Over the last few months I have come to learn and love the skill of making homemade baby food. With my first baby I was so intimidated with baby food in general; When and how do I start? What do I start with? What is best for my baby? I was overwhelmed with the entire ordeal. With my second baby I vowed to learn the ins and outs of baby food. Not sure where to start, I began searching basic questions online. My quest led me to the most amazing, lifesaving, baby food website. A HUGE thank you to Margaret for all the tasty recipes an extensive information at Wholesome Homemade Baby Food. This amazing website has inspired me to save money and make my own delicious baby food. It has been a huge success with my baby and my pocketbook 😉
Apples have become my favorite and most used baby food. They are great alone, mixed with baby cereal and mixed with those “less favorite” foods. Plus, they freeze very well! Apples are one of the “dirty dozen” foods that are most highly contaminated with pesticides, so purchasing organic is a smart choice. I will check the local ads every week and stock up whenever there is a great deal. My favorite varieties for homemade baby apples include: Macintosh, Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, and Braeburn. Choose a mixture (whichever are the best price) for a flavorful mixture.
Pick 5-10 large or 10-15 small apples (2 or 3 varieties).
Remove the stickers and wash the apples.
If you have an apple peeler/corer this is the easiest way to go. If not, peel and core your apple and cut it into slices/chunks.
When using the apple peeler/corer make sure you remove any seeds left inside, and any peel left outside. Then slice the apples in half.
Place the apples in a pot and fill with water just shy of covering the apples (they will cook down).
Cover with a lid and boil the apples until they are tender. I cook mine untill they are fairly soft so they puree easily. Make sure to stir and check the water level while they are cooking.
Using a slotted spoon scoop the apples from the water and place in a blender or food processor. Some of the water will make its way with the apples and this will help in the puree process. Reserve the remaining water in case you need more for a better puree.
Puree until the mixture is the desired texture. Some may prefer a more chunky applesauce texture, my baby on the other hand likes it very smooth.
Let the mixture cool slightly, then pour the apples into clean ice cube trays. If you do not have a spout on your blender or food processor: Let the mixture cool then pour it into a ziploc bag, seal it, then cut one of the corners off and dispense the baby food into the tray.
Cover the trays with plastic wrap and place them on a flat surface in the freezer.
I usually wait a full 24 hrs before removing them from the trays, just to be safe. Label a freezer safe bag with the food name and date. Then dump the baby food cubes in the bag and place them back in the freezer!
For great information on heating and thawing baby food, head over to Wholesome Homemade Baby Food. I like to place what I will use the next day in an air tight container in the fridge over night. It is perfectly thawed by the next day, then I warm it under warm water in the same container.
My baby loves a tiny pinch of cinnamon mixed with her apples. I take a little taste every now and then because it really is so yummy.
Wholesome Homemade Baby Food will have the answer to almost any question you could ask. There is information from introducing solids to baby’s first birthday cake! There are recipes and information on almost every fruit and vegetable, grains, meats and dairy products. There are also great recipes and topics on Wholseome Homemade Baby Food’s Blog.
**Always check with your pediatrician before starting baby food.
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You and your baby will love this money saving, healthy and delicious baby food!
{We’re linking up to these parties!}
Brittany says
Such an awesome recipe! The best thing about this baby food recipe is that its simple! You can get more simplier than 3 ingredients! It was vary easy and it makes a great meal prep for your baby! Thanks for posting!
Edwina says
My kids don’t need baby food anymore but I still like to make a fruit puree for when they’re being a bit fussy. At least I know they’re getting some healthy fruit into them. Apple is still their favorite.
We go through stages so it’s always there as a backup plan for when they’re being difficult or they’re sick or whatever the reason! I haven’t added cinnamon lately so I’m glad you mentioned it. I’ll start using it again with their apple. My boys always used to like it.
Sabrina says
I’m wondering… What is your yield and what is the nutritional value of the apple puree?
Amy says
Hi!!
Will the apple puree turn black if we leave it in the fridge ?
Cus when we cut apples ,and leave it in the open air it will turn black. ..
Lydia says
Will the purreed apples brown out after keeping in the freezer for a few weeks/months?
Lara says
funny I saw this linked someplace else and thought that I was the Lara, I did make my own baby food for my 2nd child, and just used left overs, it worked great. I froze them in old baby food containers put into a larger ziplock. I used a cheap off brand adult bullet.
sheri love says
Hi! Great post. How long is the applesauce good for when freezing?
Christine says
I loved making my babies baby food and did it basically the same way you do 🙂 My daughter’s favorite was peaches and oatmeal, while my son loved peas and carrots. The great thing about adding the baby cereal is it contains iron and everything else your baby might need.
toysinthedryer says
I loved making my own baby food! I did it for all four of my kids (including my twins)/ Oh I love this! It would be great if you would share this with our readers for Fun Stuff Fridays. toysinthedryer.com/2012/02/fun-stuff-fridays-11.html
Lorraine says
The thing that I love about making my own baby food is that I get to introduce my baby to a wider range of vegetables. for example, my little one loved brocolli and beets. You can’t find either of those in the baby food section!
julie says
I love this post. What a great reminder of how easy it is to make baby food. The refrence website is great too. Thanks for posting this and reminding me how easy and healthy making my own baby food can be.
Maggie says
Hi Lara! Thanks so much for your sweet words about Wholesome Baby Food. I love your photos! It so amazing to see how bright and alive the color of real foods is; food that comes in a jar is just not so vividly alive with color.
Did you know that there is a Wholesome Baby Food book out now? My new book, The wholesome Baby Food Guide, (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/044658410X) will officially be released on the 21st of February. It’s so exciting and I’m so happy that there is finally a book 🙂 I would love to send you a copy and 1 for a review/giveaway if you like. Send me an email 🙂
Thanks again for your kind words about the website. It has been such a labor of love for me over these last 9 years 🙂
Maggie
Julie says
I’ve LOVED making baby food for my girls. I used a blender with my first daughter, but this time around I’ve started using an immersion blender. I’ve liked it so much better! I can blend right in the pot and clean up is much easier.
Lara says
The immersion blender is my best friend when it comes to avocados and bananas!
Sue says
Great post – I love making my own baby food. Another great tip I got from a friend is to use silicone muffin trays for freezing – you end up with a “puck” of puree that is much larger than the little ice cubes, which comes in handy once your child is eating a lot more.
Lara says
That is a REALLY great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Julie says
That’s a great tip, thanks!
AJE says
Once baby gets older and can have mixed food, get a hand crank baby food mill. Just plop the food the family is having in, crank, and pureed food comes out the top.
Sandy Williams says
OMG, thank you for the link to that site! I have 7 month old twins and I feel lost with the whole baby food thing. I’ve made about half of what they’ve eaten so far, but didn’t know what to do next. That site is fabulous!
Question: About how much do you pay for a pound of organic apples? I’ve never bought organic before the babies, so I have no clue what a good price is.
Lara says
Organic Apples usually sit at about $1.99/lb where I live. When I catch them on sale for $1.50 – .99 I will stock up!