Hello everyone!
Many of you who are parents of infants or toddlers know the pouch/packet all too well. It is a diverse food option for infants starting solids and a quick nutrient packed food for kids on the go. By 9 months old, my infant could kill three full sized packets in a single sitting and still eat a full bottle. Each packet cost $0.79-$1.50. One day he at 5 packets ($3.95). That doesn’t sound like much money, but at the end of the week that comes to $28 for packets at just $0.79 each when he is eating milk too!

That night I said enough!! There had to be a cheaper way. I found cute animal shaped reusable pouches on Amazon and set about trying to make my own pureed food. I wanted it to be as easy as possible so I would not spend all day trying to make a few pouches. Some were a huge success and others…frankly tasted odd. Let me share with you how I make these and a few things I learned along the way.

When I make these I use an old bullet blender I had that makes small batches. This allows me to easily make several flavors. This is great for babies when you are trying to get them to try new things. I found that one of these 10oz blender cups makes two pouches. It takes me about 20 min to make 10-12 pouches in about 5 flavors. BUT! If you make only 1 flavor in a full size blender you could probably make 12 (or more!) in under 10 min.

Some of the common foods I like to add are:
• Apples – Peal, core, and then chop. You can cook them down in a pan with water to make apple sauce, or cook them in the oven to soften.
• Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ALL THE BERRIES!
• Canned fruits and veggies – Pears, mandarins, peas, peaches.
• Carrots and other root veggies – Toss veggies in olive oil, and cook in the oven at 350F to bring out their natural sweetness. I recommend cooking until they are very soft to make the puree smoother. Don’t microwave…they explode and make a mess…
• Butternut squash – Cut in half, place cut side down on a baking sheet, and then roast in the oven at 400F until fork tender. Then you can easily scoop out the butternut squash.
• Greek or vanilla yogurt – This adds protein, but if you take them on the go you will need a cooler.
• Spinach or kale – These don’t provide tons of flavor, but they provide lots of great vitamins.

Here is what I have learned:
• DON’T BUY A BABY BULLET or any other baby food maker. Your blender will be fine I promise!
• Feel free to use canned veggies and fruits. They are already cooked and blend easily. If you don’t like the syrup the fruits are packed in, you can either rinse the syrup off or buy fruit packed in water or fruit juice.
• Use water to thin out when using foods like carrots. I didn’t want to add any juice due to added sugars, but there are tons of 100% fruit juices out there without additives. I like adding a little bit of water, especially for babies because as they switch to solids the need more liquids, or else you end up with a constipated baby!
• Frozen fruits are a great source of unprocessed fruits. I really like buying the fruit medley bag, that has no sugars added, from Aldi. I have even added frozen avocado for extra vitamins.
• Save caps from store bought packets. I have found that caps from store bought packets fit these packets too!
• Use a bottle brush to clean packets easily.

There are so many combinations of different foods that you can try. Many of the combinations I make for my boys are the same I use for my own smoothies. Chances are, if you like it, your children will too. Think of this as a quick and easy way to get your little one a nutritious meal or snack. Plus, it’s a major bonus that you know what went into it and you kept a little money in your pocket!

If you interested in where I got the animal pouches click HERE. These each hold 5oz of food. If you are looking for something larger, I also have THESE 7oz packets.