We decided to make our own baby food for a couple of reasons. Of course all new moms have heard about the dangers of preservatives, pesticides, and salt/sugar content in pre-made baby food, so part of our decision was based on an effort to keep those things out of our little girl’s tiny, fragile body.

If I’m being honest, though, our biggest concern was cost – what new parents have several dollars a day lying around to buy the pouches and jars of baby food!? We knew there had to be a better way – moms made their own baby food for thousands of years before Gerber invented puffs (which we do love, by the way!). I also knew that my life doesn’t revolve around my daughter’s diet – I have plenty of better things to do than stay in the kitchen for hours everyday whipping up meals for someone who would rather throw it than eat it.

So, I did some research and began experimenting with making baby food in bulk. It is surprisingly simple! Now before you start thinking that it is only easy because I am some Rachel Ray/Martha Stewart mash-up, you should know that I have messed up boxed macaroni and cheese and I just learned to make homemade pizza this year…domestic goddess, I am not. I promise, if I can do this, you can, too.

Today, I am going to show you how to make 5 easy one-ingredient fruit and veggie purées. If you spend one hour making one purée a week when your little one starts solids, you will have plenty of food stocked up by the time they are eating several purées a day. If you are starting to make baby food after your baby is already eating larger meals, you may need to make a few different fruit and veggie purées the first week to build up a back stock.

To start, here are a few things you need and a few things that are nice to have (I have linked to a few products that we use):

Need: Cutting board, Knife, Steamer, Food Processor, Ice-Cube Trays (These come in packs of two with lids. To make food in bulk, you’ll need at least four trays.), Plastic Freezer Bags, Produce

Nice to Have: Hand Mill, Microwave Steamer, Small Plastic Storage Container (To hold your plastic bags in the freezer)

Choose sweet apples like Macintosh or Gala (apples like Granny Smith are too tart for young babies). Start boiling water in the base of the steamer. Wash, peel, and core apples. Chop the apples into pieces that are roughly the same size and place them in the steamer basket. Steam the apples for 13-15 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Allow them to cool off for about 5 minutes.  Purée apples to your desired consistency in a food processor with a bit of the water used for steaming.

Sweet potatoes are one of our sweet girl’s favorite foods and they are so simple to make! Start boiling water in the base of the steamer. Scrub the sweet potatoes, peel, and chop them into pieces that are roughly the same size. Steam the sweet potatoes for 10-13 minutes, or until they mash easily with a fork. Allow them to cool off for about 5 minutes. Purée the sweet potatoes to your desired consistency in a food processor with a bit of breastmilk or formula. You can puree carrots using the same method.

Zucchini is not a favorite in our house, so I usually combine a cube of zucchini with a cube of pears to make it a little sweeter. Start boiling water in the base of the steamer. Wash the zucchini and chop it into pieces that are roughly the same size. Steam the zucchini for about 10 minutes, or until it mashes easily with a fork. Allow them to cool off for about 5 minutes. Purée zucchini to your desired consistency in a food processor with a bit of the water used for steaming.

You wouldn’t guess, but acorn and butternut squash are actually some of the easiest baby foods to make, and I think they are some of the most delicious. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash off the outside of your squash and slice right down the middle. Scoop out the seeds and membranes with a spoon (just like when you carve a pumpkin). Spray a baking sheet with a bit of olive or canola oil and place the halves of the squash face down. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes**. The skins will look burned when they are done, but the insides are fine! Allow them to cool off for about 10 minutes then scoop the cooked squash out of the skins using a spoon. Purée the squash to your desired consistency in a food processor with a bit of breastmilk or formula. This cooking method would also work with a small ‘pie pumpkin’.

Frozen produce has the same nutritional value as fresh produce, so don’t go all over town looking for fresh peas if they aren’t readily available. You should, however, avoid canned vegetables because of the added salt. I love using my microwave steamer for frozen peas, but you could obviously use the stacking steamer in this recipe, as well. Place the frozen peas in the microwave-safe steamer with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Microwave on high for six minutes. Allow the peas to cool, then puree them in your hand mill with a bit of the water used for steaming. This method would also work for puréeing fresh spinach.

If pears are ripe, they don’t even need to be cooked! Just peel and core the pears, then mash them to the desired consistency. Unless you are cooking for a very young baby, I suggest using a hand mill instead of a food processor for pears because they get a pasty texture in the food processor that is not ideal.

When you are ready to feed your little one, simply take out a cube or two of the desired food the night before and thaw in the fridge overnight. If you forget the night before (not that I have ever forgotten…) place your cubes in a microwave-safe bowl and thaw in the microwave. You will likely have to try a few times to understand how your microwave will heat the cubes, but we usually heat our purées for 2 minutes, 30 seconds on Power 30. Microwaves can cause hot spots, so check the temperature of the food carefully. If it is too hot, fill a bowl with ice water and set your food bowl inside the ice bath for a few minutes.

A few other foods that need even less explanation are banana and avocado. As long as they are ripe, you can just peel the banana and mash it with a fork or slice open the avocado and mix it with a bit of milk or formula to get it to the desired consistency.

**If your house is like mine, this is where you’ll take a break to get your daughter up from nap. Then you will proceed to finish this process while singing Disney songs and dancing around the kitchen.