I am so excited about this recipe because it is so easy, and soooo much cheaper than the store bought pouches (which run anywhere from $1.35 to $1.85 where I’m from). And you can make whatever the heck flavors you want. I am going with an oatmeal base and a variety of fruits to choose from, with some trusty greens for good measure. It’s just like making a smoothie (which you can do as well!), but you’re squirting it into a pouch and freezing it.
When making baby food, it is normally recommended that you boil whatever it is you are storing, partly for sanitary reasons, and partly for easy-digestion reasons. You are more than welcome to boil everything and puree it, but for this recipe, the ONLY thing you need to cook is the oatmeal. Everything else gets blended up.
And I am OK with that. Why? Because the other option is this:
Which is good too, but no one is worried about germs here. HOWEVER, if you’re wanting to be extra sanitary, try this tip:
- Put a few drops of colloidal silver in each batch. It is antifungal, antibacterial, AND antiviral. Ancient Greeks and Romans used to store their water in silver barrels to prevent mold and mildew buildup because silver is a natural antimicrobial.
- Pioneers used to put silver coins in their milk when crossing the plains so it would keep longer. It’s true. I learned this from my friend, Amy (who is responsible for the Quick Bread recipe we all hold so dear). I also learned that Amy has been buying reusable squeeze pouches LONG before they became popular; therefore, we can trust what Amy says. She prefers the “U-Store” pouches from Amazon.com. They are good quality, for a good price. I like the Squooshi because they are cute. No other reason. Does there need to be any other reason? And they are about the same price.
Anyway…
SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE:
EITHER Infantino SINGLE USE squeeze pouches. (You can get these at Target and Walmart too.)
or Squooshi REUSABLE squeeze pouches. (You can get these on Amazon.)
And a condiment bottle with a little bit of the tip cut off the end (to allow for easier squeezing).
If you want to go all-out, you can buy the Infantino squeeze station for $20, and there are a bunch of cool accessories as well: a steamer, mill, blender, freezer rack, travel spoons, and cooler.
I personally just use what I have around my kitchen (blender, ketchup bottle, etc.) and am totally happy. I will say, though, the travel spoons are a MUST HAVE because they attach onto the pouches and are reusable. And everyone will think you are super cool when you bust them out. But once your baby hits about a year old, spoons will be a thing of the past. He’ll just suck that stuff right outa the pouch!
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook up your oats.
2. Blend it up with some fruits/veggies and a little juice.
Don’t worry about cleaning out the blender or the condiment bottle between flavors. Cross-contaminating different fruits and veggies is a good thing!
I made:
- banana kale
- apple cinnamon
- mixed berry and kale
- strawberry banana
- everything pie
TIP: You can do pretty much anything you want. Add yogurt to make a smoothie, blend fruit or vegetables by themselves. Or make “go-gurts” and freeze them. Options are endless. I don’t know how our parents got by without these pouches! We must have been malnourished, or fed rocks or something.
3. Squeeze it into a pouch and freeze for later!
Be sure and label your pouch on the back with a Sharpee. Also, keep in mind that the puree will expand when freezing, so you don’t want to pack it too full.
When you’re ready to take it out of the freezer to eat, do not boil it or defrost it in a microwave unless the package instructions say you can (they most likely will say you cannot). What I do is I put one in the fridge the night before to thaw out overnight. You can also put it in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes or so, and it defrosts by the time baby is ready to eat!
OR you can toss a pouch or two in the diaper bag for the day, and they’ll be defrosted by the time baby is ready for a snack!
- 1 cup of steel cut oats...cook according to box directions
- 4 cups of fruit
- Some greens of choice
- Apple juice
- Pour ½ cup of juice in the bottom of the blender.
- Pour 1 spoonful of cooked oatmeal for every pouch, and add your choice of fruit/veggies to taste.
- Blend until desired consistency is reached. You will likely need to add more juice or water to get things blending smoothly.
- Pour mixture into condiment bottle, screw the cap on, and squirt into individual pouches.
- Be sure and label each pouch!
Be careful with the colloidal silver, a doctor told my husband not to use it to often because they are not sure where it is stored in the body. Research shows it doesn’t leave the system and they do not know where it is stored, so in a tiny body it may be more harmful. Just an FYI.