Quick Tip Tuesday: Baby Led Weaning Simple Snack Bars

Our little sweetheart is 8 months old, and she is really starting to get the hang of solid foods! When we started introducing "real foods" to her diet at 6 months of age, we opted to go with Baby Led Weaning versus the conventional puree route. We are so happy we did!

BLW works for us because there is no pureeing or buying jarred foods, and believe it or not, BLW also reduces choking risk since it teaches little ones to chew before swallowing. Babies who start on real foods versus purees generally grow up to be great eaters since they are used to different textures and flavors, which was a big reason for us picking this method. Best of all, and the most important reason for us... it is really easy! There's no need to prepare a special meal for the baby; Felicity just gets a little portion of whatever we eat at dinner. Her favorite things are pickles, apple slices, plain greek yogurt, and these little granola bars.

I got this great recipe from my friend Leslie who did baby led weaning with her sweet little Maddy. The bars are easy for little hands to grip and for toothless mouths to mash up, and are naturally sweet without any extra junk. They were a huge hit in our house and are super simple to make! Here's what you'll need:

1 Ripe Banana
1/2 C Rolled Oats
1/4 C Raisins or Chopped Dried Fruit

Method

Preheat the oven to 350*F

Mash up your banana, and combine with oats and fruit. If you prefer a finer texture, pop the oats into a food processor before use. You want the mixture to be a thick dough that you can easily form into bars. Add some more oats if needed to get to a good texture. 

Form your mixture into bars. I got 5 bars out of this recipe but  you can make the bars any size you like. Lay out on a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until the outsides are firm and a light golden brown. Cool and serve, or freeze for use within 1 month.

These are a great day care snack, and perfect for tossing in the diaper bag for eating on the go. My favorite way to use this is as a distraction when I'm eating something I really don't want to share ;) She happily eats her granola bar while mama enjoys her own treat! Babies can make just about any food a messy one, but these keep the mess to a minimum.

Felicity just loves these healthy snack bars and I think your baby will too! For more information on Baby Led Weaning, check out www.babyledweaning.com. KellyMom also has some great information on how and when to introduce solids to your baby's diet. Check out those links! Thanks for stopping in to read 

xo Allison

Quick Tip Tuesday: Get Baking Soda Clean

True confession: I make messes in the kitchen. Big messes, like "did a bomb go off in here" type messes. It doesn't help that our little one has started eating "people food" and her table manners aren't exactly on point.

 

(This is pre-mess, I assure you!)

 Usually cleaning dishes and wiping counters gets our kitchen back in pretty good shape but every once in a while I'll stain our counter tops with coffee, tea, black beans, or even pink lemonade...

Oops! Not pretty. Our laminate counters seem to soak up stains like a sponge and not even bleach will do the trick. I hate to use bleach at all but especially on food prep surfaces, so I was thrilled when I discovered a cheap and stunningly easy solution... Baking soda! 

Sprinkle a little on the stained area...

Scrub a lite with a wet cloth (I used hot water, not sure that matters though!), and voila!

Good as new! This works on old stains and new, and on all sorts of surfaces! Baking soda is also great at scrubbing burned rice from the bottom of pots and burned cookies from cookie sheets (don't ask me how I know that!). I now keep a little container of baking soda by the sink and it truly comes in handy for all sorts of messes.

Thanks for checking in for this week's quick tip, I hope you can put it to use in your kitchen!

xo Allison

Recipe: All Natural Pumpkin Spice Latte

The weather is cooling down, the trees are changing to reds and golds, and I have a craving for comfort food! Today's recipe will be the first in a series of guilt free, clean versions of some of my favorite fall treats.

Nothing says fall like a hot, delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte! Unfortunately, the popular Starbucks version is packed with yucky additives including artificial colors, tons of processed sugars, sulfites, and the list goes on. Fortunately, there is a healthy (ok, healthier!) way to satisfy your PSL craving this Autumn, and it is actually really easy to make! I found this delicious recipe on Mama Natural's Blog and tweaked it a little to share with you. The recipe below yields about 4 "Tall" sized drinks. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:
4 Cups of Almond Milk or milk of your choice
2 Cups of strongly brewed coffee or espresso
3/4 C Pumpkin Puree (I recommend using organic but it wasn't available in my area)
1/4C + 2Tbsp Real Organic Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:
First, combine the maple syrup and almond milk. Heat in a pot on the stove.
While your milk is heating, brew your coffee. I used twice the recommended amount of beans to get a nice strong coffee.
Pour the brewed coffee into a glass bowl and combine with vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree. Whisk the mixture until combined.
Next, add the milk and syrup to the bowl and continue to whisk. If you want a nice foamy mixture, whip with an immersion blender or in a traditional blender.
Pour out into mugs and enjoy! Serve topped with whipped cream :)

This will be the perfect treat for tonight's Homecoming Parade & football game. Go Bulldogs! :) I hope you enjoy this delicious latte recipe! Check back next Friday for another fall treat, fresh from the oven!

xo Allison

Edit:

I had a reader ask for nutrition facts on this recipe, so here they are! Yes, it is only 157 calories per serving if made exactly as above! Whipped cream not included :)

Recipe: Fresh Pasta Sauce with Home Grown Tomatoes

We visited my in-laws this past weekend and came home with a huge bag of tomatoes from my mother-in-law's garden. As soon as I got my hands on these perfectly plump, shiny, red tomatoes I just knew they were destined to be pasta sauce! My husband and I eat a LOT of pasta with marinara sauce, and while the brand we normally buy is pretty clean, I have always wanted to try making my own.

It was pretty overwhelming trying to find a recipe for homemade sauce as there are so many variations out there, and just as many opinions on what tastes the best. I decided to take the advice of an Italian girlfriend of mine and kept it simple. "All you need is onion, olive oil, tomatoes, and basil," she said. "Ok, I can do that," I thought! Here is what I came up with...

For my sauce, I used:

7 large garden-fresh tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp dried basil (or use fresh if you have it!)

1 large white onion

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Set a large pot of water to boil. Wash the tomatoes and cut out the tops. Cut an "X" shape across the top of the tomatoes.

Chop the onion and garlic, and saute in a pot with the olive oil until fragrant. 

Drop each tomato into the separate pot of boiling water for a few seconds. By the time I dropped in the last tomato, the first was ready to come out. This loosens the skin and makes the tomatoes very easy to peel.

Peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds, leaving you with only the meaty part of each tomato. There is no need to dice or chop these at all- they will cook down. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to the pot with the onions and bring to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 hours. 

Remove the mixture from heat and puree with an immersion blender, or pour into a regular blender and blend to desired texture. We found the regular blender to be easier and less messy!

Voila! This pasta sauce was incredibly delicious. It has a bright, fresh flavor that is simply unmatched by canned sauces. This sauce can be canned (follow can manufacturer's instructions) or frozen for later use. The recipe above yielded about 3-4 cups of sauce.

Do you grow your own tomatoes? What is your favorite way to use them? Please share in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy this delicious Fresh Pasta Sauce recipe! 

xo Allison

Homemade All Natural Baby Wipes

Hey everyone!

Since I'm just getting my feet wet with this project, I thought I would start with something inexpensive and very easy to make. Homemade baby wipes fit the bill perfectly, and I can't wait to share the recipe with you!

Here's what you'll need:
1 Roll of Paper Towels
Baby Lotion
Baby Wash
Baby Oil
2 Cups of Water
A bowl, fork, knife, and a tupperware container for storage

First, take your paper towel and cut the roll in half width-wise. I like to use Viva paper towels for this project because they are really sturdy and stretchy, which is perfect for messy baby booties! Set aside one half of your paper towel roll as you will only need one half for this project.

In your bowl, combine 2 cups of water with 1 Tbsp each of Baby Lotion and Baby Wash, as well as 1 tsp of baby oil. We use Arbonne brand baby products on Felicity because she has very sensitive skin and all Arbonne products are completely natural, safe, and yes, even vegan. No harmful junk in there! Of course, you can use whatever brand of baby products that you like best. Stir the mixture with your fork until the elements are combined well.

Set your paper towel roll into the storage tupperware, and carefully pour the water mixture over the roll. As the mixture soaks in, the paper tube in the middle should release from the towels. Remove the center tube and seal the lid. I laid my wipes down in the container because I didn't have a tupperware tall enough, but you can easily store them standing in a taller container.

Done! How easy was that? As with any wipes, always remember to reseal the lid properly so they don't dry out.

These wipes are totally safe for sensitive baby booties, and faces, hands, feet, legs... and everywhere else babies get messy! These work so well, I will seriously never buy baby wipes again! I hope you enjoy this recipe, thanks for checking in!

xo Allison