I do make the carrots-- according to wholesomebabyfood.com, it's nearly impossible for the nitrates to be an issue. Just don't reuse the cooking water when you're pureeing, and you're ok.
Other veggies we've done:
sweet potatoes, squash, avocado (I think that's actually a fruit though), green beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, black beans
No peaches, for fruit, I've only frozen pears and apples.
As for veggies, I've tried:
Carrots, make sure you puree them well, they tend to get grainy
Butternut squash and sweet potatoes, both do well frozen
Peas, also need to be pureed well.
Avocado did not freeze well, or at least didn't look very good.
I have a TON of frozen puree in my freezer and DS won't touch it, he's a carb addict right now and refuses to eat anything he can't feed himself, ugh!!
I buy organic peaches frozen (just make sure the only ingredient is peaches) then steam, then puree. They are like pears where they thaw a little runny so I just add a little rice or oatmeal cereal to thicken them up.
I do make the carrots-- according to wholesomebabyfood.com, it's nearly impossible for the nitrates to be an issue. Just don't reuse the cooking water when you're pureeing, and you're ok.
Other veggies we've done:
sweet potatoes, squash, avocado (I think that's actually a fruit though), green beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, black beans
Yeah, I was just concerned about the nitrates. I use wholesomebabyfood too... love it!
Sooo, cauliflower, I think it's NASTY, but did your LO like it? That's an interesting choice!
I buy the bags of frozen mixed veg (they're usually on sale for $1 for a 1/lb bag) and then i just thaw in the micro and use as needed. So far DD has tried carrots, sweet pots, peas, green/yellow beans, lima beans, chickpeas/hummus, tomato, red/yellow/green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, snap peas, acorn/winter/butternut squash... i can't think of any others....
I buy the frozen peaches, steam, and puree. They seem to freeze just fine. I have better luck with frozen peaches than I did when I tried to get them fresh.
Now that I'm back to work, I'm buying a lot of jarred food.
Peaches I bought frozen organic peaches, steamed and pureed bc they were not in season. The puree froze fine.
Carrots I did buy baby food, but neither of my kids liked them so we only did them a few times. I also bought prunes bc I didn't feel like making those.
Both of my kids were only on purees for about a month before we moved to finger foods, but I pureed: peas, green beas, broccoli, squash of all kinds (buttercut, butternut, acorn, delicata), sweet potatoes, califlower, lentils, peaches, apples, pears, bananas, peaches, mangos, blueberries, avocados.
I steamed carrots or baked them in the oven and then put them in my food mill to puree and they were fine. Definitely not the texture of the jarred, but I also put a little breast milk in them AFTER it was thawed to make it runnier.
Veggies we did:
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Squash (different varieties)
Peas
Green Beans
Corn
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Asparagus (tough to get pureed though, wait and do it as a 2nd food)
Have you frozen Peaches? How do they come out? Any reactions or funny tastes?
What do you do about carrots? Do you just suck it up and buy the jarred ones?
List the veggies you've done... I'm running low on veggie ideas.
TIA!!!
We only do organic veggies/fruits and peaches aren't in season so they aren't available at our local co-op- but when they were, they were her FAVORITE. I would bake them and puree them and then, yes, freeze them. They froze perfectly.
I started making my own carrots around 8.5 months and did not reuse the cooking water. I buy individual organic carrots or an organic bunch, dice and steam them. I give her some as finger foods as well.
DD hates veggies, but we do sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, potatoes (regular- she hated), peas (hate, hate, hate), peaches in season, a lot of pears, mangoes, and a TON of applesauce. I buy organic applesauce because I would seriously have to come home from work every night and make more- she's obsessed. Adding cinnamon lately has helped the veggies go down too.
Peaches supposedly freeze very well, though I imagine there may be a slight color change due to the cutting. I doubt the flavor would suffer. Wholesomebabyfood.com has them on their "freezes well" list with no notes on color or flavor changes. I would suggest checking them out, they have a lot of great recipes and lists of age-appropriate foods.
Carrots I think you have to have something that will puree them very fine, or a child that doesn't mind a little texture. I think they're a bit easier if you add lots of water as well (but not what you cooked them in, too many nitrates.)
Contemplating the snow.
Mes Petit Choux
I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then. ~ Alice
I buy organic peaches frozen (just make sure the only ingredient is peaches) then steam, then puree. They are like pears where they thaw a little runny so I just add a little rice or oatmeal cereal to thicken them up.
Peaches - I haven't found fresh (since they're not in season) - so I just bought the Gerber Peaches - Stage 1 - in the plastic containers. We're starting those this weekend. I don't plan to freeze them. Just refrigerate enough for 4 days.
Carrots - I peel, cut down and steam stovetop. I refrigerate enough for 4 days, freeze the rest. They defrost/reheat just fine.
Veggies we've done so far: carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, and peas. I still need to do green beans, cauliflower, and parsnips.
Fruits: pumpkin, applesauce, pears, banana, and I gave him avocado for the first time yesterday (not a fan yet).
I also just started chicken yesterday. He didn't like it alone..but once I mixed it with peas he ate it up.
I do make the carrots-- according to wholesomebabyfood.com, it's nearly impossible for the nitrates to be an issue. Just don't reuse the cooking water when you're pureeing, and you're ok.
Other veggies we've done:
sweet potatoes, squash, avocado (I think that's actually a fruit though), green beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, black beans
Yeah, I was just concerned about the nitrates. I use wholesomebabyfood too... love it!
Sooo, cauliflower, I think it's NASTY, but did your LO like it? That's an interesting choice!
Our pedi just told us not to even both with foods we won't be cooking on a regular basis. Example: tofu. She said if we wouldn't eat it ourselves, not to bother offering it to LO. So if you don't ever make cauliflower - you might not want to give it to your DS.
Re: If you make your own baby food, a question (or 2) for you.
I haven't tried either yet, but I've been following the recipes on this website:
https://wholesomebabyfood.com/ with success.
GL!
I haven't frozen peaches so I can't help there.
I do make the carrots-- according to wholesomebabyfood.com, it's nearly impossible for the nitrates to be an issue. Just don't reuse the cooking water when you're pureeing, and you're ok.
Other veggies we've done:
sweet potatoes, squash, avocado (I think that's actually a fruit though), green beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, black beans
No peaches, for fruit, I've only frozen pears and apples.
As for veggies, I've tried:
Carrots, make sure you puree them well, they tend to get grainy
Butternut squash and sweet potatoes, both do well frozen
Peas, also need to be pureed well.
Avocado did not freeze well, or at least didn't look very good.
I have a TON of frozen puree in my freezer and DS won't touch it, he's a carb addict right now and refuses to eat anything he can't feed himself, ugh!!
I haven't done peaches.....can't finsd them anywhere since not in season. I just make my own carrots.
veggies so far: carrots, squash, peas, string beans, sweet potatoes
I have yet to make spinach but that's also on my list
Peaches come out great. At least pureed peaches do.
For veggies I've done:
Carrots
Sweet Potatoes
Corn
Cauliflower
Green Beans
Peas
Butternut Squash
Pumpkin
For fruits I've done:
Apples
Pears
Peaches
Prune
Mango
Blueberries (very messy)
I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can remember right now.
1) We have 2 of those outfits in your siggie and Marco is adorable in it. DH calls it their 70's leisure suit because of the stripes & velour.
2) I have not done peaches because they are not in season around here but I assume they'd freeze fine.
3) Carrots I steam to ridiculousness then puree to mush,
I've done squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, and am currently contemplating chick peas and edamame. A lot of people do corn too.
Yeah, I was just concerned about the nitrates. I use wholesomebabyfood too... love it!
Sooo, cauliflower, I think it's NASTY, but did your LO like it? That's an interesting choice!
1. LMAO... I totally agree! I called you out when I changed my siggy bc M's sporting a hat over the baldness...
2. Everyone's saying they're not in season, but there was a huge display at whole foods today here... eh,
ohh... edamame... YUUUUMMM
I buy the frozen peaches, steam, and puree. They seem to freeze just fine. I have better luck with frozen peaches than I did when I tried to get them fresh.
Now that I'm back to work, I'm buying a lot of jarred food.
Peaches I bought frozen organic peaches, steamed and pureed bc they were not in season. The puree froze fine.
Carrots I did buy baby food, but neither of my kids liked them so we only did them a few times. I also bought prunes bc I didn't feel like making those.
Both of my kids were only on purees for about a month before we moved to finger foods, but I pureed: peas, green beas, broccoli, squash of all kinds (buttercut, butternut, acorn, delicata), sweet potatoes, califlower, lentils, peaches, apples, pears, bananas, peaches, mangos, blueberries, avocados.
I made all my own baby food. Peaches froze fine.
I steamed carrots or baked them in the oven and then put them in my food mill to puree and they were fine. Definitely not the texture of the jarred, but I also put a little breast milk in them AFTER it was thawed to make it runnier.
Veggies we did:
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Squash (different varieties)
Peas
Green Beans
Corn
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Asparagus (tough to get pureed though, wait and do it as a 2nd food)
Avocado (or is that a fruit?!)
Brussel sprouts (another hard one to puree)
Cucumber
We only do organic veggies/fruits and peaches aren't in season so they aren't available at our local co-op- but when they were, they were her FAVORITE. I would bake them and puree them and then, yes, freeze them. They froze perfectly.
I started making my own carrots around 8.5 months and did not reuse the cooking water. I buy individual organic carrots or an organic bunch, dice and steam them. I give her some as finger foods as well.
DD hates veggies, but we do sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, potatoes (regular- she hated), peas (hate, hate, hate), peaches in season, a lot of pears, mangoes, and a TON of applesauce. I buy organic applesauce because I would seriously have to come home from work every night and make more- she's obsessed. Adding cinnamon lately has helped the veggies go down too.
Peaches supposedly freeze very well, though I imagine there may be a slight color change due to the cutting. I doubt the flavor would suffer. Wholesomebabyfood.com has them on their "freezes well" list with no notes on color or flavor changes. I would suggest checking them out, they have a lot of great recipes and lists of age-appropriate foods.
Carrots I think you have to have something that will puree them very fine, or a child that doesn't mind a little texture. I think they're a bit easier if you add lots of water as well (but not what you cooked them in, too many nitrates.)
Mes Petit Choux
I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then. ~ Alice
When peaches were in season, I peeled them and blended them with tofu. They froze great and he loved them!
I never re-freeze frozen food. If it is not in season, I just supplement with something that is in season.
I buy frozen sliced peaches & she loves them.
I pureed: green beans, squash, peas, sw. potatoes, avocado, & carrots.
this
Peaches - I haven't found fresh (since they're not in season) - so I just bought the Gerber Peaches - Stage 1 - in the plastic containers. We're starting those this weekend. I don't plan to freeze them. Just refrigerate enough for 4 days.
Carrots - I peel, cut down and steam stovetop. I refrigerate enough for 4 days, freeze the rest. They defrost/reheat just fine.
Veggies we've done so far: carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, and peas. I still need to do green beans, cauliflower, and parsnips.
Fruits: pumpkin, applesauce, pears, banana, and I gave him avocado for the first time yesterday (not a fan yet).
I also just started chicken yesterday. He didn't like it alone..but once I mixed it with peas he ate it up.
Our pedi just told us not to even both with foods we won't be cooking on a regular basis. Example: tofu. She said if we wouldn't eat it ourselves, not to bother offering it to LO. So if you don't ever make cauliflower - you might not want to give it to your DS.