50 Shades of Purée

HOMEMADE BABY FOOD:

Veggies that work well:

• Sweet Potatoes
• Butternut Squash
• Carrots
• Eggplant 
• Green/ Yellow beans
• Peas
• Corn I started at 8 months, it's harder to digest (you know what I'm talking about)
• Beets are more trouble than they're worth, but I have made them
• Zucchini is kinda so-so.  I find it watery and potentially not as filling as starchier veggies

Fruits that work well:

• Gala apples
• Pears 
• Bananas (no need to steam)
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Plums 

1. Wash, peel (if applicable), dice and steam until tender.  I don't have anything fancy.  I just use a pot of boiling water, a lid to contain as much steam as possible and a stainless steel steamer  
2. Dump the steamed fruits/ veggies into a 4 cup Pyrex glass bowl and wait until cool.  This is SUPER important.  You can not blend things when they are hot or you will literally have a hot mess and pa-tench 3rd degree burns.  After a baby, the last thing I need is more marks on my body.  Lord have mercy.  
3. Save the precious water from the pot, you'll use that to blend and smooth your mixtures, I use the magic bullet or a braun hand mixer.  Works perfectly.  
4. Spoon into ice cube trays (buy a couple extra, it'll save time) and freeze.  



Fruit/ Veggie Steamer

 

5. Toss the frozen cubes into Ziploc bags or big containers and label and date !  
6. Get creative!  Banana-strawberry blends are a favourite, as well as 1/2 peas 1/2 carrot cubes

*Each "ice cube" measures approximately 1Tbsp.

Simons meal plan right now (at 8M) for example is this:

Breakfast:  3 tbsp of cereal, 1 cube of fruit (melted and mixed into cereal)

Lunch:  3 cubes of veggies, and 1 cube of fruit

Dinner:  3 cubes of veggies, 1 cube of fruit, 3 tbsp of cereal 

I'm not suggesting everyone follow his meal plan, I'm just letting you know what's working so far for us!  

Amy

COSTCO - a.k.a. "The $300 store"

Lord knows you can't go to Costco and spend less than $300.  And as my Aunt says, "and then you still have to go to the grocery store to get your groceries."  This is true, but it's a great place for mums to spend some time.  

When Simon was an infant, I would time it so that we would arrive at his nap time.  I would just pop his infant car seat into the shopping cart.  It would buy me at least 2 hours of uninterrupted shopping time.  Now, it's a little trickier.  I still use the carts, but he sits in the front area designated for toddlers - I do bring the Baby Bjorn though, in case he decides to get his crank on. 

COSTCO BABY ITEMS TOO GREAT TO PASS UP:

• Clothing "Pekkle" brand. They run a little small, I found, (Simon is 8 months now, and is wearing size 12M) but they wash great, are SUPER cute and their thickness is adjusted seasonally to accommodate changing weather (it seems).  

• Carters or OshKosh outfits.  Great quality and you can't beat Costco's prices 

• Books.  Available in french and english and are usually 1/2 price if you compare them with Chapters' prices

• Diapers and Wipes.  Kirkland brand.  True to size and no leaks !  The wipes could be a little more moist, but they still do the job just fine.

• Produce in bulk!  I make all Simon's baby food.  I'm not competing to be the next mum on the cover of Time Magazine, but I like doing it, it's good for him, it's way cheaper and it really doesn't require that much effort.  I buy bags of pears, apples, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, and berries.  Bring 'em home.  Wash 'em, steam 'em, blend 'em, pop 'em into a few ice cube trays and voila.  Food for an eternity.  

• Batteries.  You'll need them in all sizes, so stock up.  Don't be shy.  You can get rechargable batteries if you want,  but they won't last you.  Most Home Depots have the "National Battery Recycling Program" - you can just dump your old ones there.

• Bandaids, Sunscreen, Vaseline and Vitamins (folic acid, prenatal) - these all come in bulk and they're much more affordable at Costco than anywhere else I've seen.

• Photo development!  Print off your pictures of your baby!  Don't just leave them on a flash drive or on your cell phone.  Make sure you keep those memories in a safe place - they also offer canvas printing, invitations and birth announcements! 

COSTCO MAMMA ITEMS TOO GOOD TO PASS UP:

• Underpants in 5 packs.  They're horrible looking, but are comfortable for pregnancy and post delivery when you need to change undies often.  Confession:  I still wear them.  

• Pj's -  Microfibre, soft and  pretty cute.  They also often come in packages that include a robe.  

• Magazines.  Once baby comes, there's not a whole lot of time for mums, so there's no shame in locking yourself in the bathroom, sitting on the floor, painting your nails and reading a magazine, while hubby tends to baby things.  Whatever, it's been known to happen.  Chatelaine is $2.95 and Canadian living is $1.95.

Amy 

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Costco in any way - I'm just a die-hard Costco lover