baby cereal: this is how we roll ***now with updates!***

Here's a little tip for all you baby food feeding people out there. Lean in close, because I'm gonna tell you a secret:

Baby food is a colossal rip off.

If you have a blender or a food processor, a stove, a pot and some water at your disposal, you can make baby cereal for wicked cheap. We have the sweet Mennonite Bulk Food Store Hook-Up. Today, I made brown basmati rice cereal, barley cereal, and oat cereal.

You can't beat the price.

This here's barley.

Put it in that there food processor.

Or blender.

Just don't put so much in the blender.

Because it will get all crabby with you.

And it will refuse to do a good job.

Trust me on this one.

Turn on your food processor.

Go fold laundry or something.

See how there's still chunks of barley?

That means it's not done.

Go fold some more laundry.

Or something.

When the barley (or rice, or oats, or millet)

gets all powdery and flour-ish,

it's done.

Also, please do not make me tell you

that sticking your hand in a

food processor is

STUPID.

Moving on.

Bring a couple of cups of water to a rolling boil.

Whisk in a half a cup or so of the powdery, flour-ish grain.

Be certain to pay attention.

Because if this sucker boils over,

you are going to regret it.

Trust me on this one.

Continue to watch your the pot boil.

Whisk often.

Nobody likes burnt baby food.

Again, trust me on this.

When it's thick and resembles

porridge

it is done.

Please don't make me tell you that

you shouldn't feed your baby

boiling hot porridge.

Really, Holmes.

Happy baby.

***UPDATE/ADDENDUM/ETC.***

1. Sarrah asked if I made the pot for the whole week. My answer: sort of. I make a pot and put it in a canning jar. We scoop out a meal for Elliott, and pop the jar back in the fridge. I make more as needed because it's really quick. And if you make porridge right before baby's mealtime, and you have frozen cubes of fruits and veggies, you can throw one or two into the hot porridge to cool it down before feeding it to your babe.

2. I make lots and lots of ground grain at one time. Last night I ground a quart jar of rice powder, a quart jar of barley powder, and a quart jar of oat powder. My main reason for this is because I do not want to have my food processor on my counter any more than necessary. I keep the grain powder in quart canning jars in my fridge, but it stores very well in the freezer, too.