Before I had kids, I had no idea you could make your own baby food. I guess I just assumed (out of lack of knowledge) that once they hit a certain age, you would start buying them baby food in a jar. I received a baby food maker at my baby shower and made Nolan's food for a few months. It wasn't the simplest system to follow, it became a hassle, and storing it was a pain in the butt.
But once I received this Cuisinart Baby Food Maker, I was SO excited to start using it with my second child. Its design was much more user friendly and the features were absolutely mind blowing. Not only could you blend the food you added, but you could steam it in there first and THEN blend it. All in one?! Sign me up! We tried store bought organic baby food a few weeks ago and she much preferred the baby food we made using the Cuisinart Baby Food Maker. I typically don't eat organic or pay much attention to labels but when it comes to my new baby, I like to know what's going in her body. 
I absolutely love making her baby food; it makes me feel that next to nursing, it's the best thing I can personally do for her health. We are still in the beginning stages of introducing solids so we have yet to make elaborate recipes, but once we are ready, I know it will be super easy using our Cuisinart Baby Food Maker. As babies grow, they can pretty much eat whatever we eat and it's important I'm eating healthy and providing her with the right type of food too. 
Some of the reasons I enjoy making my own baby food: I can monitor what's being added to it (or really, lack of things being added to it): I typically just use vegetables and fruit and the added water from steaming. This provides extra nutrition versus using regular water! Cost efficient: We are eating the same foods she's eating and therefore, I don't have to go out of my way to buy extra baby food. Easy: I can make a big batch at the beginning of the week and freeze it until she's ready to eat it. The best way I've heard to do this is ice cube trays! The other food system I used came with special containers and it was near impossible to unfreeze them without making a mess. For those of you who have made your own baby food, what have some of your favorite combinations been? My son was not a fan of meat when he was an infant and I am looking for creative recipes to help my daughter adjust to it better. Some of Nolan's favorites were: AvocadoBananaSweet PotatoesApplesauce But what other "firsts" would you recommend? There are a ton of easy baby food recipes on the Cuisinart page but I want to know what worked for YOU! Want to win a Cuisinart Baby Food Maker for yourself? All you have to do is visit this page, come back here, and leave a comment about your favorite recipe or product feature! A winner will be chosen randomly next week :) Good luck! Winner will be chosen at random. Open to US residents only. Giveaway will end 11:59 p.m. July 12th 2014. 
