How to Make Your Own Baby Food

I know a lot of people make their own baby food for various reasons. My two reasons are pretty simple and straight forward: 1) It's cost effective...big money saver! We have to purchase formula for our 6 month old because breastfeeding did not work for us (mommy and baby were very unhappy, which resulted in no production). I tried for a couple of months, with supplements as well, and nothing could make me produce more. So, with the added cost of formula buying baby food would easily put us over our grocery budget each month. 2) I like to know exactly what my little guy is getting. Now, I'm not this huge "everything must be organic" person, but I myself try to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and I want my son to experience that too. Eventually he'll be eating foods just like mommy and daddy and we don't eat our bananas from a jar so why should he?

Now, before I had my son I always thought the idea of making your own baby food was...well, ridiculous. I had it in my head that it was incredibly time consuming and difficult. Given our current situation I decided to do some research and I found some different websites and blogs that were actually helpful and made it seem MUCH less scary. This is one of them. So simple. So straightforward. So how I like it.

Here's a rundown of my first experience whipping up a batch of green beans and a small batch of sweet potato.

As you can see, I used an ordinary blender to puree the food and I purchased some of those flexible ice trays (they're nice, but regular ice trays are just as good). I decided to try the frozen steamable green beans. They worked just fine.

I added a little bit of water (breastmilk is just fine as well, but as I mentioned, I'm out :-p) as I pureed the green beans to get it to the consistency I wanted (not too thick so baby can swallow it easily, but also not too runny). The only thing I would do differently is pour part of the bag of green beans in the blender at a time. I dumped the whole bag in thinking it would be fine, but because green beans have a bit of a thicker 'skin' it was difficult to puree it to the consistency I wanted. But my son doesn't have any trouble swallowing it now.

The sweet potatoes were much easier because they puree so much better. I washed and peeled the potato first, then cut it up into small chunks and put them in my steamer basket.

I actually had these steaming while I made the pureed green beans. Took about 10 minutes or so to soften. Since I only did one potato this time I threw all of it into the blender. Again I added water to get the consistency I wanted, then poured them into my trays.

I left them in the freezer for a few hours to harden. I popped them out on the counter and placed them in labeled ziploc bags (with the date) and then lined up each 1 oz cube so it would stack easily in the freezer. We have a drawer in the bottom of our freezer that I emptied out so it could be used for our bags of baby food. Perfect.

I usually try to take out enough food the night before so it can thaw out in the refrigerator, but on days I forget, which does tend to happen, I nuke it in the microwave for about 10 seconds and make sure it's cool enough to eat.

I DO NOT MAKE BABY FOOD EVERY WEEK. Goodness knows I'd go crazy! I set aside one single day and knock it out. Baby food lasts up to 3 months in the freezer, so I usually double the batch and freeze away! I've made applesauce, pear, avocado, more sweet potato, broccoli and am planning some new additions in the next few weekends to try out. The website I mentioned above is great for starting out :)

What other kinds of baby foods should I make?

Mantle Makeover...or some sort of attempt at one

This is what our mantle has looked like pretty much since we moved in 2 years ago:

Now the fake plants are new and that awesome mirror was actually left in the house when we moved in. There was some serious ugly, outdated fake foliage that I scraped off. It chipped the paint, but it added to it's worn look anyway :)

I've been kind of sick of this mantle's randomness and shear, plain ugliness for awhile now. I'd often look around for decor items I could add to it, but found they were so expensive, and I wasn't yet set on any specific kind of style...until Pinterest. Now I've gathered quite a few ideas from there before I decided what I really liked. And I try to do as much on a dime as I can, as we're not made of money. I also wanted something that I could add to or take away only a little bit during the fall and winter months (my favorite holidays lie within those months). Once I settled on an idea I set out for Goodwill and some nearby garage sales and found some true gems.

Here's what the mantle looks like with those priceless (quite literally) items:

With the sale stickers on 'em and everything :) I set out to transform those items. I wanted a clean look with a small amount of color. I figured it would make it easier to decorate for fall and Christmas without having to take everything down and replace it with new holiday stuff...I've got a few ideas up my sleeve on how I'm going to dress up this mantle for the holidays, but that can be found in another post later on.

I decided to go with white and ocean/seafoam kind of color with a little bit of black for some pop. The clear vase on the left I ended up spray painting white...and HATED it. So I went to Wal-Mart and bought another one for $3 and used this website here to give it a cleaner and shinier look. Now, I couldn't find the exact enamel paint they used, but found the closest thing to it. It was rather difficult to paint the inside of the vase with that stuff. The brush left a lot of streaks that were pretty noticeable from the outside, so I just dumped a ton of the stuff inside the vase and manipulated it enough to coat the inside pretty evenly. The only thing with doing it this way was that a lof the of the paint went to waste when you set it upside down to 'drain out.' But one small bottle of that paint only cost me about $1 at Hobby Lobby so it's not the end of the world. Now, the next thing you're supposed to do after it's painted it either let it air dry for 21 DAYS (yeah, that's what I thought ?!?!) or bake it in the oven for 30 minutes after it air dries for 48 hours. So I did choice #2 and this happened:

I was a bit bummed, but there was no way I was going to re-do this. I figured I could turn the vase so the big bubble on the bottom is facing the wall and the little bubbles on the top are hardly noticeable from far away. Not perfect, but what really is anymore?

Also, another note about the little ceramic vase and ceramic bowl/dish that I spray painted. I started with a primer. It did it's job. Then thought I'd like a flat paint look...I was wrong. It was very rough and much more dull than I thought it would be. So I painted another layer of white satin...and some of the paint ran (darn Texas humidity!). However, this isn't very noticeable from far away either. Nice thing about white vs. color paint, the light doesn't really catch all the imperfections.

Oh, you want to see what the final product looks like? What does the mantle look like now?

Drum roll please...

My absolute favorite piece is the framed chalkboard I made. I plan on changing it up with different verses and during Christmas make it a countdown or something :) The little ceramic dish/bowl I can put pine cones in for fall and glass ornament balls for Christmas. I also purchased 2 black iron candle holders that have a wide base so little pumpkins can fit on the top of those and/or glass ornaments. And I have a few other clear glass items I plan on filling with something during the holidays to add to the decor. And some ideas rolling around in my head for a wreath of some sorts to hang over the mirrored window frame. And, and, and...there's so much you could do!

Though there were some hiccups and a few minor mishaps, I am very pleased with my mantle makeover. What to do next? More wreaths? No, my husband will probably kill me...I spent most of my pregnancy last year creating a wreath for every season/holiday and could probably come up with more if I had the money.

I've got a few other Pinterest ideas I may attempt. Don't know what or when, but there'll be something a-brewing!

Working it Out

As I recall, I said I'd post about my recent workout routine.
So here's the goal:
-Get up at 6am Monday-Friday and workout. Giving myself the weekends off.
-Monday, Wednesday, Friday do Biggest Loser Extreme Calorie Burn DVD (with all 3 workouts + warm up and cool down = 60 minutes)
-Tuesday, Thursday do Beachbody Slim in 6 Cardio Core Express DVD...which I found at our church garage sale for $1. Can't beat that! (including warm up and cool down = 28 minutes)
-Shower
-Baby wakes up to be fed and my day starts.

Here's what actually happened:
-Got up around 6:30/6:45 Monday-Friday and worked out. (I know it's only Thursday, but I will be getting up around this time tomorrow I'm sure to do my workout).
-Monday did TBL DVD (ALL parts = 60 minutes)
-Tuesday did Cardio Core DVD (really like this one = 28 minutes)
-Wednesday did TBL DVD (cut out the last 15 minute routine because I'm not a huge fan = 45 minutes)
-Thursday did Cardio Core DVD (again, like this one = 28 minutes)
-Friday WILL do TBL DVD...(will probably cut the last routine again = 45 minutes)
-Some days I got in a shower before the baby waking up...others not so much
-My day begins no matter what.

So here's how I feel about this week. I'm definitely proud of myself for getting up early and doing my workouts. I feel great after I get in some exercise...even if it is completely exhausting. My body is definitely feeling it this week that's for sure. After spending the month of April doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, I've realized one thing...I've been doing lunges and squats wrong all along. Must be why my knees are so bad now. She doesn't focus much on form and, honestly, form is rather important to the progress you will make. I wasn't putting my weight on my heels like you're supposed to, instead it was all in my knees. Hence the reason I feel like an old lady with arthritis every time I get up or sit down. Ouch. They feel much better this week...only now it's my thighs, glutes, and calves that are burning. I'm doing it right!

I haven't noticed a huge jump on the scale. I AM eating very well. Practicing some serious self control and not binge eating. I know it takes time, but I'm kind of impatient. I've been dying to get out these maternity pants/shorts for awhile now and now that I'm actually doing something about it, it's not happening as fast as I would like. But such is life. I'm losing this weight at a decent rate, which will help me keep it off in the long run. This is no "diet plan" but rather a lifestyle change...with some goals that I would really like to be reached in a certain amount of time. One being that I'm a bridesmaid in one of my good friend's wedding this October, but we're ordering the dresses on the 20th of this month. Not much time for me to be where I want to be and I know I won't be. But I'm hoping I'll be able to purchase a hopefully smaller size and have it altered a few weeks before the wedding. I plan on working on this weight loss thing until I reach my goal, which means I've got a ways to go! But I'm determined and committed, so it will happen!

My hope for this next week is to actually roll my sleepy carcass out of bed at 6am like I planned. I know it seems early for a stay at home mom, but when your child wakes up anytime (and I mean ANYTIME) between 7-8am you want your workout (and hopefully a shower) done. Plus as early as it is, that time is my me-time. I need to start thinking of myself too.

My next goal: make a daily date with God for prayer and reading. This has been hit or miss with me lately (mostly miss) and I NEED it...and so does the Lord.

Kassidy

Freedom

Freedom. This could mean a lot of things. The most obvious is our country's independence, which will be celebrated tomorrow (you know, in case you forgot). But I can't help but reflect on my own personal freedoms. Freedom from struggles, trials that only the Lord has brought me through, and insecurities that I let go of years ago, but have since then returned. I'm a work in progress.

I have always struggled with my body image. If it wasn't my weight then it was my height. Or my feet. Or my hair. Or my skin. Or...or...or... It wasn't until I moved to Texas 5 years ago for a teaching job that I finally felt free enough to change the image people had of me. I could start fresh. Be me for the first time in my whole life. And I was darn excited about it! There was a lot inside that changed, which I think was caused by some of the visible outside changes that were going on. Without even trying...honestly, I was so active with friends that the weight just fell off and one day I could fit into a size 10. Which was absolutely awesome for me! I was so confident. I felt beautiful. But more importantly I felt completely healthy and happy. Though there had definitely been struggles since moving here, I knew in my heart this is where the Lord wanted me. Things were happening in my life and it was wonderful!

Fast forward a bit...I met someone. We dated a short time then we were married. We were married then we found out we were going to have a baby. Now, I had always heard your first year of marriage is like the freshmen 15...as in you will gain a little weight. This was completely true for me. I was comfortable. But I think what really got me was that I wanted to be a good wife. And what made a good wife? Yep, good food. I cooked full course meals with the works! I wanted my husband to know his wife could cook and make him a happy man! Well, I eventually realized what that was doing to me (and my waist size), so I started to try to lose weight. I quickly became frustrated with it because it was so hard! I kept telling myself that this was so easy before because I didn't have to try, it just happened, and I kept hoping and praying one day I could fit back into a size 10...then I found out I was pregnant. The dieting stopped. It took me a few months before my eating started going a bit too far. Yeah I was pregnant, but does that really give me the "right" to eat whatever I want, when I want, and any amount of it I want? I didn't think so, but I was in such a rut.

So here we are. I have a beautiful baby boy and a wonderful husband who loves me no matter what size I am and all I want is to feel better about myself and be healthy again. I can't say what one thing flipped the switch, I just remember one day deciding to be committed to working out and eating right again. Most days there was no motivation, but mind you motivation and commitment are two very different things. Motivation is a feeling that jump starts your journey. Sometimes it's your desire, but sometimes it's definitely your guilt. Commitment is a decision that you make every single minute of every single day. It's a disciplined decision to work out every morning when you really just want to sleep in (and I have to get up at 6am y'all because my 5 month old is up between 7 and 8...). It's a decision to grab an apple instead a handful of cookies when you're hankering for a snack. You are committed to putting the right stuff into your body and burning the bad stuff out of your body through exercise.

I can truly say, for the first time in my life, I've made a commitment to live a healthy lifestyle not just to be on a diet. I gained so much weight with my pregnancy (I will never again do that with future children!) and that's what I needed to motivate me to change. I started at the very end of March, struggled in June when I was away from my husband for a month visiting family, and I'm back in the game now! I've lost a total of 17 pounds so far and looking forward to losing more! I want to do this for my family. I want to be able to keep up with my active little boy and enjoy quality time with husband doing the things we love like hiking or biking. But more importantly, I'm putting myself first time. I'm doing this for me.

It feels wonderful to have freedom from my unhealthy lifestyle. I have to continue to fight for it every single day, but it's worth it. My next post will be about my newest workout routine and how it's going so far. I will leave you with this photo:

My something patriotic food. Fresh, healthy, delicious, and even a gluten free version :)

-Kassidy