When I wrote this post, I was hoping that it would be a helpful resource for making a lot of healthy baby food, quickly and inexpensively. Since the feedback was so wonderful, I decided to make a round 2! Hope you enjoy it.
I still love making food for Liv as much as I thought it would. It’s so much fun to introduce her to new flavor combos and ingredients, and I have a feeling it will be this way… forever. I usually use Sunday to prep for the week but for Liv’s food, I’ll make about a month’s worth, freeze it all, and let the ones defrost over night before we use them. It works out as a perfect main component, and I’ll always give her a little bit of what we’re having, too. It always surprises me to see what she’ll go crazy over (salmon! a girl after my own heart) and what she doesn’t enjoy as much, like egg yolks.
Liv is current 8 1/2 months and here’s some of our recent stash. As usual, it took a little under an hour and about $20 to make everything.
Baby food:
Apple-carrot
Sweet potato, apple, cinnamon
Zucchini-banana
Broccoli, apple kale
Spinach, pea, pear
Blueberry quinoa (brown rice, or oats)
Plum banana quinoa (brown rice, or oats)
For all of these, see what your baby prefers as far as fruits and veggie ratios go. For Liv, I find that she enjoys the veggies more if a little fruit is mixed in, especially with greens to cut the bitterness. Usually I’ll try to do mostly veggies and a little fruit.
1. Apple-carrot: Blend 1-2 apples with 3 carrots that have been steamed. For a quick steaming method, you can place the chopped and peeled fruits and veggies in a microwave-safe glass bowl with a little water, or use the steamer basket. We use this electric steamer contraption, which makes everything easy to steam at once in layers. Add enough water to thin it out. Apples and pears can also be boiled for 7-9 minutes until tender.
2. Sweet potato, apple, cinnamon: Add baked sweet potato flesh, one peeled, steamed apple and a tiny pinch of cinnamon. A little goes a long way for tiny tastebuds. Blend well, with enough water to thin it out.
3. Zucchini-banana: Steam 3 zucchini and blend well with 2 fresh bananas, plus as much water as needed.
4. Broccoli, apple, kale: Steam 1/2 package of frozen organic broccoli (either in a steamer or glass bowl with a little water in the microwave- save the other half of the package for next month, or eat it yourself), with one peeled, steamed apple and 1/2 bag of kale, wilted in a little olive or coconut oil on the stove top. Add water as needed.
5. Spinach, pea, pear: Add half a package of defrosted frozen spinach (or fresh, wilted in a little olive or coconut oil on the stovetop), 1/2 package of frozen, organic defrosted peas (the other half of last month’s bag) and 2 pears.
6. Blueberry quinoa: Add frozen blueberries (about 1/2 bag) to cooked quinoa (about 1/2 cup cooked) and blend well, thinning out as necessary with water or breast milk.
7. Plum banana quinoa: 1 banana, 2 plums and cooked quinoa (1/2 C, cooked).
To make all of the above:
-Preheat the oven, wash the sweet potatoes and poke with holes, You’ll make these last, after they cook for about 50 minutes at 375.
-Start boiling the water for the quinoa (or brown rice), rinse well and get that cooking.
-Peel all the fruits and veggies as needed and start steaming, either in the microwave in a glass bowl with a little water, or on the stovetop. (You can do fruits together, like the apples, pears and plums, and then veggies together, like the broccoli, spinach and peas to make less steaming rounds. Remember, it’s not an exact science! Have fun with it)
-Heat up the pan and start wilting the greens as the fruits/veggies steam.
-Puree in batches, adding a little water or breastmilk as necessary to thin out.
-For the combos that use multiples of the same ingredients, do those together. For example, I’ll do the quinoa batches right after each other (half with blueberries, the other half with plum and banana)
BONUS: Chicken, quinoa and carrots (You have almost all the ingredients for this already on hand- all you need is a plain roasted chicken breast, season with a little garlic, oregano or cumin as you like)
Storage:
I love the Baby Bullet containers, and will usually fill 2-3 with the purees and freeze the rest flat in Ziploc baggies (all Ziploc products are BPA free)
Ice cube trays are perfect, too -I couldn’t find any at Target which was kinda weird- and remember to defrost only what your baby will eat over the next couple of days. Keep the rest in the freezer.
What we add in for fun:
-For breakfast and lunches, Liv loves the Happy Baby puffs or the Little Ducks dried fruit. I’ll put a few on her tray with some fresh, soft fruits or veggies (bites of banana, melon, avocado, peeled beans and sweet potato work really well) while I get our meals ready. We used to use the mesh feeder often, but Liv is getting much better at gnawing on food with her gums and swallowing it. She loves to pinch up tiny bites of soft food.
Shopping list:
-3 apples
-2 pears
-2 plums
-3 bananas
-3 zucchini
-2 sweet potatoes
-carrots (buy the long ones instead of the baby ones, which are washed in a bleach solution)
Packages (usually last 2 months, with the exception of the fresh kale, so the broccoli, peas and blueberries, I still had in the freezer from last time. I always have quinoa on hand, but you can buy it in the bulk bin. I only included half a bag of each in the $20 total cost)
-1 package frozen blueberries
-1 package spinach (fresh or frozen)
-1 package broccoli (frozen)
-1 package kale
-1 C quinoa (bulk bin)
*Keep in mind that I’m not a baby food expert or baby nutrition specialist in any way- these are just the foods that Liv likes and an inexpensive list of combos. Always check with your doctor regarding the best method for feeding your baby and before introducing any new foods. We do a combo of pureed food and baby led weaning over here, and it’s working well for us so far <3
xoxo
Hi, I'm Gina. Welcome to The Fitnessista! I love blogging about my adventures as a new mom, military wife and fitness instructor, as well as sharing new workouts and recipes. Check out the About page for more info - thanks for stopping by!
I don’t have a baby and don’t plan on having one any time soon but there’s a different reason I loved this post. Because it made me feel less crazy. I went looking for ice cube trays at Target a few months ago and thought for sure I had lost my mind because they HAD to have them somewhere! I looked every where (even got a little creative with my search…are they considered home decor?!) and couldn’t find a single ice cube tray.
Which led me to wonder…if not at Target, where DOES one find them?!
exactly- target has EVERYTHING! just not ice cube trays.
but yes, livi and i walked around for at least 10 minutes looking for them… nada
I once spent about 30 minutes looking for ice cube trays at Target with no luck. Then, as I continued shopping, I found them in the tupperware/ziplock section. Weird.
Tupperware, zip lock, plastic at target is were I found the ice trays also. Thanks for the post. very helpful.
Dollar stores and Walmart usually have them, and I have seen them in the overpriced kitchen utensil aisle at the traditional grocery store…went threw the same mission a few years back!
I found my ice cube trayson the Wal-Mart website. They have lids and are BPA FREE which I love. I to make homemade baby food and store it in the ice cube tays. That way I just take out however many cubes at a time, heat them up and they are ready.
Target has Ice Cube trays but the tupperware and Zip-Lock area!
My Target does have ice cube trays! They are in between the trash bags and reusable lunch containers!
Goodwill has all that ‘old school’ type stuff. You may have to go a couple of times. Also consider mini muffin tins and snack size baggies.
Best use of an hour and $20 bucks! The girl will be eating like a queen for awhile and you just saved a boatload of cash! Those tiny little jars of storebought baby food are pricey and obviously no where nearly as tasty as homemade!
i tried to give her one when we were in vegas and she spit it out! haha. i tasted a bite myself and it was pretty gross compared to the fresh stuff
I did the store bought baby food with my older one “for the convenience.” But with my last I am home with her and decided I would try the homemade food. I thought I had more time to make it. But it is not a matter of time! I wished I would have done more for my older child. She has allergies that I might have noticed sooner had I paid more attention to what she was eating. It only makes sense to make and feed them fresh food. My youngest daughter, she is 7 months now; she loves avocados, along with vegetables. I would have never thought to give babies avocados. Stores don’t sell that! She loves them!
“Avocados have diverse fats. For a typical avocado: About 75% of an avocado’s calories come from fat, most of which is monounsaturated fat. On a 100 g basis, avocados have 35% more potassium (485 mg) than bananas (358 mg). They are rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and vitamin K. Avocados have a high fiber content of 75% insoluble and 25% soluble fiber.” According to Wikipedia
another great baby food you won’t see in stores: persimmon! liv goes crazy for it
Thanks for the info on avocados. I grew up in the south and never even tried an avocado until I moved out west. My 18 month old daughter is allergic to bananas (yes I still cry because I love them and they would be such an easy snack to keep around!!) and I am always thinking about what would be a good alternative to give her. I think we will give avocados a try!
Delana,
If your daughter is allergic to bananas, chances are she will be allergic to avocado too!
People with latex allergies are commonly allergic to avocado, banana, kiwis, mangoes, potatoes, etc.
Yep, I have Oral Allergy Syndrome & am allergic to bananas, kiwi, mango & pineapple. I tried avocado last month & seemed to get a very light reaction but not sure on that one yet. However, it’s the last fruit in my little group, so it’s probably out
is there a reason you peel the fruit? just curious as I’ve always thought that’s where most of the goodness lives. do infants have issues with the peel?
yeah it makes it harder to digest
wow really cool combos. If I had a baby I would make them all!!
I’ve made all my kids food, and wouldn’t do it any other way. I love the fall season and making foods. Whenever I make soup, I would always take some out and freeze for the baby. Split Pea, lentil, barley, and chicken noodle soup are my kids favs!!
And they go nuts over pumpkin!
same here, i love doing it! liv went crazy for the last soup i made, so i can’t wait to try another recipe for her
Thanks so much! My little one will be eating solids soon *a couple more months….but I’m bookmarking! Love the quinoa idea!
I love these posts. I started making my son’s food a couple of months ago. I made some combos last week, including your spinach, peas, and pears. He loved it! I agree that it’s so much fun to watch him try things for the first time. Yesterday I videoed him eating a puff for the first time. Hilarious! He wasn’t too sure about them.
Thanks for sharing!
If not Target,try Ikea.
My son just started solids this past month and I will hopefully be mixing flavors soon so thank you so much for this post! I love making baby food for him.
THANK YOU Gina! This is an awesome tutorial! I’m book marking it so that I have it in the future…I know I’ll be needing it soon
This couldn’t have come at a better time! I bought some organic baby food because I wasn’t going to have time to make Jack’s food… and then I went to Sprouts to buy produce and felt overwhelmed because I didn’t know what type of combos to make. I’ll definitely take this list with me this week! Thank you!
Ikea and Bed, Bath and Beyond have ice cube trays. Not sure what states they are in. I use my silicon cupcake baking cups (I place them on a tray for easier managing). Once the ingredients are frozen, pop them out and put them in a ziplock bag or mason jar. I do this a lot with my spinach for my smoothies. Pop one or two in my smoothies and you do not need ice. The silicon trays would work also. Hope this helps.
Try using a muffin pan instead of getting an ice cube tray! It’ll fit more, and cut down on all the waste from the ziploc bags. Silicone is best because you can push out just one cup at a time, whereas with the metal you have to run warm water over the back to get a cup out
Sadly I don’t know this because I have a baby, but because I make homemade frozen treats for my dogs:)
I love this post! Solids are something I’m looking forward too! Elliana is 4 months now, so in a couple months. Yay! You know those rubber (or maybe its silicone?) individual cupcake things? A friend told me that they are perfect for freezing baby food too. She said they are much easier to get the food out of than ice cube trays. I’m going to try them when I start making food!
I just read the other comments and saw the person above me recommended the same thing
I love these posts! I have been so intimidated about making baby food so I am super excited to try some of these combos
Thanks for the great post and combo ideas! It is so easy and cheap to make your own baby food. BTW- Baby Bullet has a silicone freezing tray too. It holds 12- 15 or so portions (I forget exactly how many). Best part- when you’re ready to defrost, the food pops right out and it fits directly in the BB containers that you already have.
Olivia doesn’t like egg yolks? I could have sworn you wrote a post in which you said you saved a yoke for Olivia…..hmmm. Doesn’t add up. Lying is not a good way to become a brand, Gina.
hahah, whoa there, sparky.
oliv liked egg yolks the past couple of times she had them (i think because i offered them first?), but last week, wanted nothing to do with them. i wish i could ask her what she really thinks -her tastes seem to change day to day and week to week- but oh yeah, she can’t talk.
Ok, I’m normally very respectful of other commenters and what they have to say but this comment is just too rediculous to pass up. Is this a joke or are you seriously getting all bent out of shape over egg yolks that an 8 1/2 month old now decides she doesn’t like?!? Why would you accuse Gina of lying about something like EGG YOLKS? Hahaha I just have to laugh.
Olivia gets so many other yummy foods now. She’s probably realized that a plain yolk she was once getting is blah compared to things like blueberry quinoa and sweet potato apple cinnamon. Can you blame her? I’d change my mind about plain old egg yolk too.
Somehow, and she can correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t think Gina will be staking her claim on world domination based on her baby’s avowed and unshakeable taste for egg yolks. I think you can relax, Shannon
I don’t usually make comments on what other people have said, but I just feel the need to say something.
Olivia is an 8 1/2 month old baby, clearly she’s going to change her mind about what types of foods she likes over the course of her long life. God forbid you have ever changed your mind about something before.
If you’re really basing your validation of Gina off her baby’s food preferences, maybe you should find a different blog.
Yeah, but, YOU GUYS. Maybe Shannon is right. Maybe Gina is saying that Olivia doesn’t like egg yolks NOW so that when Olivia grows up and inevitably has her own blog (called, like, “LIVin’ Large!” or something), she will appeal more to all of the vegans/chicken-haters out there and will thus “become a brand” based on a shared hatred of egg yolks hereby securing a future for both Gina & the Pilot so that they might never work again and grow old and rich off of their daughter’s successes and their one tiny genius LIE. It’s all so clear now!
ok ok, you got me.
thanks for the laugh
I love the idea of making homemade baby food. Although I am far,far away from having children of my own, I will definitely remember these posts when that time comes. It looks like fun and I’m sure Livi loves it!
I think it is absolutley AWESOME that you do this. I think I’m a while away from kids, but once I have one, I will be sure to refer back to this post!
I love all these ideas, Thank you! Just wondering how you went about with giving Livi her first puffs and little chunks of food. I have an 8 month old, and I have to admit that I haven’t tried letting him pinch up anything yet because I’m so scared of the whole choking thing! I know most babies his age are ready, but I’m not
We’ve only done purees, and I really want to transition, I’ve even had a package of the organic puffs in the pantry for a month! I don’t know why I’m such a scaredy cat, cuz I was originally dead set on BLW. Any tips would be much appreciated 
i started off giving her 1/2 a puff. the good thing is that they dissolve, so it’s pretty hard to choke on them.
Thanks so much for this post. I was inspired again to make pureed food for my now 13 month old. She is going through a fussy eating period (I think she is teething again), and I am having a hard time getting her to eat her usual finger foods.
Today I made her carrot, pear and apple puree and she gobbled it right up. Thanks again for your post and inspiration
These are such great ideas! I have a six month old and I too am making her food. Right now she loves pears, peaches, avocado, sweet potato, and butternut squash. I was wondering, how old was Liv when you first introduced quinoa? I tried organic brown rice cereal and it makes my little one constipated so I was looking for an alternative and thought about quinoa. Again, thank you for these ideas.
The reason for the constipation is most likely all the iron in the cereal. If you’ve ever taken an iron supplement or eaten a high-iron food, especially after not having much iron, it’s sort of like trying to poop an iron skillet.
When adding cereal, consider also adding a ilttle LITTLE food with magnesium in it (Google foods with magnesium) or a tad of prune juice or other known food that gets you “going” again.
Found your combo ideas and love them. Made my daughter’s food but had a hard time thinking about combos to get her to eat the green stuff (was working full time then). My son is loving the ones I have tried so far. Pumpkin and banana from Round 1 is a big hit and he even enjoys his peas with pear. Going to add the spinach soon. Going to start Round 2 combos after my next grocery store trip
Love your food combinations. I’ve been making my own for my 19month old. He loves the pouches and so do i, but i hate paying for them and not making it myself to save money. i stumbled upon your blog on pinterest, as well as this handy new item.
http://www.infantino.com/product.cfm?product_id=1446
I’ve made and filled almost half the bags that i purchased. my next purchase for this is the reusable pouches.
Cheers!
Great ideas! I didn’t see any protein combos on your list. My local LaLache league recommends that babies who are on solids but still breast feeding get protein puréed as solids in combination with vitamin . Apparently the thought behind this is that they need more iron than what is found in breast milk alone aft 6 months. Have you tried any meats?
Yep she gets lots of beans, salmon, egg yolk and chicken. I make them all fresh and don’t puree them- she gets small bites to pinch up
Gina, I completely agree that it is so fun introducing the kiddos to new foods and seeing their reactions, then getting to know their likes and dislikes (so far very few). My little guy’s favorite so far has been avocado with banana. So easy, yet so healthy
he also loves butternut squash, which p.s. I wasn’t aware they sold it that way at Traders so next time for sure using your genius shortcut! Just getting started introducing him to the wonderful world of food so I have enjoyed your posts! Xoxo, Lorissa
thank you, friend! hope you and your family are doing well
How long can these be frozen before it spoils?
Most frozen baby food can be kept up to 6 months but they recomend using it within 3 months usually!
Just an FYI… I follow “100 Days of Real Food” on Facebook and she does her research – she just looked in to the whole carrots soaked in bleach thing. This is what she has to say.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=484580058253008&set=a.189769597734057.47450.111437015567316&type=1&theater
I just started making baby food. I made pears last night and put the leftovers in baby magic jars to last the next two days. Woke up this morning and the pears where brown. Is that normal? What other fruits/veggies do this?
I love this post, but would like to let you know about an article I recently read about microwaving food. I apologize for not having a link to share, but I’m sure you could google it. It basically explains that the USA is one of only a few countries that kills its food in the microwave before eating it. It says that most, if not all, nutritients are completely lost within just seconds in the microwave. I immediately stopped using my microwave.
Salamat sa pag-upload fellow Cebuano
. . Pero my gosh! I can’t believe the twists na nilagay nila sa Pinoy version! JUSTIN CHOSE JESSIE AND JESSIE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW IT! SHE WENT TO LUIGI! Hindi ko alam? kung kanino ako mas dapat mabibwisit: Kay Donald o Kay Elaine. OMG I can’t wait for the next! Salamat sa pag upload!….. visit http://goo.gl/HNBgn to watch pinoy tv shows
What a great inspiration to other mothers you are! i have a 9 month old who has never eaten jarred baby food yet. He is a great eater and so far has eaten almost anything I put in front of him ( even green stuff). We have a steamer that I use for most items or bake in the oven. I love your combinations though as I am not good as mixing foods together or think of combinations. Do uou have any other meats your little one enjoys? I do the basic chicken, beef or pork mixed with any veggies but was just wondering if you had any combos. Thanks a bunch!
What I have found best to use are the silicone trays from Ikea. They have black ones that freeze in a long rod shape. I am able to fill so much more space in a zip lock. And they are only $1 each. I bought a ton of them and use them all the time to freeze and store other foods.
I got extra large silicone ice cube trays at Marshall’s and bed,bath,beyond. LOVE them for baby food.
awesome tip!
Love this post! I am just now starting to introduce solids to my almost 6 month old. What age did you introduce quinoa? The first thing we gave my son was Earths Best organic oatmeal cereal and he developed a HUGE rash all over his face/mouth area, so we aren’t able to give him oatmeal. Do you think that this would make him sensitive to quinoa also? I am going to have to try some of these combos! Oh and I love all of the tips on where to find the ice cube trays….. I also have spent lots of time wandering target for them! Never woulda thought to look in the garbage bag section!
thank you!
i think it was around 8 months? she really loved it blended with steamed pears
for the oatmeal, the earth’s best stuff tore up liv’s stomach from the iron. it was awful. she does great with regular gluten-free oatmeal. when she was younger i would grind it up dry into oat flour and then cook it. id’ ask your ped before trying quinoa or oats again, though, just to be sure!
xoxo
Hey Gina!
Great ideas for baby food! I’ve tried a few and I am going to make some more today. I was wondering where you buy your Little Ducks dried fruit? I would love to get some for my little girl to add to her puffs. She just loves feeding herself! And it would be a great addition while I am preparing the ‘main menu’ for her
Thanks!
When you go to use the food you freeze in a ziploc how do you get it all out? Heat in ziploc first?
defrost in the fridge overnight, then in the morning, heat on the stove or in the microwave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUfxKXsdAz0
I made a video doing this!
I find myself referring back to these instructions constantly. Absolutely love that I have been able to make my son’s baby food.
It is so easy!
Thanks so much for taking the time to give us a tutorial.
i’m so happy it’s been helpful for you! i love making liv’s food, too
xo
My 3rd baby is now 8 months old and I have made baby food for all of three. It is easy and tastes so much better. Why would I want to feed my baby something that I myself wouldn’t eat. I freeze everything in ice cube trays and that way I can pull out a few cubes out at a time. I can also mix flavors by pulling out two cubes of apples and two cubes of apples. One of my babies favorites is an apple, chicken and sweet potato combo. Even the babysitter said it smelled good when she was feeding it to him.
So so helpful thank you!! Going to check out part 1 next!
I have been making my babies food for 3 months now and i have not given up! How did you introduce the cinnamon?? And! It’s so cheap to make the food instead of buying it! And my little girl spit out the jarred baby food too! It is a hassel, however, to deal with people that think it is stupid to make the baby food.
Love your recipes! I’ve never done plum. Do you need to steam it, or do you just peel and puree it?
Hi! I just found this on Pinterest and tried it yesterday. The first time took me a little longer, but I kept checking the directions because I’m just like that. I LOVE the recipes, they are delicious. Thanks so much, I’ll be sure to share this!
I love all the creative flavors that you prepared. My only question is did you introduce her to all the flavors individually first to see if she might have a reaction or allergy to food item?
Hi! I love this! I just was curious of how much mix you put in each ziplock bag? Is there a way you measure it out?
i didn’t- i just guesstimated based on how much i thought would be in a pouch