Peas & Carrots Podcast and Blog From Fresh Baby

Welcome

Welcome to our Peas & Carrots podcast and blog.  We know parents and caregivers are pressed for time, but want to know what they can do to promote healthy eating habits for their baby. So whether you are nursing, exercising, driving to work, or surfing the web, we hope you enjoy listening and reading our information.  Our goal is to make it SO EASY for parents to raise a healthy eater!

If you like Peas & Carrots and want more - subscribe to Fresh Ideas, our monthly newsletter.  It's packed with earth-friendly tips and tasty recipes the whole family will love!

Happy Parenting!

Time Saving Tips For Making Baby Food

The simplest and most convenient system for making baby food is to make large batches of food purees and freeze it is in single serving cubes.  Once you get started, it will take about 30 minutes per week.  Here is some time saving advice that will help you out.

·         Use a cookbook for support: Invest in a baby food cookbook.  It will offer you guidance and suggestions that will keep you focused on success.

·         Plan ahead. Before you go to the grocery store, look through the freezer and take a mental inventory. Read through the recipes and select something to make. Always have a backup recipe, just in case the food you wanted to purchase is not ripe, in poor condition, unavailable, or too expensive.

·         Buy frozen.  Buying frozen foods saves a lot of time—it is already washed, cleaned, and ready to cook. Washing and cleaning some foods can be the most time-consuming step in making baby food. It most cases, frozen fruits and vegetables are equal in nutrition to store-bought fresh produce.

·         Pick one cooking method and stick with it. You can choose to cook foods on the stove top or the microwave. Pick one method and stick with it. This will enable you to master the technique and become more efficient – saving you time in the long run.

·         Plan on 30 minutes per week. Set aside the time to make your baby food. Pick a time when you do not have distractions. In the evening after your baby has gone to sleep is a great time. DON’T try to make baby food with your baby in the kitchen—it will go slower, it will be frustrating, and it could even be dangerous.

·         Double the recipes. Some foods will become staples in your baby’s diet. Learn what they are and make twice as much.

Appliance Choices for Making Baby Food

When you start making baby food, you'll need an appliance that will puree your baby's food into a smooth, pudding-like texture. Here are the top three choices in pureeing appliances and some helpful advice choosing which one is right for you.

#1 - Food Processor: This appliance is a work horse. They have strong motors and can puree even the toughest veggies into pudding smooth textures. The results are excellent. If you've always wanted a food processor, making baby food is great reason to make the investment.

Bottom line: The best choice for silky, smooth baby purees, if you can afford it.

Price: over $100

#2 - Blender: This appliance is the most widely used for making baby food, because it will do a fine job. Blenders are quick and efficient, but the really cheap ones might overheat. The tall shape will require you to scrape the sides several times to ensure your puree is "chunk-free".

Bottom line: A popular choice that will deliver good results.

Price: $25-$100

#3 - Food Mill: We're talking about a real one, not the gimmicky baby food mills. Shaped like a bowl or cone, this contraption has a series of stainless steel mesh layers with a hand crank. This is a very eco-friendly option, it runs on muscle power! Available at higher end kitchen stores, a food mill will deliver fine results.

Bottom Line: A terrific green option. No electricity required.

Price: $50-$100

Beyond food purees: Once you are ready to introduce textured foods and finger foods, other nifty kitchen utensils include:

• Ricers and potato mashers for making "textured" baby foods.
• A hand held immersion blender for making pureed soups ~ a toddler favorite!
• Cookie cutters or a canapé cutter for creating cute shapes that toddlers love

Go Gourmet Baby!

Studies are revealing that children who are fed diets of bland, tasteless food are more likely to have issues with weight.  Unlike the jarred foods, homemade baby food is full of delicious fresh, wholesome flavor and adding herbs and spices is a great way to enhance this flavor.

Here are a few tips on how your baby’s food can go from simple to culinary treat:

• Keep it simple for the first few months. Hold off herbs and spices until your baby is about 8-10 months of age.

• Add herbs and spice in the cooking step.  It is best for flavors to blend in cooking and become more subtle. Do not sprinkle herbs and spices on the food prior to serving.  The flavor will be too strong.

• A little goes along way. Use herbs and spices sparingly.  Add 1/8 teaspoon of spice per 16-24 ounces of fruits or vegetables.

• Add herbs and spices only to foods that you have previously fed to your baby. Remember the “One at a Time” rule to ensure that any food allergies are detected early.

• Avoid sugar and salt.  There are healthier and more flavorful choices to add to your baby’s foods.

Baby-friendly herbs and spices:

• Cinnamon

• Dill

• Ginger

• Mint

• Nutmeg

• Oregano

• Parsley

• Garlic

• Lemon or orange zest

• Vanilla

Vote for FRESH BABY

We're proud to be innovators in promoting healthy eating habits from the very beginning of life. Recently, we entered a contest exclusively for women-owned businesses. Now we're reaching out to you for your continued support in the form of an online vote.

It only takes a minute to vote! Just CLICK HERE.

Please CAST YOUR VOTE FOR FRESH BABY  . With your support, we are hoping to win :)

Feel free to share a comment too! ANd you can VOTE every day until 3/31/09.

 

Budget Stretching Advice for Organic Foods

Most people would love to go “all organic”. But going organic can be a pricey proposition. If your budget cannot afford 100% organic, here is some simple advice on making the most of your GREEN GROCERY dollar:

 

1.    Eat organic at the top of the food chain: Purchasing organic dairy, egg and meat products is a great place to begin. Livestock eat pesticide-laden feed, are dosed with antibiotics and hormones, and all of this ends up in the package at the super market. There is no way to remove or reduce the contaminants in the meat, dairy and egg products.

 

2.    Buy organic for produce with the highest levels of pesticides: Pesticides levels vary in produce. The Environmental Workers Union found that you can reduce risks of pesticide exposure by as much as 90 percent by avoiding the dirty dozen. Here is the list: Apples, Bell peppers, Celery, Cherries, Grapes (imported), Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Potatoes, Red Raspberries, Spinach, and Strawberries.

 

3. Buy Organic on sale: Take advantage of supermarket deals and remember the savings from one coupon can often equal the price difference between organic and conventional.

 

4.    Buy Private Label: A store’s own brand is often a good deal and are on sale frequently. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have their own brand of juices, soups, sauces, and other processed edibles.

 

5.    Explore the Bulk Aisles: The bulk bins are not just for hard-core hippies. Bulk foods are more affordable than the pre-packaged foods such as pastas, cereals, nuts and spices.

 

Tray Tip #2: Fruit Juice Cubes

Research has directly linked the over-consumption of juice to childhood obesity. It is also a contributor to poor dental health.  The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association recommend diluting juice with water (50/50) for children under 4 years old.

   

Making fruit juice cubes using the Fresh Baby Trays, offers a convenient way to have diluted juice on hand all the time. Simply fill Fresh Baby Trays with 100% juice, cover and freeze.  Pop the cubes and place the in a freezer storage bag.  Write the type of juice on the bag. 

   

To serve, add 1 or 2 juice cubes to a cup of water. The cubes will flavor the water and keep the drink cold at the same time!

   

“Healthy” Soda:  Dropping a few juice cubes into seltzer (sparkling) water instantly creates a soda pop. Get Creative by freezing exotic juice flavors such as strawberry, guava, or pomegranate in the trays (You'll want some too).

Finger Food FUN!

There is nothing cuter than watching your little one chase food around the high chair tray with her fingers, and seeing the sense of accomplishment in her face when a tiny little piece of food actually makes it her mouth. When your baby is between 8 and 9 months old, you can begin to introduce finger foods to encourage your baby to begin self-feeding. It is very important that the texture of finger foods be very soft, so that your baby can “gum” the foods. In order to get food soft enough for gumming, many of them will need to be cooked.

Examples of finger foods that can be served raw include small pieces of:

• Banana
• Avocado
• Tofu
• Semi-hard cheeses - Jack, Colby, (introduce over 12 months)
• “O” shaped cereal
• Puffed rice cereal

Examples of cooked finger foods (simply steam foods until they are soft enough to be "gummed"):

• Apples slices
• Pear slices
• Whole asparagus spears
• Carrots sticks/rounds or baby carrots
• Zucchini or yellow squash rounds
• Broccoli spears
• Sweet potato slices or cubes
• Whole green beans

To smooth the way for introducing finger foods here are few tips that may help you out:

1. Always feed your baby in a “seated position”. The risk of choking rises as you introduce finger foods.
2. Never let your baby eat foods without adult supervision.
3. Don’t be in a rush. Introduce finger foods one at a time and slowly add different ones.
4. Continue to feed your baby softly, pureed baby foods for most of the meal, and transition to more finger foods over a 6-8 month period.
5. Start with foods your baby likes.

Tray Tip #1: Toddler Snacking Tray

Toddlers have little tummies that fill up quickly, and they are very active so they quickly burn calories. To keep your hungry toddler happy offering small servings of healthy snack choices is the trick. Use your Fresh Baby Trays to have snack “at the ready” any time of day!

The concept is simple, at the beginning of each day fill up the compartments of a tray with healthy snack choices. Place the lid on it and store it in the fridge. When your toddler asks for a snack, simply take the tray out and place it on the table. Let your little one choose which snack foods they want. When they are done, put the cover back on and it's back in the fridge to wait for the next request.

Using a snacking tray teaches your toddler to make choices, offers them plenty of variety, and makes it easy and convenient for you to answer ever so common cry of "I'm hungry!"

New BLOG Section: Tray Tips

Many of our customers are beyond the baby food stage and are the proud owners of a few sets of SO Easy Baby Food Storage Trays. These nifty little covered trays have many uses. We’ve started a NEW section of our Blog called “Tray Tips”, so we can share these great tips with you.

If you would like to contribute an idea, we woudl love to hear it! Please e-mail us.

FYI: Fresh Baby's So Easy Baby Food Trays have ALWAYS been free of BP-A, Phthlates, and PVC.

It's So Easy being green!

Are you looking to reduce your carbon footprint? Making organic baby food is a great way to go. Consider the GREEN facts:

Organic- Organic fruits and vegetables are the best choice for making baby food. They are the most natural ingredients and organic foods drastically reduce harm to the environment.

Less waste – When you make your own baby food, there are no jars, labels or metal lids to dispose or to recycle.

No factory required - Just a little energy to steam foods and run a blender is all you need to make your baby’s meals! Did someone say near “zero” greenhouse gases?

Local – Your baby’s food does not need to trucked to you from a factory thousands of miles away. Instead you can simply buy organic produce from your local farm market and get started.

Healthy - Homemade baby food is safe and nutritious.  Baby food jars are often lined with bisphenol-A, a controversial hormone disruptor that should be avoided. In addition, homemade baby food has no preservatives, additives or chemicals – it is pure and natural goodness.