How Easy Is It To Make Baby Food?

First how do we know when our little ones are ready to start solids? Your baby should have doubled their weight and they should be able to sit up in their highchair on their own. A good portion of the time, doctors want you to wait until 4 months. Always check with your child pediatrician first, there is always chance your little one may not just be ready yet.

Tool wise here are some things you will need:

1. Blender or Food Processor 
2. Baby spoons/forks
3. Thin mesh strainer (for some recipes)
4. Ice cube trays if making food in bulk and freezing
5. proper storage containers.
• Remember when you make your baby food, place the desired amount in a separate dish. If you feed baby from the same dish, and their saliva mixes in you can not save that particular baby food due to bacteria.
• If you wish, freeze the extra in ice cube trays and once frozen place in ziploc bags. Always remember to label and date your bags. You can also just place extras in a clean container and into the refrigerator

Here is a simple rice cereal recipe this makes 1-2 servings

• 1/4 cup white or brown rice
• 1 cup of water

1. grind rice into a powder using a food processor or blender
2. place a cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
1. or you can place 1 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl
3. place rice powder into the pot and stir, cover and let simmer for 7 mins on low. until cereal is thick
1. or stir rice powder in microwave safe bowl with water and nuke for 2 mins on med heat. stir and then microwave for 2 mins. more
4. Let the cereal cool to lukewarm and thin with formula or breastmilk to the desired consistency. If your rice cereal comes out a bit lumpy you can always blend again to the desired consistency when done.

There you go! Homemade rice cereal, you don't need to buy a box of it. You can also do the same exact thing with oatmeal. Try rice cereal first because it is hypoallergenic, then in 2 weeks try the oatmeal. I promise your baby will love it as much as mine.

Please look out for more baby food recipes in the near future, provecho little ones!

Healthy Shoppin'

This is how I'm able to feed my family and stay on our budget, we spend 75 dollars or less a week on groceries. I personally prefer to shop at places that have great produce. Theses places can be vegetable stands, or mercados. Ethnic grocers tend to have beautiful produce at lower prices than your traditional grocer.  But if you don't want to shop at 2 different places that's just fine too! Here is my usual game plan.

• clean out your fridge and do a quick organization of your cupboards so you know what you have and don't have.
• make a menu for the week and plan your grocery list accordingly. 
• When at the grocery store stop at the produce section first! We tend to spend 1/2 our money on produce and the other half on the rest of the items needed.

1. If you're having a hard time getting your little one to eat their veggies, then have them help you pick out your produce! If a child gets to pick a veggie or two a week they are more likely to try it.
2. buy veggies and fruits on sale, you can wash and cut them up, place them portioned sized in a ziploc and throw them in the freezer. There you have veggies and fruits for future use.
3.  I also buy a couple of lettuce heads, chop them up and wash them, spin them in salad spinner and put them in ziplocs. This saves you money and you get more lettuce than what you find in the packaged bags. I also reserve a few leaves and set them in another bag to use in sandwiches. Make sure to buy thicker darker leafier lettuces and try to stay away from iceberg. 

• Try to buy whole grains, for example when looking for bread, make sure that it contains at least 2 grams of fiber. When buying flour buy whole wheat flour, try to stay away from the ultra processed bleached flours as well.
1. Are you constantly throwing bread out? Well try this cut up your bread into cubes and dry them out in a  200 degree oven, you then can place them in a ziploc for stuffings, or croutons. I also place the dried bread into my food processor to make homemade breadcrumbs. You can store them in you freezer up to 6 months. 
• Try to buy lean cuts of meat, such as chicken, turkey, pork. I tend to buy chicken whole and cut it up myself, this saves you a lot more money as well. Packaged chicken that has already been cut cost more.
1. If you're thinking you won't have time to cut up a whole chicken when you're running home to make dinner! Don't worry, you can cut it up ahead of time and place in a ziploc if you're really weary. But I can rest assure you it doesn't take that much time at all. Here is a tutorial that can assist you. I would do it myself but the idea of alternating taking photos and cutting chicken makes my Nikon unhappy. How to cut a whole chicken
2. I roast a whole chicken at a time, that way when my husband packs his lunch, he can either make a chicken breast sandwich, or I make chicken salad. You can also use the carcass to make a basic stock. We'll elaborate on that in the future.
• Shop mostly on the periphery of the market, you tend to find more of the processed foods in the center of the store.
• Last use your coupons and bring your green bags, many stores will give you a discount for every bag you bring, or a certain amount of money off your total cost.