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.