You've probably heard that white rice is not very good for you. White rice begins its life as brown rice, but the brown rice has it's nutritious outer husk (called the bran) removed and thus it becomes white.

Instant baby rice is typically made from white rice. When I thought about all the processing that must go on to make baby rice--the milling, the grinding, adding back the nutrients they striped away in the first place--well, I started to wonder if there was a better way to make rice cereal.

So, I tried it for myself. I took a half cup of uncooked brown rice and ground it into a fine powder in a clean coffee grinder (you can also use a mini-food processor). I then boiled a small amount of water and added a tablespoon of rice to the pot. A few minutes later I had a tasty and nutritious cereal I could feel good about feeding to my baby! This is what I like to feed my babies as their first meal.

I'll typically cook up two tablespoons worth of cereal, one for today and one for tomorrow. Below you'll find two different ways I like to prepare them for my babies. I'm sure you could come up with several other fruit and rice combinations of your own! If you do, feel free to leave a comment in the guest book below.

1. Prepare 2 tablespoons of brown rice cereal (above). Divide and refrigerate half of the cereal for baby's breakfast tomorrow.

2. Cut a banana in half and if ripe, smoosh and squeeze it out of its skin. If the banana is still firm, try microwaving it for 30 seconds first, then squeeze. Either way, this will help create bite size pieces for your baby.

3. Mix banana into rice. Add a dash of cinnamon, if desired. Be sure to taste the food to test its temperature before serving to baby and enjoy!

1. In a small bowl, combine the container of baby cereal you made yesterday with a package of diced and drained peaches. This meal is best for an experienced eater, since the peaches, while soft, are still a bit chunky.

2. Microwave cereal for 45 seconds, stir well and taste to test the temperature before serving. Enjoy!

Another popular cereal for babies is oatmeal. Why pay for a box of instant (and milled) oatmeal when it's so easy to grind your own? At least, that's what my thinking was...

It's easy to make your own oatmeal cereal for baby, just like you can with rice. A half cup of whole oats and a coffee grinder is all it takes! Add a bit of water to a small pot and sprinkle in a tablespoon or two. I like to make enough to serve up the next day as well.

As for what you can do to spice it up, read on for some ideas of what I like to do!

1. Prepare 2 tablespoons of oatmeal cereal (see above). Divide and refrigerate half of the cereal for baby's breakfast tomorrow.

2. Combine the hot cereal with a few spoonfuls of natural applesauce and a dash of cinnamon. Mix well and taste to test the temperature before serving. Enjoy!

1. While warming up the water to make oatmeal, add a few raisins to the pot (this will help to soften them). Add a tablespoon of oatmeal and cook throughly.

2. Remove from heat and allow cereal to cool in a small bowl. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve. Yum, yum!

Do you have leftover mashed potatoes? Don't toss them! Save them for the baby. You can even keep mashed potatoes in the freezer for another day.

If you're making baked potatoes, be sure to set one aside for the baby. Dice up pieces of the baked tater to use as a finger food. Or add a little milk to instantly turn them into mashed potatoes!

Add a few mix-ins like carrots or peas to your potatoes and you have a yummy little lunch or side dish! Stir in some chicken and you'll have dinner! So easy...

Want to add some protein to your baby's diet? Add a little bit of chicken!

I like to cook a breast of chicken just to use for the baby's meals. If you boil a chicken breast, it will remain tender and fall apart easily. I will typically snip up a chicken breast into tiny baby bites with a pair of kitchen shears. Then it's ready to be mixed into an otherwise one-dimensional dish (like pasta or plain vegetables).

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