101 DIY Baby Food Pouches: Incredibly Easy Recipes for Reusable Pouches

By Kawn Al-Jabbouri

Feed your baby better, save money, and waste less with the homemade puree recipes in 101 DIY Baby Food Pouches. Starting your baby on solids is an exciting developmental period that comes with many choices and some challenges. With baby keeping you very busy already, the convenience and portability of prepackaged, squeezable purees, are hard to resist—but they are expensive, and laden with preservatives. Lucky for you, making homemade purees is easier than you may think! 101 DIY Baby Food Pouches gives you the guidance, confidence, and inspiration you need to make food pouches at home. With just a little coaching, you will: ·Save money with homemade food pouches ·Make healthy choices by picking every fresh ingredient to add to your pouch ·Reduce waste by reusing your DIY pouches again and again ·Always be ready for meals by making purees in batches and freezing them for later ·Easily combine flavors and experiment with new foodsThe book conveniently divides the recipes by savory and sweet combinations. Savory recipes include Sweet Potato and Kale; Asparagus, Chickpea, and Sweet Potato; and Kidney Beans, Parsnip, Beets, and Beef. Sweet recipes include Apricot Raspberry Puree and Plum, Apple, Mint, and Yogurt. Ideal for parents always on the go, 101 DIY Baby Food Pouches includes instructions for filling your own pouches and—you guessed it—101 recipes to inspire you. DIY food pouches are cheaper, healthier, and eco-friendly—the perfect solution for busy families. Ready, set...pouch!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781631595899

Book preview

101 DIY Baby Food Pouches: Incredibly Easy Recipes for Reusable Pouches101 DIY Baby Food Pouches: Incredibly Easy Recipes for Reusable Pouches

CONTENTS

Foreword by Kawn Al-Jabbouri

Introduction

Savory Purees

Sweet Purees

About the Authors

Index

FOREWORD

By Kawn Al-jabbouri, author of Baby Food Universe

Being chosen to write the foreword for 101 DIY Baby Food Pouches was an immense honor given the quality of the authors involved in this amazing new book.

Over the years of building my Instagram page @Babyfooduniverse, it’s been a pleasure to be able to share my experiences of healthy eating and talk to many thousands of parents about how to best feed their babies.

Many parents I speak to are looking for a simple solution to feeding their little ones while away from home, and they would prefer to avoid commercial baby food. I continue to make my own baby food pouches for both my children, and I’ve always recommended others to do the same.

The process of making your own baby food pouches is made easier these days because of the quality of reusable products on the market, which are very inexpensive. Made in advance and frozen at home, they are available at a moment’s notice and make last-minute trips outside the house a much less stressful experience, especially when your baby is first starting solids. For me, it is important that when on the go my children have access to the same nutritious food they have at home and not to rely on store-bought fare. Another advantage of using pouches is in social situations where giving your baby a spoon is often messy and leads to numerous outfit changes. I found that my children mastered feeding themselves with a pouch very quickly and were always excited to find out what was inside. Fillings can be fruit or vegetables, sweet or savory—the possibilities are endless. They become a perfect meal for a busy parent and baby on the move.

On behalf of my fellow authors, we all hope you enjoy the recipes we have lovingly created for you and wish you continued feeding success.

INTRODUCTION

Providing nutritious food for your children is a no-brainer for most parents, but it’s not always easy to do when you’re running between school, work, play dates, errands, and family commitments. Baby food pouches give you a convenient option on the go that’s nearly mess-free, and grocery stores stock an incredible variety of flavors. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know what’s really in those pouches, and as a one-time-use food item, they produce a lot of waste.

Reusable pouches (of material that does not contain BPA or is the highest quality and low toxicity) are a fantastic alternative that give you full control over what your baby is eating. A few hours of cooking can build a freezer stock of purees that will last for months. And you don’t have to stop using pouches when your baby becomes a toddler—even school-age children enjoy pouches in their lunches! Many kids see pouches as treats and will gobble up nearly anything you put in them, which offers you the opportunity to sneak in foods that picky eaters refuse. If pouches are a regular part of your child’s early years, you’ll save hundreds of dollars by investing in a reusable set and making your own purees.

You may have heard some of the arguments against using pouches for feeding babies. Many of these (environmental impact, questionable freshness, preservatives added to purees) aren’t an issue when you make your own purees to fill reusable pouches. One complaint that applies to any type of pouch is that they interfere with the process of learning proper feeding techniques. As long as you use pouches with discretion, there’s no need to worry. Reusable pouches are great for quick, healthy meals and snacks on the go. As long as you choose other feeding options for regular meals, baby will still get plenty of messy spoon practice!

GETTING STARTED

There are many different types and sizes of reusable pouches on the market. Look for BPA-free pouches that are durable in the hands of babies and toddlers and won’t leak in your diaper bag or lunch box. They should also be easy to fill and clean. There are lots of cute packaging options, but you may prefer clear pouches if you plan to store food in them, allowing you to see if any puree has spoiled or started to mold. The clear pouches are also easiest to clean thoroughly, especially if they have little nooks and crannies that trap bits of food. Dishwasher-safe pouches make clean-up and sterilizing easy.

Pouches also come in multiple sizes. Younger babies will eat less, but consider whether you are investing in pouches that your baby may use for a few years. In that case, you’ll want a larger capacity that you can fill with more puree as your baby grows. Some reusable pouch manufacturers offer a filling station to give you an easy way of getting puree into your pouches. Others make a special funnel that’s just the right size for pouches.

MAKING PUREES

If you haven’t made your own baby food before, don’t be overwhelmed! This book is full of puree recipes to give you lots of ideas about what to put into your pouches, and the vast majority of them are very simple. After preparing the ingredients, most recipes instruct you to blend everything together. A food processor is the easiest tool to use for quick and thorough pureeing, as well as easy clean-up. However, a blender or immersion blender will also work—make sure you’ve blended thoroughly to remove any chunks that could be a choking hazard or clog the opening of the pouch.

In order to make good use of your time, pick a day to cook as many purees as you can. Select your recipes, plan out a grocery trip to get everything you need, and then get cooking! You’ll notice that many of the recipes have ingredients in common, so with a little planning, you can use up everything in your grocery bag.

GETTING THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY

For young babies just getting started on solid foods, very runny purees tend to be more palatable. These will work in pouches, but be careful