Have you ever wondered what to do with leftover frozen cubes of baby food? Perhaps your little one moved on to new tastes and textures of food, meanwhile leaving you two dozen cubes of untouched plums in your freezer…

To me, one of the main benefits of making your own baby food is the cost savings. It’s painful to throw away all those hard earned dollars (and goodness!), so here at NurtureBaby, we’ll show you ways to makeover your frozen cubes into delightful “grown-up-approved” recipes.

Today, we are going to remake leftover plum baby food cubes into a healthy and delicious salad dressing just by incorporating a few pantry staples. This recipe is budget friendly, healthy, and infinitely tastier than any salad dressing you’ll find in the store. (P.S. This dressing is so tasty, it’s worth making a plum purée just for this recipe…that is, if you don’t have any leftover cubes.)

Plum Delicious Dressing

• 3 cubes of Plum Delicious purée, thawed (this equals about 3/8 of a cup)
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper, to taste 

Put all ingredients in a mason jar and shake, paying close attention to the ingredients on the bottom of the jar. (The honey and the salt tend to stick together at the bottom.) Toss dressing together with arugula, spinach, dried cranberries, feta, and slivered almonds and you’ve got a tasty, wholesome lunch or side salad.

This dressing will keep in your fridge for up to a week. Experiment with other fruit purees to make your own dressing recipe!

Last week,  I posted tips and techniques to traveling with homemade baby food. Listed were 8 simple guidelines to follow to ensure top food safety for your baby. Seems simple enough, but what about those times when you will be on the road for longer than 24 hours? Or what if you just want to take a quick afternoon trip where you know you won’t have a microwave or stove to properly reheat food?

Well, I have recently discovered a company called NurturMe (oddly similar name, but no relation to NurtureBaby) that takes freshly pureed organic fruits and vegetables and dehydrates them – just like baby cereal.  You’re asking – why in the world hasn’t this been done before, right? Seems too easy!

I am extremely picky with food for my babies and am skeptical of new products, but here’s why I think NurturMe is the best alternative out there to homemade when traveling.

• The food comes in tiny paper packets which are lightweight and easily transportable. The entire package with 8 individual pouches of food weighs less than one jar!

• The foods are 100% organic and are quick dried to maintain intense nutritional value.

• NurturMe uses recyclable materials made with wind energy.

• It’s super convenient. Just add water, breast milk, or formula and stir.

• It’s yummy, too! My 10 month old – with a super distinguished palette, I might add – highly approves! He especially likes the Scrumptious Squash.

As a caveat, I really don’t like to do “commercials” for other brands…it’s just not my style or what we do here at NurtureBaby. However, since I’ve received so many questions about traveling with homemade baby food, I felt it was only fair to authentically recommend a product we believe is good for you and your baby

I’d love to hear from you, too.  What kind of homemade baby food alternatives have you used when traveling long term?

Photo by doubleimagephotography

Because homemade baby food  is made fresh and without preservatives,  traveling with it can be rather tricky. My basic rule of thumb is to only travel with it if you will be on the road for less than 24 hours. (Not 24 hours total trip time, but  travel time when you will not have access to a standard freezer).  If that is the case, here are the 8 simple guidelines to keeping food safe for your baby:

• Make sure you have a tightly sealed cooler you can keep in a climate controlled location. For example, keep the cooler inside the air conditioned part of your vehicle, as the trunk can get too hot during some months and compromise the safely of your food.

• Fill your cooler full of ice. The more ice the better!

• Only transport frozen cubes of food, not the fresh refrigerated variety. For tips on preparing and freezing homemade baby food, see here.

• Pack baby food cubes in tightly sealed freezer bags and pack more than you think you need.

• Once you arrive at your destination, remove the food from the cooler and put in a standard freezer right away.

• Keep a close eye on the food to make sure that it does not thaw, even if slightly. If the baby food does not stay at a constant frozen temperature, you are compromising food safety .

• If it does slightly thaw while traveling, do not refreeze. Store in fridge and serve within the next 12 hours or throw away.

• Before serving to your baby, make sure you thoroughly reheat the food in a microwave or stove top. Heat until hot to touch and let cool before serving.

If you are unsure about following these guidelines, I would ere on the side of caution and find an alternative to homemade. Any health benefit of homemade food is counteracted by the risk of compromised food safety.

Next post will include alternative ideas to homemade baby food and I would love to hear your ideas as well!

It’s that time again! Baby #2 just crossed the 6 month threshold and we have once again ventured into the world of homemade baby food. It’s been nearly three years since our blender was the highest regarded gadget in our kitchen,  so despite my website ALL about homemade baby food, I admit to being a little rusty.

 As a second time mom, I benefit from having some perspective and experience, however,  there are a few things I had to re-learn as we began our solid food adventure. Starting today, I’ll write about the lessons I’ve learned making homemade baby food the second time around.

#1: Start Slow

I love making homemade baby food and I could hardly wait for my little one to turn 6 months old, rush to Whole Foods, and buy all the fresh produce I could get my hands on. Fully anticipating my little one to gobble down the batch of delicious green peas I made especially for him, I was a bit dismayed to see that more ended up on his bib than in his tummy.  And this was his face….

Little one quickly reminded me to slow down.  Start with rice cereal and slowly introduce one fruit or vegetable at a time, spaced several days apart. Carefully watch for allergic reactions, i.e. rashes, unusual bowel movements, irritability, runny nose.  Here are some of the first foods we recommend, as these will rarely cause an allergic reaction.   

                :: Brown Rice Cereal

                :: Green Peas (frozen works great!)

                :: Apples, mildly flavored (Red or Yellow Delicious)

                :: Pears

                :: Sweet Potatoes

                :: Bananas

                :: Avocados

For additional tips and techniques to starting a homemade baby food regimen, check out the NurtureBaby website!

I should have written this post weeks ago and I apologize for my slack. Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement! I had my biopsy and found that it was a benign “galactocele” which is basically a big word for a clogged milk duct. Hooray! Despite what many doctors warned, I have continued breastfeeding my son without a hitch. However, it was no easy task to find a doctor who was willing to work with me in order to minimize complications.

After three consultations, I found a doctor who was willing to start with a fine needle aspiration and work up to a radial cut (as opposed to lateral – doing greater damage to the milk ducts).  I encourage any one going through this same situtation  to ask your doctor a lot of questions and don’t hesitate getting a second, third and even fourth opinion. In my case, I decided on a younger, female surgeon – one that just weaned her son. She was empathetic and willing to try new techniques that would minimize breastfeeding complications.

On a positive note, since I am one of the (apparent) rare few that had a biopsy while breastfeeding, I had the opportunity to participate in a breast milk study through the University of Massachusetts. Below is an explanation of the study, in their own words:

Our hope is that by examining molecular changes in cells found in breastmilk associated with various breast problems, we will be able to develop a specific, individualized tool for assessing an individual woman’s risk of contracting this disease.

Knowledge of the molecular changes in the breast cells that occur may be helpful in developing preventative and therapeutic strategies for all women.

I simply sent them a sample of breastmilk (they made this very easy) and will follow up with my biopsy report. I was glad to be a part and I’m writing this so other women in the same situation can perhaps do the same!

Last week, I went in to my OB/GYN complaining of pain and a lump I thought was associated with breastfeeding .  I’ve had them come and go before and just figured they could tell me the best way to avoid/get rid of them altogether. The nurse set me up to get an ultrasound – just to be on the safe side.

Last Wednesday, I went in for my ultrasound – an appointment I nearly blew off since I was beginning to feel better. I was certain the pain was from having to pump instead of nurse, as I’ve had to go back to work full time.

When I arrived, the nurses decided I needed a mammogram too since I am over 30. I thought nothing of it, but after a third round of pictures, I began to wonder.

“Oh, we just see some scattered microcalcifications and want to make sure we are extra cautious”, the nurse said. I begin to sweat a little, watching every emotion on her face in order to interpret what she might see. In her face I saw disappointment.

“Just sit outside and wait for your ultrasound, ma’am”, she says with a forced smile. I sheepisihly waited while they interpreted results of my mammogram. 

A few minutes later, another lady walks me back in a dark room to do my ultrasound. The first go around, she didn’t find anything. Clean slate.  A few minutes later, however, the radiologist asked that I have another ultrasound, in a different location of my breast. I watched as she moved the wand and then I saw it clear as day. Amongst a backdrop of white tissue, there was a round, black spot. I stopped breathing.

The nurse fiddled around in that area, taking lots of pictures while I didn’t speak. I was afraid to ask any questions. She didn’t speak either. When she was finished, she asked me to wait for the radiologist to come in and give me a consultation.

I waited in the dark room for about 5 minutes which seemed like hours. Dr. Silver came in and handed me a sheet of paper with a check by “suspicious lump”, indicating that I need a follow up biopsy.

Every negative emotion ran through my body: fear, skepticism, anger, sadness. I just want to me a mom to my kids; I have too much to lose! Between this, having two kids, nursing, and a stressful full-time job, I was certain I’d lose my mind.

I went in for my first consultation Friday and found that doctor to be a total goon, so I’m getting a second opinion Monday. He did tell me that I would likely have to stop nursing, as the biopsy incision will cause a “milk fistula” (in other words, milk pouring out from the incision site) which will inhibit healing. Being incredibly stubborn, I knew there would be a way to continue nursing after having a breast biopsy.  Either that, or maybe I should delay the biopsy? Would that be incredibly stupid? Probably.

In all my research, I’ve decided that I will continue to nurse Bennett, but wean him from the affected side – just until things heal. I can then begin the process of “relactation”. (Yes, this is possible and moms can even nurse their adopted children with a lot of patience and persistence.) I have meanwhile called every lactation specialist within a 100 mile radius, plus another located in Canada. Looks like I will be a “case study” in this situation, as there apparently aren’t many moms that have biopsies while nursing.

My gut tells me that everything will be fine, that I will have the biopsy and results will come back as negative. But I please ask for your prayers. I am scared and completely overwhelmed between working and trying to be a good mommy and wife. It’s just too much to handle sometimes. Thanks you for your support and concern and I will certainly keep everyone updated. If anyone has experienced anything like this, I’d love to hear from you!!

Hello, world! It’s been entirely too long since my last post!  Frankly, I’m a little embarrassed, but we’ve had a lot going on.  

In March of this year, we welcomed our sweet baby boy, William “Bennett” Babb, into the world. He came out with a head full of dark brown hair and dark eyes just like his sister. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to tell their baby pictures apart!

We’re calling him “Bennett” (my maiden name) to honor my dad who passed away July 2009. Bennett definitely has my dad’s face shape; I hope that he also grows up to have the same kind spirit, tenacity,  godly character and integrity that my dad had. We’ll be sure to teach him all about his Didaddy - Bennett would have loved him so much. (and vice versa!)

Outside of a few rough weeks of reflux, he’s been a pure delight. He’s nursing well, napping well, and (almost) sleeping through the night! He loves to coo at momma and already laughs at his crazy big sister. Now, if we could only get him to tolerate the car. (Oh, those dreadful car rides!)

I’ve been taking this precious time to love on my little ones as much as possible, as I am going back to work the week after next. As most working moms can relate, I am both thrilled and heartbroken. It will be tough and I will probably cry the entire way (that’s an hour and a half commute!)  to work for the first few weeks, but we will make it work as best as we can. I have an incredible network of family and friends watching my little ones while I’m away. I could not be more confident with their care.

In this economy, I am thankful for a job and we really need it to help replenish the losses we’ve taken the last few years. Plus, it’s a fabulous place to work and I love the people and atmosphere. It will be nice to have a little “adult time”, but I will deeply miss the time with my little ones. Praying God’s grace and protection on them while I’m away. 

Anyway, hopefully it won’t be so stinkin’ long ’til my next post. Thanks to all of you for reading!

Originally featured as a guest post on Simple Kids…..

Every parent intuitively knows that the more your child is personally invested in a project, the more likely he is to learn and apply the knowledge gained. One of our many jobs as parents is to foster fun learning experiences that will encourage critical thinking and creative expression. If you are anything like me, sometimes it is hard enough to get through the day without adding another “to-do” to my list. However, when I decide to make an otherwise humble, everyday task a learning opportunity for my child, both of us are deeply enriched by the experience, creating a wonderful memory together.

Today, the featured recipes are in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. These recipes create an opportunity to teach your child a little bit about St. Patrick’s Day along with some hands-on-cooking techniques.  Cooking can be an exciting and powerful teaching tool for your child. You can be creative with any of your favorite recipes, applying information about family heritage or religious faith, for example.  As a bonus, your child will be more apt to eat the healthy foods he’s helped prepare!

 Recipe: Irish Flag Stew

Encourage your child to help you prepare this recipe, even if it is as simple as pouring the cut vegetables in the pot. Make sure that you point out the orange carrots, the white potatoes, and the green peas in the recipe – symbolizing the colors of the Irish flag. Your child’s involvement will help encourage healthy eating. Paired with the following kid-friendly recipe, Whole Wheat Soda Bread, your entire family will delight in this wholesome and delicious meal.

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. lean stew beef
1/4 cup All Purpose flour
1 large onion, peeled and diced into 1″ pieces
5-6 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
5 small red potatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pearled barley
6 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium boxed variety
1 cup frozen green peas
1 tsp. dried thyme
Kosher salt + pepper to taste, if desired

Heat oil in large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Dredge beef chunks in flour and place in hot pot. Sear beef for about 3-4 minutes or just until just browned , remove from heat, and drain on a plate covered in a paper towel. (Beef does not have to be cooked through as it will return to the pot at a later time.)

Add onion and carrots to pot; you may need to add a little more olive oil to the pot, depending upon how “dry” it looks. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent and carrots are “crisp-tender”.  Add barley, potatoes, seared beef, chicken stock, green peas and dried thyme.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, allowing the stew to simmer until vegetables are fork tender (about 25 minutes).  Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Recipe: Whole Wheat Soda Bread

This recipe is based off the traditional Irish Soda Bread, but incorporates whole wheat flour for a healthier alternative. Unlike most bread recipes, this one is super simple so be sure your kids roll up their sleeves and get their hands in the dough! (I let my three year old “paint” the egg-wash on the dough.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. honey or agave nectar
2-1/2 cups of buttermilk*
1 egg + tsp. water (whisked together for egg wash)

*You cannot substitute regular milk for buttermilk. Buttermilk has a greater acidity level than regular milk and therefore reacts with the baking soda to give the bread it’s “rise”.

Mix first 5 dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add buttermilk and honey/agave nectar and mix with a wooden spoon  just until combined. Do not over mix. Divide dough in half and mound oval-shaped loaves onto a cooking stone or metal sheet pan covered with parchment paper. “Paint ” egg wash onto bread. Bake for 45-50 minutes until outside crust is a crunchy, dark brown. Serve warm with Irish Flag Stew.

While eating your Irish inspired meal, encourage your child to recall what he learned about St. Patrick’s Day. You might be surprised at how much he remembers!

What about you? What ways do you encourage your children to help in the kitchen?

Today, we are only a few weeks away from the birth of our little boy. Feeling overwhelmed by my lack of blog posting, I have finally come to the conclusion (with good conscience!) that I need to take full advantage of these few weeks to spend quality time with my oldest while continuing to nurture this little one still growing inside me.

While anxiously awaiting the birth of our son, there’s part of me that’s a little bittersweet. I love spending days with my three-year old girl — building tents, learning to read, cooking together, etc. I know all of that will change – at least temporarily. Tired (and HUGE!)  as I am,  I am trying to soak up every precious minute with her until her sweet little brother arrives.

I have heard from many parents-of-two (or more) that it’s natural to feel apprehensive about adding an additional child, but in the end,  your heart expands to equally love all your children. While I am certain this is true, I’d  love to hear how it applied to all of you in real life. Please share your thoughts! In the meantime, I’ll be sure to post pictures of the little one when he’s born and get back to blogging as soon as the time is right.

Anxiously awaiting this baby boy!

Christen

As originally featured in Simple Kids, I have written a  few guidelines for parents struggling to get their children to eat healthy. You can see the original post and comments with this link.

Many parents struggle to teach their children healthy eating habits, especially in today’s world laden with overly processed, heavily sweetened foods.

It used to be so easy. As a baby,  junior gobbled up his vegetables to his little heart’s content. You were certain he would happily snack on organic carrot sticks while his preschool buddies scarf down snack cakes. However, as he’s establishing greater independence, he’s beginning to turn his nose to healthy choices.

So, what’s a mom to do?  First of all, take heart knowing you are not alone. Establishing healthy eating habits takes a lifetime. It’s a continuous journey involving creativity, gentle persistence, and encouragement.  Listed below are some ways to successfully implement healthy food habits that carry into adulthood.

1. Start Early
2. Make It a Game
3. Be a Role Model
4. Use Consistency and Gentle Perseverance
5. Offer Non-Food Rewards

1. Start Early

The most important step to creating healthy food choices is starting early. It’s important to  offer a wide variety of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables starting in infancy, perhaps even flavors and textures that are unfamiliar to you. I am personally an advocate of homemade baby food. It tastes better, costs significantly less, creates less environmental waste ,and you control the ingredients.

However, whether you choose to feed your baby homemade baby food, conventional store-bought food, or a combo of the two – consistently offer him a wide variety of nutrient dense foods, steering away from sweet treats for the first year. Your child’s tastes are developed early in life. The earlier the exposure to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, the more apt he will be to eat them later in life.

Photo by Cozy Memories

2. Make it a Game

I’ve never been into the “deceptive” technique of sneaking vegetables into your child’s diet. It’s seems a little, well, deceptive. As a parent, it’s important to teach honesty and integrity in all walks of life.  This includes making healthy food choices.

Fresh fruits and vegetables come in a wide variety of colors and delicious flavors. Instead of sneaking spinach into a pan of brownies (yes, this is recommended by some nutritionists) why not use food as a teaching tool – encouraging children to eat foods that represent all the colors of the rainbow? We recommend using a fun chart like this Nutrition Checklist.

This exercise  encourages children to make healthy food choices while also providing a guideline for parents to ensure optimal nutrition. For example, if your child eats a serving of spinach, have him check off one green box in the vegetable category.  Do this after every snack time or meal so he soon associates healthy eating with positive parental feedback.

3. Be a Role Model

As much as we hate to admit it, children imitate their parents’ behavior. If you yell and scream at your child, he will eventually yell and scream back at you. The same principles are true for food . You can’t expect your child to happily eat his broccoli while you scarf down a plate full of french fries.

As parents, we need to be role models who inspire healthy food choices. If your child sees you consistently making healthy food choices, he is more apt to do the same.

4. Use Consistency and Gentle Perseverance

If you have a picky eater, do not expect overnight change. Children can learn to eat healthy foods, but it can take eight to ten tries. The key is not to use force. Force will ensure in your child’s mind that healthy food must be bad .

Instead, let your child consistently help you with meal planning, grocery shopping, and even the food preparation if he is old enough. This allows a choice in the matter, and he will be more apt to eat the foods that included his input. If your child is still belligerent, be persistent and encourage him to eat only as many bites as he is old. For example, ask your three year old to eat only three bites of broccoli.

If your child still refuses, let him go hungry. This sounds harsh, but he won’t starve. If the healthy food is replaced with something he prefers, he quickly learns that persistent refusal ends in his favor. Don’t give in. It will only harm him in the long run.

5. Offer Non-Food Rewards

Let’s be honest. Most of us prefer double-chocolate cake over a plateful of steamed broccoli. It doesn’t matter how often you eat the broccoli. Human taste buds are genetically wired to prefer sweet foods. It is the same with our children. Even breast milk and infant formula are quite sweet, so our little ones begin life with a predisposition for sweet foods.

With this in mind, it’s important not to provide sweet rewards for healthy eating. Every parent (I’m included!) has been guilty of saying something like, “Aimee, you may have a cupcake for dessert if you finish all your broccoli.”  We bribe our children to eat their vegetables, thinking that if they eat their broccoli enough times, they will eventually do so without negotiation.  This is not an effective way to teach healthy food choices, as Aimee will eventually assume the cupcake is superior to the broccoli because it is used as a reward.

Instead of sweet treats, offer physically active rewards –  such as extra playtime with mommy or friends, a fun day at the park, or a new CD so they can dance to the music. Get creative and implement your child’s unique personality into his rewards.

And for the record, there is nothing wrong with sweet treats on occasion. Some of my best memories as a kid involve baking goodies with my mom. Just avoid using them as a bartering tool. Enjoy them for what they are in moderation, and your child will eventually learn to have an appreciation for all foods!