Adventures in Baby Food Making - Week 1: Sweet Potatoes

SWEET POTATOES - Week #1 - Solid Food #1

So after giving up on making cereal for the reasons that I presented in my last blog, I progressed into making the "real" solid foods.

After researching which food I should begin with, I chose sweet potatoes. I'm one of those moms that didn't want to start with fruits for the fear of him not liking the veggies later.

So this is how I made homemade sweet potatoes using the Food Cube Method.

Step One - Select

Select your organic sweet potatoes that are thick, chunky and taper at the ends. Refrain from purchasing vegetables that have wax on them.

Step Two - Clean and Prep

Scrub the potatoes clean and place the in your steamer. We had a steamer in our rice cooker, but is definitely not large enough for making baby food. Therefore, I went to Target and purchased a cheap one that can fit inside of one of our pots. Place enough water in bottom of pot that the water touches the bottom of the veggies.



Our food steamer









Potatoes cleaned and ready to steam





Step Three - Steam

Cover the pot and steam for 30 minutes - Stopping at 15 minutes to turn the potatoes over.











Step 4: Puree Prep

Cut cooked potatoes in half and place in mixer. We are using a mixer instead of a blender or food processor, as the mixing beaters will collect more of the stringy fibers and leave the mash much more smooth. If you want, you can transfer to a blender afterwards to create even more of a smooth texture since the skins will stay on....your choice.











Step 5 - Puree

Blend away!

When the consistency is to your liking, it is time to start the Food Cube Method.

You will need to pick out large pieces of skin and strings to prevent a choking hazard.


Step 6 - Ice Cube Tray Prep

Make sure to select ice cube trays that are of the "good" plastics. They may say "BPA Free." If not, flip them over and look for the plastic number - "4, 5, 1 or 2....all the rest are bad for you"
























Step 7 - Fill the Trays

Fill the ice cube trays with 1 tablespoon of puree. Standard ice cube trays hold 2 tablespoons, but you can measure yours with water.











Step 8 - Cover and Freeze

Cover your ice cube trays with aluminum foil and place in freezer - apart from each other - for approximately 8-12 hours - until frozen.











Step 9 - Bag the Puree

Remove the trays from the freezer and empty the cubes out.















Place in secure freezer bags - The puree will be good for up to 2 months in the freezer or up to 10 days in the refrigerator.













Make sure to label your bags!












Step 10 - Defrosting

The easiest way is to think ahead. Take out enough frozen cubes for the next day and place them in a sandwich bag and put in the refrigerator overnight. If you want to heat them up, you can place in a non-plastic container in the microwave for 5 seconds. A baby at 6 months old will probably eat only 1 tablespoon of veggies along with their cereal.















Step 11 - Sit back and enjoy the expressions!




















Remember....in order to accurately determine allergic reactions to new food, follow the 4 day plan. This is simply to only provide a new food to your child after 4 days of exposure. Also, make sure to give the new food in the morning, rather than at night, so that you can monitor for reactions.

Have fun!

T-2 days until a new food!

Stay tuned!






Comments

stash mama said…
I have the same metal steamer!!!
hiii
I am your newest follower and would looove a follow back Thanks!!
http://stashmama.blogspot.com/
Btw I loove your blog!
Man, Melanie, you are hard core! I tried making my own baby food, but it was just too much for me. I'm a youth pastor's wife, so our schedule is crazy and I needed something I could just throw in the bag. Good for you, though. I prefer to make things from scratch whenever I can.

Thanks for becoming a follower! :)
Unknown said…
Interesting blog. My sister's littlest is past the baby food and into table food now (he turned 1 in March) - She used the frozen organic food from the store (I think Walmart). Her two youngest really liked them. I'm following you from Under 100 on MBC and I'd love it if you'd follow me! Tina "The Book Lady" http://www.familyliteracyandyou.blogspot.com
The Halton Mom said…
Happy Memorial Day and Monday Madness! Following you now, look forward to seeing you at my blog.

http://haltonmom.blogspot.com
Sarah said…
Have you tried avocados? They are supposed to be really good for babies, and they're super easy to make for babies since you literally just mash them up. Lucas loved them - of course, I hate avocados so the only time he'd ever get to eat mashed avocados is when we went over to Jaime's mom's house :P

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