Have you been considering homemade baby food? Are you worried that you are already too busy to make your own? I understand your concern! Besides being a mom I am also a teacher! Believe me when I say I am extremely short on time these days! But let me tell you DIY Stage 1 Baby Food is a lot easier than it sounds! I’ve compiled 4 easy stage 1 foods that you can easily whip up in your own kitchen in under 30 minutes. This food will last you weeks! Your baby will also love these quick easy recipes! Read on for directions!

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Organic Apples

1. Remove the core and skin of 4 apples
2. roughly chop into large pieces
3. place chopped apple pieces into a pan with about an inch of water
4. bring to a simmer on the stove top and cook until tender (approximately 5-10 minutes)
5. blend apples and water until smooth
6. Transfer apple puree into ice cube trays and freeze overnight.
7. Store frozen pieces in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag for up to 6 months.

Makes approximately 18-1 ounce cubes

Organic Carrots

1. peel and remove ends of 5 large carrots
2. roughing chop into large pieces
3. place chopped pieces into a steamer basket with water
4. steam until soft (approximately 5-10 minutes)
5. blend carrots with some water (or breastmilk) until smooth
6. Transfer carrot puree into ice cube trays and freeze overnight.
7. Store frozen pieces in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag for up to 6 months.

Makes approximately 18-1 ounce cubes

Organic Cantaloupe

1. peel and remove pulp and seeds of 1 (very ripe) cantaloupe
2. roughing chop into large pieces
3. blend cantaloupe with some water (or breastmilk) until smooth
4. Transfer cantaloupe puree into ice cube trays and freeze overnight.
5. Store frozen pieces in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag for up to 6 months.

Makes approximately 18-1 ounce cubes

Organic Peas

1. pour a bag of frozen peas into microwave safe bowl
2. add 1/2 cup of water
3. microwave on high until peas are very tender (approximately 5 minutes)
4. blend cooked peas until smooth
5. transfer pea puree into ice cube trays and freeze overnight
6. store frozen pieces in a tightly sealed Ziplock bag for up to 6 months

Makes approximately 18-1 ounce cubes

Quick Tips!

• You can use any blending method you want! We prefer to use an immersion blender because it takes up very little space in our tiny kitchen, and its incredibly easy to clean. This All-Clad Immersion Blender is the one we have and love!
• Make sure to label your Ziploc bags with the date, Many of your homemade purees will look really similar so it’s helpful to also include the type of food.
• When trying to buy organic don’t forget to check out the frozen section of your local grocery store! Frozen produce is a better alternative to canned produce. Many essentials nutrients get lost during the canning process. However, frozen produce is flash-frozen at the peak of freshness which locks in those yummy nutrients. Another bonus of frozen produce? It’s often, already been peeled and chopped! Major time saver right there! Score!
• If you are a stay at home mom it might be easiest to cook one food at a time every couple of days. It will take such a limited amount of time and you can freeze the extras. I preferred to prep food this way when I was still at home with my daughter.
• If you work outside the home you might prefer to cook several foods at once! I was able to do the above 4 recipes in under 30 minutes.
• A note on food allergies and prepping multiple foods at once. Remember when starting new foods only introduce 1 food at a time and wait 3-4 days in between! It’s a little extra work if you are prepping multiple foods at once because you need to thoroughly clean your food processor or blender between foods if the foods you are making are brand new to your baby. Want more info on food allergies? Read my post here! 
• Want more information on starting solids? Check out My Guide to Starting Solids
• You can also check out my Product Guide for Starting Solids

Still on the fence about making your own baby food? There are 2 great reasons why you should consider it!

1. Cost!

The first is the cost! storebought baby food costs about $1 a serving! I was able to make 48 servings of ORGANIC baby food for around $11.00! That is a huge savings!  Making homemade baby food is significantly cheaper than buying premade baby food!

2. Quality Ingredients

The second reason you might want to make homemade baby food is so that you can control exactly what goes into your baby’s food. You can choose fresh, organic produce and prepare it however you want! You won’t have to worry about added preservative or chemicals when you are making your own food!