Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Big News

A few weeks back I announced that...


Yep. This was a total surprise and it took me a little while to get over the shock! I have a barely three year old and 10 month old, so I wasn't exactly looking to add a newborn to the mix. However, I fully believe God is in control. I'm thankful for this tremendous blessing and can't wait for the next several months to pass! Seriously. I have felt pretty lousy and have been taking a break from blogging and basically everything. In the mean time, I am constantly on a quest to find something I can drink. Most fluids make me even more nauseous so it is a constant battle finding what I can stomach.

Last week's winner was spa water. An ice cold pitcher of water with slices of lemon, lime and cucumber. It was so yummy and refreshing! I've also been adding lemon zest to my water and I've heard it provides even more health benefits if you use the zest. Enjoy...pregnant or not!












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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Homemade Blueberry Baby Food



It would appear that I am on a baby food making kick! In reality, my 10 month old is just a big eater. If I don't make my own baby food, I'm pretty sure she'll eat us out of house and home. Nobody wants that. So...here is another recipe for you :)

It is super easy and if you are opposed to microwaving baby food, by all means use a steamer. I always intend to but I'm often in a hurry to whip something up for the family to eat. I try to keep frozen veggies and fruits (unsweetened) in the freezer for making baby food.

Frozen, as opposed to canned, fruits and veggies retain more nutrients. Since frozen produce is typically flash frozen at their peak nutritional levels, they can sometimes be better than the fruits and veggies sitting in the produce aisle! Just food for thought...literally ;)



I just thawed a bag of frozen blueberries in the microwave (you could steam them instead or let them thaw in the refrigerator). Next, I transferred them to the blender. It won't take long to puree them! To serve, I mixed unsweetened, natural applesauce with a little of the blueberry puree (about 4:1 ratio). So I guess this could be called Blueberry Apple baby food, huh?  I won't use it all this week so I poured half of it into an ice cube tray to freeze for later use.

Both my girls (10 months and 3 years)  LOVE it!



Here are some of my other tips/recipes for baby food:

Homemade baby cereal

Baby food tips 


And the winner of the embellished headband is Nell! I don't have a contact email for you, so please email me within 2 days to claim your prize!






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Monday, February 13, 2012

Baby food tips {part 2}

Earlier this week I shared some easy, homemade baby food tips. I also want to share an alternative to baby cereal. I gave both my girls baby cereal when I first introduced them to solids. However, when they were capable of downing a whole box in under a week, I knew it was time to make a change!


A much more cost effective approach is to buy Cream of Wheat or Malt-O-Meal. You can price it out yourself but at my local grocery, a large box of Malt-O-Meal is cheapest. I used to cook it daily on the stovetop until I realized I could just make one large batch for the week! Both my girls (nine months old and three years old) eat this daily for breakfast.

Here's how I make mine. I don't follow the directions on the box but you could always try that out ;)

You'll need a can of fruit in 100% juice. I keep peaches and pears on stock and do a different fruit each week.


First, I pour the 100% juice from the canned fruit into a pot over high heat. When it comes to a boil, I add the cereal and whisk it all together.



I lower the heat and continue to whisk as I add more juice or cereal until I reach the right consistency and quantity. I make mine a little on the thick side so when I remove it from the heat, I can add a little milk to each girl's bowl to cool it down and thin it out. I add several chunks of fruit to their bowls and that is it! Very easy and inexpensive. It's also a lot healthier for my toddler to eat in place of sugary cereal or instant oatmeal. To reheat, I just microwave for 20 seconds or so and then stir in a little milk until the desired consistency is reached.






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Monday, February 6, 2012

Easy Homemade Baby Food Tips


When Ellie was a baby, I was too busy juggling being a first time mommy and working full time to make homemade baby food. Basically, I was in survival mode! So many aspects of mothering have been easier the second time around. I'm more relaxed and I am blessed to be able to stay home with my girls. Here are some tips for making baby food that I have found helpful.


  • If possible, use what you have on hand. I get frozen veggies out of my freezer and steam them or microwave them until they are tender. Next, I blend them with a small amount of the cooking liquid until the desired consistency is reached. I've used peas, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, and vegetable blends.



  • Watch to see what is on sale at your supermarket. On sale, I can get sweet potatoes at about forty cents a pound. Sweet potatoes can be baked until tender in the oven. When HR was just starting on solids, I would blend the sweet potatoes with a little water to thin them out. Now that she is more accustomed to solids, I can just mash the sweet potato with a fork.



  • After you make your puree, spoon it into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, empty ice cube tray into a clear container so you can easily see what food is being stored in the freezer. I try to keep at least two different choices in the freezer. To reheat, I just pull out 1-2 cubes and microwave them in a ramekin for about 20 seconds.



  • Let me share with you how awesome applesauce is in the baby food making process. To make my baby food stretch farther, I stir in unsweetened natural applesauce. I can do one cube of frozen baby food with one large spoonful of applesauce and it equals about one jar of baby food! It also does a few other things - it can help thicken watered down baby food and it can help thin out baby food that is too thick. How does it do both? I don't know but it is my solution for both. Ha! It also provides a fruit component when the puree is a veggie.




  • Eventually, I started adding in table food. HR has had pureed chicken and dumplings, macaroni and ham chowder, spaghetti, and chicken pasta bake to date. A few times HR has shown dislike for a flavor or texture blend. Can you guess what I did? Add applesauce! It works, really :)


This is getting longer than I thought. I better close for now and I'll share more soon. I hope you are still awake. You are still awake, aren't you?

***Here's a link to {part 2} which includes a recipe for homemade baby cereal



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