Babyfood II: Single ingredient food (fruit/veggie)

First, you will most likely want to start with a single ingredient food: sweet potatoes, applesauce, pears, green beans, etc. Since we've been doing food for awhile we've tried lots. Today I made blueberries. (I use them with oatmeal cereal for breakfast, sometimes mixed with applesauce since they suck the oatmeal dry)

Step 1: wash and/or peel your food. Cut into chunks for larger foods like carrots, apple, pears, etc. For the squash I simply roasted it (ate some for dinner) peeled the skin, then mashed it with some water to the consistency I wanted. You can roast most foods, but boiling tends to be faster. *Potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, even pears & apples can be roasted. Peas, beans, etc. are easier to boil.

Step 2: Put food into pan and boil with some water. Amount of water depends on how thick and chunky you want your food, and the length of boiling time. You don't want your food to dry out, or burn.

Step 3: Allow to cool a bit, enough to handle. For the blueberries here, I made them a bit thinner. Squash and such, I do not add much water. (Always use the cooking water first before adding water from the tap as it retains more nutrients.) Then process until you reach desired consistency. Since Kian's been on foods we're moving on to some thicker and chunkier stuff instead of thin purees.

Step 4: When you've reached your consistency, spoon into ice cube trays. When just starting foods one ice cube is plenty for each meal. Then you can thaw as many cubes as you want, as needed. Kian's up to 2 cubes per meal. Then freeze for a few hours or overnight.

Yes, I made a mess on this one. I wasn't about to get a paper towel and make it pretty for ya =)

Step 5: Transfer cubes from ice cube tray to a freezer bag, where they will stay good for a few months.

Then just thaw in fridge, counter top or microwave when ready. If it's runny add some baby cereal.