You don't have to be a SUPERmom to make your own baby food!

Who knows what is in most baby food products? A bunch of stuff that you can't even pronounce? Maybe you can pronounce what is in your baby food because it is an all natural & organic product. Organic baby food can be so expensive though! While I have a stash of Plum Organics for quick on-the-go days, I usually like to make my own baby food at home! It is VERY easy, and takes hardly any time! It is very inexpensive option in comparison to the pre-made baby food you can find at stores.

Total time to make: 10-20 minutes depending on what type of food you are making!
This is what you do:

1. Buy either fresh or frozen food that you want your baby to eat. (I like frozen peas, or fresh carrots) A bag of frozen Vegetables will cost you around 1.00 a bag for a 16 ounce size. (or less if you use coupons and buy it on sale!) You can also choose to use organic fruits and vegetables, or mix and match. There is no pressure. Just the reward of knowing you are doing it for your baby.

2. You need to cook the food you buy. If you get a frozen bag of peas, all you need to do is thaw out the bag. If you get carrots you need to cut them up and cook them until they are soft.
3. Take the food and put it into your food processor, baby food maker, or blender.
4. Blend / puree the food until there are no chunks or big pieces. I also recommend adding water to the mixture to get a smoother substance. I add about 4 ounces of water for every 16 ounces of food. You can also run the food through a strainer to make sure there are no big chunks that your little one could choke on.

5. Next put the food into individual containers and freeze. Make sure you leave some room at the top because food can expand in the freezer. You do not want a huge mess if it explodes because you failed to leave enough room. The 16 ounce bags of vegetables I buy usually make about 8- 2 ounce servings.
I have a set of 16- 2 ounce food containers that I purchased at Toys R Us for about 10.00 bucks. You can also just keep the glass jars that you get from the pre-made baby food and re-use them!

6. Lastly take containers and put them in the fridge the night before you want to use them. They will thaw out and be ready to use the next day! If you want them same-day you can leave them on the counter to thaw. They should be ready to eat in a few hours. You could also just throw a few in your diaper bag for on the go feeding. Just be sure you have a container that wont open in your bag or put it in a zip lock just in case spills occur.

This is not hard to do, it just takes a little dedication. You can make a lot of baby food at once so you only need to make it once a week or once every two weeks. The trick is to do what works best for YOU. If you decide that baby food making isn't for you, that is OK too! Everyone has a different life schedule and not all the same things will work for every mom.

The frozen vegetables will usually last 3-6 months in the freezer depending on the temperature of your freezer and where you store them in the fridge (closer to the back is better).

**MOM TIP: Do not be afraid to try new things! Get creative and mix and match food combinations for your baby to try! Also remember you should aim to try a new food at least 7 times before giving up on whether or not the baby likes the food. Do not push it, just let them try it. Then try again the next day. Usually kids will learn to like the food by the 7th try! I know there are a lot of things that I had to acquire a taste for, like Indian food! :-)

Guest Post from My Maternal Instincts. 

I am a young mother of 2 boys. My first born was a natural birth, and my second was an emergency C-section. I am married to a wonderful man in the Air Force. I love trying new products and sharing the good ones with my friends. I am on a quest to be healthy and exercise daily. I love wearing my children. I love finding new things to entertain my family. Trying new recipes, while staying at home to take care of my family. I have done a ton of modeling, both during pregnancy and non-pregnancy. I love walking the runway and reading books in the bath. I secretly enjoy when my husband goes on short business trips because I can get stuff done around the house. I love dominos pizza.