How to make your own baby food

When my husband and I decided we were ready for a third baby, I remember thinking "This will be perfect. Nathan will be 4 by the time the baby is born. He will be so grown up and independent, it will be easy having 3 kids."

Double trouble - and always in motion!

Ha! I'm not sure what I was thinking, but having three kids ages 4 and under is anything but easy! Babies are a lot of work and baby Ray is no exception. Our Hannah-girl has a mischievous streak and must be watched like a hawk or else! And as sweet and helpful as Nathan is, he is still just a typical 4 year old - a young child who needs lots of guidance and attention.

Most days I end up feeling like one of the kids is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to my attention. On the days I feel good about how much time I have given each of them, I look around and realize my house is in shambles for lack of attention to the housework!

Ray adores his big brother

On days like that I remember that these are the days when I will make memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I try to keep in mind this poem I read once:

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow
For babies grow up we learn to our sorrow
So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep 

 Even though it takes a little extra time, I have been very excited to make my own baby food this time around. We have a great food processor this time which makes it super easy, although I suppose I could have mashed it by hand in the past. I was just always a little intimidated to make my own baby food. How silly because it is so easy!

In case any of you out there wants to try making your own baby food but is not sure how, here is a little tutorial I put together:

Homemade Baby Food

ingredient ideas:
peaches, pears, apples, peas, green beans, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes are all good starter foods
be sure to buy use fresh or frozen foods, not canned because canned foods have a lot of extra sodium

To cook peaches, carrots, green beans, or peas, I cover them with water in a pot and boil until they are soft. You don't want them totally nasty and overcooked, but you will want to cook them a little softer than you would normally eat them yourself.

You can boil sweet potatoes, pears, and apples, or you can bake them. I usually bake sweet potatoes for 1 -1 1/2 hours at 400F, depending on the size of the potato. Apples and squash need to be cut in half, cored or seeded, and placed in a baking pan filled with 1 inch of water. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes (apples) or 40 minutes (squash).

Let the cooked food cool then place it in the food processor. If it was boiled to cook it, drain it but reserve the cooking water just in case you need to add a little liquid to get it to the right consistency for baby. Puree until smooth, adding water if needed.

Yum - peas!

Place in containers and refrigerate for up to a few days or freeze for up to a few months.

These containers look small but each contain at least twice what the baby food containers in the store cost, made for less than half the price!

Do you make your own baby food or any other baby products at home? Is it worth the cost savings, or would you rather have the convenience of the store-bought option? I find I am enjoying the satisfaction of knowing exactly what I am putting into my baby's mouth.

Sunday Dinner Pork Tenderloin

I have made this pork recipe several times in the past year. Each time it has turned out perfectly moist and tender with a lovely spicy-sweet flavor. The original recipe was titled Oven-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Brown Sugar Garlic Glaze from food.com. Try it for your next Sunday dinner!

Be sure to keep checking in this week as I share some exciting changes for the blog and of course updated kid pictures!

Sunday Dinner Pork Tenderloin

printable recipe

serves 6-8

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

2 pork tenderloins

2 tsp salt

1/4-1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco. Set aside. In another bowl stir together the salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. This is going to be your rub. Use your fingers to rub this mixture all over the tenderloins. 

Heat a large heavy oven-proof skillet with oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add in tenderloins (we cut each in half to fit our skillet) and brown them on all sides. 

Leaving pork in skillet, pat the brown sugar mixture onto the top of the pork. Place in the middle of the oven and roast for about 20-22 minutes, until a thermometer registers 140 degrees. Remove from oven and let sit in skillet for 10 minutes (the temperature of the pork will rise to about 155 degrees while sitting in the hot skillet).

Remove from skillet, slice and serve!

Love this little guy...

Stewart Raymond "Ray," born January 12, 2012

Someday I'll get back to blogging recipes. For now, I'm enjoying every minute with this litttle big guy, as well as getting settled into our new home in Connecticut! Love to all!

-Heather

Chicken Parmesan Bake

Here's an easy weeknight meal that offers the taste of Chicken Parmesan without the hassle of pounding out, breading and frying the chicken. This recipe by Chef John was recommended to me via Grandma Honey's blog. I've made a few tweaks just to adjust for my own preferences, but for the most part have stayed pretty close to the original recipe.

Chicken Parmesan Bake

printable recipe
serves 4-6

olive oil
red pepper flakes
3-4 minced garlic cloves
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar marinara sauce (I used Barilla traditional marinara)
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz parmesan, grated
italian seasoning, salt, and pepper
5 oz bag of garlic croutons

Preheat oven to 350F. Drizzle olive oil into a 9x13" baking dish and generously sprinkle with red pepper flakes and garlic cloves. I did not skimp on the pepper or garlic, but it was not over powering at all, so don't be afraid of it being too spicy!

Cut the chicken into 2-3 oz cutlets. This is optional but I felt it made the chicken more flavorful and ensured that the chicken was cooked through. Some reviewers of the original recipe complained that the whole breasts were not cooked through in the allotted time, but I did not have this problem when I cut up the chicken a bit.

Arrange the chicken breasts on top of the olive oil in the baking dish. Season generously with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning.

Spread marinara sauce on top of chicken, and sprinkle on half of the mozzarella and parmesan.

Distribute the croutons evenly on top and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 35 minutes, uncovering for the last 15 minutes so the croutons have a chance to crisp up.

Serve with a salad and french bread.

my current favorite cookie

Not having a ton of time right now but still having plenty of chocolate cravings, I've been enjoying recipes and pictures from other great blogs. These are my current favorite cookies from the blog How Sweet It Is. Cured my chocolate and peanut butter cravings at the same time! Why is it that my sweet tooth just intensifies when I'm pregnant with baby boys?

Triple Threat Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cookies

Hello There!

I haven't been blogging very much lately, not really any excuse except for this little guy:

That's right, in January we will be welcoming a new baby boy into our family! We couldn't be more thrilled.

We had a great summer and our kids enjoyed every minute of it. I found myself spending a lot less time in the kitchen, first because of the morning sickness all-day nausea, then because I found it easier to stick with some of my old favorites instead of trying new recipes while we enjoyed the beautiful Colorado weather.

In July, Hannah turned two. Cake and a balloon, all a 2 year old needs, right?







Isn't she turning into such a pretty little girl? She has such a fun personality too, a little more feisty than Nathan, but we figure with an older brother already and a younger brother on the way, it's a good thing that she is able to stick up for herself.

While I haven't been experimenting too much with new recipes, I have been starting to bake my favorite pumpkin recipes. Yummy!

 

I've picked up crocheting again. Check out this cute hat I am making for our new baby boy! I purchased the pattern from this seller on etsy.





I also have started making my own cleaning and personal care products incorporating essential oils, thanks to a class I attended by Jenn Oldham. This is a video of her demonstrating how she makes her own laundry detergent, lip balm, and deodorant.

The secret is in the Certified Pure Therapeutic-grade Essential Oils sold by doTerra. I'm sure I will blog more on this in the future, because I am falling in love with all the uses I have found for these awesome oils, including relieving stress, nipping colds in the bud, and cleaning my house.

I hope to be back to the blog a little more consistently in the future, so see you soon!

Peaches and Cream

Last night I tried a new dessert recipe that my aunt had sent my mom, called Peaches and Cream. Oh my word, was it good! So good in fact that I convinced myself that it was kind of like coffee cake and had it for breakfast this morning. My kids kind of gave me the side-eye as I ate dessert for breakfast but it was worth it.

Like a cross between cheesecake and cobbler, this dessert is sure to win you friends, or at least start end your day right.

printable recipe

Peaches and Cream

1 (3 oz) package vanilla pudding (not instant, you need the cook and serve kind for this recipe)
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1 egg
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1 (15 oz) can of sliced peaches
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup + 1 tsp sugar, divided
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine pudding, flour, baking powder, salt, egg, butter, and milk in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat for 2 minutes then spread in a greased 8x8 inch square pan or 9 inch deep pie pan.

Drain the peaches, reserving the juice, and arrange on top of the fruit.

If you're feeling frisky, sprinkle a couple of handfuls of blueberries (fresh or frozen) on top.

Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3 Tbsp peach juice. Spoon on top of fruit.

Mix together the remaining tsp of sugar and the cinnamon.

Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of cream cheese.

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until cake mixture is golden on the edges.

Let cool down a bit, then serve warm. If you're impatient like I am and try to dig in too soon, you will end up with an (albeit delicious) mess.

However, if you let it sit up a bit it will lend itself to more tidy serving.









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