More on introducing solids

Before we began to incorporate cereals, fruits and veggies into Brayden's feeding regimen, I had decided that I'd try to make as much of his food myself. For those who really know me, I'm not much of a chef (or baker) but I had received a fantastic baby food cookbook from PBK as a shower gift so I decided to take on the challenge.

Although this cookbook includes recipes for preparing all of the basic introductory foods including the cereals, I've decided to purchase My Organic Baby cereals to ensure the iron fortified nutrients necessary at this stage of development aren't missed.
On a relative basis, babies eat more food per pound of body weight than adults, so you want to ensure it's as pure as possible. By cooking with organic ingredients baby's diet is free of harmful synthetic hormones, pesticides and antibiotics. The fruits and veggies that tend to be highest in pesticide residue include: bell peppers, celery, root vegetables (such as potatoes or carrots), greens (such as spinach or lettuce), peaches and nectarines, apples, strawberries and cherries.
To date, Brayden has tried the following foods, all of which I've prepared myself (save the prunes):
Sweet potato Chock-full of both vitamin A and fiber while also offering a balance of sweetness, earthiness and soft toothsome texture.
Prunes To help with constipation induced by the introduction of solid foods which are not as easily digestible as breast milk. (I bought organic prune puree rather than making these myself.)

Banana Choose fully ripe bananas to ensure that they sooth and promote digestion. Unripe bananas may have the opposite effect. Ripe bananas also contain more antioxidants.
Sweet peas Frozen peas are a great alternative to fresh peas in season, as they're frozen at their peak.
Zucchini Recipes that call for everything including the skin, such as zucchini and summer squashes, it's recommended to choose organic. Plus, it's fun to shop for fresh produce in the summer at a farmer's market!
Applesauce Apples are a great first fruit for baby because they're sweet and full of fiber and vitamin C. It's recommended to use sweet apples such as Gala, Pink Lady or McIntosh since babies favour sweet over tart flavors in the early stages. A pinch of cinnamon can also be added to experiment with spices and offer a variance in flavor.
Preparing baby food is as easy as 1-2-3. The kitchen tools required are:

• A medium-sized saucepan
• A steamer basket
• A baking pan or dish
• A food processor or blender for pureeing (I'm delighted that I am finally putting the food processor we received as a wedding gift to good use!)
• Ice cube trays (For freezing individual portions. I've been measuring 1tbsp portions)
• Ziploc freezer bags (Once the food in the ice cube trays are frozen, transfer them into a freezer bag and label the bag with the contents and date prepared.  Most veggies and fruits can be frozen for up to 3 months)
• Small portion food pots (Useful when thawing and heating individual portions)

To make things easy, everything I use is dishwasher safe!