Carrot Puree

This past weekend we had a cold front through (and by cold front I mean it was in the 50s, but hey this is southern California). I decided to take advantage of this chilly weather and enjoy some warm comfort food - beef stew! While picking up the ingredients for it I grabbed an extra bag of carrots to make some baby food. When I was a child I hated cooked carrots! I'm not really sure why because cooking carrots actually makes them sweeter so being a total sweet tooth I don't understand why I didn't love them. I have since discovered the error of my ways and embraced cooked carrots simply because they are delicious. So if you too did not like cooked carrots in the past give them another chance they may surprise you :)

I started with a 1 lb bag of carrots. You can either buy this type of carrots or baby carrots. If you are looking to save more money regular carrots are cheaper; if you are looking to save time baby carrots don't need to be peeled. It's really a personal preference so I went with cheaper because I don't really mind pealing them.

You want to make sure you scrub the carrots well when you wash them. Veggie scrubbers cost about $2 and they are good investment since they can be used to clean pretty much all veggies.

 Once you get them all cleaned, peel and chop them. A food processor is not necessary to make baby food, however it will make your life much easier and the whole processes go faster so if you are thinking about doing some serious cooking I would look into one. If you choose to use baby carrots and then use a food processor to chop them; your prep time would be about 5 minutes.

Once the carrots are peeled and chopped, put them in a medium sauce pan with about 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the carrots are soft. 

While the carrots are cooking lets have a Fun Fact! When a carrot is sliced it looks like an eye; carrots are full of beta-carotene which can help prevent night blindness and protect the eye and vision. They also help in bone and teeth formation as well as enhance our immune systems. Awesome!! Thanks Carrots :)

Once the carrots are cooked put them in a food processor or blender and give them a whirl until they reach a smooth consistency. However! Carrots are high in nitrates, so if you are making them for a baby younger than 7 months you will want to use breast milk or formula to blend them instead of the water they were cooked in (since the nitrates will leach into the water). 

If you want a thicker consistency blend the carrots with less liquid; you can also add more liquid in as it blends if you want to thin it out. 

 Once the carrots are smooth and the desired consistency transfer them into an ice cube tray and freeze for later. If you are planning on using them right away you can keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Cost Break Down!!

I bought a 1 lb. bag of carrots for $0.39. A 2-pack container of carrot baby food at the grocery store was $0.97 for 5 ounces. The 1 lb. bag of carrots I bought made 20 ounces of homemade baby food; that equals to about $0.02 an ounce as oppose to the store baby food which was $0.19 an ounce. Basically, the amount of baby food I was able to make for $0.39 would cost $3.80 in store bought baby food.