No products in the cart.
BLOG
Baby Food on a Budget
18
Jul
Jul
Baby food on a budget
– Feed your family for less!
Starting your baby on solid food can be fun, and convenient! As a parent, you’ve probably thought a lot about the food you give your baby. Relying on manufactured or processed food takes all the fun out of it and worse, it takes the coins out of your pocket! Simple and easy to prepare food is not limited to the packets you see lined-up in supermarket stalls. It can also be found in your home, a practical choice for cutting the cost for baby food and ensuring the quality of food your baby is eating. Homemade baby food is a popular option for parents who want to know exactly what goes into their baby’s mouth, and making it may be easier than you think.
Making baby food on a budget is surprisingly simple and quick. Plus, homemade baby food is a cheap meal to cook and makes a huge dent in your baby food budget. It takes around thirty minutes to prepare and can be done while you’re doing other tasks (e.g. preparing dinner, etc.). It can also be produced in bulk and stored, so you don’t need to always prepare a new batch every time your baby needs a feed. Making the change from fresh baby food to organic baby food is not too hard either, especially if you know how to shop. While you are in the grocery store, you can start this do-it-yourself baby food project.
Why Parents prefer fresh homemade baby food?
- Parents know exactly what they’re feeding their baby.
- Homemade baby food is more economical than buying pre-packaged foods.
- Instead of relying on the flavours chosen by manufacturers, parents can choose their own fruits, vegetables, and their baby’s favourite foods.
- They are confident that they are feeding their baby a fresh and healthy food.
Buying and making your baby’s food can save you a bundle, and it’s easier than it sounds. Here’s how to do it:
- Buy fresh food produce that is on sale or in season.
- Discount coupons come in handy.
- Visit your local farmers market to find inexpensive organic products or ask if they have ‘seconds’. Seconds are fruits and vegetables that have slight blemishes. They are cheaper, simply cut-off the odd-looking parts.
- Learn which food to buy organic and skip other food items unless you have room in your budget. Usually fruit and veggies with thick peels don’t need to be organic, since chemicals do not penetrate the thick skin.
- Buy in bulk.
- Grow your own organic products, if you have the space.
With the ingredients set, preparing the equipment and tools you will need is vital. Your everyday kitchen utensils work beautifully and can make large batches. Some gadgets can be great additions to your kitchen and help in food preparation. An all-in-one food processor like Cherub Baby Natriblend Steamer, Blender, Warmer and Steriliser may cut the trouble of using too many appliances for different functions. Investing in reusable baby food pouches that are freezer-safe is important and cost-efficient.
Why Choose Reusable Baby Food Pouches?
- It allows your child to feed themselves
- Economic and eco-friendly
- Offer great convenience
- It can develop dexterity and independence
- Light and travel-friendly
- Storing and serving food mess free
Pouches are also a great way to continue getting wholesome fruits and vegetables into your child as they move into what are sometimes the picky toddler years. Cherub Baby on the Go Baby Food Pouches offer you a reusable, freezer-safe and leak-proof food container that can be stored and be used on-the-go for baby feeding. Discover more here!
A Nude-Food-way or avoiding packaged foods and buying food in bulk can save time and money. Instead of buying a ten-pack of yoghurts, purchase one large pack and distribute into your reusable food pouches. It will allow you to store food for your child conveniently safe and environmentally-friendly. Keeping larger quantities of food at home can also help you decrease your visits to the grocery store.
These guidelines are for baby puree or mash. For a healthier baby food, blended grains like brown rice can be added. Be creative and experiment with spices for added flavour.
1. Clean your vegetables and fruits. Depending on the type of food, wash, chop and peel the fruits and vegetables. If you are not using certified organic produce, be sure to peel and scrub them well.
2. Remove seeds, and if cooking a food like spinach, remove the hard stems.
3. Steam or boil your produce. Steaming will retain more nutrients. Once your vegetable or fruit is soft and tender, drain and cool.
4. Pour the food and cooking juice into a food processor or a blender and puree to a soft and velvety texture. You may need to add water to get the right texture.
5. Serve immediately using a food pouch and freeze remaining food in ice cube trays. Before freezing food in huge batches, make a small batch and let your baby try it a few times.
6. When frozen, pop-out the baby food and store in date-labelled, freezer-safe containers. Homemade baby food can be stored in the freezer for two months or kept in the refrigerator for three days.
Two basic baby food recipes to choose from include:
1.Organic pumpkin and broccoli: Steam half a cup organic broccoli until bright green and soft. Blend the broccoli with a quarter cup pureed organic pumpkin. Add a small dash of nutmeg.
2.Organic ginger peas and potatoes: Boil one small, peeled organic potato and steam 1.5 cups of organic peas. Blend both with a tiny pinch of ground ginger.
Make your own safe and nutritious baby food on a budget saves you cash. Starting to feed your baby organic baby food at a young age can be lead to a healthy lifestyle in the future. With the help of good tools: you can now prepare good-tasting baby foods in the comfort of your home and save some on your grocery bill!
EXPLORE OUR SOLID FEEDING RANGE! 🙂
References:
6 genius tips on creating baby meals on a budget – Mother and Baby