7 recipes to make baby food and then food for you

I've been making my own baby food for MacchiOTTo, and the thought occurred to me..... there are several recipes I have where I have to shred and puree' fruits and vegetables so why don't I just buy some extra food and then keep out a portion of it to make baby food and use the rest for whatever recipe I'm making  for Ott, E and myself. This way I'm saving some time and energy and the whole family is eating the same main food item just each is prepared a little different.  The 7 recipes I am sharing all require steaming and pureeing the main food item.  So the peeling and chopping is the same.  I simple set aside a portion for baby food that doesn't get the ingredients in the recipe I use for Ott, E and I.

I enjoy making my own baby food for MacchiOTTo and am very fortunate that she is not a picky eater and likes to eat a wide variety of veggies.  Please note I have no problem with store bought baby food, as I've used it a few times when we've traveled as it was easier to transport.  I make her baby food because I enjoy it and it saves us a little bit of money.  

To puree' her baby food I use a Baby Bullet (Google Affiliate Ad) but any food processor would work.  I then ladle the food into a plastic tray, (shown in the picture below) and place in the freezer.  This tray came with the baby bullet but you could easily use an ice cube tray.  Once the food is frozen I pop my frozen food cubes out of the tray and into labeled zip lock bags for storage.  I can keep the frozen food for up to 3 months, but it usually gets used up faster than that.  When I'm ready to feed MacchiOTTo her food I pull out a frozen food cube a day ahead of time and let it thaw out in the fridge so it's ready to go when I want to feed her.

As you can see I have a compartment in my freezer just for baby food and have it organized by fruits, veggies and protein and by dates so I know what to grab when.  In the back you can see where I have been starting to see some storage bags for her food.  This came with a press to get the food into the bags and works pretty well.  When we are ready to serve you either unscrew the cap and squeeze it into your bowl or there are spoons you can attach to the bags and when she is a little older she can hold the pouch and squeeze into her mouth with the aid of the spoon.

So without further ado here are 7 recipes I used to make baby food and food for Ott, E and I.  Please note the amount of baby food items are in addition to what the adult recipe calls for.  And when making the baby food be sure to wash, peel and steam the baby food items (Magic Bullet Baby Bullet Turbo Steamer (Google Affiliate Ad) then puree' with water and occasionally a dash of a spice.  You don't have to add the spice and I didn't start doing so until she was about 8 months old and when I say dash I mean a very tiny amount.

Food Item:         Baby Food Recipe                                                               Adult Recipe 
Zucchini             1 zucchini peeled & 1/4 c. water & dash of lemon pepper     Zucchini Bundt Cake

Sweet Potato     1 sw. pot. peeled & 1/4 c. water & dash of cinnamon           Sweet Potato Souffle'

Carrot                2 large carrots & 1/4 c. water & dash of cumin                     Roasted Carrot Soup 

Cauliflower         1/2 head of cauliflower & 1/4 cup water                               Make over Cauliflower Soup

Apple                 1 apple & 1/4 c. water & dash of cinnamon                          Applesauce Bars

Banana               1 banana & 1/4 c. water                                                       Banana Chocolate chip muffin

Potato                1 large potato & 2 oz. of formula or breastmilk                      Chunky Potato Soup

Please note no company sponsored this post, these are just some products I tried and used.