Baby Food Antics: Butternut Squash

I'm so happy to be blogging again! I thought I would get started with the first installment of baby food. Don't worry, I'll be back on Wednesday with something for us adults. (Here's a hint... it starts with pumpkin and ends with snickerdoodles... Try not to drool too much until then.)

When Eli was six months old, I decided I not only wanted to make all of Eli's baby food, but I also wanted to go organic. I had always shied away from organic foods thinking, "Well, we just don't have the extra money to spend on organic food." I was very surprised to see that organic food isn't always more expensive. In fact, at our grocery store organic potatoes, apples and avocados are the same price as the regular produce! Justin and I have not transitioned to 100% organic eaters, but I have been trying to stick to the dirty dozen as a general guideline to start.

I was a little nervous about making all of Eli's solid food, but making baby food has been significantly easier than I expected. I generally make a big batch on Thursday evenings, and then freeze most of it in ice cube trays. After the puree is frozen, I pop the cubes into freezer bags to store them. This makes it easy to thaw overnight in the fridge, or pop into the microwave if we are in a hurry. If you decide you want to start making baby food, don't feel like you have to go out and buy special equipment, as you probably have everything you need already. I use a jelly roll pan for roasting, a stock pot with a steamer insert for steaming, an immersion blender, and ice cube trays. That's it!

One of the things I love most about making my own baby food is that I can already make something for both Eli and us. I don't want to eat pureed peas, but if it's a vegetable I'm roasting, like this butternut squash, I can roast and puree for Eli, and save a little for Justin and I. We like to use the squash for some of Mrs. W's Butternut Squash Pasta. Give this a try for you and your little one!

Butternut Squash Recipe

(you can also use an acorn squash for this)

1 acorn or butternut squash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut acorn or butternut squash in half, and scoop out seeds. Place halves face down in a pan and cover with an inch of water.

Bake in oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour - be sure the “shell/skin” puckers and halves feel soft. Once cooled, scoop squash “meat” out of the shell. Place squash "meat" into your choice of appliance for pureeing. Add water as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency. (I haven't needed to add water.)

For adults and/or older children, mix in a tablespoon of butter, a spoonful of brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice if you have it), a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of maple syrup. Yum!