Redemption In An 8oz Jar
Breastfeeding is hard. I tried and tried and couldn’t do it. The guilt, shame, judging and feelings of failure were unbearable. My Mother-In-Law’s comments of “oh breastfeeding is so easy!” was just icing on the cake. Are my boobs too small? Am I too old? Does my baby hate me? Is there something wrong with my body? Am I really even a Woman? Why isn’t this working? This miraculous phase came after I couldn’t give birth naturally, either. I was in the hospital for 65 hours before giving up and getting a c-section. For a perfectionist with a mentality that with enough hard work, you can do anything, accepting this was hard, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was off to a shitty start at Motherhood. Now I blow through the checkout line with my chubby healthy baby, four tubs of formula in my cart and my middle finger up in the air. I don’t give a fuck about the Judgy McJudgersons, my baby is healthy and happy, but it took me a while to get there.
We recently entered the “introducing solids” stage! Now this is something I can get the hang of. I love to cook and have always enjoyed cooking for my friends and family. It makes me feel awesome when they enjoy the food that I prepare for them. So, I thought, why not try making my own baby food? Turns out, watching my baby enjoy my homemade food actually kinda makes up for the disappointment of failed labor and breastfeeding. Finally, I can do something right! When my MIL wants to give my baby some random piece of food that is not sourced from my kitchen I can say “oh, making baby food is so easy!”
Here’s what works for me, and a few combinations that my baby loves.
Each time I make baby food, I typically buy four sweet potatoes, one small crown of broccoli, a pound of carrots, two apples, two pears, a small container of blueberries, one can of black beans, one jar of mango, a six ounce bag of spinach, one pound of Elk (or steak) and one pound of chicken breasts.
Cooking Method/Times
Sweet Potatoes – Cut into 2” by 2” pieces and boil for 30 minutes
Broccoli – Steam 15 minutes
Carrots – Steam for 30 minutes
Apples – Cut in half, Bake at 350 for 30 minutes skin side down on a rimmed sheet pan, remove core, keep skin on
Pears – Cut in half, Bake at 350 for 30 minutes skin side down on a rimmed sheet pan, remove skin and core
Blueberries – cook in sauce pan for 10 minutes on medium heat
Black Beans – drain, wash and cook in saucepan for 10 minutes on medium heat
Mango – I can’t find a good fresh mango in the winter, so I’ve only use mango from a jar so far.
Spinach – saute in a non-stick pan (no oil needed), then puree.
Elk – Cut into small pieces, pan fry until well done
Steak – cut into small pieces, pan fry until well done
Chicken – bake at 425 for 25 minutes. Allow to sit for five minutes before cutting into cubes and putting in the food processor. I suggest using breasts, my baby did not like thighs, probably because they have a stronger flavor.
Everything goes in the food processor separately to be pureed. For the Elk, Steak and Chicken, I add a little of the water that I boiled the sweet potatoes in to help the consistency become “elk yoghurt” as my husband likes to call it. Sounds gross, but it is actually delicious! The appropriate description would probably be Pâté. My husband hunted the Elk that we eat and he enjoys being able to contribute to this process too, and feed our child through the work he put into hunting the food. But if you don’t have access to good sourced Elk, steak is just fine as well. I do not add any oil, salt or pepper when I am cooking these veggies, fruits and meats.
As a full-time working Mom, what has been working well for me is every two to three weeks, during one of my baby’s weekend two-hour naps, I make baby food. I cook according to the directions above, puree, put into separate bowls, make the combinations below in an eight ounce canning jar, like this one, and freeze. When you finish a jar, grab another one out of the freezer, put it in the refrigerator and it is usually defrosted by the next meal. I have heard that you can also make a little extra of the food you make for yourself during the week, and make a few jars from that, but my baby eats healthier than I do and my pediatrician says he is too young for Taco Bell, so I haven’t found a way to work that out yet. I have one of those wine glass markers that you can use to write your name on your wine glass for a party and that works perfectly to write the date and contents on each jar, and it easily comes off when you run it through the dishwasher. I assign a number to each combo so I don’t have to write all off the ingredients on the jar, just the number. The food will stay good in the freezer for about a month.
Here are a few combinations that my baby LOVES
The Mountain Man
1 Part Elk
3 Parts Sweet Potatoes
1 Part Blueberries
1 Part Pears
The Hipster
2 Parts Black Beans
2 Parts Sweet Potatoes
1 Part Apple
The Midwestern
1 Part Chicken
2 Parts Sweet Potatoes
2 Parts Carrots
1 Part Pears
The City Slicker
1 Part or Elk
1 Part Broccoli
1 Part Carrots
2 Parts Sweet Potatoes
The Islander
1 Part Elk or Chicken
1 Part Mango
1 Part Broccoli
2 Parts Carrots
The Greek
1 Part Spinach
1 Part Pear
2 Parts Carrot
1 Part Apple
The Farmer
2 Parts Carrots
1 Part Apple
1 Part Blueberries
The Homesteader
2 Parts Sweet Potatoes
1 Part Apple
1 Part Spinach
Final Thoughts
If you give this a try and it’s not for you, I won’t judge you and your grocery cart full of Gerber jars. I am sure you are killing it at the many other demands being made of you. At the end of the day, being the happiest and healthiest version of yourself is the best thing you can do for your baby. Figure out what works for you and rock that shit, and don’t be afraid to ask for help with the other stuff.
Love, Carolyn
