October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

One great way of spreading breast cancer awareness, is spreading the word about lowering the risk of breast cancer through breast feeding!  

Breastfeeding acts in several ways to protect women from breast cancer.  The lymph system within breast tissue, which is important in keeping the breast tissue clean, only develops fully during pregnancy.  Nursing keeps the mother's oxytocin levels high.  Oxytocin, one of the hormones within human body, can help prevent breast cancer because it inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells.  

And studies have shown that women who breastfed for two years or longer reduced their risk of breast cancer by 50 percent!

Winner of the Boon Squirt Spoon Giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry into the Mush End of Summer Giveaway!

Congratulations Erika T. for submitting your tip for feeding your little one on the go!  You will receive the Boon Squirt Spoon which will make feeding your baby that much easier.

Here is Erika's tip:

Quick and easy! We travel from CA to FL a lot. I bring mashed potatoes, Gerber puffs, and apple sauce mixed with rice cereal for a quick snack on the plane between meals. I might get strange looks but it keeps her belly full and there is less mess for me!

Interesting combination.  Thanks Erika!

Boon Squirt Spoon Giveaway

 

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Chill Out with Homemade Popsicles

Over the summer months Dylan has asking for popsicles everyday (he calls them bicycles...but I know what he means).  It's been pretty hot, so homemade popsicles are a great way to beat the summer heat without all the sugar and artificial colors.  Two of our favorite flavors are Coconut Pineapple and Strawberry Banana Yogurt.  I found some affordable popsicle molds (under $5) at Target.  Now is a great time to look for them because it is the end of the season!  You don't need any fancy equipment, all you need is a blender and a freezer.  If you don't have popsicle molds, just use Dixie cups with a wooden stick. 

If you are worried about your little one using the wooden stick, just freeze your purees in the Dixie cups without the stick and cut the popsicle into bite-size cubes once it is frozen.  Mesh feeders work great for this too!

The possibilities for flavor combinations are endless!  Here are a couple recipes to get you started.

Coconut Pineapple Popsicle

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/4 cup dried, unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup fresh pineapple

Combine all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth and creamy. Divide mixture into four (4-ounce) Popsicle molds. Freeze for 4-6 hours and serve.

Strawberry Banana Yogurt-sicles 

1 cup plain non-fat yogurt

3-4 strawberries

1 banana

3/4 cup milk (any milk of your choice...breast, soy, rice)

Combine all ingredients in the blender until smooth.  Pour into popsicle molds.  Freeze for 4-6 hours.  Drink the left over as a smoothie!  Yummy! 

*If you have trouble removing your popsicle from the molds, just run mold under warm water for 5-10 seconds and the popsicle will slide out easily.

Get The Scoop: Baby Bullet Product Review

With all of the choices these days for homemade baby food making equipment, it's easy to get overwhelmed when selecting a baby food appliance.  Personally, I am a fan of any pureeing and steaming appliances you already have in your kitchen.  There has been a lot of buzz lately about the Magic Baby Bullet by Baby Bullet.

The "As Seen on TV" type of advertisement may be a little off putting.  And the promo video boasts that it purees "organic baby food"...well that is true only if you are using organic produce.  It's storage containers are BPA free, and it retails for about $59 on most sites.   

Online reviews seemed to be relatively positive with the main complaints being that there is no fill max line printed on the storage cups.  Others mentioned that if the base of the blender is not screwed on tightly it leaks making the "push down mechanism" sticky.  Pros appeared that it was easy to use and clean and came with 2 blades that made pulverizing grains easy.


Here is what Suzy B. from Scottsdale, AZ had to say about her experience with the Baby Bullet.

Q: Which factors were most important to you when choosing this product?

A:  How easy it would be to use and clean, and how well it would work overall.

Q: What features of this product work well for making baby food?

A: The Baby Bullet purees food very quickly and the amounts made seem to be perfect, not too much and not too little.  The storage system, which comes with the product, is very easy to use and has a dial system that enables the user to indicate on the jar when the food was made.

Q: What would you change about this product or what improvements could be made to this product?

A: I would like to see ounce measurement lines on the storage jars because I don't always know how much food I am feeding my baby.

Q: Does this product have any special attachments?

A: The product comes with small batch jars and a large batch jar as well as a milling blade for cereals and a regular blade for purees.  In addition, it comes with a complete storage system and nutrition information and recipes for the various stages.

Q: Is this item dishwasher safe?

A: Yes

Thanks for your input Suzy!

This product can be purchased online at Babybullet.com, Amazon.com, and HSN.com.  It can also be purchased in stores at Bed Bath & Beyond.  You can use the Bed Bath & Beyond 25% off coupon.

 

Crunchy Munchies: Yummy Snacks That Your Toddler Will Love

Are you sick of giving your toddler animal crackers and cheerios as a snack?  Wish that you could get him/her to eat veggies like kale, and Brussels sprouts?  Sound too good to be true?  That's what I thought but I tried the following recipes and Dylan ate them up...in fact I had to make a second batch for myself.

Kale Chips

• 1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried 
• olive oil
• season to taste

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss lightly with olive oil (if you have a Misto sprayer, just spray a tiny bit of EVOO on the leaves). Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Serve as finger food. 

Brussels Sprout Chips

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed and spun dry
• olive oil
• season to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
Trim stem end of Brussels sprouts high enough to loosen most of the leaves. Remove and discard yellow or damaged leaves. Separate as many leaves as will pull away from the center easily. Halve the remaining sprout centers. Place loose leaves and sprout halves in a large mixing bowl.  Drizzle (or spray) olive oil over Brussels sprouts; sprinkle coarse salt and pepper over. Coat evenly and spread leaves in a single layer on baking sheet  

Place baking sheet in 425 degree F oven and let roast for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven. Pick out leaves that are dark and crispy and place in a serving bowl. Use a spatula to flip the remaining leaves and sprout halves. Return to oven.  Repeat this process until the majority of the leaves have been crisped. The halved sprouts remaining on the baking sheet should be browned and fork-tender. Place them in the serving bowl along with the leaves and serve warm or at room temperature.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

Just thought I would share this great opportunity for FREE baby slings and udder covers.

1.  Go to SevenSlings.com and/or UdderCovers.com. 2.  Click on "Shop Now" and select any baby carrier, nursing cover and/or breast pads you like. 3.  Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag.      Enter the promo code " Breastfeeding " and both companies have agreed to deduct 100% of      the cost of the carrier or nursing cover - all you pay are the shipping fees! Remember: the promo code is " Breastfeeding " and you can use it more than once - just open a new browser window each time you do. Coming Soon...new blog posts and website updates!