Things You'll Need:
- Organic vegetables, fruits, grains and meats
- Baby food cookbook
- A sharp knife
- A sturdy fork
- Ice cube trays or small plastic storage containers
- Baby food grinder (optional)
- Food processor or blender (optional)
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Step 1
Buy the freshest organic produce you can find. The specific kind of fruit or vegetable you should choose depends on your baby's age and which foods you are introducing to her in what order. Buy organic meats from your local food co-op, natural foods department at a traditional grocer, or directly from a farmer who uses organic feed for his animals.
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Step 2
Wash thoroughly and then steam or roast the veggies. Steaming (good for green peas and carrots) helps retain nutrients, while roasting or baking (great for winter squash and yams) concentrates and carmelizes the sugars, lending a concentrated sweetness that is sure to be a hit with your little one. Bake or roast the chicken, beef or other meat (for older babies). Wash the fruit (except bananas).
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Step 3
Peel the fruits and veggies (if baby is under eight months old); trim off any mold spots or blemishes. Skin the chicken and trim away fat on all meats. The fat is where an animal stores waste products it ingests during its lifetime such as herbicides and pesticides and even organic meats can contain these.
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Step 4
Mash organic bananas with a fork. Cut organic pears or peaches into 1- or 2-inch pieces, then mash to a pulp with a fork or use a food processor, blender or hand-crank baby food grinder. Happy Baby brand is an inexpensive and effective hand grinder. Place small fruit chunks or cooked vegetable pieces in the grinder, replace handle and strainer attachment and turn handle to mash. Grind uncooked organic grains in blender until reduced to powder. Quantities may be stored in glass jars or other airtight containers until needed. Finely mince meats or puree in a blender if you are feeding a younger baby.
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Step 5
Make your own cooked cereal by adding the powdered grain (oat, barley and rice are commonly used) in a thin stream to boilng water. Combine two or more foods to give more interesting flavor once baby has been eating the foods for at least a week, to allow you to watch baby for signs of allergies or sensitivities. Buy or check out at the the library a gourmet baby food cookbook, which will show you how to prepare recipes with interesting flavor combinations.
