Whilst in my local supermarket the other day, I had a wander down the chilled meals aisle. For a split second....JUST a split second mind, I considered getting something for my son from there. I hadn't cooked and needed something to give him for his dinner as he doesn't like pasta like my daughter does.
I picked one up (ok, perhaps it was more than a split second...) and had a look. Not only did the big chunks of fish lurking underneath the lumpy mash make me shudder and almost vomit but when I looked at the price, I nearly had a coronary!! Three pounds for the tiniest meal that wouldn't fill Mikey's tummy if he even gave it a second glance and so then it got put back with another shudder and a swift exit from that aisle.
I will admit as babies I did give both my children some variation from the little jars that you can buy especially porridge or rice pudding but I quickly stopped buying as the cost mounted up and the fact that I didn't think my children were getting enough nutrition from a tiny pot that had a shelf life of just under two years. These were quickly binned in favour of a hand blender and I pureed my own foods for them until they were old enough to eat solid *chewy* food.
I loved the fact that I knew what was going into their foods, how fresh it was and that I could freeze portions for another time and that my purse wasn't feeling the heavy burden of the pound coins flying out of it!
Again this is another personal comment as I know with all the kinds of things going on in our lives, moms/dads don't always have the time to cook from scratch and as they are labelled so, these jars/packs are there for our convenience and ease of living. It would be better if they were easier for our pocket though!
If anyone has time (5 mins to prepare and 1 hour to cook), and has a baby they are giving puree food to, why not try sticking a drumstick, half a carrot, potato, and any other veg you want, a handful of lentils and rice into a pot. Cover with water, add a teaspoon of tomato puree and cook. You can add flavouring as you wish or not. This will puree into many meals for your little one and you can freeze the excess to give you peace of mind that you have a nutritional meal for your little one after you've had a very busy day and it's easier on your budget!
5 comments:
Great blog! Thought you might be interested in the report Children's Food Campaign did on the nutritional content of some well known baby foods. We were shocked to discover some innocent sounded baby meals container higher rates of sugar and fat than chocolate biscuits and fast food.Here is the link (you may be asked for a donation but it is voluntary)
http://www.sustainweb.org/publications/?mode=info&id=170
A wonderful post that gives parents a fresh, nutritional option for their childrens meals that's easier on the purse. Great post.
I like this post.
I think it is great how you make sure you come from an angle of not judging others but also make a really valid point particularly in these cash-strapped times. I think schools should really look at introducing some sort of introduction to life skills including parenting. You could teach them a thing or two
Very good blog, we like your ideas for how to make some tasty baby food without having to spend a fortune.
Thankyou very much for your comments. It is certainly very hard to juggle everything life is throwing at us all so I definitely don't mean to be preachy about anything. It would be nice if everyone didn't have to work so hard and at all hours God sends...but that is a total fantasy!! xxx
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