Baby Food Love

 Hey Mamas. I've had quite a few request recently to share my knowledge on making baby food. This made me so happy, so it has taken me a little while to sit down and actually focus on what I wanted to talk about. So, here it goes! 

 Your Pediatrician and Lactation Consultants will recommend your child be exclusively breast fed (or formula) until 6 months old. Your Mama, Grandmama, and anyone else who knows best will tell you to "give that baby some rice cereal...it'll help him sleep through the night." They may be right. I don't know. I breast fed K until he was 6 months old, and I am still nursing him at 11 1/2 months old. Looking back, I can't figure out why I didn't at least try giving him rice cereal. I was too focused on him having breast milk and not having enough sleep. And, it's not like your Pediatrician will yell at you. They are giving out, just that...recommendations. I have since became way more relaxed in my parenting style, realizing that "by the book" does not mean it's for every family. There are no two babies the same. 

 When I had Keegan, I knew that I wanted to make his baby food. I mean, after all, I did go to Culinary School, I needed to do something with my degree...right?! Well, that was my thinking along with knowing how much better home made food would be for my child, and lets not forget about how much money I have saved our family. But, lets be clear, you do not need a culinary degree to make your own baby food. You do not even need one of those overpriced, cute little all in one baby food makers. You need a stove, a medium size pot, a steaming basket (I bought mine at Target for $7) and a food processor, blender, or food mill. Your pick, whatever you have, I know you got at least one of these as a wedding gift! But for some reason, if you don't have one of these, you can easily use a potato masher, it'll just take a little extra elbow grease. Making your own food will only take about 2 hours a month. Seriously. Just set aside one day to do it, and freeze everything. Then,  you're done for a whole month!!  I used silicone molds with 2 oz cubes, them popped them into zip lock bags, but whatever works for you. Don't spend a ton of money, it's not needed. You can buy something from Amazon for like $10.


 As most of you know, baby food has different stages, and depending what stage your baby is in, depends on what type of food he can eat. I'll do my best to explain the stages here, according to what they would be with store bought food. Remember, there are many foods your child cannot have until they are much older, so be sure to be aware of those. Off the top of my head, here are a few: honey, peanut butter, egg whites, strawberries, citrus, and whole milk. Also, I only use fresh (or depending on the season) frozen organic fruits and vegetables.

Keegan is having his very first solid's here, sweet potatoes!

Stage 1 would be first solids. Your child should start this around 6 months old, and can hold their head up with no problems. Some parents start a little sooner, it's up to you. This would simply be soupy, pureed fruits and vegetables. No meat yet! You could even add rice cereal or oatmeal to your baby's diet at this point too. The best first foods would be sweet potatoes, carrots, and even avocado. These are mildly flavored with a little sweetness and puree beautifully, making them easy for baby to get used to. For the first 3 weeks of solids, introduce new foods very slowly, every 5 days or so to insure there are no allergies. If allergies are common in your family, be even more careful. Eventually over the next month or so, you can add in bananas, pears, asparagus, green beans, rutabaga, turnips, squash and zucchini. I will recommend that after the first initial introduction, only give your baby vegetables for a couple of weeks. If not, they tend not to eat them because, of course, they would rather have the sweet fruit. And then only give fruit after baby has eaten his veggies. The following recipe is interchangeable with any vegetable or hard fruit.

Puree of Carrot
2 pounds of carrot, peeled and diced
Steam carrots in steaming basket over simmering water until soft.
Puree until smooth, (it should be a little runnier than pancake batter) even adding a little water if necessary.
This will make 2 pounds of food. Store in 2oz BPA free, freezer safe containers. Can be frozen up to 3 months.


Stage 2 is when it finally starts to get a little fun. Your baby should be at least 7 1/2 to 8 months old, and can sit up with no problems. You can finally start to add in a little flavor to your baby's diet. Still, no salt or pepper, but you can use most herbs now! You will still be pureeing the food, but you'll leave it a little thicker now. This will help your baby start learning to mash his food with those sweet little gums and even that first tooth!


Roasted Squash with Thyme
2 pounds of squash, diced, skin on.
1-2 sprigs thyme, pulled from stem.
A tiny, tiny touch of olive oil, just to moisten squash.
Toss all these together and roast at 350 until soft. Puree until it's kinda smooth, but still has some texture to it. Refrigerate or freeze.


Stage 3 is also fun! Your baby should be 9-10 months old and be crawling without their little tummy touching the floor for these foods. If you want, you can introduce meat now. We did (or I should say Doug did) by accident. He gave him jarred food that I had bought that had meat in it, so we just kept going with it! I will warn you, once you give them meat, their poopy diapers will smell terrible. You will think something is wrong, there's not, but it sure smells that way. You'll be so grateful that you kept that diaper genie you got at your shower, I swear! Food at this point can also be chunky. Just a few pulses in the food processor will do it. Almost all food is fair game now (except for the no no's listed above) so it makes dining easier with your baby. Keegan was practically eating off our plates at this point too.


Risotto with Fresh Vegetables
1 cup Aborio rice
1-2 cups chicken stock (or water), heated in the microwave
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tsp garlic
1 cup diced veggies (My faves are whatever I have in the fridge!)
Saute your veggies until tender. Remove. Add in the onions and saute until tender. Add in the rice and toast for about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Start ladling in your stock and stir every 2 minutes or so. Once that addition has cooked out, add another ladle of stock in, doing this until your rice is al dente (or just cooked through). Add your cooked veggies back in. At this point, you can remove a serving for your baby to have and then finish the risotto to your liking! Adding in salt and pepper to taste and even a little butter if you want. And of course, Parmesan! This way your baby is getting all the flavor, but no salt and pepper still. But, I will admit, by now, Keegan had it all :)


Stage 4  is 10-11 months old. Your child is probably telling you in his own way that he no longer wants "baby food" and is now ready for whatever it is that you are having. So go for it! Keegan gets really "mad" when we give him baby food while we are eating. So I just cut everything up really small and pile it on his plate. He loves feeding himself. And this makes eating as a family much easier too!


 I hope that this post has helped a little bit. Remember to check out baby food books from the library and play around with food. There are some really good ones. I never actually had one, but I loved looking at websites and baby blogs. Just play around! My favorite was weelicious.com. Give your child beets, spinach, rutabagas. I did! It's the only time you can ever "force feed" your child whatever you want! And just so you know, homemade food made up about 85% of Keegan's diet. I would buy baby food for when we were traveling, eating out, and if Doug was feeding him. I only buy Earth's Best Baby Food, HappyTot's, Ella's Organic, and Plum. These are all organic. Good Luck!

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad is one of my favorite things and I always have it around. After I had Keegan, it's all I ate for about 3 weeks...it's light, has plenty of protein, and can be eaten quickly. I buy Rotisserie Chickens from Costco because they're only $4.50 there. I think all other grocery stores have gotten pretty expensive, but it still beats cleaning and roasting your own chicken. Here are my favorite two variations.

Green Chicken Salad

1 Whole Rotisserie Chicken, Pulled
2 Stalks Celery~Diced
1 Cup Green, Seedless Grapes~ Quartered
1/4 Cup Green Onion~ Minced
1 TBS Tarragon~ I usually used dried because I always have it on hand.
1/2 TSP Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 Cup Low-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Mix everything together and chill for an hour. Serve with crackers or bread.

Southern Style Chicken Salad

1 Whole Rotisserie Chicken, Pulled
1 Onion~ Grated
2 Stalks Celery~Diced
1/4 Cup Pickle Relish
1 Cup Mayo (I use Greek Yogurt to make it a lighter, it taste the same!)
2 TBS Mustard
2 TBS Sugar
2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
1 TSP Celery Salt
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Put everything except the chicken in the food processor and pulse a few times just to combine. Add the chicken. Pulse until the chicken is incorporated well into the mixture. Don't pulse too much or you'll turn it into a paste. Enjoy with crackers or bread!

Our Society is Obsessed with Breast, Right? So.. Why does Breast Feeding Freak People Out?

Our society is obsessed with breast. Girls everywhere are showing them off and all the guys are looking. You can barely watch t.v. without a Victoria's Secret commercial pounding perfectly rounded and perky breast in your face. Or even walk through a mall for that matter. Women spend thousands of dollars every day in a plastic surgeon's office trying to make their breast look "perfect". So, why is it that our society is perfectly comfortable with all these images being thrown in our faces, but the second a nursing mom breast feeds her child in public, she gets ridiculed?

When my husband and I found out we were pregnant in the fall of 2009, we hadn't been around a ton of nursing mothers. Neither of our Mom's nursed us and none of my friends (at that point) had nursed their babies long term. My sister nursed my niece for 6 weeks and then had to return to work, so I was able to see her nurse Charlotte a few times. That was the extent of my breast feeding experience. But, the second I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breast feed my baby for at least a full year. I knew my husband was on board, but I've been surprised at the lack of support I've had from society.

I've always been pretty modest with my body. I don't wear revealing clothes or skimpy outfits, and I sure don't think my body is perfect. But, I have come to think my breast are beautiful. And I don't mean because they're a perfect C cup, perky, and round....because God knows they ain't! And I'm not showing them off either! We all know that 9 times out of 10, you barely even see flesh when you're nursing your baby.  But I do think they're beautiful because they are the gate to my child's nourishment. They are no longer used for sexy time...sorry Doug, you'll get them back one day...they now belong to Keegan. And he enjoys them a lot.


It took us a while to learn how to breast feed successfully. Now that I had mastered breast feeding at home, I was ready to take myself and Keegan out into the world. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be welcomed with open arms. The first sign I had that breast feeding would be difficult in public was when I went to buy nursing shirts. Other than Motherhood Maternity, there aren't very many options for an affordable price. Usually I ended up wearing the same things over and over again.  And Lord knows I couldn't live without my nursing bras!! Those things are an investment, Ladies!!! Eventually I found things that I already had that was easy to nurse in....you can get very crafty! So, I overcame that hurdle.

Then came the next jump. Keegan was about 6 weeks old and I was ready to venture out shopping at the outlet mall. I normally would never go to the outlet mall, but I had a lot of baby stuff that needed returning and so I went. We were only there for about 10 minutes when it was time for Keegan to nurse. So, I found myself a nice bench in the open-air mall and sat down. Took Keegan out of my Moby wrap, opened up my new nursing shit, and latched him on. You would have thought I squatted and pee'd right in front of the GAP. I got so many looks and stares..like..."is she really doing that in public". I felt so ashamed I packed everything up and Keegan and I walked to the car and I nursed him there. It would be a while before I nursed in public again.

I have many more experience like that one that I could share with you, but I won't bore you. This is already a really long post, so I want to get to it. Basically, our society has seem to have lost touch with the most sustainable eating there is....breast feeding. It's a basic animal instinct that's one of the last things that reminds us that we're animals!! And even though breast feeding has become more common in the last 10 years or so, it's still hard for society to watch it. If a woman is out in public and breast feeds, she's too indiscreet. Is she breast feeds in front of men (other than her husband), she's being indecent. And if she breast feeds in a restaurant...my God, that's taboo! But we have no other options! There are very few public places and absolutely no restaurants that I've ever been to that give you a place to nurse. And hell no, I'm not sitting on the toilet while I feed my baby. You wouldn't want to eat in a bathroom, neither does Keegan. (But I've done it many times, shamefully.)

I've learned to have thick skin when I nurse in public. And sometimes, I'm welcomed with open arms from store owners or other patrons and it feels incredible. I was once at a restaurant with my family out on Folly beach when I needed to nurse Keegan. There were tons of people around and I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable so I went to the bathroom. I stood in the corner and nursed Keegan....I was so ashamed. I felt like I had stooped to the lowest level...ugh. There were many women who came in and out, all looking at me funny, and then this one middle-aged woman came in. She looked at me and just smiled. She said "it's a shame they can't even put a chair in here for you to sit on. I wish more women would breast feed and then they'd all understand." She was right, that was the answer to my question on how other women could ridicule me on how I feed my child...they don't understand! They simply just don't get it. And I want to scream at every single one of them, "I don't stare at you and make fun of you when you give your baby a bottle full of formula, don't stare at my baby while he is nursing!"


I see breast all the time. On t.v., in the stores, girls with itty bitty outfits on, so what's the big deal about breast feeding? Our society is supposed love breast. But we all need to get over it. And get over ourselves. It's just a boob.

So I give all of you this one little piece of advice: stay strong. Don't let others make you feel like you're doing something dirty. You have chosen the best nourishment for your beautiful child and you should be proud of that. And remember, it's against the law for anyone, store owner, restaurant, what ever, to ask you to not breast feed in their establishment. If you want to know the exact laws check out this website: http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14389 . It's really great. I'm trying to thicken up my back bone when it comes to nursing in public. I work on it every day. And I hope you will too. If you have any stories, positive or negative, I'd love to hear them. Love to all you Momas :)

Gettin' Groceries

Back when it was just me and my husband, I loved going to the grocery store. I loved cruising up and down the isles, reading labels, planning meals. Before Doug and I were married and moved to Charleston where we had great grocery stores, we would literally go on dates to the Publix on Lake Oconee. How sad, but Milledgeville had terrible grocery stores. Grocery shopping has always been sort of a pass-time for me. But, now when I'm going to the store, I'm always on a time frame, Keegan's time frame. And once you have a baby, it will take you at least an extra 20 minutes to shop..not because the baby slows you down, but because every old lady in the store wants to stop you, look at your baby, and ask the same questions over and over...boy or girl, how old, is he a good sleeper, what'd he weigh at birth....I swear, one of these days I'm just going to tape a sign with all the answers to the front of my buggy.

Now when I go shopping, I have a detailed plan. I'm going to share it with you! But, before I get started, I want to mention three key points: 1: If you're eating fresh food, you will be going to the store once a week. I promise, this will save you time, money, and your waist line. 2: Have a well stocked pantry full of staple items. Mine are garlic, onions, olive oil, pasta(variety), rice(variety), chicken stock, vinegars, canned tomatoes, canned beans, milk, and eggs. Check these items every week to see what needs to be replenished. 3. Have a sweet treat while you shop. This will prevent you from loading  your buggy with lots of crap. The Bakery/Deli is the first department in my Publix. I always get a cookie or apple strudel to snack on while I shop. And I never come home with a box of Oreos! A few calories now will save you lots of calories later.

Step 1~ Check your fridge and see what meats, produce, and dry goods you have and what is about to expire and be sure to incorporate those into step 2.

Step 2~ Plan your weekly menu. I go to the store every Monday. So, that morning or sometimes Sunday evening, Doug and I sit down and talk about what we want for lunch and dinner that week. This is not that difficult! My sister tells me all the time that she "just can not plan", but she's wrong. It takes us about 30 minutes to decide what we're eating that week. This will prevent you from walking in the door at 5 pm, hungry, tired, and end up ordering pizza.


Step 3~ Plan your meals so that your shopping list won't be too large or too wide of a variety. I plan all my meals so that I can use the same key ingredients through-out the week. You'll waste money if you're buying 5 different proteins, tons of different vegetables and herbs, and expensive specialty items. IE: If I'm craving mexican food that week, I know I'll need to buy peppers, cilantro, avocado, tomatoes, tortillas, and protein. So instead of spending money on cilantro, peppers, tomatoes just for mexican, I may incorporate them into an Indian dish. My favorite is red curry. I almost always have curry paste and coconut milk on hand, but if I don't it's not that expensive. Throw in some veggies and brown rice, and you have a very quick and healthy meal. And then, to keep the theme of ingredients going, I may make a chili or pasta using all the same ingredients. You're having completely different meals but utilizing every item you have bought. And I usually only buy 1 protein a week, but we eat vegetarian a lot. Or sometimes I buy beef, chicken, or turkey, and then go get some really fresh shrimp or scallops, depending on my meal plan for the week.


Step 4~ Know how to write your grocery list. Don't just randomly list items. When I walk through my kitchen before I go shopping, I list everything I need to buy. Then I take two minutes and organize my list. I make three columns. 1. Meat and Dairy. 2. Dry Goods. 3. Produce. Most of your stores are laid out in this order as well. This step is critical to saving time! If you just list things as you need them, you'll end up all the way in the produce department realizing you have to run back across the store to grab some cheddar.


Step 5~ Carry a pen. Plain and simple. If you don't mark things off as you put them in your basket, you'll realize you forgot something once you've gotten home. I've even gone to customer service and asked to borrow a pen when I've forgotten one. It drives me crazy not to be able to mark my list off!


Step 6~ Budget. If you budget your money and stick to your menu items, you will save money. And you'll be eating healthier. You won't buy those box of cookies because they're not in your budget!



And just a few extra tips....stay on the perimeter of the store as much as possible. All the unhealthy food lurks on the isles. And, buy local as much as you can. We have amazing Farmer's Markets here, but I know a lot of cities don't. Check the labels. Try to only buy produce that was grown in the USA. And never, ever buy farm-raised seafood. I don't care how cheap it is. It's disgusting. You don't even want to know about it...gross. When you get home and start cooking your first meal of the week, take 10 extra minutes and wash all your fruits and veg. And if you need onion, garlic, whatever it may be, go ahead a chop it all the first time you need it. That way it will be ready to go for the next meal.

I hope these steps will lead you to a faster grocery trip. You'll be so organized that it won't matter how many old ladies stop to coo at your baby....you'll have plenty of time to drink up their complements!
Thanks for your time!

Baby Goodies...Do we really need ALL that?!?

I've been reading other blogs, facebook, and moma wedsites, and I've come to a conclusion....everyone and their Moma has an opinion about what you do and don't need for your teeny tiny baby...myself included! I know so many people who are about to have a baby or have a newborn at home. I think the "moma" in us all want to give out advice to maybe make the life of the new mother a little easier. Unfortunately, with all the different opinions, we may make a seemingly simple decision become a very difficult one, and there fore, stress out an already stressed out new mom. All advice is given with great intentions, but maybe, just maybe, the person you're advising may not have the same beliefs, habits, routines, wants, likes, and dislikes that  you have. SHOCKER! I have to remind myself of this all the time. I'm very bad about posting a comment on facebook, offering my 2 cents when I see an opportunity. Heck, I've got a few post out there now! But, I've gotten some self control, only posting 1/3 of the time. Still, that's probably too much. Nobody cares what I think. If they did, they would ask me directly! But, there are a few things that I feel super passionate about that I think are great for most babies and I'd hate for anyone to miss  out on them.

So, in light of my "opinions", I wanted to make a list of things I think are "must-haves" and things that are useless. Remember...these things are perfect for me, Keegan, Doug, and our situation. Hopefully, they could be useful to you and your little nugget as well.

1. Moby Wrap. This is by far the best thing I have. I've used the Baby Bjorn and didn't care for it. Moby's are the safest and most comfortable for you and baby. And they're the #1 recommended wrap/ carrier by pediatricians. It's perfect in crowds, warm and cold weather, and for mom and dad. I always feel sorry for the moms and dads I see walking around pushing this huge stroller through crowded sidewalks and  grocery stores all while carrying the baby. I just want to tell them...MOBY! You'll love it!

2. Aden + Anais Muslin Blankets. These blankets are the single best blankets to have in your nursery. They are hands down the best swaddle blankets, nursing cover, and tummy time blanket. They're made of cotton muslin and they are so soft and breathable it's ridiculous! The price of cotton has gone up so they are a little pricey...$49.50 for a 4-pack, but they're worth every penny. Target has recently started carrying them and they're a little cheaper there. I love them and give them as baby gifts to all the new momas I know!



3. Eddie Bower Travel Bed. This is one of those things I saw at Target and registered for not knowing if I would really use it. I used this more that anything else! I love it! It's a little miniature bed that folds flat and pops up in seconds. I used it on play dates, meetings, outside, out of town, all sorts of places. It's $30 and can be used to put your baby down for a nap where ever you are. I'll admit, Keegan's too big for it now, but it was like gold those first 6 months!

Keegan relaxing. He's about 5 weeks old here.

4. Medela Breast Pump. Ok, if you're going to be an avid breast feeder and will need to pump, go ahead and invest in a good pump. It will save you time, energy, and  your nipples. I promise. Plus, you can reuse it with each baby you have.

5. Nursing Bras and Shirts. It took a lot for me to spend money on these things, but they're worth it. When you're out in public, you want your breastfeeding experience to be un-noticed. It will be if you are wearing the proper clothing. Plus, while you're at home, you don't want to strip down every time you need to nurse...you'd stay naked all day!



Ok. Time for my "useless" list.

1. A huge wardrobe. You'll have people tell you that babies need a change of clothes like 5 times a day. Unless you are squirting food at your baby, that's not true. Even if your child leaks everywhere, it would be surprising if it happened more than a few times a week. And if it is, stop using cheap diapers.

2. Every toy from Target. Most children play with the same few toys all the time. Our house is teeny tiny and we have no room for lots of toys. Keegan has small stuff that he plays with, but his favorite toy is an old remote control. Go figure.

3. Shoes. Babies who are not walking should not wear hard soled shoes. It's bad for their little feet. They need to be able to stretch and move their feet and toes at all times. While it's cold, I put little "booties" on Keegan. They would snap on and stay on like shoes, but were soft and pliable like socks. Other great options are the Bobux brand.

4. Swings AND Bouncy Chairs. YES! I said it...get over it! I know some babies live in these for the first few months, but Keegan hated his swing. Don't buy a swing, bouncy chair, walker-play-thing. Just pick one. There's no reason to have five 3x5 ft. toys every where, unless your house is huge.

5. Multiple Piece Outfits. Unless you have an extremely laid back baby and all the time in the world to change diapers, I would stick with onsies, union suits, and rompers. There's no point in spending 20 minutes snapping up 5 different layers of clothing for each diaper change. And once your baby is rolling over, forget it. They'll never stay still long enough to finish! 

I hope this list of stuff will help you in your process of buying for your baby. And like I said, this is my opinion and other moms may think I'm crazy. Enjoy! :)

Lady Love

Lately, I've met a lot of incredible women. Some are brand new Momas, some are old pros, and some are so far removed from the thought of children it's ridiculous! But, they all share one thing...they are truly incredible women. Last week, I was having a cocktail with my friend, Allison, and we got to talkin'. That conversation gave me the inspiration for this post.


All my life I watched women do incredible things. I never thought about it much, never really cared, honestly. Now that I'm a woman of my own right, I look at the world differently. As a teenager, I was extremely rebellious and gave my poor Moma hell. I couldn't understand why I couldn't wear eyeliner, or have friends over all the time, or ride in cars with my older friends. I just thought she was mean and I treated her that way. As an adult, it all makes perfect sense. The things she did and didn't do for us was for our own protection. She struggled for years, raising 3 children, working 2 or 3 jobs at a time. She did incredible things, all while keeping us housed, clothed, and fed. My sister and I did a lot of things that could have made her duct-taped world unravel.  Traci and I talk all the time about how much damage we could have caused her, and sometimes did cause her. My Moma is an amazing person who has profound strength and grace. She gives me courage to do things that I probably wouldn't find the courage to do on my own. And I'm thankful for her every day.


Along with my Moma, I see other women who do things that just blow me away. My dearest friend, Shelly, raised 3 boys, worked 2 jobs, and received her Bachelor's degree in her early 40's. That's amazing. My friend, Allison, labored with her daughter with no paid medication, pushed for 4 hours....4 HOURS, to eventually have an emergency C-section. Still to this day she's a huge advocate of Natural Child Birth. A new friend I just met, Lindsey, is 12 weeks pregnant. She had a root-canal gone bad, and her tooth needed to be pulled. She had her tooth pulled and worked on with no anesthesia, pain meds, nothing. Her dentist told her that he would have never done that on a man, men just couldn't do it. I watch my sister live her life with such ease and honesty. She is the true definition of what it means to be a friend.

Me with the two most important women in my life.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling sad, lonely, defeated, I think all the amazing things other women have done. We bare children, we hold families together, we would go through fire for our loved ones. If other women can do it, so can I. We as women, have to love each other, support each other, help each other. We shouldn't be jealous, caddy, or snobbish. We should give each other the respect that we all deserve. This is a challenge that I give to myself and others. I'm going to try to not judge others, for we have no way of knowing their situation and what has brought them to their actions. Women are incredible. God gave us the power to carry our child for 9 months before bringing them into this beautiful world. We must be special.  

Don't be a Jerk

Thought Bubble Lime Birthday

Personalize unique party invitations at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.