Welcome to Little Red Parkas


Little Red Parkas,

here to bring resources, guidance and support for mothers of young children as based on a poem from the Bible about a Virtuous Woman.



Looking for the Cloth Diapers from the demo class? check out the "Cloth Diapering" page below.





Baby Food - Make your own!

PAGE STILL IN PROGRESS






But here is a little teaser...

Thanks to concerns over preservatives and 'extras' in our foods, when you now look at the ingredients on a jar of baby food, you see two ingredients. Whatever the baby food is (i.e. Peas) and water.

I know, astonishing. My jar of pureed peas baby food has peas and water in it. Then why am I paying $0.80 + when I can get 'real' peas for less.

If you have an oven, a blender and a freezer...you are on your way to making baby food.


The simplified version (more info to follow, remember "page still in progress")

Heat your food using the oven, stove top or microwave. (steaming the foods is best for nutrients). Already soft foods can skip this step (i.e. fruits, or some raw veggies)


Puree using a blender or food processor. (Does not have to be anything fancy.) Add water as necessary for easier blending.


Scoop blended food into ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer.


When frozen, pop out food cubes and place into freezer ziplock bags.


Label what the item is and when it was frozen.


Each cube is about one ounce of food.


Frozen food cubes are good for about one month.


Take out cubes as needed for feedings. Let thaw in room temperature or in microwave. You can add water or baby cereal to change consistency.






Good starter foods are:
peas
sweet potatoes
butternut squash
pears




If you need ideas for what foods to try, look at the jarred baby foods in the store!

When I made baby foods, I would buy frozen bags of peas, carrots or mixed veggies when baby was a little older. (small bags of frozen veggies are less than a dollar at WalMart). That saved a step of cleaning and/or peeling.

Some 'big people' foods are practically baby ready. Buy large jars of unsweetened applesauce; the whole family can eat that. Bananas can be mashed with a fork. Cans of fruit with 100% juice make good baby food as well.



Making your own baby food does not take a lot of time. I would take one day every three to four weeks and make baby food. Somethings would be on the stove warming up, somethings in the micro, others in the mixing bowl with my handheld blender and some in ice cube trays in the freezer. I just went slowly and worked a little here and there in between my kids activities.



More tips and tricks to come, but this will hopefully get your gears turning.