Making Baby Food as a Terrible Cook: Part 1
I’m headstrong. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I’ve decided that since I’m home with R right now, that I’d have to do everything on my own. Heaven forbid that I use disposable diapers when I have a cost efficient and environmentally friendly alternative option. I scoff at the thought of buying an activity board when I can just whip one up myself. Purchase fully priced (ADORABLE) clothes? Why? She’s only going to be wearing them for three months or so. Buy jars of baby food that have to be consumed within 48–72 hours? And throw all the leftovers down the disposal? I don’t think so.
When hearing that I’ve chosen to make my own baby food, my lovely Gigi (mother’s mother) would probably have tilted her head back ever so slightly, touched her long, elegant fingers to her chest and said, “Oh, my little Capricorn!”. I’m not a firm believer in astrology, but every time my stubborn, I’ll-do-it-myself attitude comes through, I think of that line that my Gigi used to always say to me.
A little background in my kitchen “qualifications” so you don’t think, “this chick is probably a gourmet chef and LOVES to cook. Why should I listen to her about how she’s going to rock baby food making??” So, I can bake a mean chocolate chip cookie, and Blue Apron has taught me that a good meal is really dependent on the right spices. But other than that, I’m not a kitchen goddess. In fact, my husband does most of the cooking, even now that I’m temporarily home with our daughter. As a once-upon-a-time vegetarian (shocker, I’m sure), I’m terrified of cooking meat. As someone afraid of food poisoning (though I still haven’t had it), I’m certain that I’m going to incorrectly bake a potato. And, as a distracted person in general, that damn rice always seems to burn. (Who has time to babysit a pot of rice for 45 minutes?!?!?!)
So… making baby food was obviously a big step for me to undertake. But, again, staying home and living off of one paycheck, I was determined to find ways to cut back on spending AND waste.
I started looking into some freezer tray options on Amazon. My two biggest concerns were safe plastic and EASE of product. I knew I’d be getting very familiar with my baby food tools, so I had to ensure they wouldn’t cause me to throw them to the ground in a fit of anger (not that that’s EVER happened before…). I went with Mumi&Bubi freezer storage trays. They are a little on the pricy side, but they also had a 4.5/5 star rating from over 800 votes and are purported to be super easy. I also purchased a cookbook, which was probably a little unnecessary, but again, my lack of ability in the kitchen seemed to warrant it.
My husband and I decided to take a day trip to Houston to the closest Whole Foods. Since I was going to be making my own food like a crunchy mom (I hate this term), I decided to go organic and local if possible.
We picked up apples, pears, bananas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, spaghetti squash, zucchini, lentils, frozen spinach and peas, strawberries, blueberries, avocado, and fresh ground turkey. All in all, we spent about $40. Add the trays and cookbook, and we’re just under $90 for what I hope will be three months of food. Since I already have a food processor, I don’t have to worry about tacking that expense on to my task. However, I hear blenders work just as well if you don’t want to invest in such a hefty kitchen tool.
I was feeling pretty good about myself and our purchases. I was right on track for making some awesome, easy, and natural baby food for R. I patted myself on the back for a job well done.
Now to pull that food processor out of the abyss and put it to some use (thanks cousin!). BRB while I ask my husband to show me how to use this thing.
