Product placement time....

I cannot stress how important it is to have a clean kitchen and work space when prepping your food. Not only for you, but for your entire family. One of the products that I just love, not only because it is good to keep our fruits and veggies clean, but because it is all natural and inexpensive.

Veggie Wash is a pretty unique product that has been around for a little while. It usually costs between $4.00-25.00 depending on quantity. I bought a small bottle and it lasted about seven months. Now I buy the large bottle. It is easy to come by, almost every grocery store keeps it in stock in the produce section.

I don't like to push products, but I do recommend this for your peace of mind. It also does make the produce taste a lot fresher.

Go out and get a bottle, it is totally worth it.

After all, didn't our mothers stress cleanliness? We should all be doing the same, only to the next level.

It's winter! What fruits and veggies are we talking about here?

Winter is upon us. Thanksgiving has now come and gone and as we prepare for the festive holiday season, I can only think about how this is one of the most exciting food seasons. 

A lot of misconception out there is this... it's winter! What fruits and veggies are in season now? Well as it turns out, some of the "first foods" that we give our babies ARE winter fruits and veggies. Here is a list of winter fruits and veggies, followed by the first recipe. I hope you enjoy and as always, please feel free to share your own recipes here. Cheers! 

Apples

Pears

Butternut squash

Pumpkin

Sweet potatoes

Carrot

Brussels sprouts

Eggplant

Parsnips 

Turnips

Baby food: Butternut squash and apple puree  (6months +)

Yields 12 units

One small butter nut squash

Six small apples (please feel free to use the type of apple you like) When you mix and match different apples, you are exposing your child to different tastes and textures at a very young age. This is such a great way to start exercising the pallet. 

Remove skin from butternut squash, wrap in tinfoil  and put into over at 350F for 45 minutes. This makes it soft and easy to cut into. Caution, a butternut squash is a tough squash to cut raw. 

Remove skin from apples and chop into cubes, while removing the core. 

When you have taken the butternut squash out of the oven, cut it into same size cubes as the apples, while removing the seeds, place all cubes into a large pot for steaming or to boil. At this point, that is a personal choice. Steaming maintains vitamins and nutrients, but boiling makes it easier to puree. Like I said, your choice. 

After 15 minutes, remove and mash or process in kitchen processor. 

This will save in your refrigerator for up to a week and in your freezer for up to a year. This is also really good in adult oatmeal or a base for butternut squash soup. 

When you baby is older than 9 months, you can start to add spices to this same puree, like cinnamon, curry or cloves. 

If you have an older baby or toddler, you can just mash this cooked cubes for a chunkier texture. 

Greetings!

This is officially my very first blog entry, ever! I have to admit, that I was skeptical of blogs, but I have since come around. Well, here we go!

This will be a food blog for babies, toddlers and children. After working in politics for many years, I found that my passion for it fell apart during this last cycle. Campaign politics can be brutal for parents, so I have made a bold decision to quit.

When I was working for a certain candidate this summer, his headquarters happened to be located next to a Save-a-lot grocery store. If you know anything about this horrible chain, you know that it is not in anyway healthy for consumption. Everything in there is processed, packaged and filled with nitrates and sugars. There is entire row of gallon jugs of colored sugar water, masquerading as juice. I would watch mothers drag their children into the store and buy the most awful foods. All I could think about was these children are not going to grow up to be healthy adults. How in the world can they be prepared to lead our country?

I have been making my own baby food from the beginning and if I can do it while juggling a job that requires me to be there seven-days-a-week, everyone can at least give it a shot. I understand that not everyone knows how, or even has the desire. But I am here to tell you, that once you get started and active in your child's nutrition, you will not only be happy with the results, but you may even find it fun and a good bonding experience.

I will start with a some basic knowledge and tips here.

If you have a baby who is starting new foods, think about what we consider "first foods" for example: Apples, pears, peas, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and carrots. Who has not bought these fruits and veggies whole before? So, why would you spend so much money on jar food? I did some math. If you feed your baby up to three times daily a jar of food, you will end up spending $1,800 per year on BABY FOOD! That is crazy!

If you have access to a farmer's market, I highly suggest you get your produce from a local vendor. If you can source your food, then you are in control of your child's diet. That is a very empowering feeling. If not, try to use grocery stores or co-op's that source their vendors for you.

Take apples for example: Buy six apples, peel, chop and put into a pot to boil or you can steam in a steamer. Give it 10 minutes, then drain and smash or put into a processor. You now have made enough apple sauce to fill two entire ice trays of food. It can be stored for up to one year if seal properly. You also just spent about $2.50 for 24 units of food. If you do math, you will find that this is not only a better option for your child's diet, but for your pocket book as well.

I will start posting recipes and tips soon. For now, I just want to get started and get some feedback.

Thank you for giving me a chance to try and get our children to grow up to be leaders by not only feeding their little bellies, but their minds as well. Try and get your children to help you in the kitchen as well. Bonding over food is one of the best things I do with my daughter and I think you will find it to be just as enjoyable.

CHEERS!