Homemade Baby Food

I contemplated whether or not I should post about this (especially since I evidently made Corbin fat doing it). But I know quite a few women who have babies around the solid food stage, and I figured "what the hey". Maybe some of you are thinking about if you should try to make your own baby food or not.

I started making baby food back when Reli was little. One of Anthony's coworkers was pregnant, and we got her bowls, spoons, and a book about baby food (from her registry) as a shower gift. I was pregnant at the time too and kind of laughed at the idea a little. Who has time for something like that? Predictably, some months later I stumbled upon the Homemade Baby Food Recipes website, and my frugal side started doing the math. 
Then when it was finally time for Reli to start solids, I decided to give it a try. No real commitment, just a "let's see how hard this is" sorta deal. I know Ant was thinking that I would try it once and then give up, but I surprised him (and myself) by following through with months worth of entirely homemade goodness. We only ever needed to use store bought jars for convenience sake when we traveled. It was kinda awesome!

Of course it was nice that there weren't any extra preservatives and what not, and there was much less packaging with out all those jars and little plastic cups, and it was cheaper to buy produce by the pound than in tiny cups...but none of that really convinced me that homemade was the way to go. It turned out to be much easier than I had thought, and it must have been my usual DIY attitude that made it feel "right" to do it myself.
 Some foods don't even need to be cooked or pureed in order to make your own...  Mash bananas with a fork as needed, serve no sugar added applesauce straight from the jar,  and yogurt (plain or with a little puree stirred in), are all great ways to make baby food simpler.
Essentially the process involves; peeling and dicing your produce (or using a bag of frozen), cooking it (boiling, steaming, or baking), pureeing it in the food processor, and freezing everything in ice cube trays. It's that simple!

You can blend the purees to make specific meals before freezing, or mix and match the cubes as you go. Just store the ice cubes in ziploc bags and pull out what you need for each meal time. Microwave a few in a small cup, stir, and serve! It's that easy to tailor your little ones meals to their tastes, or even allergies.
Here is a list of my most common purees...
Fruits: pears, peaches, plums, mangoes, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, papaya,  applesauce, babanas, avacado, apricot, kiwi, melon (doesn't freeze well) Veggies: carrots, peas, green beans, turnips, zucchini, squash (yellow, butternut, and acorn), broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, sweet potato, black beans, eggplant, chickpeas, potatoes, corn
I also like using...  tofu or cheese (mixed in when thawing cubes), and  chicken or turkey (cooked and processed into granules)

What do you think about going homemade?  Have you ever tried making baby food, or is it too much of a hassle?

*Disclaimer - I am by no means an expert on babies, food, or even cooking. This is just a commentary on what I have done with my own 2 munchkins. Every child is different so please consult your pediatrician before starting your baby on solids, and make sure you research which foods are suitable for what ages.*