Baby Food...really, this is a post about baby food

I know what you are thinking...you want to hear more about Jessica or Mt. Rushmore or something else. Anything is more exciting than baby food. But, do you know that there are many people who don't make their own baby food? And do you know how easy it is? So, I feel like I need to enlighten everyone. Sometimes when I am at Walmart and I pass by the baby food aisle, I see these moms looking at all the food and picking out all their jars, and I want to say, you know you can make your own right? For a lot cheaper? But, I don't do that. Instead, I'll just write a post about it and feel better.

We have a little baby food grinder which has been very helpful and is great when we grind up something we're going to be eating for dinner that Jessica can have too. But, honestly, I don't like sweet potatoes or squash, and we never eat them, and I like to have food on hand for her so I don't have to worry about it. For me, this is my favorite baby food making tool:

Really, all you need is a blender, ice cube trays, and a pan to cook veggies in. And here is what you do:

1-Cook your vegetables. (The easiest is to buy the frozen veggies: corn, peas, green beans, and carrots.) When they are done, drain them.

2-Throw all the veggies into your blender and add a little water. Usually, I cook a pound of veggies and add about 1/2 cup water to start with...and usually between 2/3 and 1 cup until it looks good.

3-Blend away...and here is my tip. You want it smooth and creamy like the baby food you buy? Keep blending. When it looks like it is good, keep blending a little longer, and it gets so nice and smooth. Well, unless it is corn, my corn is never quite perfect, but it is still close enough.

4-That is it! Then, just pour them into ice cube trays and freeze them.

Dump them into freezer bags, and voila...dinner is served. I pull them out the night before and put them in the fridge. Sometimes, I add too much water and they are runny, so I just mix in some cereal with it and it is perfect! Typically, they say 1 cube is equal to 1 tablespoon or 1 ounce of food, but it depends on the size of your ice cube trays. What are you waiting for? Go make some baby food! Before you know it, your freezer will look like this:

And in case you want to cook more than frozen veggies, here is what I do for squash and sweet potatoes:

Squash (Jessica prefers butternut): Cut in half and scoop out seeds. Put them skin side up in a pan and fill the pan with about 1/2 inch to 1 inch water. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour or until the squash is really soft.

Sweet potatoes: Wash them off as well as you can, and poke a few holes in them with a knife. Put them in a pan and fill the pan with about 1/2 inch to 1 inch water. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. If I am doing squash too, I just leave it for an hour and then check it. If your pan is really full, they may need to cook longer than an hour, or until you can stick a fork easily into it.