These 16 Foods Show That Store-Bought Is Sometimes As Good As Homemade

When my firstborn child turned 6 months old, I embarked on the project of feeding him his first solid foods. As I had been both the provider and producer of what he ate up to that point, I felt responsible for ensuring that he continued to be well nourished. I also believed that these first tastes of food would set up eating habits that would stay with him for his whole life.

Instead of buying a box of rice cereal that requires only the addition of water, I ground my own organic brown rice in a blender, boiled it on the stove and stored it (in a glass container, of course) in my fridge. Then every day I would feed him a little scoop of it along with a dollop of organic kale that I had steamed, pureed and frozen into baby-sized portions using an ice cube tray.

I could have just as easily purchased little glass jars of pureed vegetables at the store, but that felt like taking a shortcut. Did I really want to take the easy way out when it came to what I was feeding my baby?

Now, he’s a lanky 14-year-old (taller than I am) who regularly polishes off bowls full of sugary cereal and multiple cheeseburgers from a certain fast food establishment I swore I would never take him to. Of course, I want him to be healthy, and, yes, he does eat fruits and vegetables. But he also eats a lot throughout the course of a day, and I’ve let go of ensuring that every bite is perfect.

I was remembering my baby-feeding journey the other day when I came across a recipe for homemade goldfish crackers that involved a tiny fish-shaped cookie cutter and baking them in the oven in small batches. If that sounds like your idea of fun, by all means, go for it. But if you’re juggling dozens of responsibilities already and don’t need to add the title of