1 Month of Homemade Baby Food, 1 Hour, $20
Thank you so much for the awesome feedback (and pins!) on this homemade baby food post! For even more recipes, be sure to check out homemade baby food round 2. xoxo
Feeding and making solid foods for Livi to try continues to be one of my favorite things. I really looked forward to introducing solids to Liv, especially during my breastfeeding woes, and it’s just as fun as I thought it would be.
At first, while Olivia was just getting the feel for swallowing food (instead of pushing it out with her tongue), she would only eat a few bites unless it was an avocado. I figured she wasn’t super hungry or ready for solid foods yet -breastmilk/formula is the main source of nutrition for the first year, solids are really just “for fun” and getting into the habit of eating- and continued to try to feed her different things that I had made. I would usually just offer one food at a time, she’d take a few bites and that would be it. I figured she was just still satisfied from the bottle she had an hour or so beforehand, and was still getting the hang of it.
Then when I was a little under the weather, I made some soup, threw it in the food processor and she GOBBLED it up. For the record, it was probably the best soup I’ve ever made- she absolutely loved it. I quickly learned that little miss likes combos– if it’s one food at a time, she’ll eat it, but if I mix different flavors and a combo of sweet and savory, she goes crazy for it. I also figured out she likes a lot of the robust flavors I love and ate while pregnant. I always joked that she’d come out a spicy meatball since I love spicy foods so much.
We picked up a few of these baby food pouches to travel with to Las Vegas, and she slurped them down.
For the trip and convenience factor, they were awesome. On the plane, I would offer Liv a bottle to clear her ears, and if she didn’t want it, she would eat some fruit/veggie from the pouch and wash it down with some water. It was perfect.
I love the ingredients, they’re all organic and BPA-free packaging, but they’re expensive for what they are. Almost $2 per pouch, and even though we could stock up and mostly feed her those, I’m always looking for ways to save money, and I enjoy taking an hour or so to make her food for the month.
The Vitamix even gives baby food that silky smooth texture:
So instead of $120 per month on pouches (that’s 2 pouches per day), here’s a month of baby food I made in a little over one hour for $20–a much more cost-effective option!
Homemade Baby Food Combinations for This Month
Pumpkin and banana
Oats (apple, pear and banana)
Butternut squash
Sweet potato
Broccoli and apple
Spinach, peas and pears
One Month of Healthy Homemade Baby Food Recipes
Blend these homemade baby food combinations well and thin as necessary with water or breastmilk–especially necessary with starchy mixes.
1. Pumpkin and banana: 1 can of organic pumpkin and 1-2 banana(s). If you’d like to make your own pumpkin, check it out here.
2. Oats: Split your oats into thirds and blend 3 batches–one with steamed apples, one with steamed pears and one with banana.
3. Butternut squash: Just a steamed or baked butternut squash. (Tip: Trader Joe’s makes this one super easy, as they sell ready-to-steam peeled and cubed butternut squash.)
4. Sweet potato: Use the flesh only of baked sweet potatoes.
5. Broccoli and apple: Defrosted broccoli and one steamed or boiled apple. Note: Many of the packaged baby foods will have a ratio of about 2/3 to 3/4 fruit with 1/4 to 1/3 veggie, so they’re very sweet. I try to flip it and do mostly veggies with a smaller ratio of fruit, just to cut the bitterness.
6. Spinach, peas and pears: For this one, I’ll steam the peas and peeled, chopped pears together, then blend up with defrosted frozen spinach. As in #5, I’ll do more veggies and less fruit (like 1/2 bag of organic broccoli and 1 apple, 1/2 bag of organic spinach wilted down, 1/2 bag frozen organic peas and 1 pear), but see what your baby prefers.
Make Healthy Homemade Baby Food in Under an Hour
Follow these steps for efficient homemade baby food prep!
-Pre-heat oven to 375. Wash and poke the sweet potatoes with a fork. Get the sweet potatoes in the oven. These need to bake for about 50 min, flipping halfway through.
-Start boiling the water for the 1.5 cups dry oats, according to package instructions, and another pan for anything you want to make on the stovetop.
-Peel and chop the apples and pears.
-Steam one bowl of apples and one of pears in the microwave: Add about 1 inch of water to the bottom of a glass bowl along with fruit. Microwave each bowl for 2 minutes. You could also boil in water for about 7 minutes instead.
-Defrost the spinach, broccoli and peas (either in the microwave or steamer).
-Microwave the butternut squash (or you can bake it in the oven, cut side down with the sweet potatoes), then the pears, then the apples in a little water with a moist paper towel on top (that’s optional, but definitely helps with a squash). We use this handy electric steamer.
-Scoop out sweet potato flesh.
-Start blending and storing.
How to Store Homemade Baby Food in the Freezer
I like to use the Baby Bullet storage containers, and ice cube trays work well, too. I couldn’t find ice cube trays while we were at Target, so for now I’ll just pour whatever’s left into freezable BPA-free ziploc baggies and lay flat in the freezer. Put a couple servings in the fridge, the rest in the freezer to defrost as necessary.
*Baby food in the fridge seems to last max 3 days over here before I toss it out, so only keep what your baby will eat over the next day or so in the fridge- everything else in the freezer.
Just for Fun Baby Food Extras
-Little Ducks snacks, avocado, mashed banana, bites of whatever I’m eating to try (brown rice tortilla, egg yolk, lentils, beans)
-For breakfast, she’ll usually have fruit/oatmeal and for dinner, I try to mix up one of the sweeter veggie options with a starchy option (like sweet potato or butternut squash with a greens/fruit combo).
-While I heat up her food and make myself something to eat, I’ll give her something in the mesh feeder to keep her busy until the main course is ready. She especially loves crispy apple, cantaloupe, or bites of whatever I’m eating. The mesh feeder has been great for restaurants, and one mom gave me an awesome tip: keep a garlic press on hand to instantly puree whatever you’re eating while out and about.
Shopping List for One Month of Homemade Baby Food
-2 organic sweet potatoes
-1 can organic pumpkin
-4 bananas
-2 C oats
-4-6 organic apples
-a pack of frozen organic spinach (or you can use fresh and wilt it down in a little olive oil, which is what I did)
-pack of frozen organic peas
-4-6 organic pears
Bonus recipe: Livi’s chicken soup = $20 for 3 huge adult servings, 4 baby servings
*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. Baby led weaning works really well for many of my friends, but doesn’t seem to be the best method for us right now. For now, we’re pureeing most of Liv’s food and she loves it.
Do you have any fun baby food combos to share? Easy methods of preparing baby foods? Something unique that your little one surprisingly loves?
xoxo
(Affiliate links are included, which do not impact purchase price but allow me to earn a small kickback. Thank you so much for your support!)
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WOW. That is all. I’m bookmarking this for when I finally have a baby.
What baby food maker do you use? I am about to get one for my baby but i don’t now which one is good…
Thank you 🙂
i use the vitamin or the mini food processor
I recently discovered that my 9 month old was way ready to graduate from simple flavors! Figures, I’m Pakistani and he was waiting for the garlicky/savory/spicy/fragrant foods he is genetically predisposed to like 🙂
I wanted to broaden his flavor palate, offer more textures, and widen the variety of veggies he eats
I made up some combos: steamed cauliflower, zucchini, leeks (w sauteed onions, garlic, cilantro)
Corn + green beans (w sauteed onions, garlic and basil)
Spinach, carrots, chickpeas (w Sauteed onions, garlic, parsely)
Spinach + red kidney beans (sauteed onions+ tomatoes and basil)
Sounds like a lot but I sauteed the onions and tomatoes in a big batch and steamed the veggies all together. After that it was just batches in the food processor. I left everything with a hearty texture since he is older and likes to ‘chew’ with his two teeth and gums. I see that he loves spice and fragrance so I used herbs and a bit of nutmeg/cinnamon/garlic here and there (Add some heat and I’d eat these ‘soups myself!). He’s been gobbling everything up – I serve with couscous/quinoa/brown rice. Best two hours in the kitchen I have spent in a long, long time!
My son just started solids but when he gets a little older I am definitely trying out some of these combos!! I always eat robust flavors so he’ll probably recognize them and love it!
I’m glad this may have helped! I found that adding herbs really makes a difference 🙂
Thank you SO much for this post. I just recently figured out that my little man loves robust flavors too – while the plain veggie or fruit purees didn’t thrill him, which is why he’d eat a bite or two and then be on to the next thing. He loves roasted garlic, onions, chipotle peppers, etc. This post is incredibly helpful for both motivation and variety!
I love making food for my baby! I started prepping while I was still pregnant and froze our produce from the garden (squash, zucchini, green beans, etc.). My son loves, loves, loves Greek yogurt. He also likes sweet potatoes with lentils. Other combos are blueberries, yogurt and banana; mango and peach; chicken and broccoli; oats and applesauce.
Love this post! My mom always tells me how she just blended up whatever she was eating when I was a baby, and I’ve planned to do the same when I’m a mom! This is a great and informative post!
Just as an fyi-those Happy Baby pouches go on sale at Target and there is sometimes a coupon on their website. I still keep those on hand for my almost 3 year old for when we are running ragged with the older child.
I love making baby food as well 🙂
Another great combination is potato and courgette with a little parsley.
So while babies aren’t a part of my life (yet!), I just wanted to stop in and say that I’m super excited to make and eat that soup tonight. Looks amazing!
Great tips – and I made all my own baby food. Between a vita-mix and a fork to mash whatever we were eating if that made sense, that’s what we did. The taste, cost-savings, and just overall DIY aspect of it was a win on all fronts – and I love that you’re making your own. When I see people buying those LITTLE jars that cost a small fortune, I wish they knew how easy it was to DIY and how much satisfaction as a new mom you’ll have!
this is so great thank u!! we dont even have our baby yet (4 weeks!) but i know this will creep up on us quickly. thanks for the info!
Totally huh? I picked up a few of the Ellas Kitchen baby food pouches at Whole Foods recently for our vacation and WOW the price was craaazzzyyyy…$2.79 for ONE. I said to the cashier ‘i should get into the baby-making food business’…he quietly agreed:)
I can relate Gina, i originally gave Jack single foods and the minute i mixed a few flavors he went crazy too! Great combo ideas, i am in need of some new ones….OH, a good one is AVOCADO and BANANA, try it asap!
i literally just started making baby food this morning – green beans! Wes has been eating baby food for about a month (he’s 5 months now) and has been such a champ. he loves his veggies!
i’m thinking i’m going to do a fruit/veggie combo next to start getting him to like fruit too. he’s such a little man and LOVES eating!
also, i just wanted to throw this in there – when we talked to our pediatrician about solids she said that it’s not just for fun necessarily to feed them solids in the first year, but a major part of it is to help them develop the ability to swallow well and to work on the tongue thrust (when and when not to use it), so it’s great for their physical development as well! i just thought it was interesting 🙂
Thanks for posting this! My girl loves the Happy Baby and Plum Organic baby food combo pouches, but I’m not good at making those combos myself. Single ingredient baby food I can do, but not the hard stuff! This is super helpful 🙂
I made all my 3 year olds baby food and loved it, and plan on doing so with my 3 month old. Love the combos, definitely going to try some… and garlic press = genius!!
I love this post!!! My baby isn’t even born yet but I have already been thinking about how I want to make her fresh, homemade baby food!!!
I know my niece LOVED sweet potato when she was Livi’s age (she is 10 minths now). A girl after her Auntie peanut butters heart (LONG story accociated with that but she and her brother call me Auntie PB or Auntie Peanut Butter!)
So glad you liked the tip about using a garlic press to give Liv some of whatever it is that you are eating!
And funny how your children do seem to like whatever it is you are a lot of when you were pregnant! I ate a lot of fast food when I was pregnant the first time, and my daughter always loved fast food! And my second pregnancy I ate a lot of Easy mac and ramen noodles because they were so simple while I was pregnant with my second and taking care oif my first! And my son Loves Mac & Cheese and ramen noodles! I was never really into nutrition and was more into just grabbing whatever was easy years ago! I now appreciate good food! And my children are also learning about good and healthy food now that they are adults now too!
Great tips! I made all of my 3 yr old’s food and plan to do the same with my 6 week old. I like some of the combos you came up with, as well as the garlic press tip!
Thanks for this post 🙂 I’ll definitely be bookmarking this one. We bought a vitamix at the state fair last weekend and I love it so far! I can’t wait to make baby food for our little one.
Thank you for sharing your tips. I’m going to be bookmarking this for when my little one makes his entrance and starts eating real food.
Love this post! I really want to make my own food when my baby is born (and can eat real food). I actually registered for the same storage containers that you have. I’m glad to know that it is healthier AND cheaper. 🙂
$20 for month of nutritious baby food huh? lol, just got done browsing with a pregnant friend for her push present. really puts things into perspective:)
SO thrifty! Little Liv is so adorable, and so is the Baby Bullet. I saw it in Macy’s the other day and thought it was so cute. I also think it’s awesome that you’re feeding Liv REAL FOODS! So many parents fall to the formula trap, and don’t introduce their babies to whole foods early enough — which is why I’m convinced so many kids hate the taste of veggies! You go, Mama!
such a great post, and holy cow is it a money saver!!
Hey Gina, curious if those baby bullet containers heat the food after you make it-kind of like a pasteurization process? Since the pumpkin is out of a can, are you concerned about botulism?
i’m not sure about the baby bullets heating the food. as far as canned foods go, i just buy organic in bpa-free packaging. that’s all i can really do to stay safe, and honestly wouldn’t spend the effort to cook my own pumpkin
love this post! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂 Will def. be trying out these combos in the future!
Gina, THANK YOU for this post…it’s super informative. Did you come up with these combos on your own or do you have a baby food recipe book? I am planning on making my own food but am worried I’ll run out of combos. Thanks!
a couple of the combos are versions of the pouches, but most of them are things we found that she loves together
I plan to make my own baby food someday so this is incredibly helpful!
That picture of Liv and Bell is too much. BFFs!
little friends!
Thank you SO much for this post. It couldn’t have come at a better time. My little guy just hit 6 months & we decided to start introducing solids. He’s only had bananas so far, we’re trying pureed green beans today, yummm (*sarcasm*). But THANK YOU for posting this. I got the baby bullet as a shower gift and hope to make all my little guy’s food too…(random: wanted to cloth diaper but couldn’t get my husband on board w/the dirtiness factor of washing poopy diapers, so I am DETERMINED to at least make our own food, LOL!). I stocked up on some Plum Organic & Ella’s Kitchen pouches (when Babies R Us was having sales), but figured those would be good for travel, etc.
So excited to try out some of the things/combos listed here. I <3 your blog, and really enjoy reading. Have been following even before that beautiful baby girl of yours came along. Thanks again! 🙂
thank you, and thank you so much for reading <3
congratulations on your little guy! solids are so much fun
Have you tried popsicle-ifying your combos? I just saw a cute idea on Pinterest for homemade avocado-pear popsicles for teething kiddos (and I’m sure lots of other combos would work). Looks fun! http://pinterest.com/pin/192880796511995260/
what a great post, i dont have a baby yet but when i do i will surely be referring back to this post!
Oh, PLEASE post more of these!!! I was going to do BLW but also became a bit scared of it. So, we are starting purees tonight! Once we cycle through most of the fruits/veggies we will start combos! I love your directions. So easy and awesome. Encore? 🙂
:)!
The garlic press thing is a great tip!
I love how what you ate while pregnant is what she seems to be leaning towards – I love spicy foods so I imagine my future babes will be the same way!
Love making our own food too! I was gifted the It’s So Easy baby food kit and it really is so simple – mainly microwaving veggies and blending them up and freezing them in ice cube trays. I like making plums too since they seem to help keep everything running smoothly :).
Our baby has developed this marvelous habit of blowing raspberries while eating though. This has made mealtimes especially interesting.
Ok. WHERE do you find organic pears? I’ve tried Trader’s and they aren’t there. Not at my local supermarket either…
we have them at our trader joe’s! are you in tucson?
Nope. Indianapolis. I’m going to ask if they can order them for me 🙂
I made baby food 20 years ago for my son and continued with the next 3 ending with the 3 year old. The mesh feeders have been around for just as along and loved them all the way through. Great alternative to all the weird processed “snacks” they make now. Ahh marketing, get them hooked early! Don’t get me wrong, Gerber Cheese Puffs are pretty awesome, just not a staple diet of them!
Don’t go crazy making giant batches of things. All of our kids have a wide variety of foods they like, but at certain points, they wouldn’t eat things week to week that they, the week before, they devoured. Just like the rest of their bodies, their digestive systems, tastes and senses are all changing and growing. Also never assume a kid won’t like anything. Let them decide. It drives me nuts when I hear parents say “he won’t like that!” just because they don’t. I loathe brussle sprouts. But I cooked them up when my oldest daughter, at 4, squealed with delight at finding tiny heads of lettuce shopping with me one day. The garlic press is a GREAT idea, I had a portable food mill I carried with and it was kind of a pain.
And cooking a small pumpking is as easy as baking a spaghetti squash and tastes way better! I portion them out in containers and they freeze really well. In the middle of winter its awesome to pull out for pumpking smoothies or protein pancakes!
i haaaaate getting the seeds out and the goo. any tips?
And cooking it yourself keeps the BPA from the lining of the can out of the food 🙂
I froze a sweet potato mixed with breast milk into an ice cube tray, and popped one into her mesh feeder and it was a hit.
may try some other foods this way
Wow, this post brought back great memories. I have three kids, and I made all their food. It turned them into terrible food snobs; we took a big trip when my oldest was 10 months old, tried a few jars, and he wouldn’t touch them. I loved it!
The garlic press is the best idea I’ve ever heard.
haha liv isn’t a huge fan of the jarred stuff either. and yes, i was so thankful for that idea!
the only ones elia likes are the earth’s best soups at stage 3 and the beachnut gluten free varieties. Otherwise, isn’t a big fan.
I am so excited to make my baby food. When you freeze your baby food, what is the easiest and safest way to reheat the food?
I love reading what other mom’s give their babies. I have a 9 month old so her servings are bigger as well as having 3 meals a day now. Her favorites are cherries, mango, pear,blueberry, plum, peach and home applesauce(just mix different apples together and steam no sugar added)- in any combos but anything mixed or alone she loves. Elia really enjoys apples with whatever, She also likes peas mixed with sweet potato or carrot, carrots and red peppers( only a little red pepper is plenty of flavor), butternut squash and sweet potato, beets and carrot or squash, black beans and any veg mixed she is a big big fan of. I also give Elia something to play with while i get her meals ready, the little ducky snacks, avocado, melon, banana or anything in cheese shredded. 🙂 I only use for mashing/pureeing etc, a hand immersion blender and it works great.
I love these recipes! I also love the baby food pouches you mentioned…but can’t afford to buy them often…so I figured out a way to make my own (http://pacefamilylife.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-to-make-your-own-baby-food-pouches.html). Thought I’d share. 🙂
I’m a nanny of a 5-month-old, and I know my boss wants me to make the baby’s food when it comes time for it, so this is a great resource for me! i just sent it to her too. they have a beaba baby food making system thing (steamer and food processor in one, i believe) so i won’t have to worry TOO much about how to cook things, but the recipe ideas and shopping list are great!
Love making my own baby food, great post. If you love the pouches like Ella’s/Plum’s but hate how expensive they are, try the Sili Squeeze…seriously amazing!! It’s a reusable silicone spill-proof pouch you can throw in the dishwasher. I use it for store bought baby food, homemade baby food/purees, yogurt, etc. And it saves a ton of money rather than wasting it on the messy reusable pouches. It has been such a lifesaver!! I haven’t seen them in stores so I think you can only purchase them thru their website http://www.thesilico.com
whoa, thank you! i’ll check it out!
I am so happy I ran into this site!! I am a month away from feeding my baby solids. I have a vitamix and baby bullet that is unopened. I have a quick question. The vitamix is awesome at pureeing (sp?) food, so do I have to steam the baby food?
I look forward to following your posts!
I made almost all the food my 4 1/2 year old was fed. We used silicone mini muffin pans to freeze in. I also used the book “Super Baby Food” NY Ruth Yarborough. I did not actually make her super baby food but the recipes were great! I am very blessed with a huge supply of breastmilk so everything I make I replace water with breastmilk. It increases the nutritional value and gives them familiar flavor. However you can only use fresh milk as it cannot be frozen twice. I feel it made her take to the new textures quicker. I now have a 3 month old and will be making purees again before I know it!
love these ideas! one of my favorite was mango, spinach + pear from Happy Babies – to make that combo at home. Can you get these baby bullet trays only or do you have to buy the whole system? they look useful – and CUTE!
I am a huge fan of homemade baby food and this post definitely gave me some fun ideas of things to try. I want to add though that if you make a food and it is hot (cooked) It needs to be put in its container and dropped in a bowl of ice cold water before being placed in the fridge. This avoids an bacteria because it gets cold fast instead of slow.
Thanks for the fun ideas! Grocery shopping tonight!