I was so excited to get a Babycook... I had seen the video about this like 4 years ago when Williams-Sonoma started selling them. I remember e-mailing my mom and saying, "whenever I have a baby, I want one of these!" Unfortunately, they have not gotten any cheaper over time and I couldn't find a used one, so I used some leftover gift money to buy it.
I think I would have been okay just steaming the food and using a blender to make big batches, but since we don't have a microwave I thought it would make sense to get a babyfood maker that can defrost and reheat (this is the only one I could find that does that.. and it only takes about 5 minutes to defrost/reheat it). Anyway, here is a small tutorial on using the Babycook and making J's current fave... sweet potatoes!
Here's just a pretty shot of the awesomeness of the Babycook. The sweet potato is peeled and ready to go!
Ready to be steamed...
It takes about 10 minutes to fully steam potatoes. I know that it will take a shorter amount of time for other, softer, fruits and veggies. However, the time issue doesn't bug me because I usually do it on a Saturday morning when we're just hanging out doing other things anyway.
Using the handy little basket holder to take out the steamer basket. Note: this thing is pretty unnecessary... you can just take off the lid and wait a minute for it to cool a bit, but I felt like getting a shot of it!
Blend. And blend. and blend. I end up stirring it up to get all the chunks blended.
Tada! It looks lumpy, but it's not. :)
Quick and easy! All you have to do is pour it into ice cube trays (or baby food trays with lids if you got them as gifts). If you use an ice cube tray, I've heard to wrap it with plastic wrap and then foil to freeze it. I think it's cheaper and definitely less wasteful in the long run to buy these trays . This sweet potato made 18 servings (don't laugh at my not-well-thought-out tray filling). So, for $2.88 I made 36 servings of organic sweet potato (I already made the other one into food a few weeks ago). Not too shabby!
Loving those fresh sweet potatoes!
One cube gone!
Once they're frozen, I pop them out of the tray (using a knife to pop them out is quite helpful) and stick them in a labeled freezer bag! tada....
So far, I have only made sweet potatoes because, well that's all I've made. I need to go out and buy a bunch of stuff and have a marathon baby food day. I bought some Earth's Best Organic First Foods in jars (mainly to get the jars) but also so that I could try different foods to check for allergies before I make a huge batch only to find out he can't eat them. A friend of mine informed me that it can take up to 15 times for a baby to taste a food before he decides he likes it. So, don't be discouraged if your little one doesn't like something the first time, keep trying! So far, J's favorites are: Sweet Potatoes, Peas, and Avocado. We're going to try Carrots this weekend and Bananas next week! He is still not a fan of the rice cereal and I'm okay with that, seeing as how it's pretty devoid of any nutritional content. Once he's old enough for gluten, we're going to get him going on quinoa for some good protein!
Pretty hilarious how blog posts have changed... I used to post gourmet recipes for ME to eat... ahh there's a time for everything right?
Such a good mommy you are :) Please remind me how to do these things when I get to that point!!!
ReplyDeleteawesome dana! i loved making baby food and have the same containers with lids and LOVE them!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like such a fun way to make baby food!
ReplyDeleteDana!! I did the same thing and I LOVED it! So happy you do as well, and it just gives you such a sense of wellness and provision for your little one! Have you heard of the book, "First Meals", by Anabel Karmel? FANTASTIC!! You will swoon! You are more than welcome to borrow my copy for as long as you like as you create mini meals for Jason :)
ReplyDeleteLove, Tracy