Home-made food: how to easily batch cook a week's worth of baby meals
An increasing number of parents are choosing to prepare their baby's food themselves, to make sure their child has a healthy, nutritious diet. Indeed, with the diversification of your baby's diet from the age of 4 months, getting organised with batch cooking is a real plus.
Preparing a week of recipes may seem tedious, but it can be quite simple and effective if you follow a few steps. In this article, we will give you tips on how to prepare your week of meals easily.
The benefits of home-made baby food
As well as giving your baby a healthy, nutritious diet, making home-made food has many benefits.
Firstly, you’re the one who controls the ingredients used in your dishes. Store-bought baby food may contain additives, preservatives and artificial flavouring that are not needed in a healthy diet. By preparing your baby's meals yourself, you know exactly what your baby is eating.
Store-bought baby food can be expensive, especially if you buy high-end brands. By making it yourself, you can save money and have a wider variety of options.
Finally, making home-made meals can help develop your baby's taste buds from an early age.
How to batch cook for babies over 4 months old?
Batch cook easily in a few simple steps to compose healthy, seasonal meals for your toddlers.
Step 1 : Meal planning
Plan meals for the week by deciding what you’re going to prepare for your baby. We recommend starting with simple foods and combining them gradually. You can prepare
· vegetables: mashed carrot or courgette, for example.
· fruit: apple or pear compote, etc.
· cereals with wheat, rice or pasta.
· pulses: chickpeas or even mashed coral lentils
· protein, such as chicken, turkey or fish.
Step 2 : Buying the ingredients
Once you’ve planned the meals for the week, make a list of the ingredient you’ll need. You can also buy the ingredients in bulk to save money. When buying ingredients, make sure you choose fresh, seasonal produce.
Step 3 : Cooking
Cooking for your baby can be very simple. Fruit and vegetables can be steamed and then blended using a Minipro immersion hand-held blender, with all the accessories you may need: immersion hand-held blender potato ricer stand, immersion hand-held blender chopper bowl etc.
Cereals and pulses can also be steamed and blended for example. For the protein, cook the chicken, turkey or fish and blend it with vegetables or cereals. Make sure you let the food cool before giving it to your baby.
Step 4 : Food storage
Once you’ve prepared the meals, store them in airtight glass or plastic containers that you can keep in the refrigerator or freezer. Storage is an important step in keeping your baby's food safe and must be done with care. Prepared food should be eaten quickly or frozen for later use.
If you choose to freeze it, use freezer bags specially designed for baby food and label them clearly with the date the food was cooked. You can also use ice cube trays to freeze individual portions and then transfer them to freezer bags once they’re completely frozen. That way you can defrost the exact amount you need for each meal.
It’s important to remember that baby food must be used within two days if stored in the refrigerator and within one month if frozen.
Step 5 : Meal preparation
Once you’ve prepared and stored your baby food, it’s time to prepare the meals. If you’ve prepared individual portions and frozen them, just defrost the amount you need for each meal. You can use a water bath to defrost the food or warm it in the microwave. Make sure to stir well to distribute the heat evenly.
For fresh food that’s been refrigerated, reheat it gently in a water bath or in the microwave. Avoid heating it in a pot directly on the hob, as this can cause hot spots that can burn your baby's mouth.
To sum up
Healthy, home-made mashes and compotes using seasonal produce that is cooked at the weekend and ready to be simply reheated throughout the week to give your children what’s best!