Making baby food at home using a blender is getting more and more popular. People are sick of paying outrageous amounts of money for processed baby food from the grocery store and are moving towards making it themselves. And so, today we will talk about how to make baby food with a Vitamix blender.
Vitamix blenders are strong, reliable, and excellent for making baby food. While you can definitely make baby food in any blender, I recommend the Vitamix simply for its dependability and power. You know the Vitamix blender is not going to malfunction or stop working when you need it the most.
When it comes to making baby food, most homemade recipes only require two ingredients. The first thing you need is a flavor, which will be a single ingredient you add to the blender. The most popular ingredients are definitely pears, carrots, and peas. Keep in mind that if you are using a vegetable for the main ingredient, you must steam it to get it soft before blending.
The second thing you need for making baby food in your Vitamix blender is some kind of liquid. This will generally be water, formula, or breast milk. You can always substitute a formula/water mixture if the recipe calls for standard water.
Once you have your two ingredients, simply blend until you reach the perfect baby food texture. It’s really that easy, and it’s much more affordable than purchasing your food from the store. For example, apple-flavored baby food from the store is going to cost you about $ 0.20 per ounce, whereas if you make it yourself it will cost about $0.04 per ounce.
Read More: Best Vitamix blender for smooth drinks
How to Make Baby Food in a Vitamix
Making baby food in your Vitamix blender is extremely simple. We already talked about the two ingredients you will need for making baby food, but now let’s discuss how to actually make the baby food.
You probably want to make a pretty big batch of baby food. There is no sense in making a single serving or only one day’s worth of food. You definitely want to make a huge batch so that you can freeze the leftovers and thaw them as necessary.
The first step is to choose two cups of your favorite ingredient for your baby’s food. Let’s say carrots. First, prepare the carrots accordingly, then place the two cups of your carrots into the Vitamix blender. Be sure your carrots have been properly prepared before adding them to the blender. This is super important.
Now you will add roughly ¼ cup of water, formula, or breast milk into the Vitamix container. This is basically the same as making a smoothie with only two ingredients. You still need the liquid base for the mixture. And you still need the formula or the breast milk as a healthy ingredient in your baby’s food.
The next step is to select variable 1 using your speed dial. Now turn on the machine and gradually increase the speed until you hit variable 4. If you need, increase the speed even more to get a smoother blend and your desired consistency.
The typical blend time is going to be between 20 and 30 seconds. If the mixture appears too thick, simply remove the lid and add more liquid base. You can even add just another squirt of water or formula to lighten the mixture. You then need to continue blending until the consistency is perfect.
Congratulations, you have just made extremely healthy baby food! Now it’s time to store the baby food for later.
Related Articles:
How to Store Baby Food
The best way to store your baby food after it has been blended is by pouring the extra food into ice cube trays. This is one of the best methods, and it’s incredibly easy. When you need to prepare a day’s worth of baby food, simply snap out a few frozen blocks and let them thaw.
Alternatively, you can store the baby food in small containers in the refrigerator. It’s not necessary to freeze the baby food unless you have made one or two weeks’ worth of food. Generally, something simple like carrots mixed with water will last for a few days in the refrigerator with no problems.
If you will be freezing the baby food, I highly recommend you only use breast milk that is fresh. Don’t use thawed breast milk if you are going to be freezing it again.
Banana Berry Baby Food
Before we finish for the day, let’s take a look at an awesome banana berry baby food recipe. This is a little fancier than your average baby food. We are going to use bananas and strawberries without any liquid to create a delicious snack that your baby can enjoy.
Of course, strawberries and banana are both extremely healthy for young babies. But don’t forget that you need to steam these fruits before blending them to help with the baby’s digestion. If you want the baby food to be thinner or more liquid, you can of course use your discretion and add whichever liquid base you prefer.
Ingredients:
- 1 Banana
- 10 Strawberries
Instructions:
- Steam your banana and strawberries before starting the recipe. After they have been steamed, place your banana and your 10 strawberries inside your powerful Vitamix container and then begin blending.
- Start on variable 1 and increase the speed to variable 10. Blend for about 20 seconds, or until the mixture is completely smooth.
- You can now serve immediately and store the extra for later use.
How to Make Baby Food with a Vitamix: Final Thoughts
This is one of countless unique recipes that can make baby food fun. Forget the boring baby food that you see at your local grocery store and start making your own. You will be happy knowing exactly what ingredients are going into your baby’s food and how healthy it really is.
Also, you will save yourself serious money. Don’t waste any more time or energy shopping for baby food when you can make your own fun recipes at home with your Vitamix blender.