that you can also use for other things, do it. That's what I think. The baby ones only look pretty and after your baby gets over the puree stage you're going to be stuck with a baby food processor. They probably don't even work as good.

I always only make as much as I'm going to give him for that feeding only. I read that you can freeze portions in an ice cube tray or again, they sell baby food storage sets if that's the route you want to take. It's so quick and easy to make that I haven't had the need to freeze, but I wouldn't have a problem if I had to.

So far Elliot has had carrots, peas, squash and yellow squash. I started with veggies that, when cooked, are easily pureed. I have tried all of them and I can tell you they all taste freaking good. Especially the carrots. I'm totally tempted to make pureed carrot as a side dish. I haven't added any condiments. Salt is completely out of the questions for babies, but I read that you can start adding garlic all the way to a little paprika (probably for older babies) so your baby develops those taste buds, but I think Elliot is still too little for that and honestly, his food doesn't need anything at all. It tastes good as it is. I'm also kind of scared of food allergies and if you mix other stuff with a single veggie, you won't be able to tell what made your kid sick. If you want to do this, I would just consult with your doc first and ask what the appropriate age would be. Also, always dish out only what your baby is going to eat. What I mean is, don't store any leftover food if you were dipping your kiddo's spoon in it after taking it to their little mouths. Their saliva can cause bacteria to grow in the food. Yucky stuff.

So, you start with as little water as possible. wash the veggies really good and don't peel them. I said before that the peel has a lot of nutrients. I was about to do this when I first started giving Elliot carrots, but my sister told me not to (I know it's tempting cause carrots have an ugly, dirty looking skin, but trust me you won't be able to tel), so I left it on. I don't peel any veggies at all.

Cut them into small pieces so that you don't cook them for long since this also defeats the purpose of making your own baby food because you'll end up stripping the veggie from its nutrients. I poke it with a fork often to check the tenderness and as soon as I can take the fork out without picking up the veggie I turn the stove off and pour the veggies into the bullet cup. Don't add all the water at once. Pour very little and puree, add as needed until you get the consistency you want. You can also use breast milk or formula. In my research, I read that a lot of the "fresh" veggies contain a lot of nitrates and frozen ones don't so I found some that I have been using and it's even easier because they're pre-washed and cut for you, making the cooking time (and your life) a lot easier.

To feed him I got the Tommee Tippee Spoons in the 4+ months. I love these spoons because they turn yellow if the food is too hot (not that you're still not going to taste it/touch it for temperature), but they're easy to clean and they're perfect for small feedings.

These Gerber Bunch-a-Bowls are awesome because they have lids and I just throw Elliot's cereal in the diaper bag in these bowls/containers and they're perfect to cool off his food because they're shallow. You know it takes forever in the deep ones.

These Elephant 3-pack PEVA Bibs are not only super cute but practical! They are plastic and have a little bottom pocket to catch all the flying food and make the after cleaning a breeze.

Carrots are also great for teething babies! (as long as they don't have teeth-I peeled this one since he was going to put it in his mouth)

This monkey has loved all the veggies he's tried so far and I hope he continues that way!

Hope this gives a little insight and some tips for new mamas thinking about making your own baby food. It's so simple and quick that you won't regret it! And let's face it, if this is too hard on your schedule you can always go back to your regular feeding ways, but you can always give it a try! For more cute baby pics and other stuff, follow me on IG @shadiabrown.

Have a great week!