Stocking the Pantry--Baby Food Style

Baby Girl is growing quickly. I can hardly believe it. I turn around and ... poof!... she's becoming a big girl. We're not quite to the baby food stage, but it's coming up fast. And I want to get a few things done here and there as I have the time. With Big Boy, it's awefully tempting to take the convenient way out. So I have to stay disciplined if I want to make my own baby food for this little #2. Therefore, today's tackle is homemade baby food. A little bit at least. I'm working on putting away mangoes and carrots.

Mangoes- These are easy. I'm not even doing much to them at this point. I picked up several at Safeway last week where I got them for 4/$1. Most of the time I can find them for $.45 a piece, but at that price I couldn't help but pick up several. So I want to save them for baby girl when the prices go higher. For now I'm going to peel them and cut them from the pit. Then I'll pop them in the freezer till I'm ready for them. When Baby Girl is ready, they just need to defrost and be pureed with some breast milk or formula till they are the right consistency. Super easy and a great way to introduce your child to a nutritious food that most people don't experience.

Carrots- These are just as easy. I'm lazy. I don't have time to babysit food on the stove so mine go in the crockpot. First thing in the morning, pulled from the fridge, those carrots are getting the ends cut off. Just trim them up and cut into sections. Size doesn't really matter, just don't let them be too chunky. Dump them in the crockpot, pour in some water (just enough to cover them), and cook on low for several hours. You want these REALLY tender. Let them cool and puree them with just enough of the water and juice to make them the consistency that you want. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Each cube is one serving. Super easy and so much cheaper than store bought.

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