Sweet Potato Pancakes - Homemade Baby Food

    Sweet Potato Pancakes   

                

We made Sweet Potato Pancakes this morning. I used to make these for Jack all the time. My friend Mandy told me about an awesome website years ago and I use it all the time for my boys: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/

 It really has great info for making your own baby food. I make Will's food for many reasons - it's way cheaper, healthy and I suffer from Mom Guilt since I did it for Jack. I also thought this would help my kids be great eaters. Both are still pretty picky eaters.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1 egg (or 2 egg yolks)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (use graham flour for a nice taste.)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk (or more)

Mix sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl with egg. Stir in the flour and add the baking powder.
Add up to 1/3 cup of milk while stirring. Stir in 1 tbsp butter.
The mixture should have the consistency of thick, lumpy sauce like an "instant" pancake mix.
Place a non-stick or heavy iron skillet over medium heat on top of the stove and add 1/2 tsp butter.
Spoon batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles rise to the surface of the pancakes and break. Approx. 1 to 2 minutes.
Using a spatula, flip the pancakes and cook another 2 minutes.
Remove pancakes from the skillet and keep warm on a covered plate in the oven. Freezes Well.

I usually double the batch and freeze a bunch. 

Will did pretty well. Jack loved them and eat three!

Making My Own Baby Food

Here's how I make it:
1. Cook it.
2. Puree it.
3. Freeze it in ice cube trays.
4. Put all the cubes in a labeled freezer bags.
(The above website gives great tips.)

The only thing that really differs is really how you cook the food. Almost everything I steam in a basket in my pot. Sweet potatoes, butternut squash and pumpkins I bake in the oven. The easiest ones to cook are frozen green vegetables and frozen fruit (like peaches and strawberries - just because you don't have to chop anything.

Carrots (which buy organic due to nitrates) I chop and then steam. I also do this with apples and pears.

Carrots and Pears steaming.

Puree in food processor.

 I bought these ice cube trays at Bed, Bath and Beyond. The lids make a real difference, especially for stacking.

Yummy, yummy!