Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Making Baby Food : Easy!

Monday, August 29th, 2011

Today we’re going to share with you our new favorite Oxo Tot food prep tool – the Baby Food Mill.

We’ve seen a few of these on the market and they’ve always left a little something to be desired – flimsy, doesn’t fit enough food, limited capability – just okay, not exceptional. OXO Tot has raised the bar and created the ultimate Baby Food Mill loaded with useful features:

  • Three interchangeable stainless steel grinding disks allows for preparing foods in a variety of textures
  • Easy turn knob separates seeds and skins for turning whole cooked fruits and vegetables into fresh purees
  • Simple, spring-loaded lever for easy disk exchange and disassembly
  • 3 non-slip legs secure placement over bowls and pots up to 11-inches in diameter
  • Legs fold for easy storage
  • Non-slip handle and knob
  • Approximately 2.3-quart capacity
  • Dishwasher safe

Take a look at how one mom, published author and baby food expert Chantal Valentine, uses her OXO Tot Baby Food Mill in the kitchen:

 

We love the idea of pureeing left over foods right after dinner! Less waste and you save some time the next day. As you can see, the OXO Tot Baby Food Mill makes creating nutritious baby meals a cinch.

Here’s a funny little video on what you can expect from your OXO Tot Baby Food Mill after hours =)

 

A Lunch Box Favorite!

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

School lunches. Blah. Some mornings I stand in the kitchen and think to myself “they need lunch again, everyday huh”. I get bored. The kids get bored. How many times can you have a ham and cheese sandwich???

My oldest son LOVES banana bread. It is the only thing I make from scratch (if you didn’t know cooking is not one of my favorite hobbies or interests for that matter). But he loves it so much that I wanted the healthiest recipe I could find. I make two batches, slice them nice and thick then freeze them individually. In the morning I take out a slice, slather on a substantial layer of cream cheese, cut in half and put together (so the cream cheese is on one another) and away he goes. The bread is still frozen so by the time he get’s to school it’s perfectly thawed.

Here’s the recipe I use from Deceptively Delicious. I have modified it a bit. I don’t use the cauliflower puree. It makes the bread smell awful and it gets moldy quickly. It calls for 1 1/2c banana puree, I increase that to 2 cups to make up for the omit of the cauliflower. Keep in mind 2 cups of banana puree is about 5 bananas. Pureeing the bananas (or smashing them with a fork as we call it) is a great activity for the kids to do. Especially if they wash their hands really well, they can get in there and get their hands all gooey. Fun!

Nonstick cooking spay
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, but I recommend it)
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 cup banana puree
1/2 cup cauliflower puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 5 loaf pan or 2 mini-pans with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl or zipper-lock bag, mix the flours with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, if using. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined. Mix in the egg whites, bananas and cauliflower purees, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes for the large loaf or 25 to 30 minutes for the mini loaves. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn bread out of the pan to cool before serving.

Tip: You can also spread peanut butter on it for something different.

Happy Back to School! -Shannon

Itsy Bitsy Yoga Demo

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

totItsy Bitsy Yoga for Tots is a supportive, fun-loving, and active yoga class. As tot’s mobility increases, classes offer tot-centric poses that encourage and support their physical explorations. Tots become more confident in their moving bodies as they practice yoga both in and out of class.

During a Tots Itsy Bitsy Yoga class crawlers and walkers playfully practice yoga postures while they are standing, sitting up, walking, and jumping. Parents also get to do a little yoga, but no yoga experience is required.

Interested, but not sure? We have a free demo class on Monday, August 15 at 10:30 am. Interested in coming, register by calling, 401-234-1279