How to Make Baby Food and Healthy Popsicles at the Same Time

It seems we've reached that bittersweet point when baby doesn't want mushy baby food anymore.  She'd rather eat what we're eating and enjoys feeding herself.  It's a wonderful beginning to her growing independence and development... but I did enjoy making fresh, healthy baby food.

One afternoon each week, while I prepared supper, I would also steam several vegetables and fruits to make baby foods.  Once soft and cooled, I would puree the vegetables and fruits (we use the Magic Bullet- it's the perfect size & gives a super smooth texture).  Some vegetables would turn out rather runny (especially corn), so adding rice or oatmeal single-grain infant cereal would thicken it up.  Some vegetables would turn out very thick (especially sweet potatoes), so adding a little apple sauce, pure juice or the reserved cooking water would achieve the perfect texture.  The pureed foods would then be transferred into our ice trays and put in the freezer overnight.  Once they were completely frozen, I'd pop out the little baby food cubes and throw them in freezer bags.  No need to have a separate bag for each blend- I just labeled the bags with colors like "Orange- Sweet Potato & Apple" "Green- Peas & Carrots" or "Purple- Blueberry, Pear & Rice".  It saved space in my freezer this way.  When it's time to feed baby, take out however many cubes you need, place them in a serving bowl, then place the serving bowl in a dish of warm water to thaw the food.  We also stored a day's worth of cubes in the refrigerator, so they'd be thawed and ready to serve.

Freezing and Storing the Homemade Baby Food

My favorite reasons for making these frozen baby food cubes is that babies just LOVE to chew on the cold food in a mesh teether.  It gives them eating independence, soothes a teething baby's gums, and occupies baby just long enough to give Mommy a quick break to wrap up supper!  They are also Incredibly Cheap to make compared to all the jars of baby food you'd have to buy!  Let's not forget these are super healthy and as fresh as you want them!  Use your own garden veggies & fruits, or fresh veggies from the market.  Avoid using store-bought canned fruits and vegetables to make your own baby food because so many of the nutrients have already been lost.  Fresh is best!

Get creative with your baby food combinations!  Increase your babies palate for a lifetime love of healthy foods!  Here's just a few of our regular favorites:
Carrot
Carrot-Apple
Carrot-Apple-Cinnamon
Pea
Pea-Carrot
Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato-Apple
Sweet Potato-Spiced Pear (from pears I canned with cinnamon sticks)
Lima Bean- Corn (Lima beans stay slightly chunky, better for older infant)
Corn-Rice Cereal
Green Bean
Blueberry-Banana-Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice-Rice Cereal
Peach-Apple
Banana-Oatmeal Cereal- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Pear-Blueberry-Oatmeal Cereal
Apple
Apple- Cinnamon
Pumpkin-Apple
Squash
Squash-Carrot-Apple
Avocado-Pear
Watermelon-Rice Cereal

For older kiddos, just put the same pureed vegetable and fruits into Popsicle trays for healthy summer treats!  Jazz it up by adding yogurt or honey to the puree before freezing.  **Babies Under 12-18 months old CANNOT EAT HONEY**  Honey should only be added to the popsicles for older kids.  My pediatrician told us to avoid feeding baby strawberries until about 12 months old too.

Another option for any juicers out there- freeze your fresh, healthy juices in the ice cube trays for baby's mesh teether or for kid's popsicles!

Fresh, Healthy Juice - This gorgeous blend is Beet, Cucumber, Carrot,  and Pear.

I made about 95% of the baby food myself, but I always kept some store-bought baby food on hand, ready to go for the diaper bag.  Infant rooms in most daycares have refrigerators with freezers in the room.  You may be able to provide the daycare with a bag of the baby food cubes, along with a small bowl and spoon to serve from, instead of sending the store-bought baby food jars.

Painted Toast- Yummy Fun!

I plan on making Painted Toast as part of our Art lesson this week.  We made it many months ago and the boys loved it.  My mom taught me how to do this project when I was young.  It's super easy and yummy for the kiddos!

First, pour small amounts of milk into several small bowls.  Add food coloring to the milk, making several different colors.  Lay out slices of bread on plates or cookie sheets.  Have the child use a clean paint brush to apply the "paint" (colored milk) to the bread, making a beautiful masterpiece.  Before the bread is too soggy, place it in the toaster, and eat it!

Brushing the colored milk onto the bread.

I suppose you may need to stress that it's only milk, not paint... and that we don't eat real paint.  My boys watched me pour the milk and they know we don't eat paint, so I skipped the lecture.  My 2 year old did, however, move beyond the boundaries of his toast & decided to do a bit of body painting.  :)

My 2 year old painted himself with the colored milk.  Baby G is checking out the fun.  :)

The Painted Toast, ready for eating!

Hip Hip Hooray! It RAINED!

As we stepped outside this morning, it seemed as though it had rained, but it was hard to believe.  So we searched for signs.  Yes, the driveway had a puddle... yes, the grass was still wet... yes, the mosquitos were out.  That's a sure sign.  The night had brought a refreshing, much needed RAIN!  Not even an inch, but we were very thankful for it.

The flock seemed extra perky this morning, since they were all very pleased with the rain, as well.  It brought an abundance of bugs that were creeping around, perfect for a breakfast snack.  Here, our little Lavender Bantam Ameraucana rooster was keeping his lookout while the Mrs. was eating.  He's such a good natured rooster.

Lavender Bantam Ameraucana Rooster, 12 weeks old

We had a tasty breakfast from the garden, too.  A bowl of sweet red beets and cucumbers, peanuts and orange juice.  Okay, so it's not very conventional... but who can deny a toddler's request for a bowl of veggies?  Not me.  Both boys love their veggies, so far.  I realize that may change, but we are definitely trying to foster this love of theirs.