Baby food

Babies are just so precious.

I love their little toes and toothless grins.

The toothless thing makes it a little difficult for them to eat certain foods...

like steak.

and fried chicken..

poor babies.

I am an "auntie" to some very special babies. I love these little people and want nothing but the best for them. This includes the food that they eat. I am a believer in whole foods and what a great way to start baby out right....make some food at home!

I picked only fresh, organic produce.

While doing some research online, I was surprised to see how simple it is. Now, of course, I don't actually have any children in my home......

So for me it's very simple.

I knew I wanted to try a few things. While browsing around Half Price Books, I found a cookbook for babies. I picked it up and started marking pages.

I was making this food for little baby Coco. She is the sweetest and I just love her. She's about to celebrate her first birthday already!

For Coco I chose to make a

Fuji apple puree, cauliflower puree, and a roasted red pepper and goat cheese puree! Doesn't that sound awesome??

Wow! Goat cheese? For babies! I never knew!

Coco's parents are total foodies, so I thought I would appeal to her genetically enhanced palate with this goat cheese puree.......um...no.

I wish you could have seen her face!

The cutest little thing making the most disgusted face! Hi-larious! She was not into the puree. On the other hand, I really liked it!

Roasted red pepper and goat cheese puree

adapted from Cooking for Baby

First you'll need to roast your pepper. Line a roasting pan with foil and place the whole pepper on top.

Roast pepper under broiler, turning every 3 minutes, until evenly charred on all sides. About 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and place the pepper in a covered container and let it sit until it has cooled enough to handle.

Once the pepper has cooled remove the skin. It will have loosened in the covered container, but you can use a paring knife to help.

Cut the pepper in half, remove seeds, then cut again. Puree in your food processor until smooth. Add about an ounce of goat cheese and combine.

This will last up to three days in an airtight container in your fridge. If baby dislikes it, it will be delicious for you to eat!

Cauliflower puree

Cut up one head of cauliflower into florets. Put in a pan with enough cold water to cover the cauliflower. Boil in a covered pan over medium-high heat about 15 minutes.

Drain and immediately puree with 2 tablespoons butter in your food processor until smooth and creamy.

Fuji Apple puree

Peel, core, and cut apples into even chunks. Place apple in a pan with enough water to cover. Boil until tender. Once again use your food processor to smooth. You may need to use a little of the cooking liquid to thin the apples.

For easy freezing I used ice cube trays. One head of cauliflower filled an entire tray. Two apples filled about 8 cubes.

For easy transport and storage I emptied the trays into Ziploc freezer bags and labeled with expiration date. Both purees will last 3 months. Thaw cube at room temperature.

There you have it! Lots of baby food, prepped and ready to go. Healthy, homemade, and no wasteful baby food jars!

I had a lot of fun with this. I hope that when I have babies I am able to spend time making healthy foods for them. (and yummy treats too!)

Then....

daddy can make them a steak!!