My First Attempt at Baby Food - Carrots

On Sunday we get to give Alexa carrots. I'm super psyched to see how she likes real food! I mean, she's getting rice cereal now, but let's be honest...it tastes like cardboard. I bet she's absolutely going to love eating something with flavor!

I did a lot of research online about making your own baby food. I talked to friends who made their own when their kids were little. I also spoke with my cousin who now makes baby food for baby #2. Her kids have survived and are thriving so I figure she's a pretty great resource! After reading, talking and taking it all in, I came up with my own recipe for carrots...

Ingredients:
5 carrots - (I used 3 large and 2 medium) washed (very well), peeled, and cut
1/2 cup of water - (I used tap water that I boiled and let cool)

Supplies:
Cutting board
Peeler
Knife
Pot with lid
Steamer
Strainer
Bowl
Mixer
Tablespoon
Ice Cube trays (I used 1 1/2)

Approximate time:
31 minutes (5 minutes prep, 21 minutes steaming time, 5 minutes puree and pour)

After gathering all of my supplies and getting all the carrots washed, peeled and cut I steamed them for 21 minutes, or until I could have mashed them with a fork. Since this was kind of an experiment I'll walk you through my process...

I originally only put the carrots on for 7 minutes. They were absolutely hard when I tested them, so I added another 7 minutes. They were softer at this point, but there was no way I'd have been able to mash them with a fork, so on we steamed! After the third 7 minute round they seemed good to me.

I drained them well in a strainer (I was worried about the nitrates!) and then added half to the container I would puree them in. I then added a little water (**NOT the water that the carrots were steamed in!). I started pureeing...added more water, added more carrots, added more water, etc. until I got the consistency I was looking for. I used 1/2 cup of water total. Depending on the consistency you're looking for you may need more or less water for your puree.

**Note, I am no baby food making expert!** I just winged it. Your baby might like a more watery puree, mine was medium thick. I tried to base it on how Alexa likes her rice cereal. I'll let you know how it goes over next week.

After the carrot puree was the consistency I wanted it to be, I used a tablespoon to scoop it into ice cube trays so I could freeze it in portions.

From what I've read online (and what I've been told), each frozen carrot cube is one serving. We shall see if one carrot cube fills up my growing gal!



**Update - The carrots were a hit! She absolutely loved them. I'm not sure if one cube is really enough for her, especially if I give it to her without the rice cereal, but this is a learning process. We'll see how tonight goes!