With our twin boys getting ready to start solid food, I have been reading about making and freezing my own baby food. It is very easy!

You can make up large quantities of baby meals and freeze them for later use.

Green beans are in season and were on sale at the grocery store, so I bought several pounds to prepare and freeze. I steamed them in an electric steamer for about 20 minutes and then blended them in the blender with some water until they were pureed. I then poured the puree into ice cube trays. After the cubes were frozen I transferred them to a reclosable freezer bag and labeled the bag with the name of the vegetable and the date. These cubes can be stored in the freezer for 1-2 months.

One cube is approximately 1 ounce of food and can be thawed out in the refrigerator or microwaved for a quick meal. You can also mix cubes together (e.g. one meat, one vegetable) for a combination meal. The cubes also travel well, just place a frozen cube in a sealed container until ready to eat...it will be all thawed out and ready to go.

Many types of foods can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. Try freezing cereals, pureed meats, vegetables, and fruits. Fruits (except bananas) need to be cooked before they are pureed and served to baby. Cubes of the same type (vegetables, fruits, meats) can be stored in the freezer together.

The possibilities are endless. When you have leftovers from a family meal, puree it and freeze it for baby. I also pureed some leftover chicken I had on hand for a later meal. Just make sure that baby's portion hasn't had any seasoning of any kind added to it.

There are many resources that can help you get started. Here is a link to suggested meal plans for babies of different ages. It also includes information about storing and preparing food:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babymenu.htm

Here are many easy recipes for making your own baby food, including teething biscuits:

http://www.recipegoldmine.com/baby/baby.html

Making and freezing your own baby food is very easy and I look forward to exploring all the possibilities. It is healthier for your baby and a lot easier on your grocery budget.

It's a good thing the green beans will keep in the freezer for awhile, because when I gave a bite of them to my 4-month-olds they looked at me like I had just fed them the most disgusting thing they'd ever tasted. Guess we'll have to try something else first!

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com