LilSugar

Tea Party: Food and Beverages

LilSugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:00:37 -0700

It's pretty obvious that tea will be the beverage of choice at this baby shower whether you choose to serve it piping hot or iced with lemon.

And, what goes better with the herbal elixir than savory finger sandwiches and sugary treats? From the traditional cucumber to the more worldly roasted turkey and mango chutney, tea sandwiches are a fun way for guests to sample several flavors on a plate.

Get creative with the nibblers by shaping them into bottles, teddy bears and baby feet with cookie cutters. To see what's for dessert, read more.

And, for something to satisfy the sweet tooth, buy some bakery made petit fours (32 lil cakes for $64) in the colors of the baby-to-be's nursery.

Source and Source

School Year's Resolutions: Lunch Box Makeovers

LilSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:00:34 -0700

You've moved from brown bagging munchies to an eco-friendly lunch bag, so now it's time to upgrade its contents! Get out of the everyday sandwich rut and start getting creative with what you pack to sustain your kids.

Shape up. Simply changing the shape of the food you are packing can make a big difference. Use cookie cutters to create sandwiches that will put a smile on your lil one's face.
Roll it up. Use creative "packaging" to put a sandwich together. Wraps and pitas can add some interest to the lunch box, as can turning an ordinary tuna sandwich into a sushi-style roll.
Put it on a stick. String some fruit and veggies onto a stick for a mini-kabob that looks more enticing than fruit in a baggie.
Repurpose dinner. Cook up some extra pasta at night and mix it with fresh vegetables and some protein to make a tasty cold noodle salad.
Build it up. Put the ingredients for a nutritious sandwich in the lunch bag and allow the kiddos to build their own creation, in the order they want.
Make it brunch. French toast and fruit salad can easily make their way into the lunch box for a fun alternative.

For some added inspiration, check out these books filled with lunch-bag-ready recipes.

Enter to win a $1,000 wardrobe for your child from Tea Collection!

Toy Box: Quiet Hours Knit Play Food

babysugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:00:19 -0700

Tea and hand knit cookies anyone? I recently came across an online shop that sells some of the most darling toys I have seen in a while. Selling only artisan-crafted items, Quiet Hours Toys features an array of classically designed items that do not require batteries, screwdrivers or instruction manuals to operate.

I was particularly taken with the shop's knit play food. The collection includes everything from produce items and sweets - like sandwich cookies to sushi and each item is hand-knit. A welcome change from the crates of plastic food with fake labels, I can see my daughter and I sitting down for an elegant tea party featuring these delectable items. To see the entire knit food collection, read more.

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Guide to Four Great Baby Shower Themes

babysugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:00:19 -0700

'Tis the last day of April, which means our April Baby Showers must come to an end. But before you go off to plan your own festive bash, here's a quick recap of our ideas.

Good Things Come in Small Packages
We gave you ideas for invitations and then dished on what to serve up and what to serve it on. Guests will delight in the lip balm favors and clothespin game and the hostesses will love the manicure and pedicure gift idea.

To see the rest of the clever notions, read more.

Tea Party Shower
Create your own invitation using supplies from a paperie like Paper Source. Dress up the table using floral filled tea pots and festive assorted tea cups. Once your guests have gobbled up the mini sandwiches and tea, send them on their way with decorated sugar cubes or a package full of candy.

Bedrest Baby Shower
Send out edible invitations with the announcements on a Hershey's type wrapper. In keeping with the sweet theme, bring a diaper cake for a perfect centerpiece. Keep things simple by ordering in the food and prepping a soda bar station for the pajama bash. Add a fun factor to the party by playing a few fun but low key baby games with the mama–to-be.

Couples Baby Shower
Send out some funky fresh baby shower invitations in the form of a concert ticket. Sass up the place with pink or blue cigars and bottles full of peanuts or candy. Offering up creatively named mocktails and appetizers will add to the baby chic atmosphere.

Recapping the whole month of showers, I used some of our own lilsugar ideas when I hosted a baby shower this past weekend. I crafted the diaper cake, a candy wheel and made some nursery themed Paper Source invitations. Thankfully, it was a cinch to plan and a huge success.

April Showers: Tea Party

LilSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:00:09 -0700

Just a spoonful of sugar helps celebrate baby!

Whether you know a mama-to-be that was born with a silver spoon in her mouth or one that is into all things herbal, consider toasting a cup 'o tea in her honor.

Since tea is available in a wide range of varieties, you can go traditional classy with a silver service, petit fours and crumpets or shabby chic with mismatched cups and saucers and flavorful finger sandwiches or modern sassy with sleek sippers and fresh innovative eats. To see other ideas, read more.

And, you can throw the festive affair in the comfort of your home or take it outside for a garden party feeling. If you choose the latter to set the mood, suggest your guests wear a festive hat.

Baby Bump: I'm Pregnant – What Can I Eat?

babysugar — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:00:49 -0800

One of my first cravings as a mama–to–be was brie cheese. Little did I know it was on the list of foods to avoid when you're expecting. I didn't find that out until I was two months pregnant at my first prenatal appointment.

That's when I got the list of foods and beverages to avoid for the remainder of my pregnancy. I knew alcohol and caffeinated sodas were off the menu but wished someone had told me earlier to be wary of unpasteurized cheeses and deli meats. I panicked that my unborn babe might contract listeria from a sandwich I had eaten. Luckily, she was fine. To check out the foods to avoid, read more.

WebMD has a great article on steering clear of certain foods while expecting. Here's the list:

Certain types of fish: Swordfish, shark, tilefish, king mackerel, limit canned albacore tuna fish. These large fish harbor higher levels of methylymercury, a metal detrimental to a growing child's brain and nervous system. Pregnant and nursing women may safely eat up to 6 ounces of albacore ("white') tuna fish as part of their weekly total limit of 12 ounces of seafood low in mercury, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This also includes salmon, shrimp, canned light tuna, pollock, and catfish.

Fish caught in rivers, lakes, streams, or any other body of water. Recreational anglers may hook fish contaminated with bacteria or chemicals. Check the safety of fish from your favorite fishing grounds with your local health department.

Raw or undercooked meats: Red meat, poultry, seafood (like raw oysters, clams, sushi), and eggs (including eggs in cookie dough and cake batter). Undercooked animal foods may contain a variety of bacteria and viruses. Use a meat thermometer to determine how well done the meat and poultry are, and cook eggs until they are no longer runny.

Hot dogs and luncheon meats: This includes deli ham, turkey, bologna, and salami. They are fine to eat if they have been reheated until steaming hot. These foods are prone to Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that causes listeriosis, which may result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or other serious health problems.

Unpasteurized dairy foods: These can include some milk and certain cheeses, such as Brie, feta, Camembert, Roquefort, blue-veined, "queso blanco," "queso fresco," and Panela; refrigerated pates or meat spreads; and refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, or mackerel (most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky"). These foods may contain harmful levels of listeria bacteria. Refrigerated smoked seafood is safe when it's part of a cooked dish, like casseroles.
[Lil note: Many cheeses in the US are pasteurized though, in which case they are fine. But if you are traveling abroad, you might want to play it safe and avoid it all together.]

Unpasteurized juices: Juices such as cider purchased from roadside stands, at farms, or in stores can be prone to germs, including E. coli. Check the label to be sure juice is pasteurized.

Raw vegetable sprouts: The FDA says sprouts are not a good idea for anyone, especially pregnant women who are more susceptible to the health effects of the germs sprouts possess. Examples of raw vegetable sprouts are alfalfa sprouts, clover, radish, and mung bean.

Herbal supplements and teas: Herbs are natural, but herbal products have not been studied enough to recommend them during pregnancy.

Alcohol: Beer, wine, and spirits rob developing cells of oxygen, making normal development impossible. The effects of alcohol on intellectual prowess are irreparable. According to the March of Dimes, there is no known safe level for alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

Tap water in undeveloped countries: Drink bottled water to avoid bacteria and viruses.

Certain foods that cause food allergy. Depending on your family history, your child may be at risk for developing food allergies. Avoiding foods including peanuts and peanut products during pregnancy (and nursing) may reduce allergy risk in susceptible children. Before you make any changes to your diet, speak with a licensed health care professional about your child's risk for allergy and consult with a registered dietitian knowledgeable about food allergy.

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