once your baby is between four and six months old, it will be time for the first solid foods. although a large selection of jarred baby foods is available, it’s worth making food yourself so that you know exactly what is in it. cooking it yourself is neither difficult nor time consuming.
in order to have better control over what your baby eats and to also save money, cooking baby food yourself is a good option.
You can prepare your homemade puree ahead and divide it into the right portions for your child, without needing to worry about any loss of quality. Airtight containers like fredo fresh come in exactly the right size (0.2l). The practical 6 food storage container set is the best way for you to portion the recommended 200g per baby meal.
baby food is easy to cook with this recipe
It’s best to start with a simple carrot or parsnip puree. Later, other kinds of vegetable can also be used. It’s important to prepare this without salt or strong seasoning as babies can’t yet stomach these. Prepare the baby food as if you are going to feed the baby immediately, sieving or mashing the cooked food into a consistency ready for feeding.
basic recipe for baby lunch puree
100g vegetables (e.g. carrots, parsnips, spinach)
50g potatoes, pasta or rice
20g meat or fish (alternatively 10g cereal flakes for a vegetarian option)
1 tbsp oil or butter
method:
1. Wash and clean the potatoes and vegetables then cut into small pieces.
2. Also wash the meat or fish, again cutting it into small pieces.
3. Put everything together with 60ml water into a small pan with the lid on and cook for about 15 minutes. *
4. After it has cooled down, puree the cooked ingredients and add the butter or oil. You can add some more boiled water if necessary to make the puree more liquid.
*If making the vegetable puree with rice or pasta, these ingredients should be cooked in a separate pan first and later pureed with the cooked vegetables, meat and butter/oil.
After cooking baby porridge yourself, you can later use the food containers “tino” for keeping fresh or freezing.
what should you be careful of when freezing baby food?
For successful freezing it’s essential to consider hygiene and exercise care, so that the frozen baby food loses as few nutrients as possible and remains wholesome.
making fresh baby food ahead
If you decide to make baby food from fresh, by freezing you can prepare several portions at once, which can then be defrosted at mealtimes when needed.
Prepare the baby food as if you are going to feed the child immediately. Pour it while still hot into the containers for the freezer (which you have already washed in boiling water). It’s best to portion the food into mia „polar“ freezer containers so that you have the right amount straight away for each baby meal. Allow as little air to remain in the container as possible, so as to stop bacteria growing. Now allow the sealed container to cool down, before you freeze the baby food.
the keeeper freezer containers are available in the perfect sizes for baby food:
Mia “polar” 0.2l, approx. 190-200 grams (portion for 5 to 8 months)
Mia “polar” 0.25l, approx. 250 grams (portion for 8 to 12 months)
defrosting and reheating homemade baby food
Frozen food can be defrosted and reheated as and when needed. Be aware when reheating in a microwave that the baby food will not be evenly warmed, reaching a different temperature in the middle than at the edges. Careful stirring before feeding is therefore particularly important.
Defrosted and reheated baby food should not be refrozen because repeated freezing reduces the nutritional content and reheating on multiple occasions promotes bacteria build-up.
how long does frozen baby food last?
Frozen portions can be kept for between two and three months in the deep freeze or fridge freezer drawer (at least 3 stars).
Tip: The mia “polar” freezer food containers have rewritable lids. You can easily note the contents and date on them with a pencil. Then you can simply erase this and write over again when needed.
Have fun making & freezing your own baby food!
keep enjoying!
