One of "Them"

Last night, I made my first batch of homemade babyfood. It was sweet potatoes. And yes, I can feel it. I can feel myself being immediately categorized as one of "them": the tree huggers, the hippies, and the cloth diapering clans. I assure you though, I am still the same old me. I still use a hairdryer. I still shave. I still wear a bra.

My experiment was so easy! This is how I did it:
Peel and cut three sweet potatoes into 1 inch chunks, add 2 tablespoons of water, cover and nuke for 9 minutes. Let it sit (covered) for 5 minutes, then mutilate in a food processer. Add water to achieve desired consistency. Pour into ice cube trays and Voila! Store the food cubes in a freezer safe bag. It'll keep for up to 2 months. I made 24 servings in 25 minutes for $1.83. Not bad.

What posessed me to do this? Well, when Andrew was a baby, I thought it would save me some money to do it myself. The concept sounded difficult, and I was working full-time. I didn't think I had enough time, or that it would be practical being that Andrew was in daycare and it would have been inconvenient for them. So I checkened out.

Things have changed since then. I'm staying home now, our budget is tightening by the minute, and we're trying to eat more nutritiously. I borrowed the book Super Baby Food from the library. My friend Stacie did this 100% with her son, and she's not nuts. She's extremely intelligent and normal. (Surprisingly these two qualities really can co-exist!) It sounded much easier than I originally thought. Not only can I control exactly what goes into Natalie's food, but I'm also saving money (at least 2/3 cheaper than jarred food) while providing healthier food. Granted, jarred babyfood doesn't cost a huge fortune, but every bit counts right now. I'm also learning a ton about whole grains, organics, and nutrition in the process. I've been flirting with the organics aisle lately, teetering on the edge of a long-term commitment.

I can feel my sister calling me Martha Stewart right now, but I'm still backed up on laundry and housekeeping. I'm fairly law-abiding too.