Yes, baby food can be expensive, and people are looking for ways to save money on groceries. The cost of those tiny jars of processed baby food averages between $83 and $130 per month. But, did you know that you can make it better, cheaper, and with very little time and effort?
Consider the foods that will get your baby the most nutritional bang for your buck. When making vegetables, you will need to cook them first. What I like to do is while I am making supper for the family I make extra vegetables and take some out to cool to make for the baby.
Green beans are a great starter veggie for babies, and in the peak of the season, a pound can cost less than two dollars. For the same price, peas are a great baby food staple, and prove to be a great starter finger food when cooked and served whole.
Organic carrots are commonly sold for under two dollars at a quantity enough to fill six or eight baby food jars, depending on what size you use. (Compare that to paying $5 for that quantity already jarred!) Yams are another beta-carotene punch, it has more nutritional than sweet potatoes. If you have access to a farmers’ market, yams may be more economical. Consider squash, also potentially super cheap at harvest times, though pricey in winter.
Spinach also packs an additional nutritional punch when you add frozen or fresh bunch to other veggies. Mixed with other things, the bitter taste is camouflaged.
Cooking & Storing Instructions
1. After the vegetables have cooled, put them in a blender and add some of the water you cooked them in. You will only need a small amount of water about 1 or 2 Tbsp. Blend them til they are smooth enough for the baby to eat.
2. Then take the blended vegetables and put them into an ice cube tray.
3. After they have frozen, place two or three cubes (depending on how much your baby will eat in one sitting) and place them into freezer bags. Make sure you label and date the bags.
4. When you are going to use the food you can either set it out the morning of, or you can put the freezer bag into a pan or bowl of hot water until it thaws.
5. If you are using fruits follow the same steps except you do not need to boil the fruit.