Avent combined steamer and blender - the ultimate in home cooked baby food

I like to make my own baby food for BabyG. He prefers home cooked food to jars, it's healthier, and I believe it helps get children used to a wider variety of flavours. BoyG didn't really eat home cooked food as a baby and he is a very fussy eater now! I do try to get healthy food into him and he will eat lots of fruit, but dinners really have to be pasta, or sausages for him to clear his plate. This has made me even more determined to give BabyG food that I have prepared rather than a bland jar of baby food.



My sous chef



I have been putting aside a few bits from our dinners and blending it up to make food for BabyG. This is OK, but it is very hard to blend small amounts of food and I have found myself getting lazy and just buying boxes or jars of branded food.

I have been sent the Philips Avent combined steamer and blender. As I described it in the title of this post, it really is the ultimate in home cooked baby food! I only wish I had bought one of these when BoyG was weaning. I thought I would give it a go today to see how it worked, how easy it is to use, and how long it takes to prepare meals for a hungry baby. I even had a little help putting the food in to steam by BoyG as he loves to be my little helper in the kitchen.



Apple, cinnamon and raisin



It is very simple to use (even DaddyG can use it!!) and easy to wash up afterwards. Included in the box is the steamer and blender, full instructions, quick start instructions for eager people like myself, a measuring jug, a spatula, and a recipe book.

I had been thinking of some recipes to try out before the steamer and blender arrived, but the recipe book included is easy to follow. The meals are quick to prepare, and there are recipes for each stage of weaning.

I have tried out a few recipes. Some my own, some from the book and some that are from the book but I have adapted them to suit the ingredients I had in the fridge.

This is pork, carrot, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, served with mashed potato.

I tried the sweet pepper sauce from the recipe book. I am going to freeze it in small pots and make some baby pasta shapes to go with it when I am ready to use it for a quick supper.



Carrot, mushroom and butternut squash



This has been so much fun to use that I kept going until I ran out of storage pots! My fridge and freezer are now very well stocked! Hopefully dinner time will be a little bit less stressful now that I have one less meal to prepare or think about.

I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who is looking to make their own healthy and tasty baby food. It makes the world of difference!

I was sent this by Philips Avent, but you can purchase this in Avent stockists or on their website.