Blender Baby Food: Over 125 Recipes for Healthy Homemade Meals

Four words: "I love this book!" If you are looking for something simple and easily laid out, this is the book for you. My sister-in-law told me she was making baby food for her son (11 months older than ours). I thought she was nuts since I was sure it would take too long. She showed me the baby food cookbook she was using and it looked like the overwhelming cookbook or cooking shows you see on t.v. that have ingredients you've never heard of but a pretty display. I told my husband we'd stick with the jars since I would be a "working mom". Then my daughter became 6 months and I KNEW I wanted to make her baby food to help her become more open to eating healthier and giving her more options/tastes. I researched a bit online and found that recipes aren't as complicated as what my sister-in-law was doing. Then my mom and I found this book and now I am hooked and actually enjoy making my daughter her baby food and trying it out. She actually enjoys trying the new foods while I am pouring them into the ice cube trays for storage. I usually make more than the quantities listed in the book and freeze them in ice cube trays so that that particular food lasts longer. I also cook multiple meals at one time in order to cook less often (i.e., once or twice a month). Storage: I've read other reviews that says it doesn't go much into storage, but I found it quite helpful. You simply pour the pureed food into ice cube trays, cover them and freeze them for 24 hours, and then transfer the cubes to freezer bags labeled with the food name and date made. They are good for up to 3 months unless she noted it in the recipe otherwise. This was all found on page 14 in the "To Store" section. It also recommends rotating stock like grocery stores do, putting the newest in the back, etc. It also talks about refrigeration, etc. This is THE easiest book by far I have found. Oh, and it gives the nutritional facts of all of the recipes which is helpful for meal planning. If you're not sure whether to do baby food homemade or store-bought. Make sweet potatoes fresh and buy one container of sweet potatoes store-bought. You'll see/smell/taste the difference.

This book is very concise, telling you what you need to know without rambling on. I haven't read Super Baby Food, but from what I've seen in the reviews that book is all over the place. I'm a chef, so food is important to me. I want my baby to eat good, healthy food, and this book makes it easy. The recipes include foods that I wouldn't think to give babies (figs, kiwis, parsnips) and some that I can't say I've eaten myself (millet, anyone?). The write-up on the actual blending/storing is a little brief, so here are a few tips that I have learned: -Don't worry about getting the texture just right as you're blending. You'll burn out the motor on the typical household blender if you try to blend something too thick. Add as much water as you need while blending--in addition to sparing your blender's motor, it will make your mixture easier to pour into ice cube trays. When you go to serve, add rice cereal to thicken as needed. -Most foods can be steamed instead of boiled. This preserves the nutrients even more. Also I use the water from the steaming pot in the blender. -A food mill is great for avocados and kiwi. These foods don't store well once blended and it takes a lot to fill the blender jar. A small food mill will mash up one kiwi at a time. I bought mine at Babies R Us for $10. The mill is also good for travel. -If you have a neighbor with a baby about the same age, then make double batches and swap. Other reviewers have mentioned that some foods are introduced earlier than recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The publisher is Canadian, so perhaps the recommendations there are slightly different than in the US. If your baby is sensitive to foods or your family has a history of allergies then hold off on citrus, fish, etc.

I've never written a review before, but I love this book! A friend of mine suggested I make my own baby food and I was a little hesistant at first. I mean, we all know how limited our time is now with a little one monopolizing 99% of our time. But these recipes are so easy and super quick. I love making my little boy's baby food! The chapters are broken up into baby's age and development stage. Some of the recipes are a little odd, but they suggest the greatest combinations of fruits and veggies. Things I would have never thought of, such as adding a little orange juice in with the corn and sweet potato recipe. My baby is almost 7 months and we have tried all the 6 month recipes and are starting in on 7 months which has rice added to a lot of the recipes. So far his favorites seem to be "Squashy Apples" and "Corny Sweet Potatoes." I HIGHLY recommend this book to all mom's out there. I work almost full time (4 days a week) and still have time to make my baby's food. Also, a tip is that I ask my friends who don't make their baby's food to save their baby's jars from their food for storage. It is working out great.

I didn't get this book till my baby was over 10 months old, so I'm not sure what I'm about to say will apply to younger babies just starting on solids. I love this book! My baby had been eating table food for a while, but she was stuck in a bit of a rut with pretty much the same foods over and over, in about a 5-day cycle: chicken stew, mac-n-cheese, rice and gravy, spaghetti with meat sauce, etc., with whatever boring steamed veggies on the side. I live in South Louisiana, where we have delicious, flavorful, spicy cuisine. However, 1) it often contains ingredients she shouldn't have yet, such as shrimp, and 2) I'm afraid it might be too spicy for her! I didn't know how to provide the blandness of what baby can tolerate, while not deadening her taste buds to new flavors as she grows up (or making her into a picky eater). This book really kicked up both the main and side dishes for her. The dishes are bland enough for young-uns to tolerate, but flavorful enough to excite their taste buds and explore new flavors. Also, they are probably more nutritious than what we'd been feeding her. The book has several sections: a 6-month-and-up, a 7-month-and-up, an 8-month-and-up, a 9-and-up, and a 12-and-up chapter. There are brief blurbs about what to introduce at each stage, and each section has a grid showing a sample meal plan. It's not extremely thorough, but it is helpful and provides a simple guideline. Here are some sample recipes: 6 months and up: --mostly plain fruits and veggies, with good tips on how to prepare them 7 months and up: --green rice (rice with fresh greens--very nice!) --squash and pepper risotto --vegetable paella 8 months and up: --avocado chicken --chicken with pumpkin --chicken divine 9 months and up: --fruity breakfast rice (yum!) --broccoli and cauliflower gratin 12 months and up: --fruity frosty shake --nutty choco monkey --nutty waffles All the recipes are quite easy to make, believe me. And so delicious! The recipes recommend good ingredients, too, such as brown rice, lots of fruit and veggies, and low-sodium stock. Most of the ingredients are relatively easy to find at the grocery store, and easily substituted if you're on a budget. The baby really likes the broccoli/cauliflower gratin, the spinach and tomatoes with ricotta, and the chicken tropical (chicken with mangoes). This book really gets baby interested in fruits and veggies, with its interesting, flavorful preparations. Obviously, I cannot speak for parents of babies with severe food allergies. I also cannot speak for the younger babies, since I waited so long to get this book. All I can tell you is, a) delicious, b) easy to prepare, c) my baby loves the recipes.

What a great way to be sure my baby is getting the very best. The recipes are so easy to use and I haven't come across one that he hasn't just loved. The meal plans take out any guesswork.