I have made baby food for all of my children. As I was preparing to get started with my newest eater, I found an interesting product through One Step Ahead called Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers. Marketed as an easy way to take homemade baby food on the go, I decided to give them a try.

Product Description

The Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers are a set of 12 two-ounce cups, each with a screw cap to keep food inside. The cup is marked with one- and two-ounce fill lines for ease in filling. The cups come with a stacking tray to which they attach to keep things organized in the freezer - the tray holds six cups, and then the cups securely stack on top of each other.

The Verdict

So how do these cups work? So far, I have been very pleased. The cups are really easy to fill because the ounce markings let me know I am serving the baby the right amount. The caps are easy to screw on to the cups, and they stay closed, even in the diaper bag (which I have heard can be a problem with other single-serving storage products). They stack easily, and the tray and cups fit well into the freezer door, which makes my freezer organization much easier.

Besides freezing baby food, these small containers have been perfect for mixing up the baby's first cereal with formula. Because it has the ounce markings, it is very easy to just mix up a small amount of formula for the cereal without dirtying a whole bottle.


When we have been out and about, the containers have worked well. As I mentioned above, the caps stayed on, and I have not had any leaking. The lid even stayed on through an unintentional drop test onto a restaurant’s tile floor. When we are going out for the day, I have been able to grab a cup of sweet potatoes or avocado from the freezer, throw it in the diaper bag, and it is thawed by lunch. So easy!

One of the reasons that I am so excited about this product is that I will be able to continue using the cups long after the baby is done with baby food. They will be great for transporting snacks, holding salad dressing or hummus for lunches, and more. I just love when baby product purchases work well beyond the baby years.

Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers sell for $9.95 through One Step Ahead.

Are you looking for other storage containers for baby food? Emily did a great overview of some products to help make baby food cubes for home use. - Sara I.

Once a baby can handle foods with a bit of texture (somewhere around 7 to 10 months old), it is a great idea to get familiar with the bulk aisle of a natural grocery store. This aisle, which is often intimidating for someone not used to cooking with whole grains, is chock full of nutritious, easy to cook, and very inexpensive foods for your baby.

Below, I've compiled some favorite recipes for cooking bulk aisle picks for babies. All of these recipes involve simmering, which as a bonus means that if you transfer the final product directly into the fridge, the food will easily keep for 3 or 4 days. I always make at least 1 cup (dry) of whatever at a time, which typically yields 3 to 5 cups cooked. For easy of translating these recipes into different quantities according to your needs, I listed all the amounts as ratios instead of cups or pounds. The one caveat to this is that once you get below about 1 cup of liquid, recipes tend to go haywire. So, for instance, if your recipe is 1:4 grain to water, cook at least 1/4 (and preferably 1/2) a cup of grains so that you are at or over 1 cup of liquid.

Here are a few bulk aisle picks that my baby loves:

Beluga lentils

• Ratio: 1:4 lentils to liquid


• Directions: Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes. Drain if desired.


• Tasty tip: Extra flavorful if cooked in dilute stock.

Steel cut oats

• Ratio: 1:4 oats to water


• Directions: Bring oats to a boil, then simmer very low for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.


• Tasty tip: Especially tasty with a tiny dash of maple syrup (for moms and dads)

Pearled barley

• Ratio: At least 1:4 barley to liquid


• Directions: Simmer in water or dilute chicken or vegetable stock for 35 to 40 minutes. Drain if desired.


• Tasty tip: Great if cooked in the same pot as the beluga lentils!

Quinoa

• Ratio: 1:2 quinoa (KEEN-wa) to water.


• Directions: Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes. Quinoa will be soft and translucent when done.


• Tasty tip: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top for extra flavor.

Polenta-style cornmeal

• Ratio: 1:3 polenta to water or dilute stock


• Directions: Simmer very low for 25 minutes.


• Serving tip: Make sure to let it cool adequately before serving - polenta will retain heat more than the other recipes here.

Whole wheat couscous

• Ratio: 1:1.5 couscous to liquid.


• Directions: Boil liquid, stir in couscous, return to a boil, then cover and set on the counter for about 5 minutes.


• Tasty tip: A mixture of tomato soup and water is really tasty for the liquid portion.

Bon appetit! - Leigh G.

I always had good intentions of making homemade baby food but it never lasted more than a few butternut-squash baking sessions. Perhaps if I’d had more of a how-to guide than a simple collection of recipes I’d have stuck with it. That’s why I wish I’d known about the So Easy Baby Food Kit months ago (10 to be exact).

The So Easy Baby Food Kit is like your four-star all-inclusive resort. It has everything you need - and will teach you everything you need to know - to make fresh, natural meals for your little one. In less than 30 minutes a week you can ensure your baby is getting a balanced diet and on her way to establishing healthy eating habits.

The So Easy Baby Food Kit includes a cookbook full of recipes and info on introducing solid food; two BPA-free stackable, dishwasher-safe freezer trays (my favorite items) in pre-portioned one-ounce servings; how-to DVD walking you through choosing the right produce to preparing the food to serving it; nutrition card offering tips on everything from the best sources for nutrients to first-aid for choking. Add a few fresh ingredients and you’ve got a recipe for solid-food feeding success!

This kit is perfect for babies about 6 months old, who are just transitioning to solid foods. It is also perfect for moms like me who have the desire to make fresh and healthy food for their babies but need a little more than a recipe book. You can purchase the So Easy Baby Food Kit for a very tasty price of $27 from Amazon.com.

Z Recommends tested two baby food kits last year - the So Easy Baby Food Kit, and Mumi & Bubi's Solid Starter Kit. If you're looking for the hardware without instructions, recipes, and other helps, that post got some excellent recommendations in the comments, including:

• OXO Good Grips ice cube trays - These trays are given higher marks by moms looking for inexpensive baby food freezing trays (at under $5 apiece) than by the general population. Baby food makers love them because they have firmly fitting lids.


• KidCo's BabySteps Natural Feeding System - includes a food mill and a bunch of other stuff, but KidCo has switched from a food mill with metal parts to an all-plastic one, and quality has suffered. It is also pricey at about $60 for the set, but the ZRecs Guide established that the entire set is BPA-free, despite the clear hard plastic used. You can get a "basic" set for $39.


• Standard ice cube trays by Rubbermaid with plastic wrap to cover. The cheapest, although their twist-to-release design doesn't work as well for thick frozen items like baby food as it does for ice.


• Orka's Freeze and Press Ice Cube Trays - Easy in, easy out, and easy storage by combining firm plastic with silicone bases. $10 apiece.


• Silicone ice cube trays release food the most easily, but aren't as easily stacked.

- Emily H.

When I first dabbled in the Deceptively Delicious cookbook I created a freezer-full of purees, from butternut squash to pineapple to broccoli (the last one was definitely not my family’s favorite). At the time my baby was too young to eat solid food, but once she hit about six months I fed her some of those homemade purees and she gobbled them up! (Good thing since my family quickly grew tired of deceptively delicious, and often not so delicious, meals.) My only regret was not venturing more into the world of homemade baby food, but perhaps if I’d had a resource like Williams-Sonoma’s new Cooking for Baby cookbook I would have tried again.

Cooking for Baby by Lisa Barnes takes a more simplistic approach to making your own baby food but still allows you to create meals full of flavor and freshness. The book is organized into age-specific chapters, which is perfect for someone like me whose hand needs holding the whole pureed way. With fresh and wholesome ingredients you’ll find recipes perfect for your six-month-old (cereal grains and simple vegetable and fruit purees) or growing toddler (chunkier foods and eventually real meals).

Cooking for Baby’s 80 recipes are accompanied by colorful photos and helpful advice. You can start your own puree adventure for only $20 at Williams-Sonoma.com.

Do you have a favorite baby food guide or cookbook to recommend to readers? Share it here! - Emily H.