And the Winner is...

 

Congratulations to Runa B. for her winning entry into the Super Baby Food Book Giveaway!  She won a free copy of Super Baby Food, by Ruth Yaron.  This book is an excellent reference for any parent who is starting solids, making homemade baby food, or just has a little one at home.  It's brimming with tips and recipes!  Thanks to Super Baby Food for donating the book copy to our readers for this giveaway!

We would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry.  There are lots of great mommies out there who make baby food because it is healthy for their babies!  Runa B. summed it up best in her response below.

"I make baby food for my little guy for several reasons. The first being that I think it is the healthiest way to go since everything is fresh. When my son started solid food, I bought a jar of organic carrots baby food and made homemade carrots. My husband did a blind taste test and confirmed that the carrots I had made tasted better. Another reason I made baby food for my son is because we have food sensitivities in our family and I worked closely with two naturopathic doctors in introducing single foods and food combinations. By making the food I could control every ingredient that my son ingested. Lastly, I feel like it is money saving to make homemade baby food. And besides all that, it was FUN!!"-Runa B.

Runa's favorite recipe comes from a book called Blender Baby Food.

Tropical Fruit Breeze

kiwi

banana

mango

juice of your choice 

Blend until you reach the desired consistency.

"I liked it because I could enjoy it too!"-Runa B.

Sounds yummy!  Keep on the lookout for upcoming giveaways for baby food and feeding related products!

 

Ready Or Not...Here I Come!

Over the past couple of months we have been excitedly preparing for the new addition to our family.  Although it seems like we are physically ready, I wonder if we are mentally ready.  Dylan is only 17 months old, so the memories of sleepless nights and 24/7 feedings haven't faded.  And part of me feels like I have just started to get the hang of this parenting thing...how am I going to manage two little ones? 

As much as I worry about the how life change will be for us (me and my husband), I am concerned about how Dylan will react to having a new baby in the house.  I just read an article about preparing your child for the new baby and it was somewhat helpful, but it was definitely geared toward preparing older children for the change.  Although there is no way to know how Dylan will respond, we have been doing our best to make the transition as smooth as possible.  Here's some of the things we have done:

1.  Place Baby Equipment Around the House.  At the beginning of the 3rd trimester I took out the bouncy seat and baby swing and put them in the living room.  When I first took out the bouncy seat Dylan kept climbing into it.  My fear was that once the baby came, he would climb in on top of the baby.  After a few weeks of playing with it, the novelty wore off and now he couldn't care less about the bouncy seat or the swing.

2.  Spend Some Playtime in the New Baby's Room.  As we were setting up the nursery, I brought a few toys of Dylan's into the room so that he could play while I hung up baby clothes, folded blankets, and decorated the walls.

3.  Allow Your Toddler to Help with Preparing Baby's Room.  As counterproductive as it may be, I encouraged Dylan to help me place folded clothes in the baby's dresser, load diapers into the changing table and hang decals on the wall. 

4.  Use a Doll to Introduce the Concept of Baby to Your Toddler.  A friend of mine told me that they were using a baby doll to teach their little one how to interact with the new baby.  I absolutely loved this idea, so we bought a doll at Target ($15), and dressed it in actual baby clothes to make it more lifelike.  We even put a newborn diaper on it.  We have used the baby doll quite a bit over the past month to teach Dylan how to use "gentile touching" and to prevent some of the potential jealousy that the new baby may stir up.  When we first brought out the doll, Dylan was obsessed with trying to poke his finger in the doll's eyes...I guess it's better he does this with doll, and not the real baby.  It was really important to us not to let Dylan play with the doll, or treat it like another one of his toys.  The last thing we wanted was him dragging the baby around the house by it's leg.  Over the last month we started keeping the doll out during the day, either in the bouncy seat or in the swing.  When it's nap time or bed time, the doll goes to sleep in the new nursery.  It may sound crazy, but I am hoping that it will help with the transition. 

5 Favorite Homemade Baby Food Websites-Check Them Out!

Weeding through the thousands of websites dedicated to homemade baby food may be one of the hardest things of making baby food from scratch.  I have found that there are a few tried and true websites that I always turn to when moms ask me for online resources.  The following links are brimming with tips and recipes to make your experience with homemade baby food an enjoyable one.

1.  Wholesome Baby Food
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

2.  Homemade Baby Food Recipes
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/

3.  Nurture Baby
http://www.nurturebaby.com/

4.  Weelicious
http://weelicious.com/

5.  Simple Kids Parenting, uncomplicated
http://simplekids.net/baby-food-101-part-i/

Super Baby Food Book Givaway

Cover of Super Baby Food

Would you like a chance to win the best selling baby food book of all time?  Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron, covers everything from introducing solids to how to minimize allergies.  It includes over 350 quick and easy recipes for your little one.  I constantly recommend this book to new and expectant moms who are looking for a comprehensive guide to feeding baby.

If you would like a chance to win this incredible baby food reference, simply tell us about why you decided to make your baby's food from scratch.  Be sure to include your favorite baby food recipe.  The winner will have their story and recipe featured in our blog.  Entries should be between 300-500 words.  The winner will be chosen on April 1st and will be notified by email.  The winning story with be posted on the Mush Homemade Baby Food blog during the first week in April.  Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Click the link below to enter for a chance to win Super Baby Food

Super Baby Food Book Entry Form 

 Good Luck!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole: "True Food" Favorite

This Spaghetti Squash Casserole recipe will surely be a family favorite!  I recently had this casserole at a local restaurant and searched for high and low for a comparable recipe.  Your little one is sure to love it and it's easy to puree for babies who are just starting multi-ingredient pureed foods. 

Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to traditional pasta and is
packed with nutrients!

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Spaghetti Squash
• 2-3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tomatoes, diced
• 1 Large Zucchini, diced
• 1 Medium Onion, chopped
• 3-4 leaves of fresh Basil, finely chopped
• 2 Teaspoons Oregano
• 1 jar Pasta Sauce
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese or sliced Fresh Mozzarella
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Image via Wikipedia

1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, splash with water and a little salt and cook in the microwave for 7-10 minutes (each half). Shred with a fork once cooled slightly and put into your casserole dish (discard the shell). 

2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, zucchini, garlic, tomatoes, basil, and oregano. Cook until the onions and zucchini are tender. Add to the casserole dish.

3. Stir all the ingredients until mixed well, then add the pasta sauce until covered.  Top with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese or shredded mozzarella.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-25 minutes until it is bubbly and the top is slightly browned. Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.

The Dirty Dozen

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I know "The Dirty Dozen" sounds like some kind of mobster movie for the 70's.  But when you are talking in terms of produce, the dirty dozen and clean fifteen are references to fruits and veggies with the highest and lowest pesticide contamination levels.  Ever since I have been teaching classes on homemade baby food, I have had moms asking me whether they should be using organic produce.  Personally, I use this list as a guide for when to go organic, and when conventionally farmed fruits and veggies are okay.  Unfortunately our weekly budget doesn't allow us to go totally organic, so we need to pick and choose when to spend the extra money.

Eating produce without pesticides may reduce your risk of getting cancer and other diseases. And according to the Environmental Working Group, avoiding fruits and veggies containing pesticides or choosing certain organic produce can reduce the amount of toxins you consume on a daily basis by as much as 80%.

Check out the lists below:

 

The Dirty Dozen

• Peaches- 96.7% of samples tested positive for pesticides, 87% for multiple pesticides
• Apples- 94.1% tested positive, 82.3% for multiple pesticides
• Sweet Bell Peppers- 81.5% tested positive, 62.2% for multiple pesticides
• Celery- 94.1% tested positive, 79.8% for multiple pesticides
• Nectarines- 97.3% tested positive, 85.3% for multiple pesticides
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Kale- 53.1% for multiple pesticides
• Lettuce
• Imported Grapes
• Carrots- 82.3% tested positive
• Pears

 

The Clean Fifteen

• Onions- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples, zero samples positive for multiple pesticides
• Avocado- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides
• Frozen Sweet Corn- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples, zero samples positive for multiple pesticides
• Pineapples- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides
• Mango- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides
• Asparagus- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples
• Frozen Sweet Peas- 77.1% had no detectable pesticides
• Kiwi
• Cabbage- 82.1% had no detectable pesticides
• Eggplant- 75.4% had no detectable pesticides
• Papaya
• Watermelon- 28.1% tested positive, 9.5% for multiple pesticides
• Broccoli- 65.2% had no detectable pesticides
• Tomatoes- 53.1% had no detectable pesticides, 13.5% positive for multiple pesticides
• Sweet Potatoes and Grapefruit tie

Related articles

• How Well Do You Know the Dirty Dozen? (fitsugar.com)
• A Pesticide Produce Guide For Your Pocket (fitsugar.com)
• Pesticides on fruit and veg 'are wrecking men's fertility' (dailymail.co.uk)
• Harmful Pesticide in fruits (yantaufik46.wordpress.com)
• Buying Organic (thegreengirls.com)

Breakfast Quinoa=Warm+Yummy

                         Image via Wikipedia

Quinoa (keen-wa) has become Dylan's (and my) new favorite breakfast food, especially on chilly winter mornings!  It is a great alternative to oatmeal, and is just as easy to make!

Quinoa is packed with nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%).  It contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.  It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron.  Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.
It is getting easier to find this product in the supermarket.  I usually get it at Trader Joe's or Wholefoods, but I saw it in the grain aisle last time I was at Safeway.  It has a hardy, nutty flavor, that just makes you and your baby feel warm inside.  You can prepare quinoa in a variety of ways and it is not just limited to breakfast food.  It can be cooked with veggies and broth as a side dish for chicken or fish, it can be used in salads, the possibilities are endless.

Here is the recipe I used this morning for breakfast quinoa...I promise you and your little one will not be disappointed!  Oh and it is thick enough that it sticks to a spoon so if your toddler is practicing his spoon skills, it will give him quite the workout!

Breakfast Quinoa with Maple Syrup and Berries
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups water
2 Tbs Maple Syrup
1 tsp cinnamon 
1/2 cup berries of your choice
1/2 milk (optional)

Directions:
Rinse and drain quinoa, place in sauce pan with water.  Cook on medium heat approximately 15-20 minutes until Quinoa is tender and water is absorbed.  It will double in size.  Add maple syrup and cinnamon.  Fold in berries (try apples, peaches or raisins for variety).  Pour milk on top for thinner creamy consistency.  Enjoy!