Feeding this Chunky Little Girl

Well, she isn't so chunky anymore. The trend for my 2 children have been to gain a TON of weight in the beginning and then slow down. At 6 months she weighed 16 pounds and I think she still only weighs between 16 and 17 pounds.

I don't think I every posted about making Evie's baby food. I thought about making it for Jeremiah, but wasn't so motivated. And I really didn't inform myself that well so I thought it was going to be a lot of trouble and I thought we wouldn't see a huge difference in our pocket book. Well, I was wrong.

My 2 best friends, Morgan and Jessica both made their own baby food and I was convinced early on in my pregnancy I was going to try it. I felt that since I did stay at home (which is a blessing) that I should try and help out the family budget! :)

I have thoroughly enjoyed making Evie's baby food. I love knowing exactly what I am making, that I am saving money, and just the idea of me actually "making" it!

The foods I have made so far have been green beans, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, and squash (both yellow and butternut). And as far as fruits are concerned I have made apples, pears, peaches, blueberries, bananas, cantaloupe, apricots, avocado, and a few more.

And quite honestly she loves them all! And I love feeding her. Jeremiah was and is not a good eater. So I am so thrilled that Evie enjoys to eat. And even though she does eat a lot, I guess the crawling is keeping her slim!

The website that I use to make the baby food is Wholesome Baby Food. It is an excellent source. Not only does it tell you what food to introduce and at what time, it also tells you why it is a good food for your baby (the nutrients it has to offer), how to pick it out at your local grocery store, and it has recipes. That is probably my favorite part. It tells me what foods are good to combine and gives recipes.

Let me explain. It suggests mixing green beans with apples and you can do the same with carrots! Genius. I love it. Evie is getting something great and it has a little sweetness to it b/c of the apples. And a recent thing we have been able to try is yogurt. I added bananas and blueberries to yogurt and then topped it with crushed cheerios! Again, GENIUS!

The way that I make my food is steam it (if necessary) which is a handy tip that Jessica told me about. I use these steamer bags which cuts the time down to minutes instead of boiling it. Some foods I still bake like sweet potatoes and squash! After steaming, I throw it in my blender, puree it and then freeze it in ice cube trays. After the food is frozen, I put the food in ziploc bags!

So if you are preggers or are at the stage of baby food, try it out! We have saved some serious cash!