Start healthy habits early.

It's a blizzard outside in Kansas. Nearly a foot of snow and an icy wind that could cut through even the burliest of men. The view from our kitchen window this morning was a peaceful one, but inside there were noises aplenty. The sounds of baby gabbing, kitties meowing, musical toys, Game of Thrones (being watched by my husband at top volume) and the whirring of a Baby Bullet filled the warm air of our home.

You see, I've recently started making Piper her very own fresh baby food. Eating from a spoon and sitting at a high chair are new concepts for her, but she's learning quite fast. I nursed her exclusively for the first three months of her life, and then we started supplementing with formula when my milk supply dwindled. (Due to not enough knowledge and information on breastfeeding. If you want to know more on the subject of breastfeeding your baby, go here.) She's been starting solids gradually for a few weeks and she's really taken to them! We've given her a few store bought baby foods, but not only are those expensive, I don't exactly relish the idea of my child ingesting chemicals, preservatives and who knows what else. If breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed your baby, homemade (preferably organic) baby food is the solids equivalent. I'm not one to tell anyone how to parent their child, but if you have the inkling to do this, I strongly recommend the Baby Bullet. It makes a very quick job out of an otherwise daunting task.

A couple of nights ago, after Pip was in bed for the evening, my husband and I got started. We had used the BB before, but only to mash up a quick banana half for her to taste. The other night we did it right! I broke out the steamer, the good knives and our BB accessories. I had made sure to visit the produce aisle at my last grocery trip especially for the occasion. On the menu for our little lady were sweet potatoes, bananas, avocado, yellow squash, apples and pears. As we had limited storage containers available, only half our fruit and veggie stock got made into puree. We refrigerated half of that and froze the rest. (That's right! You can freeze it!)

Refrigerated fresh pureed food only lasts for three days, and she goes through it two jars a day, so I got cracking on more today. I mean, what else am I gonna do with my time on a snow day? I got the steamer going on some squash and apples while I pureed her avocado and banana. Minus the time it takes to wait for steam to do its job, the whole thing took maybe 5 minutes. The total cost of the produce was approximately $5. I got 21 "jars" of food out of this. If I had paid for (not as good) jars of food at the grocery, it could have cost anywhere from $15-25, depending on the brand! I think I like this math.

So, not only am I saving money, but I'm doing something great for my baby. My husband said something really sweet to Piper last night. "Mommy has been making your food since day one." He knows how hard it was to stop nursing/pumping for her, so his words made me feel better about it. I may not be able to give her mother's milk, but I can still make sure that she has the best food I can offer.