Random Ramblings of an Artsy Crafter: DIY Solids

I've said a few times now that I wanted to show my process for making Charlies food.

It's honestly a lot easier that I thought it would be!! Using Wholesome Baby Food as a guide, I've made (so far) sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, peas, sweet peas, green beans, butternut squash... and probably a few other things. He's also eating bananas, avocados and applesauce - but those don't involve much prep. Next on my list to make up is carrots!

There's not much equipment involved really. I use the following:

A steamer pot borrowed from my Mother-in-Law
A blender we already had
Ice cube trays we already had - although I'd like some flexible silicone ones

So really, there hasn't been any extra expense other than purchasing the fruits and veggies!

Here's a quick play-by-play for home made baked peaches (which are DELICIOUS by the way) and peas!
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To start off - you'll need the following for pretty much anything you plan to make.

A Blender (or immersion blender, ninja, bullet... basically a blending tool of your choice)

Ice Cube Trays (again, your choice as to what kind)

Ok, onto the "how-to"....

BAKED PEACHES

(5 Peaches = 24oz of puree)

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

For this batch, I used five average sized yellow peaches.

Halve and pit all the peaches. Then place them "face" down in a glass baking dish. Add about 1 to 1.5 inches of water to the dish.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the skin begins to pucker. I start with 40 minutes, then add 5 minute increments as needed.

Allow to cool for a bit so they are easier to handle. Remove the halves from the water (don't dump out the water yet!!), scoop out the 'meat' (about 2 cups worth) and place it in the blender along with a little of the water from your baking dish (not to much, maybe half a ladle).

Blend until you reach your desired consistency. Add more water if needed. With peaches, this doesn't take long using the puree button on my blender. Maybe a minute tops of on/off blending on the pulse mode.

Once blended, scoop puree into tray of your choice, cover with plastic wrap and freeze! Once completely frozen, pop the cubes out of the tray and into a Ziploc freezer bag, label with contents and the date.

PEAS

(1lb Peas = 28oz puree)

If you'd like, you can use fresh peas. Those weren't an option for me when I made these, and frozen works great too! I thawed the bag slightly so they would steam a little faster.

Using a steamer basket, or other cooking method of your choosing, cook the peas completely to desired tenderness. I make them pretty soft so they blend easier.

Place the peas in your blender and blend to desired consistency. Add a little water to help thin them out a bit, or you can add breast milk or formula after thawing to thin. I can't fit a whole pound of peas in my blender all at once, so I blend it two batches. Altogether there's about 4 cups or puree.