Meal prep for baby: Healthy and convenient!

            So your baby has finally reached the milestone where he or she can start eating solid foods! It’s an exciting time, especially for first time moms like me, as you watch your baby discover what he or she favors. The first solid I fed my daughter was pureed carrots, and she seemed to like them. Although, she didn’t really know how to eat with the spoon properly for at least a week. It’s pretty hard for me to decipher what my daughter likes because she always has a disgusted look on her face after she takes a first bite of anything—even if it’s a food she’s eaten several times before. Even if it’s ice cream; she just looks at me like I voted for Donald Trump or did some other terrible thing. I was able to capture her disgusted look this morning, when I fed her Greek yogurt, which I do every day:

            Now, many of us have really busy and full schedules, and it can get hectic to constantly have to puree fruits, veggies or meats on demand for your baby. So, an easier option seems to purchase these foods already made, for example, in jars. But, if you just spend a couple hours once every two (or three) weeks, you can not only save yourself some time and money during your work week, but more importantly ensure that your baby is eating healthy! Here’s what I do:

Once every couple of weeks, I go out to the grocery store--wait , I lied—I make my husband go out to the grocery store and buy me apples, pears, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, and whatever else that comes to mind. I preheat my oven to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit and I wash all of the fruits and veggies. I then use a potato peeler to peel off the skin of the fruits and veggies like apples, pears, sweet potatoes, and the outer layer of the longer carrots. Here’s a picture of what I prepared this past weekend: apples, sweet potatoes and broccoli.

 Once the skin is peeled off, I cut the fruits and veggies into smaller pieces so that they get tender faster. After that, I grab those large baking aluminum trays and begin to fill my veggies in the tray. You can also use a turkey roaster, or any other oven safe dish. To save some time, I just use the disposable trays. For my fruits (apples and pears) I create a separate section for them inside the aluminum tray, for example, I wrap them in aluminum foil to prevent the juices of the fruits to contact the veggies. You can also wrap your veggies too, just in case like this:

I then cover the entire tray with aluminum foil and let the fruits and veggies roast for about an hour. Sometimes—when I buy frozen veggies, like green beans or peas, I just boil them until they get tender. However, I’ve read that it’s better to roast your foods in the oven because that way the fruits and veggies maintain most of their nutrients.

Once the fruits and veggies are tender, I use a food processor (you can use a blender, too) to puree each fruit or vegetable on its own, except for the apples and pears; it makes a good mix. Once a vegetable is pureed to its desired consistency, you can use an ice cube tray, small Tupperware, or cupcake tins to store your pureed meals. A family member (Thanks, Wafaa Bazzi ;)) actually suggested the cupcake tins to me, and I thought it was such a great idea, and I have been using them ever since. After using the cupcake tin the first time, I immediately went out and bought more. You can probably find those anywhere, but I got them from T.J. Maxx; you should go! (See what I did there?) However, if your baby is just starting out eating solids, an ice cubed tray would probably measure a more appropriate amount. And, if your baby is older, a cupcake tin is a little more spacious, and allows more food to store. In the picture below, I had pureed beef stew, carrots, sweet potato, green beans and pears:

Once you have all of your veggies and fruits pureed and sorted out, wrap them up in plastic wrap and freeze them over night! Once they are frozen, let them sit out for about ten minutes and pop each section out using a butter knife. Once you pop them out, they will look like little bowls, like so:

Each bowl should be enough for one feeding. I then bag all of the veggie and fruit “bowls” separately and label them and put them away in the freezer.

 When I do this, I make a lot! I do enough to last me for two weeks, and you can even do it for three weeks. But, just a few hours once every two weeks, will help make life so much easier as the food will be done and ready in no time for your baby! All you have to do is take a bowl out of the freezer and warm it up. It’s not only a super healthy way to feed your baby, but it’s also convenient for any busy parent.

I also have to admit--something about saying the word “puree” makes me feel sophisticated.

What are some of the techniques you use to feed your baby? Let me know in the comment section, and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog J