Friday, November 14, 2008

Down Home Cooking

I've never been what you might call "domestic". My husband cooks dinner every night. And while I take on the majority of cleaning responsibilities, it's not something I enjoy by any stretch of the imagination. I see it more as a necessary evil. I'm far from a 1950's housewife.

So, it comes as a surprise to many - including myself - that I am considering making Nate's baby food. Homemade. This coming from someone who's idea of homemade is Hamburger Helper. (It is made stove top, in my home, right?)

I deliberated long and hard about whether I wanted to commit to such an undertaking. I'm working full time and barely have time to shower and brush my teeth as it is. But I'm really excited about it. I want to make the time to do this. Even though it's a few months down the line, as we don't plan to introduce solids for another 2 months. I like the idea of making a nutritious meal for my son. Knowing exactly what ingredients are going into his tummy. No extra preservatives needed. Only absolute freshness. And maybe new flavor combinations that you wouldn't find in traditional jarred baby food.

Since I'm low on time and inexperienced in the kitchen, I found the most awesome gadget to get the job done. A defroster, steamer and blender all in one. Small. BPA free. Just one piece of equipment to clean. Totally worth the cost, in my opinion. I may just add this appliance to my Christmas list. How Rachael Ray of me.

A few BTDT moms have pointed me to this website, which not only offers recipes but gives great guidelines for which foods to introduce and when and how much. A wealth of information and very easy to navigate. I find myself perusing it regularly for creative inspiration.

Who knows? Baby food may be my foray into cooking but perhaps while I'm at it, I'll discover my inner chef.

6 comments:

AwkwardMoments said...

i am considering this as well

Jamie said...

I made Bo's baby food and really enjoyed it. We found it to be well worth the time. He is almost one now and will eat ANYTHING -- literally. I think it helps that I challenged his palate at an early age.

I used the Google toolbar on Stirrup Queens and found a few links to my blog where I talk about it.
http://stickyfeet2.blogspot.com/2008/03/homemade-baby-food.html

http://stickyfeet2.blogspot.com/2008/07/evolving-story-of-bo-food.html

That gadget looks intriguing. How much does it hold? Do you have a food processor?

RBandRC said...

First of all...I am in LOVE with that little piece of machinery. I want it. BADLY!!!

Second, thanks for posting the link to that website. I've been fretting about starting Lemy on solids and what to start first, blah, blah, blah. It makes me feel better to have a resource at my finger tips.

Now if only I can convince G that we need the Beaba....

:)

Amanda W. said...

I made Emily and Bryce's baby food and I love doing it. I am not a cook either. I totally consider Hamburger Helper homemade ;) Even though I'm not a wizard in the kitchen, making baby food is very easy and I find it to be fun. It can be time consuming but I just pick a time and do a bunch at once. I also love the website you posted. It is the only resource I have used for homemade baby food.

Rachel said...

I'll e-mail you my spreadsheet I used when introducing LG to foods. It was a great way for both M and me to keep track of what LG could currently eat. rachel dot runner at gmail dot com.

I actually only did one big round of making LG's foods and then after that just used my food processor to puree foods. Now he pretty much eats anything, he'll be one next week.

Here's my post about food from way back when: http://raspberrychip.blogspot.com/2008/05/baby-food.html

Mary said...

I did this too and have loved it. After all my supply issues with BFing I guess I felt like it was something that I COULD control, KWIM? I love Annabel Karmel's book and website and use them often. She gives all kinds of ideas about shifting from purees to table food so that your LO is eating what you are eating (or a baby-fied version of what you are eating...)