Baby Food stock up?

[loladooder99]

Its been so long since I bought baby food I can't remember what a good price for jarred food is. I have coupons for earth's best and gerber and beechnut. I used to make my own baby food but with produce prices I'm not sure which would be cheaper. If you have any baby food recipes please share. Thanks.

[Chrysalis101]

I just finished making baby food for DD. She just decided that she'd rather feed herself and have the real food.

Anyway, I would normally just use frozen or canned veggies, cook as directed on package and then puree. Although, I did find that she liked butternut squash (do did DH, but don't tell him that, it's good to hide in meals). With squash, cut it in half, take out the seeds, bake at 400* for 40 mins. Then scoop out the meat (I used a large serving spoon or an ice cream scoop) and puree.

I have a big eatter. She'd eat a whole 4 pack of baby food in a day. I did use them when we were out or when we went on trips, it was just easier than carrying homemade baby food. But it would have been so expensive to use store bought baby food...even with Qs.

Also, I froze the purees by putting them in ice cube trays (word to the wise, don't use the cheapies, spring for the good kind). I learned that 1 cube was 1/8 of a cup. So it was easy to figure out how much she was eatting. It was also easy to mix foods to find one she liked. Like peas and pears. Carrots and peaches. I mean, who thinks of these mixes?! Apparently me! lol

It's more work, but I really recommend making your own baby food. And since you can use canned and frozen foods, those can be bought with some good Qs and sales. Canned food still has many of the nutrients in it and frozen foods have all of the nutrients in them that fresh do, and since you have to cook them before pureeing them anyway, you're not loosing anything.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

[cardinal11682]

Making your own baby food is cheaper and healthier. Wholesomebabyfood.com has price comparison charts as well as health benefits, recipes, and strategies. If you want to make a small stockpile of jarred food for on-the-go, go for it. Not sure of good prices.

[loladooder99]

Making your own baby food is cheaper and healthier. Wholesomebabyfood.com has price comparison charts as well as health benefits, recipes, and strategies. If you want to make a small stockpile of jarred food for on-the-go, go for it. Not sure of good prices.

Thanks for the website i checked that out last night. I used to make my own baby food but I still wanna have some jarred on hand cause i've been really sick lately.

[ekoury]

I made my own baby food, but did have jarred type for trips and when we went out. I used Beech Nut. They have good coupons out periodically. $1/8 or $2/16, rarely they have higher value for fewer numbers of jars. You should subscribe on their website and they will email you the coupons periodically.

[mommas2moody]

Watch Publix as they have Earth's best on BOGO about every 2 months. I have gotten it for .17 a jar (stage 2). The other brands I haven't really shopped for recently.

I have in the past and will again be making my own baby food. Last summer I canned as much fruit purees (only have a water bath) that I could while it was in season. I got off to a late start and only got apples, peaches, and plums canned.

[loladooder99]

I made my own baby food, but did have jarred type for trips and when we went out. I used Beech Nut. They have good coupons out periodically. $1/8 or $2/16, rarely they have higher value for fewer number of jars. You should subscrise on their website and they will email you the coupons periodically.

I love beechnut. I got 1.00/3 jars tonight. I also got some earth's best but it wasn't a steal of anything.

[Whispered]

i'm also looking for baby food, but for my cat!
He's 16 and needs the #1 stage, meats, wow, never knew they were so expensive of course he's worth it, just wish they weren't over a dollar a jar!! If I could find some for 50 cents.. is that possible or under? So far, I've only found Gerber brand, for him, and he Loves, it! He doesn't get it every day, but when he's feeling really bad, or his teeth hurt.

Great post.. esp :)

[mommas2moody]

I meant to post this earlier..... this is information that I have gotten from various places. One you will be able to tell was from a friend that sent the info though email. It starts with "stage 1" and moves into recipes for older babies.


---------------------------------------------------------

The Basics (ie plain fruits and veggies)
These recipes depend on the texture you're looking for. Take whatever fruit or vegetable you are working with, put it in the food processor or blender, and add a little bit of water. Process. If the food isn't smooth enough, add more water. Here's where I started (these are estimations, btw):

Apples - 4 cups cooked, peeled apples and 1/2 cup water
Blueberries - 2 cups cooked blueberries and 1/2 cup water
Peaches - 4 blanched, peeled peaches and 1/2 cup water
Pears - 3 cups cooked, peeled pear and 1/2 cup water
Broccoli and Cauliflower - 1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked broccoli and 1 cup water
Carrots - 2 cups chopped, cooked carrots and 1 cup water
Green Beans - 3 cups trimmed, cooked beans and 2 cups water
Peas - 3 cups cooked peas and 1 cup water
Sweet Potatoes - 2 baked sweet potatoes and 1 cup water

When I say cooked, I mean boiled, steamed or baked. You basically want the food to be as soft as possible without "killing" it. Some things are already juicy enough that you won't need to add water or cook them(ie watermelon, cantaloupe, avocado, bananas, etc).

For squash and pumpkin, here's what I did:
Cut the vegetable in half. Scoop out the seeds.
Put about an inch of water in a baking pan. Place the vegetable in the water, cut side down.
Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until the shell begins to pucker. Be sure to check the water level while baking.
Clean out the shell and process.

Orange, Orange, Orange
1 cup diced peeled carrots
1 cup diced peeled sweet potato
1/2 cup diced peeled pear
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
(I used 1 cup water and eliminated the orange juice until 12 mos.)

Cook and puree

Peach-Pear Bananarama
1 1/2 cups diced peeled peaches
1 cup diced peeled pear
1 banana, sliced

Puree

Pumpkin and Apples
2 cups cubed peeled apples
1 cup diced peeled pie pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin but NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cook and puree

Squashed Green Beans
1 cup diced peeled butternut squash
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or water
1 1/2 cups sliced trimmed green beans

Cook and puree

Squashed Vegetable Puree
1 cup diced peeled butternut squash
1/2 cup sliced peeled broccoli stems
1/2 cup diced peeled carrot
1/4 cup orange juice or water

Steam over saucepan for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Puree

Peach and Banana Oatmeal
1 banana, sliced
1 cup cooked oatmeal
1 cup sliced, peeled peaches

Puree

Lentils, Carrots and Celery
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 cup dried green lentils, rinsed

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. (5 minutes)
Add stock and lentils; cover and simmer until lentils are tender. (30 minutes)
Puree

Chicken with Celery
6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

Bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer until celery is tender and chicken is no longer pink inside.
Puree

Beefy Broccoli
6 oz lean ground sirloin beef
2 cups chopped broccoli florets and stems
1/2 cup low-sodium beef stock

Brown beef and drain off fat. Add broccoli and stock; cover and simmer until broccoli is tender.
Puree

Chili for Beginners
6 oz lean ground sirloin beef
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup rinsed and drained canned red kidney beans
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup frozen corn

Brown beef and drain off fat. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, green pepper and corn. Cover and simmer until tender. Puree.

Pork with Apples and Cabbage
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced onion
8 oz boneless pork loin chops, sliced
1 apple peeled, cored and cubed
1 cup shredded Savoy cabbage
1/2 cup sweetened apple juice or water

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender but not browned. Add pork, turning to brown evenly. Add apple and cabbage; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Pour apple juice into skillet, cover and cook until cabbage and apple are very tender and pork is no longer pink inside. (20 minutes)

Puree



Fruit baby food recipes - Sugar Free Applesauce
4-5 medium apples, peeled and cored - use naturally sweet varieties, such as:
Gala
Golden or Red Delicious
Fuji
Pink Lady
Red Rome
pinch nutmeg or cinnamon
water
Chop the apples roughly and place in a saucepan.
Pour in about one inch of water - (you could use apple juice instead, but some varieties will contain sugar)
Bring the apples to a boil, then reduce the heat.
Cover and simmer slowly until the apple chunks are tender (about 10-15 mins).
DON'T cook the apples to the point where the mixture actually looks like applesauce! Cooking it this long will cause it to be watery and tasteless.
Instead, remove the apple chunks from the pan and either puree them or mash them well. Thin with a little cooking water if necessary.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and serve warm or - as a soothing treat for teething babies - nice and cold.
TIP: If you are going to freeze your baby's applesauce, DON'T add the spices before you freeze it, because they will lose their flavor.


Fruit baby food recipes - Delicious Baked Apples
Choose a nice sweet apple (those listed in the applesauce recipe above are ideal).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, 180 deg C.
Wash the apple and then remove the core (a melon baller is useful for this).
Sprinkle a little nutmeg or cinnamon over the apple, then fill the apple with raisins. You may like to add a drop of maple syrup, as the raisins may be quite tart.
Wrap the apple in aluminum foil and seal tightly.
Bake the apple for around 45 mins, until it feels nice and tender.
Remove from the oven and cool slightly, then remove the skin.
Mash or puree thoroughly and serve!


Fruit baby food recipes - Creamy Kiwi Pudding
1 ripe kiwi fruit
2oz (1/4 cup) prepared baby rice cereal or oatmeal
2oz (1/4 cup) cottage cheese
Peel the kiwi fruit, then puree or mash well with a fork.
Combine with the cereal and cottage cheese for a creamy treat.


Fruit baby food recipes - Baked Bananas With Maple Syrup
1 banana
pinch of cinnamon powder
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 oz (1 tbsp) unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F, 180 deg C.
Slice the banana in half lengthways, then place on a piece of foil.
Pour over the syrup and cinnamon and top with the butter.
Wrap the banana with the foil, seal, then bake for 10-15 minutes.

Vegetables / Vegetarian Baby Food Recipes - Cheese And Vegetable Supper
5tsp milk
4oz cottage cheese
2oz cooked peas
3oz cream cheese
1oz finely grated mild cheddar
1oz cooked carrots
Mix the cottage cheese, cream cheese, cheddar and milk together until well blended.
Stir in the hot, cooked vegetables.
Finish off with a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese.


Pasta Baby Food Recipes - Quick And Easy Cheese Sauce
4oz cream cheese, cubed
2oz Parmesan, grated
3fl oz milk
pinch nutmeg

Place the cream cheese, Parmesan and milk in a suitable dish and microwave on MEDIUM for about 6-8 mins, stirring every 2 mins.
When the sauce is smooth, stir in the nutmeg.
Toss the sauce with hot, cooked pasta.