baking day

Sort of. Actually I did this the other day (I'll pretend it was today!). I LOVE making Logan's baby food. When she started eating solids - I decided instead of rice cereal, I would try her first food as avocado. Surprisingly, she loved it - and still does. It is probably her favorite. Avocado is packed full of healthy nutrients - and is a great first food. This website has a lot of great information about making your own baby food.

I usually buy avocado that is dark green and bumpy. You know they are ripe if they have a little give to them when you press on the skin. Too much give - and they are too ripe. I prefer the darker ones, for no particular reason :-)

Slice them in half - long ways. These happened to be beautiful avocado - this is what the inside should look like. Remove the seeds - obviously.

Scoop out all the inside - make sure to scrape the skin - Yum!

I used a fork and simply mashed until most of the lumps were gone. When Logan was younger, I pureed the avocado (with my Magic Bullet! Love that thing.) to make it much smoother. I also added liquid. I used formula, but you can use water. Puree to the consistency your baby enjoys! After it is done, it will keep in the refrigerator for a day or so. I personally do not like to keep it refrigerated, so I fill ice cube trays and freeze it. After it is frozen, I empty the portions (1oz per cube) into a ziploc bag - it keeps for months! When I want to feed it to Logan, I simply take a couple of cubes out, defrost, heat, and serve!

Logan's other favorite food is butternut squash. It is so easy to make and very tasty; not to mention very healthy.

I try to buy squash that is pretty skinny on the top and large at the bottom - it should feel heavy.

Slice in half lengthwise - scoop out the seeds.

Place face down on a baking sheet and add about an inch or a little less water to the pan. Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes. You will know when it is done. The inside will be soft and the tops will be brown. After they are done, scoop out the inside - no skin. It makes a lot of squash! Like the avocado, I now just mash with a fork, but it can easily be pureed. Squash has a lot of liquid in it, but you may need to adjust the consistency - use the water you cooked it in if you need too!

I do the same thing with squash - it freezes great. This lasts Logan for several weeks. I added cinnamon on her squash - she loves it.

I hope this helped some of you that make be interested in making your own baby food. It really is fun, and by doing this, I know exactly what my daughter is eating - and I like that! And the other great thing, Logan loves all of her homemade food.