I have decided to make most of the food for my 7-month-old using the Super Baby Food book. I have a large food processor that does a good job when making a large batch but then I am a bit stumped about how to store all the food in a convenient way. On the other hand when making a smaller serving it doesn't seem worth pulling out, washing, etc. the big processor. So two questions... how do other moms recommend storing/freezing large batches of baby food for easy reheating in single-servings? AND can anyone recommend a good, inexpensive mini-blender for small servings?
I make ice cubes out of the baby food.
Put them in an ice cube tray (one cube is about 2 TBSP) and freeze for a few days. Then pop them out and put them in a zip top bag. I label the bags with contents and date.
If you want larger portions I've seen "baby food making trays" that are essentially the same as a ice cube tray, but it seems excessive to me. Just thaw more than one cube at a time if you need more.
Also if you're going to just make "most" of the food (which is what I do, I do jarred occasionally) keep the jars and you can freeze in those, too.
As for a small blender - I usually use my regular sized blender which is fairly convenient - but I'm also looking into getting a Magic Bullet which are supposed to be good. The Jessica Seinfeld cookbook recommends that one, too.
Good luck!
I froze my baby food in ice cube trays also, I found the ones made of silicone or that just have a silicone base were the easiest to have the food pop out of. Then I also just put them in food storage bags in my freezer. It was very easy to defrost in the microwave. For a mini blender, I just bought a mini food processor at Walmart on a black friday sale for about $10. It is very small, but was perfect for little meals. You could also just get a food mill for little meals.
I did the same thing with the ice cube trays and zip lock bags. Worked out great. It's just so much easier to do a few large batches of a single thing than a bunch of smaller batches of many things.
My son has a feeding tube and instead of giving him formula we decided to blend up real food and put it through his tube. For small batches we use a Magic Bullet. It does a great job and is really quick. When he was samller we used to freeze individual portions in ice cube trays and once frozen tranferred them to a freezer bag. Each cube holds about 1 ounce or 2 Tbs. Now we freeze 6 ounce portions in 8 ounce plastic Ball freezer jars. I know a lot of people who do real food through the tube use a Kidco food mill for meats and other tougher things. They have nothing but good things to say about it. Good luck making your own baby food. It's really easy and cost effective once you get the hang of it.
I just used ice cube trays to freeze then filled freezer bags with the cubes, marked with contents and date. I would just reheat 2 or 3 cubes for a serving. Worked great.
hi! congrats on making your own baby food! it really is the best for them. I never stored in large batches. I made fresh foods twice a week - small blender I used the magic bullet. Its small and works GREAT! I found when I froze my baby foods that the consistency was very watery and not the same as when I made it fresh. I would just make enough for at least 4 days, store in gladware in the fridge. Good luck!!
I used ice cube trays and then as he got older and the portions got larger, I bought a bunch of small glass "Frigerverre" dishes. They are great for hot and cold. And I love them for meals on the go. I bought the Super Baby Food book after I had been cooking for him for several months. For me, it was easier to cook with out the book. He seemed to not like their food as much. What I did find helpful was certain ingredients like Flax Seeds and Wheat Germ for certain dishes. You may love the book though.
Magic Bullet is a great small blender $49 at Bed Bath and Beyond and they have 20% coupons all the time that don't expire. I really do use the bullet for everything (my husband is a picky eater so I puree veg in this to add to sauces on a daily basis)
I can help with the storing tip- use ice cube trays. This is what I do. Cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the "food cubes" to a freezer bag. I find it difficult to get the food out once frozen,so running the bottom of the ice cube tray under warm water helps. Hope this helps!! Jennifer
I used an immersion blender for everything. I steamed veggies, added a bit of breastmilk (or formula) and pureed it really well. Then I put the blend in ice cube trays and stuck it in the freezer. Once frozen I popped them into a freezer zipper bag for storage. I would make a few different veggies at a time so my daughter would have a variety of food. As far as reheating, Just stick in the microwave for 15 seconds or so. Make sure you stir it so there are no heat pockets. One cube is one serving. I also did the same with meat and chicken, but the texture is a bit weird.
Hope this helps. I never gave Sophie jarred baby food (though I don't quite think it's the worst thing in the world ;-) )
Freezing in ice cube trays makes convenient portions. Once the food is frozen it can be shifted to large plastic bags and then taken out a couple of cubes at a time. I did this with my now 10 month old. However she is already eating more chunky foods and table food so you should not go overboard with any one food. A month or two for the thin purees and then if it takes longer for her to get into thicker ones you can always make more. If you do have leftovers, however, they can be added to other foods once she is eating table food. I put fruit cubes in her oatmeal and veggies blended with ground meat for soft meatloaf that she can eat as finger food.
I made the food in a cuisinart and then spooned it into ice cube trays, covered with plastic, and froze. After the cubes are frozen, you can pop them out and store in a ziploc freezer bag. I would microwave cubes for 30-45 seconds, depending on how many. I also have the cuisinart mini prep which is great for small quantities...
I agree with everyone about freezing in ice cube trays. I found that the silicone ones were easier to get them out. Then I put them in ziploc freezer bags, labeled and dated.
With my older child, I used a immersion blender that had a small food processor attachment. But it wasn't great. I found that I still had to strain some of the foods, like peas and green beans. For other foods it worked great. With my new baby, I got a Magic Bullet (I got mine at Costco). I made peas the other day and no straining needed :) It was a bit faster than the smaller processor.
Good luck and congrats on making your own baby food. It really is so much easier than people make it seem!!
I have become entirely dependent on my immersion b1lender. It comes with a beaker you can puree in.
I puree what ever we are eating and this makes life so easy, no teeny leftovers to throw out and good food for the baby.
I use it for baby food and love it for soups, salad dressings, anything that needs pureeing. You can control the consistency. WARNING+ DO NOT REMOVE THE BLENDER FROM THE FOOD WHILE IT IS RUNNING...you will have food everywhere !!!!
You can freeze the baby food in ice cube trays and when frozen put them into containers or plastic bags. Use as many as you need. Please remember to date and label the cubes when you store them... foods end up looking similar and you don't want to keep more than 6 months.
Madalyn
i used an immersion hand blender so there wasn't an extra device to wash. then i poured purees into ice trays. when they froze, i transferred to snack-sized sandwich bags (about 3 or 4 cubes fit in one). to heat, just stick in microwave or a pot of very hot water.
Hi Angela. I made big batches of several foods on the weekend and poured into single serving zip lock bags, laid them flat to freeze, labeled them and created a 'card catalogue' of food that lasted for weeks. You can flip through and know you're not serving the same thing 2-3 times in a row and keep your freezer space as well. To get it into the bags I'd line a large coffee cup, with the bag, top turned-down then pull the bag out and zip. So easy once you figure that out.
Take them out and microwave on the spot right in the bag - no mess :-)
Also, I learned that mixing fruit in wit the veggie or bean/rice dishes it was well accepted and eaten with enthusiasm. Made everything taste good without worrying about high sugar content. You need to be sure protein is in there, so many types of beans can be used and cheap in prepared form of cans (also gave the food a good solid feel to the stomach).
Good for you and your baby about the real food you're providing!! My son is now 4 and eats a variety of food that far surpasses his peers' taste for mac and cheese and pizza, believe me, this is the way to start. Best of luck.
I've used ice cube trays to freeze baby food. then I dump them into a labeled ziploc and put it back in the freezer. I use a immersion blender with a chopper attachment, they both do the trick. I think I have a cuisinart one. It's small and isn't too bad for smaller batches or when I puree up what we are having for dinner.
The little cubes, ice cube trays and mini bowls started taking over my freezer... so i started using plastic zippper bags in sandwich size and snack size. I fill them, take the air out and they then lie flat and can be stacked on top of each other. I started out using the breast milk storage bags but they are so expensive! The sandwich size are great for a small meals (for me, like chicken soup with pastina) and the snack size are great for individual servings of veggies or fruit. When you are ready to use leave them in the fridge (or they thaw quickly in hot water).
I know this isn't the greenest of storage - but I pick my battles. I don't use little bottles of water anymore and pack my older kids snacks in wrap-n-mats. I converted lawn care to organic... But I needed an efficient way to store my baby food and this is what has worked for me.
I have a cuisinart mini chop which works fine for small batches. Don't make a big investment, before you know it, your little one won't need it - my 9 month old eats mostly chopped up food now, sans teeth!
Hi Angela,
I find using a processor a bit inconvenient. Instead I use Braun MR5550MBC-HC Multiquick Professional Hand Blender. Its very easy to use, doesnt take to much place and i can clean it in under a minute! :)
I personally don't freeze food but cook fresh meals for my daughter. However, I heard that people store/freeze food using ice dishes- basically each cube becomes a meal.
Hope this helps. Good luck with the cooking.. it really is alot of fun! :)
Noopur