One of the most frugal things involving baby is making your own baby foods, so if you have a great recipe that baby loves, post it here. Also, any tips on preparing, storing and freezing these recipes!

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married 8 years to a crazy Brit, mommy to a banana, she is 5 and a pineapple who is just about 2 , mommy to 4 ~angel~ babies

I always made each food separately (never made recipes) that way, I could choose to mix or not each day. Most things I peeled, steamed and put in the blended on puree (thin SLOWLY with the water you steamed with). Some things don't need water, in fact some are already too runny like cantaloupe, and will need cereal mixed in upon serving to thicken. You just pour the puree into ice cube trays and once they're frozen pile the cubes in a ziploc with name and date. Many websites tell you you have to cover the ice cube trays but I stopped doing it as it just created more frost. When you're read to serve just microwave any combination of cubes.
Things I made this way:
apples
pears
yams
sweet potatoes
white potatoes (this is the only one she hated)
plums
carrots
peas (frozen)
green beans (canned and fresh)
several kinds of squash
beef
chicken (meats I roasted or boiled first)
cantaloupe (don't have to cook)
banana (don't have to cook)
spinach (waited until 11m)

I think that's it. If you do have to use canned produce just rinse off the syrup first. We used organic just because the produce here is terrible, but since you're peeling everything I will just use regular next time.
I absolutely LOVED making dd's baby food; I felt more in control, no opening messy containers, upping portions was super easy, no leftovers, and you can create "recipes" each day. Not to mention saving $$! I let things freeze for up to 3 months, so I had practically every food on hand all the time. (I still only feed her food 2x/day as we are nursing a lot)
Whew~! That was long winded but hope it helps.

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Stay at home mommy to one beautiful girl, Anna Dee, born February 2008

Oats & 'Naner Drops
submitted by Karla
1 c quick oats
1 c ground oats (grind oats and make a coarse oat flour)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon or ginger or cardamom (we'd try it with all 4 spices!)
1/4 t nutmeg
1 t baking powder
1 c (~2) overripe bananas, mashed
1 t vanilla extract
3 T oil of choice

Mix dry, mix wet, add wet to dry. Drop by the spoonful onto parchment paper or greased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 min at 350. (adapted from a vegan cookbook

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Teething Biscuit Recipes - Try These Banana Bread Sticks

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 3/4 cups flour (white, whole wheat, or a combination)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine ingredients and stir only until smooth. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour or until firmly set.

Cool, remove from pan, and cut into sticks. Spread sticks out on a cookie sheet and bake at 150 degrees F for 1 hour or longer until the sticks are hard and crunchy. Store in a tightly covered container. Source: Feed Me I'm Yours by Vicki Lansky**Freezes Well**

Did you know that you can make your baby yummy teething biscuits and rusks simply by baking you favorite (healthy) breads? The above method may be used with your favorite carrot bread, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread and even our Editor's favorite apple bread recipe!

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Teething Biscuit Recipes - Yummy Rice Banana Baby Cereal Cookies -

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups banana rice baby cereal (commercial baby cereal)
2 tablespoon wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-2 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Beat oil and egg yolks together then add the sugar, mixing well to combine.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold into wet mixture until everything is combined.
If this seems too dry, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water. This dough will be very stiff.

Knead dough and roll out into a log on a floured surface. Cut 1⁄4-inch slices from log and arrange on the baking sheet. You may make these any shape you like!

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes flipping biscuits over halfway through bake time.

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Teething Biscuit Recipes - Eggless Baby Cereal Cookies

1 cup flour
1 cup dry infant rice cereal with bananas (or other flavored or
unflavored infant cereal)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
ice water

Directions:
Preheat oven 425F
Mix flour and cereal.
Gradually stir in oil. Mix a little ice water at a time (start with 1/4 cup) until dough begins to form a ball and pull away from the bowl.
Roll out to the thickness of a cracker on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet 10-12 min. or until lightly brown. Cool completely.

Store in an airtight container. (you may want to try 1/2 plain and 1/2 flavoured baby cereal as the taste when using full flavoured baby cereal is very strong!)

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Baby Pancakes - not a biscuit recipe but a great finger food and we just had to include it!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup baby barley cereal (or other baby cereal)
1 cup formula (or another liquid such as milk)
1/2 cup mashed banana (or fruit of your choice)
1 tbsp melted margarine or butter (unsalted type)
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup baby oatmeal
apple juice (about 1/2 cup) Use water if you prefer
Add cinnamon, nutmeg, dash of vanilla or other flavourings if you wish!

Mix all ingredients together and add enough juice to make pancake consistency. Cook on cook top in frying pan as with "regular" pancakes! **Freezes Well**

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Teething Biscuit Recipes -
Our Favorite Baby Cereal Cookie Recipe!

2 Tbs Shortening
1/2 C. sugar
1 egg
1tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp water
1 1/2 C. rice baby cereal

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and water. Mix until well blended. Gradually stir in cereal.
Knead until smooth. Pat into rectangle. Cut into 12 1" bars, smooth edges so they will not be sharp. Place on ungreased sheet. Bake 20-30 min or until dry.
Store in uncovered container overnight. **Freezes Well** You may need to add some flour to this mixture to stiffen the dough if needed. Add the flour by tablespoonfuls until a more firm and stiff dough is formed!

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Monkey Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter/margarine, softened
2 eggs
2 bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Mix well.
Add butter or margarine. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Drop by tspfuls on cookie sheet. Bake in a preheat, 400-degree oven 12 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen. These are very cake-like and you may wish to add more flour for a stiffer "cookie".

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Teething Biscuits* Buffalo News

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup instant non-fat dry milk powder
1/2 cup wheat germ
11/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 EGG
1/2 cup undiluted, frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Combine flour, milk powder, wheat germ, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together.

In another bowl, combine sugar and oil. Beat in the egg and orange juice and gradually add flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Place greased cookie sheet on damp towel to keep from sliding. Place dough on cookie sheet and flatten, rolling out to within 1 inch of the edge.

Cut into 2 by 3/4-inch bars; separating the cookies isn't necessary. Bake 15 minutes in preheated 375-degree oven until light brown.

Remove from oven; recut on the same lines. Return to oven. Turn off heat and let set until oven is cool. Makes about 6 dozen cookies that can be frozen and thawed as needed. **Freezes Well**

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