I'll Just Never Be That Mom

I’ve always wanted to be one of those moms who make her own baby food, feeding her sweet munchkin only the finest, freshest, organic purees. I envisioned myself freezing perfectly measured cubes of food, so I’d never have to rely on jarred food at home. I imagined myself lovingly whizzing away at the food processor because only the best will do, right?

I made some of Aiden’s food. By the time he was ready for more than the basic purees, I’d whizz up some blueberries or spaghetti. Basically, I’d puree whatever the grown-ups had to eat. I never ventured into “real” baby food making, though.

So when Miss Savannah came along I really wanted to make it all, from her first bite forward. I tried to talk my husband into buying one of those expensive gadgets that steam and puree the food all in one, but he wasn’t convinced I’d use it. I told him my grand plans of making all sorts of baby food at one time, then freezing it all in individual cubes. I used words such as organic, fresh, and pure. He just wasn’t picking up what I was throwing down.

Maybe he knows me too well. Because he’s right…I probably wouldn’t have used those things.

Recently I was sent the book “Top 100 Baby Purees” by Annabel Karmel to review. I spent hours flipping through pages of colorful purees, trying to decide which recipes to make for Miss Savannah. I chose three and added the ingredients to my grocery list. The first one I chose to prepare was Tomato, Cauliflower, and Carrot with Basil, and I set to work chopping and dicing and steaming. Since Savannah’s dinner was a little more effort than I’m used to, I just prepared an easy dinner for the rest of us; spaghetti.

Well, before our noodles had even boiled I had already burned Savannah’s tomatoes and the cauliflower wasn’t steaming. In the blink of an eye I had boiling noodles threatening to bubble over their pot, tomatoes burning in butter, mushy carrots, and hard cauliflower….and hungry children.

I said, “FORGET THIS!” and just opened a jar of baby food. I was a failure at my first real baby food making adventure.

While feeding Savannah her not freshly homemade dinner that night, I glanced at my stove, covered in four different pots and pans, the smell of scorched tomatoes still in the air. I sighed and muttered under my breath, “I’ll just never be that mom”.

I couldn’t bring myself to even try the other two recipes I selected. (They were Pasta Risotto and Nectarine and Strawberry with Vanilla if you’re curious). It’s just so quick and easy to open a jar and be done, you know? Plus, she’s moving on to real food now so I can get away with just chopping up some of the real deal instead of steaming and pureeing.

I also received Annabel Karmel's newest book; “Top 100 Finger Foods”. This one is geared for older kids, and gives you recipes for things such as homemade chicken nuggets, fish sticks, sliders and more. I wanted to pick out a few recipes to try on Aiden. I really did. I even dog-eared a few pages.

But, man! It’s so much easier to just open that jar of peanut butter.

So, I pretty much suck at making baby food. But I must be doing something right because Aiden is a fruit and veggie eating machine! He even prefers salads to chicken nuggets and French fries. (See me justifying my lazy ways to you?). Sigh. I’m going to set aside my Mommy guilt this time and let myself off the puree hook.

What’s your experience with making baby food? Are you one of “those moms” who’s made it all from scratch? (If so, God bless you, woman!) Or do you take the easy way out, like me? (There’s no judgment here, girlfriend!)

Keeping it real: I was provided with a copy of both books mentioned above as part of the SV Moms Group Book Club. If you’re the type of mom who makes her own baby food I think you’d really find “Top 100 Baby Purees” worthwhile. It’s full of great photos and recipes and even includes tips on freezing! “Top 100 Finger Foods” is equally well laid out. Many of the recipes are family-friendly and you could easily double or triple the recipes to serve your whole clan. You'll find a ton of recipes and more on Annabel Karmel's website!