Homemade Baby Food

When Max hit about 4 months, I realized how EXPENSIVE baby food is! 50 cents for one bottle sure adds up quick. Well, I wasn't about to pay that much for every meal, so I decided to make my own baby food. I don't think it even dented our budget. It was super easy...everything I made could be frozen and stored for 2-3 months. I usually made one new thing a week to add to what I already had. I froze each thing in ice cube trays, popped them out when they were done, and stored them in the freezer in labeled ziplock baggies. Here are a few of the things that I used:

Steamed veggies....peas, carrots, broccoli....pretty much anything works. I steamed, pureed, and froze each one individually to check for food allergies.
Libby's pumpkin pie filling....On the inside of the package it says that it is thoroughly cooked and great for baby food. I bought the big cans, took out enough for a few days, and froze the rest in individual servings.
Squash and sweet potatoes: I don't think anything is better for your baby than this. I baked them in the oven until they were super soft, pureed them with a little water, and put them in the freezer.
Split pea and lentil soup: great protein sources.
Meats: this wasn't a big hit with Max (no meat ever has been), but an easy mix-in with veggies or rice cereal. I just cooked the meat until it was done and then pureed it with a little water and put it in the freezer. Sounds gross, but it works :-).
Apples: peal, core, and slice the apples. Place in a saucepan with a little water. Cook until super soft. Puree.
Mashed avocados, pears, or bananas.

Anything, really, that you are having for dinner...just be really careful that you don't add salt to what you are going to be pureeing for the baby.

For more ideas, here is a great website that I've used a lot:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/