Making my Own Baby Food

food mill post

I had a "duh" moment the other day when I was thinking through everything I'd need to make my daughter's food now that she's ready for solids.  I would buy all organic fruits and veggies. I would steam, bake or roast everything in stainless steel or ceramic pots and pans.  Sunday would be my baby-food-making day where I'd stock up in preparation for the coming week.  

The "duh" moment came when thinking about how to actually puree everything. I have a mini food processor but it has a plastic bowl and one of the main reasons for making my daughter's food was so it would be as safe and nutritious as possible.  I could use my blender but the quantity of food would mostly be small so that wouldn't work, either.  So, I purchased a stainless steel food mill.

I was a food mill novice and had no idea what to expect...or how to use it.  I was quite proud of myself after steaming 3 pounds of apples and then using the food mill to make applesauce. The food mill fit conveniently into a large glass bowl so I was able to puree right into a safe receptacle. Not gonna lie, this applesauce was yummy!

My second attempt though was not quite so successful. Peas. Either I'm doing something wrong or smaller items such as peas aren't such a great fit for the food mill.  It also could have been that it was only one bag of frozen organic peas, as opposed to 3 pounds of apples.  But in the end, the peas just moved round and round in the food mill, never getting pureed. Plan B...

Bummer, it looks like I'd need to use the food processor after all. I attempted smushing with a silicone spatula and then with a fork but they weren't pureeing enough for my daughter - we're still working up to adding small chunks into her food but for now, she just spits them out...emphatically.  So, I waited until the peas had cooled down, since the biggest risk of using plastic is that it leaches chemicals when heated.  

Next up on my shopping/research list - a food processor with a glass bowl.  Anyone have any suggestions?