dabbling in the art of making baby food
Tonight I am going to Heritage Home’s 25th Anniversary Gala ‘Sipping for Diamonds’ with my friend, Tanya (black tie… oh my!). In honor of my silent auction donation this evening (a baby food making class for 4 plus 4 copies of “dirt&sunshine”), I wanted to share with you my thoughts on making baby food (which also serves to illustrate how short my book essays are – overall, it’s a quick read!):
‘dabble in the art of making baby food’
[from “dirt&sunshine: random thoughts on the art of raising children”]
It takes a little bit of time to cook and freeze a month’s supply of baby food, but once you do this you will see how much your baby prefers ‘real food’ (especially if you’re eating it too).
The way I like to make baby food is very simple. Cut up vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, etc.) into small pieces, add a cup or two of organic chicken broth, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and grind some fresh black pepper to taste. Bake everything at about 350 degrees until tender (perhaps half an hour or so). Use a food processor, blender or hand mill to mash the vegetables into a smooth consistency. Then put single servings into two-ounce plastic cups, cover, label and freeze. After getting through the allergy-testing phase of individually-cooked vegetables, you may combine them in the same baking dish to save time (which has the added benefit of creating more sophisticated flavors).
To me, freshly ground black pepper is the magic ingredient in baby food; it wakes up vegetables and introduces children to more complex tastes. Other spices can and should be added, too, according to your culinary preferences. The bottom line is: make it interesting enough that you would want to eat it!
Fruits may be prepared in the oven as well, (omitting chicken broth, olive oil and pepper). You may also boil them on the stove using plain water. Try not to remove the skin as it provides essential nutrients.
As a final word, I recommend making your baby’s food increasingly ‘adult’ as you go along. When our boys were old enough to eat dairy products, we grated fresh Parmeggiano-Reggiano cheese on their baby pasta pearls (pastina in Italy). Now, it’s a constant staple in their diets and they still love eating baby pasta!
Will be keeping this chapter handy in about 9 months or so… ; ) (lots of things got in the way of me making Donovan’s baby food, but would be nice to try again for this second baby)
Thanks for this tutorial. I loved making my daughter’s baby food, and thanks to your tips it was even more tasty! Honestly I credit my daughter’s diverse eating habits to making my own baby food.