Baby food jars are so convenient but can you be sure what the manufacturers put inside them?  Where do they get their ingredients from? How clean and safe is their production process?  What is the alternative?

There is a healthy option that is just as convenient – preparing baby meals at home, from fresh ingredients, using a baby food grinder.  It’s easy, cheap and the healthiest option for baby!

Start off with fresh produce bought from a local grocer.  When buying vegetables and fruit, it’s a good idea to buy loose items, as you can examine each item for damage, size, and quality.  Loose produce also means you can buy as little or as much as you need.  Another bonus is that loose produce is typically cheaper than the packaged version.

When preparing the vegetables or fruit for cooking, wash with cold water to make sure any pesticide deposits are removed, and any soil is brushed off.  Cooking will clean your ingredients, but a quick wash beforehand should improve the taste.

The two main options for cooking are boiling or steaming.  Chop the fruit or veg into chunks and cook as you would for the family.  No need to be too soft at this stage, as your baby food grinder will sort that out.  In fact cooking for too long removes some of the healthy nutrients that occur naturally in fruit and veg.

After cooking, strain the ingredients and transfer into a bowl.  The next stage is the most fun – we need to puree the goodies using a baby food grinder.  For younger babies, the puree needs to be smooth, older babies enjoy a coarser texture.  If you are using the puree immediately, then make sure it has cooled down enough for baby.  If you are freezing a batch to eat later, then transfer meal size portions into small plastic pots or ice-cube trays.

Every few days, try different ingredients in your purees.  Young babies are developing their taste buds, and a wide variety of tastes at an early age reduces the likelihood that they will be fussy eaters later.  Plus a wider variety makes meal times more interesting!

Making meals with your baby food grinder is fun and easy, you’ll soon wonder how you ever lived without one!