You know those "first kid, second kid" commercials? I think that perhaps I write them in my sleep and submit them to the diaper companies. There is nothing more true than how much your parenting mentality changes from one kid to the next. Our first kid had only age appropriate toys that I sterilized once every few weeks in a bucket of soapy water. Our third kid plays with (and sucks on) my car keys. It's just the way it goes! Similarly, I made ALL of Jack's baby food. All of it. Down to pureed ground lamb, turkey and chicken that I called "meat paste" - oh man, did it look revolting. Second and third baby? Well, I definitely made a few things... but those baby food pouches are just SO convenient (enter major mom guilt!).
However, I always say to new moms: it is SO simple to make homemade baby food. Chop, steam, blend... it's truly that easy. You can even make large batches of food at once and freeze individual portions. Products like the Baby Brezza make the process foolproof. At the touch of a button, you can steam and blend your food at desired intervals, or you can steam only, blend only, etc. The other day, I made a smoothie for London with strawberries, mango, banana and yogurt, and with the leftovers I made frozen push-pops for the big kids. 6 thumbs up from them! I do math!
Tropical Baby Food Smoothie
(Makes 4 small glasses, or 4 frozen push-pops)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh or frozen mango, roughly chopped
1/2 banana, sliced
1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Place first 3 ingredients into the Baby Brezza. Choose the 'Steam and Blend Only' feature for 15 minutes. Once the fruit has been blended, add the yogurt, and choose the 'Blend Only' feature until your desired consistency is reached. Pour into glasses and place in fridge to cool. I poured some into push-pop molds and froze for the big kids.
Found my "Cool Cones" at Michael's, but can also be purchased here.
