The non-educational homemade baby food post
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Recipes & Kitchen Tips | Posted Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Yesterday I introduced you to my friend Kira, today I want to share one of her blog posts about making homemade baby food. I thought it was great and hope you do to! Kira writes:
I would like to start off by saying this blog is not educational. If you came here to learn anything, you're in the wrong place. However, I do occasionally like to share something I've learned, and during the process if you happen to learn something too, so be it.
When I had my first baby I was excited for every new stage we entered. I couldn't wait until I got to peruse the baby food aisle and pick out a rainbow of little jars for my guy. After all, didn't the Gerber baby look fat and healthy? Good moms must feed their baby from those little jars. So when he was old enough I excitedly picked out the pre-requisite green jars and orange jars and of course a couple of applesauce jars. I quickly realized that the green jars were not so popular as the applesauce jars. I didn't blame him much… those jars of canned peas were STINKY. I didn't even like touching it to my tongue to test the temperature. SO, being the good 21-year-old mama that I was, I combined the peas and applesauce thinking this would solve all our problems. After a while, I realized that we were adding apple juice to all his food just so he would eat it and he had developed a pronounced sweet tooth. And that little guy, to this day, is still my pickiest eater. He gets weirded out by strange colors and textures and likes to stick to what he knows. He's the kid who turned down rice krispie treats and cheesecake because they looked weird.
When Haydn was about two I finally realized I needed some help learning how to feed this kid, so I huffed and puffed my way into the bookstore looking for a book entitled "Teach your picky kid to eat ANYTHING." I didn't find that book, but I did find a book full of colorful pictures of healthy appetizing toddler food and lots of recipes. Wowzahs– this looked do-able! And he actually liked the stuff inside it.
When baby boy #2 came along, Mama was older and wiser and determined not to make the same mistake twice. She pulled that same book out, the one that helped with picky pants Haydn, and started from the beginning. And low and behold– making baby food from scratch was EASY! And quick! And convenient! And holy cow, she didn't have to clear a section of her pantry for a precarious baby food tower either. And she learned what a rutebaga looked like. And, the best part of all, the food was yummy. Now when she went to test the temperature, she found herself sneaking bites of those peas because they were GOOD. And the benefits of homemade food were quickly revealed both in the budget, and in the boy who would eat anything.
So I'm a firm believer in the merits of homemade food. Make up a few different flavors, freeze em and bag em and you've got a meal ready to go. Just as easy as popping the lid off a jar. And it doesn't cost $1 or more per meal either.
So what's the secret of quick convenient homemade baby food? Well, the the right tools certainly help. This little food mill is a gem. Great for blending up a single serving of stew straight from the crockpot, or whirling together an avocado and banana for a quick no-cook breakfast.
For bigger batches of food, I throw some carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and maybe some peas in a pot and steam or boil them until their nice and soft. Then I use my blender or cuisinart to get them to the right consistency. If I have some cooked chicken, I throw that in too for some extra protein. Then to freeze, you've got a couple of options. If it's a thinner consistency, use ice cube trays.
This was a batch of parsnip, tomato, ground beef with a little carrot. The flavor was a little strong for him so when I reheated the cubes I diluted it with rice cereal, and then it was just right.
The second option for freezing (and my personal favorite when working with a thicker puree) is to just use a spring-handle scoop and plop it on a tray. Easy peasy lemon squeezie!
When the cubes or plops are frozen, just bag 'em and tag 'em.
Then reheat as necessary, either in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove.
And enjoy the fruits of you labor with your baby, cuz that stuff is yummy.
I have several baby food cookbooks, but the one referenced above by Annabel Karmel is one of my favorites. I think its because of the pictures. Some of the stuff is a little over-the-top, because I definitely don't have time to create animals with faces out of all my children's food, but the babyfood section is worth the purchase. And maybe for my son's birthday I could get around to making jello boats out of oranges too.
So I guess the whole point of this is: If you have been intimidated by making your own food because it seems like a lot of work and those little jars are easier, I encourage you to give it a try because it really does save time, money, and in my opinion it gives your child a much more varied palate. They get used to eating what YOU eat from infancy, which leaves less room for pickiness later.
Bon Appetite!
A trip down memory lane and the friend that I met there
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: The Journey of Motherhood | Posted Tuesday, March 30, 2010
I want to introduce Kira, a dear "bosom friend".
God brought her
into my life at a very low time–though Google of all things.
Here is the condensed version of the story:
I have a blog.
Kira
has a blog.
I live in North Idaho.
Kira lives in North Idaho.
Heather
does not know Kira.
Kira only knows of Heather because she has shopped
her super rockin' website, Mom 4 Life (and yes since this is my version
of the story I can dr. it any way i wish;).
Kira learns of the loss
of Heather's son Sawyer.
Kira starts reading Heather's blog.
One day
Kira writes a post on her blog
about Heather.
Google Alerts notifies Heather that someone has
written something with a link to Mom 4 Life.
Heather checks it out.
Heather
is deeply touched by Kira's post.
On June 23, 2008 at 9:27 AM Heather leaves a comment on
her blog post asking Kira if she wants to get together.
Kira and
Heather do get together and find they are going to be good friends.
Their
husbands meet and agree that they will be good friends.
Their kids
meet and, yup you guessed it, good friends.
Fast forward 2 years to the month:
Heather's youngest son Quinten is born one month after Kira's youngest son.
Kira and Heather have already decided they will be
good friends.
Heather believes that it was actually God (using Google Alerts) that brought the two of them together.
You never know when God might introduce you to your next bosom friend, keep your eyes open!
feedback from our Golden Egg promotion
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Seasonal Contests | Posted Monday, March 29, 2010
A huge thank you to all who participated in our Golden Egg Promotion! Our lucky winner (chosen by Random.org) is Lilith, congratulations!
We had a great response from you about our annual "Find the Golden Egg and Win!" promotion. Read some of the great responses from our facebook fans below.
I love how easy it is to interact on our fan page. If you haven't checked it out yet, I invite you to do so here. We update it regularly (often a few times a day) with news about sales, new products, special offers, product feedback. . . it is also a great place to ask us questions or post feedback (and/or photos) of products you have ordered. Hope to see you there!
become a fan!
Prayers Over the Ironing Board
By angelagifford | Category: Pursuing God | Posted Sunday, March 28, 2010
My parents had two families. I didn't grow up in a blended family – like my dad had two families or my mom had two families. Mom and dad are celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary this Thursday. I was born about 15 months into their marriage. 19 months later, my brother Jonathan joined the family. Mom and dad had their boy and their girl and felt their family was complete. However, several years later, they begin to feel that they should allow God to give them more children and three more brothers joined the family. As in many large families, my mother was a mother of preschoolers and babies all through my teen years. I've been reflecting on a lot of that this week because, in less than a week, one of my younger brothers is getting married. Kind of like a parent, I've been thinking back to the days I changed his diapers and when he smeared his poo all over my bedroom wall from his crib (I usually shared a room with the babes). I remember when my friends used to call him Chicken Little because he was so white and had big ol' glasses and went around spouting facts that he'd learned that week – like how many sides a septagon had. I remember holding his pet beetles or him when he HAD to take them to the fourth of July parade so they could watch too.
Now, I didn't win many "best attitude" awards as a teen. I really loved God, and I loved His Word – but I hadn't really translated that over to loving those around me very well. I didn't understand anything about sleep deprivation and nursing and hormones, so I was quite certain that my moms cranky attitudes were based out of her lack of spirituality. I never really saw her read her Bible. I knew she didn't get up early. So one day, I decided to tell her what she needed.
Yes, you can imagine how that went over.
Actually my mom could have exploded and retaliated. I might have. But instead she told me a story that I've never forgotten. She told me how when she was in college, she came home fired up for the Lord and had a similar attitude towards her own mother. She told me how she approached her own farm wife mother one day to guide her as well and how her mother told her, "You better learn how to say your prayers over the ironing board, because there may come a time when that is the only prayer time you have."
My maternal grandmother died when I was six, so I don't have very many memories of her. But this story will stick in my mind forever. It has rung in my ears during years of saying my prayers during feedings and diaper changes (Let's face it! I don't iron!).
My grandma has inspired much of my learning to build my relationship with God as a mom.
What about you? Where do you say your prayers?
~Angela Giffords, Those With Young
Weekly Giveaway – Born to Love Hats
By Heather Ledeboer | Category: Mom 4 Life News & Giveaways | Posted Friday, March 26, 2010
Congratulations to Cindy Buck who one an Annee Matthew Maternity/Nursing Capri PJ Set in her choice of color and size! All Annee Matthew Maternity wear will be 10% off this week (until Thursday night).
It's the last day to enter the Golden Egg Contest!
Vote for us at Pregnancy & Newborn and help us, while making yourself eligible for great prizes!
Take our survey and be entered to win a $25.00 Mom 4 Life gift certificate and get an automatic 10% discount code
Born to Love Fedoras and Berets
Retail Value: $20.50-$26.50
One lucky winner will get to choose a Born to Love Fedora or Beret in the style of their choice.
It is no secret that Born to Love makes some of the trendiest skull candy on the market for little tikes. Their new berets and fedoras are no exception.
How do you win?
Take a look at Born to Love's hat choices and comment here telling us which is your favorite. The winner will be randomly drawn. You have until Tuesday evening, March 30th, to enter.
Good luck!
