Short Cuttin. Baby Food
When Bean was a wee lad, he did not like processed baby food at all. Try though we might, we could not get him to eat anything out of a jar. I was working full-time and I was not at all excited about having to make homemade baby food. Turns out, though, making your own baby food is super easy! You can read all about the process I used with Bean here, but basically I’d take a couple hours on Sunday afternoons to make enough food to get us through the next week. It couldn’t have been simpler, and it was so incredibly healthy for him.
With Gracie, we did use regular Gerber baby food and we were all happy with that. It cost a little more, but with two kids running around, I was okay with paying a little for the convenience factor.
But now, Gracie is eating more and more table food. She is about to come off formula altogether here soon, and so table food is becoming a much bigger part of her diet and where she gets her nutrition. Because of that, I’ve gone back to making her food in much the same way that I did for Bean.
ONLY BETTER!
At Christmas, my mother-in-law introduced me to these babies… Ziplock Zip ‘n Steam bags. (I should note here that I am in no way being compensated for this blog post. This is simply an awesome kitchen shortcut I’ve found and I wanted to share.)
Not that steaming food the traditional way in a good ol’ pot with water is rocket science or even all that time consuming. But it did require that I pay a minimal amount of attention to what I was doing so that I didn’t burn the food or scald my pot (both of which happened to me quite often. I tend to get distracted when I cook…). With these Zip ‘n Steam bags, I don’t even have to pay a MINIMAL amount of attention!
Here’s how they work:
First, you chop up whatever fruit or veggie (or even meat, but I haven’t tried that yet) into bite size pieces, according to whatever suits your tot. These are zucchinis, which I went back and quartered after the picture was taken.
Then, you dump it into one of the Zip ‘n Steam bags…
…and add about a tablespoon of water. You can also add spices and such to your food at this time, but I keep things pretty bland for Gracie.
This is the part that I love about these bags. They have a microwave time chart right on the bag, so you don’t have to go digging for the cook time. You just check the bag and it tells you exactly how long to cook whatever it is you’re cooking. It just makes it one step easier for me. I like clear, simply instructions that are always at hand. Because I’m a simpleton and simpletons get confused very easily. Especially around kitchen appliances.
(Side note: Oddly, there aren’t fruit times listed on the bags. I guess not enough people are steaming fruit these days. I’ve done apples and peaches myself, and I did both of those on 2 minutes, if you’re interested.)
Then, you just pop the baggie into the microwave for a couple of minutes and – voila! – steamed veggies that are perfect every time! (Pictured here are diced sweet potatoes and apples.)
Another great thing about these bags is that you can reuse them once or twice. It says on the package not to reuse due to cross contamination, but as long as I’m doing all raw fruits and veggies, I don’t worry about that. Now, if I was doing meat or something particularly pungent, I’d definitely just stick with one use. But with what I use them for, I can get away with two or three uses in one bag.
You could do this each time you needed to fix a meal. My mother-in-law throws in lots of different veggies at once for her dinner sometimes. But for me, it’s easier to do a bunch of steamed food at once, and then store it in containers in our fridge for me to use at individual meals throughout the week. Gracie’s daycare provides her meals all day, so I just have to make enough to get us through dinners during the week.
I prefer to make a little bit of a variety of foods so that Gracie gets a selection of different things each night, even if it’s just the same food but in different combinations. Actually, that sounds kind of silly when I write it out, but that’s how my simpleton mind works. This week, Madame Gracie will be dining on a selection that includes steamed sweet potatoes, apples, zucchini, black beans, and green beans. Other popular favorites have included carrots, broccoli, spinach, squash, and eggplant.
(Side note: I try to keep all of Gracie’s food in the same spot in the fridge so that whoever happens to feed her knows that she can have whatever is on that middle shelf. Well, except the salsa in the background. That’s just there by accident. Actually, I better go move it while I’m thinking about it before Chris adds a little fiesta to Gracie’s sweet ‘taters tonight…)
Along with those things, I usually give her small pieces of whatever meat we are having for dinner. Bean has never been too much of a meat eater, but Gracie likes it. I also keep jarred all natural, unsweetened applesauce (organic, if it’s on sale) and Greek yogurt, which she really likes mixed with steamed or fresh fruit. In addition to those staples, she can eat any of the raw fruits that I keep on hand in our fridge for the rest of the family. Usually these include whatever berries are on sale, grapes, avocados, bananas, peaches, or whatever else looks good at the grocery that week. She really loves those little “Cutie” tangerines right now. They are small, easy to peel, and seedless, so they are great for kids. Bean loves those suckers, too. For Gracie, I cut up her pieces into small chunks.
Her absolute favorite food, though, are blueberries. I cut them into halves or quarters, depending on the size, and she just goes to town on them. I have to be careful not to give those to her first, or she won’t eat anything else on her tray! I held off on strawberries for a while because they gave Bean a little rash when he was little and first tried them. I gave them to her for the first time last week, but she broke out in a little rash around her mouth that night, so those are on the back burner for another little bit.
Whether you are going all out and making your own baby food from day one, like I did with Bean, or are using your own steamed food to help your baby transition to table food, it really isn’t hard at all. Like with anything else, it just takes a little time, a little creativity, and a few little short cuts to help.
21 Comments
RJ (Kids and Cast Iron)
Love that idea. I hate breaking out the steamer if I just want to steam one potato for lunch.
Leah
Love this idea Katie! Are you letting her feed herself all if thesr by hand ot do you feed her with a spoon/spork? I’m having trouble getting my now 12month old to eat anything too chunky when I’m feeding her. Girl likes to feed herself.
Stephanie@Our Marriage Adventure
He’s not a kid, but I may start using this on my husband! I’ve got to find a way to get him to eat more FRESH type veggies. This is a great idea!
Lauren
I LOVE those bags! I have used them for quite some time and recommend them to everyone I know!
Lissa
You might want to dig a bit deeper on the research about microwaving in plastic. It is very scary. I only score food in glass containers now and never heat food in plastic bags or bowls.
Christina @ Marriage from Scratch
Great info! Thanks 🙂
Michelle
Totally not wanting to be Debbie Downer (I love all your blog posts!!! AND TIPS!!!)- but check on microwaves and plastic. It might not be worth it. Even if it’s labeled safe- use caution with babies growing bodies. Not too long ago I received an email about a study about houseplants and mircrowaved water. The study used microwaved water and then gave the cooled water to a houseplant. It caused growth issues and didn’t florish as compared to the plant given tap water. Don’t go on my word- research this. Not sure if the information I received was correct- so please look into this for your own peace of mind.
Paige
Hi! This is completely un-baby food related but I just wanted to say that I have spent the last TWO weeks reading every single post on here and I have to say I am addicted to your blog now. You’ve given me so much inspiration for my own, so very different blog and I can’t thank you enough for that. I LOVE your writing and am really excited about your book! Keep it up girl!
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Kat
I actually MISS making baby food. Although I still make most of P’s meals, it’s not as easy as the mashed stuff. The zip lock bags look genius – I bet you save a ton by not buying the store ones (you know, steam in a bag kind).
Abby @ I Used To Have A Brain
THANK YOU! I didn’t know about these bags!! And Gracie’s dinners look yummy!
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
Jacob loves blueberries, too! I thought it would be a good idea to get him Blueberries for Sal as a Christmas gift. We started to read it to him, and he bolted to the kitchen to eat. Oops!
MomMom
I worked full-time with my first baby and didn’t make but the first foods myself. She seemed content to eat whatever I gave her out of a jar. We stayed away from Gerber brand items because it seems like they add unnecessary ingredients to everything. I didn’t understand why it couldn’t just be a jar of fruit or veggie. We went the mostly organic route. Not because I’m all organic, but because those were the kinds of baby foods that didn’t have additives or preservatives. With baby #2, we’re living in Germany and I can’t readily find jarred baby food at the grocery, so she’s just getting whatever is for dinner.
Regina
I agree with being cautious about microwaving in plastic. Doesn’t seem like it’s worth the risks. I don’t heat up in those plastic ziplock leftover containers you picture either. BUT – You can easily steam anything in a glass casserole dish with a lid. Just put the food in, a couple T of water, and microwave same length of time as you do in the bags. No scorched pots and no worries!
liz
blueberries were listed as a superfood/brain food!!! 🙂 Along with pomegranate seeds and several other fruits that I can’t think of off the top of my head! any furry fruit can be higher on the allergy chart, so be careful with peaches and strawberries and raspberries 🙂
Lindsey
My daughter got a rash on her chin from strawberries too but I think it was because she was still a drooly eater and strawberries are acidic. I still fed them to her and she never had any problems other than a teeny rash on her chin that went away super fast each time.
Amy
Do not microwave in plastic!!! Research has shown that is really bad for a 150lb. grown up, much less a 20 lb. toddler. Just switch to a steamer- only takes a little more time. 🙂
Kristen
Love your posts on Southern Weddings! Glad to hear you are up and moving around again! Sinus infections wear a person down!!! I also like your idea on the previous posts about steaming vegetables in the microwave in those bags! Amazing! I need to invest in those! Thanks for being real on your posts. I appreciate your blog and always look forward to reading your updates.
Heather in ND
Woah!! Somebody better tell Ziploc they’re making harmful bags that are releasing chemicals that will harm Katie’s kids!!
Don’t you think this is something that is researched? Do you really think it’s something that would be able to go out onto the market if it was really THAT harmful?? I mean, good looking out trying to help, Katie… but also realize that these companies aren’t making these products without any sort of research and aren’t intentionally going to harm people. Be real.
Sarah R
I’m with Heather in ND. Everything now a days can be considered harmful. Katie in no way was asking for debbie downers or someone to criticize the way she chooses to parent or feed her children. I’d sure hate to see the skeletons in your closet, or are you just too perfect for words?
Thank you for sharing what you found Katie! Not all of your readers want to tear everything you say apart — we appreciate what you share with us!
Arden
Had never heard the “microwaving plastic is deadly” thing before, so I looked it up. According to Harvard Medical School (http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0706a.shtml), anything that has been approved microwave-safe by the FDA (including Ziploc steamer bags) does not leach enough chemicals to be harmful. If you are still concerned about this, feel free to make the decision for your family not to microwave food in anything plastic. But kindly desist from criticizing those of us who choose to trust the FDA & continue microwaving our food in microwave-safe containers.