Homemade Baby Food

Why make your own baby food? It's less expensive than store-bought baby food, it's more nutritious because it hasn't been through the high-heat canning process, and you can customize it to the consistency your baby likes. Here are a couple of very simple recipes to get you started.

Fruit Baby Food
This works well for apples, peaches, pears, plums, and apricots.
Wash the fruit well. Remove skins, and steam the fruit for 15-20 minutes. Cool. Remove any seeds or pits. Blend or puree until smooth. Refrigerate what you'll use within a day, and freeze the rest in ice cube trays for easy baby-sized portions.

Baked Sweet Potato & Apples
3/4 cups cooked sweet potato
1 cup applesauce or apples
1/4 cup liquid (milk, formula, or cooking water)
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Mix sweet potatoes and apples in a buttered baking dish. Pour liquid over. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Puree or mash with a fork. Freeze whatever you won't use within a day.