Think, folks, how much better is food when it’s home made? Sure, getting to eat out can be a treat and it’s delicious, but I know for me, eating home cookin’ is one of the best things in life. Especially when I lived on campus during my freshman year of college, I couldn’t wait to go home on the weekends to eat REAL food. It’s not just the fact that it’s good, and probably better for you, let alone way cheaper, it’s about the memories and the hard work put into it. I am lucky enough to have two moms (a Mom and a Stepmom) that each have their own “home cookin’ style,” so my taste buds get their craving satisfied for all kinds of flavors. My Mom is more traditional, and my favorite is her pot roast, mashed potatos and gravy. While, my Stepmom is likes that Asian flare, with jasmine rice, stir fried veggies, steak, and our special “red sauce.” Yum.

Ok now that we’re all hungry, my point is, fresh, home made food is good. The same goes with making baby food, as I’ve discovered. Savannah has eaten the jarred stuff well. She’s tried a wide variety of foods and has liked pretty much everything. The problem is, she’s apparently gotten to love this whole solid food deal and wants, sometimes, 2-3 jars a MEAL. If you know anything about baby food, even though each jar is .59 cents each or whatever, it adds up quick. And they eat it all up quick.

So, I searched for a solution to help cut down the cost. Mark and I being college students, money gets tight. We have more important things to spend our money on than food for a 6 month old (who’s main source is breast milk, anyway)! And really, if we are eating the same foods at dinner anyway, why couldn’t we just give her the same thing (minus the salt, sugar, and other seasonings)?

And then I came across this Baby Food Processor. I also bought freezer trays and teething feeder while at Babies “R” Us. As soon as we got home I started to experiment with my new gadget and cooked some carrots and squash to be ground up. The processor is so easy to put together, cleans easily (dishwasher safe–a plus!), works well and very easy to use. And, it wasn’t as expensive as I thought it would be, $20 is not bad for something that we will be able to keep using. Think of how much money that will save us in the long run! My only complaint is that the gaurd lid is hard to get off, small price to pay for the rest of it’s benefits, in my opinion.

After the food is ground up to your liking (I also add formula, juice or water), simply pour into the freezer trays for later or feed it straight to the hungry baby. Each tray holds several servings, Savannah usually eats about 2 of the cubs.

So far, my favorite thing to mash up is bananas. The jarred stuff, since they add vitamin C stuff to it, doesn’t quite taste like a real banana, making it much more tart. Actually, that’s the case for many jarred baby foods. Savannah’s face is priceless watching her taste these sour fruits. But, that isn’t so with ‘real’ food. She loves these home made foods even more! The only thing she hasn’t liked so far is green beans. She’ll eat the jarred stuff but wasn’t too sure about the home made ones. I’m betting when she tries the meat eventually, she’ll like it better as well. Those jarred ones…ew!

Don’t get me wrong though, we’ll still be buying the jarred stuff. After all, you can’t lug a freezer around in your diaper bag to keep things fresh. The jars are still convenient, and to get her to eat some things, like green beans, that she prefers in jars. We just won’t have to buy as much.

So not only are we saving money and she likes it better, I feel good about it. The extra few minutes preparing several of her meals at a time, is worth it. I like knowing that I can control the ingredients that are going into her baby tummy. I like knowing that I made it, and she likes it! I like that I can play with it and make my own combinations of foods. Best of all, I fees like it shows Savannah how much I love her in some way, that I took the time to do this for her. It’s like standing in the kitchen with my parents growing up, watching them cook and knowing how much love they put into it. Same goes for Savannah, food made with love.