Friday, May 23, 2008

Beans and Baby Food

So, I've been wanting to incorporate more beans into our diet since we have a ton stockpiled in our pantry. One issue is having to really plan ahead when using dry beans, no more last minute meals. Another problem is that once you eat them, they "stay" with you for hours or longer. You have to plan bean meals around whether you are going out with people the next day or not (or at least I do). So, I may have found a solution. On a new website I just found called momswhothink.com, this was posted:
"The most common complaint about beans is that they cause gas. Here’s how to contain that problem, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): Before cooking, rinse the beans and remove foreign particles, put in a kettle and cover with boiling water, soak for four hours or longer, remove any beans that float to the top, then cook the beans in fresh water."
So, I'll let you know how that works out for me.

Also, I have a cookbook called "The Petit Appetit" by Lisa Barnes which has tons of recipes for homemade baby food. After spending way too much money on jarred baby food I decided to start making my own (we'll see how long this lasts). So, using directions from the book, I made sweet potatoes and then made broccoli with carrots (the carrots were from a baby food jar and were about to go bad since Jane decided that she no longer can eat them plain without gagging). I added the carrots to the broccoli because the broccoli was not blending smooth enough in my wussy teeny food processor. Both purées were a smashing success. I was surprised because I didn't think she'd like broccoli since it has such a strong flavor. I added to the broccoli and carrots some rice cereal and some jarred baby food chicken. She gobbled it all up and then I followed it up with the sweet potato mixed with rice cereal. She loved it! Jane probably thought the sweet potatoes were super sweet compared to her dinner.

So, what do you do with all that extra homemade baby food (since I used 2 large sweet potatoes for the recipe)? Freeze it in ice cube trays covered in foil and then, once solid, put into ziploc bags. That way I can thaw small baby sized portions whenever I need them! Unfortunately I cannot claim that ingenious idea, but I don't know where I saw it. Now, I'm not saying that pre-made baby food in jars is a bad thing. On the contrary, Jane ate many a meal from a jar and they were great. I will continue to use some jars for when we aren't at home. However, for eating at home, nothing can beat the price of homemade.

6 comments:

stephanie said...

Serendipitously, I just got home from Smith's where I happened to buy Bean-o. I'll keep you posted on results (If you want to know).

Cindi B. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cindi B. said...

Heather, you are turning into one of those hippie moms...

qUittAnY said...

janey is so spoiled! J/K that's a good idea, i'll have to tell my sista. oh have you heard of "deceptively delicious" by jerry seinfeilds wife? you'll have to get it for when jane is a little older, it's all about putting healthy foods in homemade cakes, chicken nuggets, etc. it's grand:)

adrianne said...

i'm a hippie mom with you heather! i totally made if for hannah... now for grant - so easy to do. i freeze mine in ice cub trays, freeze them, pop them into ziploc baggies. who would have thought we'd ever do this...

Sara G said...

Hi Heather! I'm so glad you commented on our blog, Jane is adorable...congrats! I love this post because I've been buying baby food for the past month and it is not cheap to feed two babies. I've been thinking of making my own food, especially with the butternut squash I just planted. Thanks for the ice cube idea-I'm going to try it. I'm glad we can stay in touch now, you should come visit Kiersta and me.

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