Biting the "Bullet"

First off, I want to say thank you for all your support in my blog endeavor.  All of your sweet words and encouragement have meant so much.  It has also put some pressure on me to have fantastical blog entries.  I need to say that each blog will not be moving and gut wrenching, but it will be practical, and hopefully, entertaining.  So I apologize in advance when I disappoint with an entry. ;)

My sweet little O is almost 9 months old.  That means he has been eating solid foods for nearly 3 months now.  I can't even believe it.  I remember the first bit of food I gave him, I could've cried.  For 6 months of his life, I was the only person/thing he needed for food and sustenance.  Look at that baby face; how could you not want to eat that up?

I have said before that I was going to make O's food once he got started, and I have.  For 3 months now I have been boiling, baking, steaming, slicing, dicing, and pureeing and I love it.  I am surprised at how much I have enjoyed it.  I knew that deciding to take on this task could be a little daunting, but I wanted to make this sacrifice for O.  There were two main reasons I wanted to make his food for him: 1-It is far cheaper to make it myself, and, like I've said before, with me not working, we are looking for any way possible to cut corners. 2-Have you SEEN what is in baby food? And have you tasted it?!  It's horrible.  We went out of town about a month ago so I had to buy some jars of food (I even bought organic) and he HATED it.  With the food I make, I have only found one thing he can't stand (peas...texture, my friends) and, to be honest, I would actually eat any of the things I make him (yes, I tasted them).  He. Loves. To. EAT.  Mangos, blueberries, avocados, green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, cauliflower, and so much more.  And I know the rule:  food for fun until they're one and we are most definitely subscribing to that mindset, but we've had so much fun experimenting and exploring with food.

I write this post to say, making your child's food is actually really easy AND...you don't need anything fancy to do it.  I am here to say, as much as I love it, you do NOT need a Baby Bullet or any of the stuff that comes with it.  I am making this bold statement as someone who owns ALL of it.  That's right.  I, Katie Strout, love a gimmick.  Advertisers basically have me in mind when they make anything cliche.  For whatever reason, I am just drawn to it.  So, of course, when we were registering for baby things, I clicked ALL THINGS Bullet related: processor, steamer, trays, storage, you name it, I clicked it.  We got a lot of it.  We got the processor (which comes with a ton of accessories) and I went a little later and purchased the steamer, because I NEEDED it...right...

Hear me out; I'm not saying the stuff is bad, I'm just saying it isn't necessary.  Ok, if I'm being honest, it's bad.  There, I said it.  The steamer only lasted about 2 months before it has started to act completely insane (I did have a minor episode with a batch of blueberry juice overflowing, BUT that thing should be better than that...come on now) and it never knows when it wants to work so I have given that up.  We have another food processor already in our house (The Ninja--I HIGHLY recommend it...it is ah-mazing...makes the most beautifully smooth smoothies you've ever tasted in your life) so I decided to do a comparison between the Ninja and the Bullet, assuming the Bullet would win, annnnnd I was wrong.  The Ninja was far superior and I was able to make larger batches because it has two different size blenders.  I mean, with a name like Ninja, is it any wonder it won?  Come on, people. 

There are some things I love about the Bullet.  All the little accessories that come with it have been super handy.  The little portable storage containers are great for taking food with us when we have somewhere to be and the little book that came with it gave me great ideas for recipes but HEY, guess where else you can find that sort of stuff...the internet. 

If any of you are venturing into the baby food making world and want some advice, I'd be happy to help.  I won't bore you with a mundane post about making food, but I am here to say, if you have an oven, a stove top, some pots/pans, and cookie sheets, you are good to go.  Deep thoughts...from Katie Strout.