LilSugar

Seven BPA-Free Baby Food Alternatives

LilSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:00:07 -0700

They say you are what you eat, so what parent would chance feeding their tot toxins? Just as American states have begun to pass legislation banning the use of BPA in plastic baby bottles and toys, a Canadian survey found the toxic compound in 84 percent of the glass-jarred baby food containers it sampled. The BPA is believed to have entered the baby food through the liners used on metal jar lids. Parents looking to avoid contaminated baby purees should seek the alternatives available. Check out our selection of safe baby food gadgets and products.

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The Wean Machine: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:00:59 -0700

Would you carry an extra gadget to press your child's lunch? For parents on the go, the Wean Machine ($25) is a portable tool for creating nutritious pureed meals. The BPA, phthalate and PVC-free gizmo can be filled with soft, ripe fruits and cooked veggies before it is squeezed to create foods for babes beginning their solid feeding. The Wean Machine comes with a spoon for easy use and is dishwasher safe. Would you invest in one?

Would you give the Wean Machine a try as an alternative to steaming and pureeing foods?

Homemade Baby Food Straight From the Grocery Store

LilSugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:00:04 -0700

While homemade baby food may be back en vogue, mamas know how much time and effort it takes to steam and puree baby's first solid foods. Baby cookbook authors claim that the purees take just a little more forethought than their store-bought counterparts, but factor in the prep and cleanup time and it's easy to see why many busy parents and caretakers turn to jarred goods.

For parents with limited time and cooking skills who still wish to give their lil one's the freshest and most healthy first foods, we've rounded up some of the best mass market chilled and frozen baby food available.

Homemade Baby offers a line of freshly prepared, kosher, and organic baby food that comes in refrigerated recyclable grab-and-go containers and are convenient for an on-the-go lifestyle. Available in three stages depending on a tot's chewing readiness, the line is available at Whole Foods and other national grocery stores.
Tasty Baby blast–freezes their 10 organic recipes at peak flavor - giving the fare farm freshness and nutritional value. Sold in recyclable and biodegradable wrapping and available online with free shipping, our testers loved the taste and convenience of these single-serve containers.
Pomme Bebe flash-freezes its small batch organic meals to lock in freshness and nutrients. The company rotates its menu according to seasons, to ensure the optimal taste of each single-serving and only recommends storing them for three months.
Hip Hip Puree may be limited to vegetables, but their purees can be used as both first foods and mix-ins for stage two and toddler meals. The four currently available flavors are great introductions to solid foods.
Happy Baby produces fresh-frozen organic meals in 15 varieties. With meats, veggies, grains and fruits, the line – which is endorsed by Dr. Sears – is made without nuts, soy, dairy, sugar and wheat in BPA-free trays.

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Delilicious: Homemade Baby Food Is Back in Vogue

LilSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:00:23 -0700

While past generations of parents had no alternative but to make their own baby foods, the introduction of jarred food changed the way American mamas fed their children. Pre-made food gave parents the flexibility to grab and go, and boasted certain health benefits that made moms and dads feel safe, so it makes sense that it became the mainstream method for feeding tots. But the organic movement and concern over the foods we give our children are changing the pureed food trend.

The Washington Post recently interviewed Nina Planck, whose book, Real Food for Mother and Baby outlines the benefits of introducing babies to table food as soon as they start solid eating. According to Planck:

"What we're seeing now is a well-informed group of people who seek out whole foods for their children. They're not yuppies from red states and blue states. There are lots of working mothers who choose to do this because it's healthful and because it's economical."

The trend is even bringing parents who do not even cook for themselves into the kitchen. Chefs from around the country are offering baby food tutorials, demonstrating the basic process for preparing first purees and chunkier mixtures, as well as providing recipes that don't look like anything found on store shelves. The executive chef of one DC restaurant held a seminar that resulted in recipes for green beans with mint, curry chicken and Mexican beans and rice, while another restaurant chef is preparing to release a book of gourmet baby purees including poached halibut with peas. Not exactly what Gerber serves up.

Would you prefer to introduce your tots to decadent food purees or the simple ones found in basic books?

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Simple Recipes to Start Making Baby Food at Home

LilSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:00:41 -0700

You don't have to be a treehugger or a gourmet chef to whip up fresh food for your wee one. Last year, more than 40 percent of lilsugar readers told us that they made their own baby food. The process of steaming and then pureeing fruits, vegetables, and eventually meats is quick, easy, and incredibly satisfying. In one half-hour cooking session, you can easily make two weeks worth of meals.

Chow recently turned its attention to the food we put in our lil one's stomachs and created a great beginner's guide to baby food making. Divided into recipes for 6-, 7- and 10-month-olds, the spread is a fabulous starting point for mamas looking to get cooking. To see their recipe for making chicken and sweet peas, read more.

Chicken and Sweet Pea Baby Food
Chow.com

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, large dice
3 cups water
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas

Directions

Place chicken in a medium saucepan and add water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and gently simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add peas and continue cooking until peas are tender, about 2 minutes more.
Remove chicken and peas with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid, and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. While pulsing, add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and continue pulsing until mixture is mostly smooth with a few chunks remaining, about 15 to 20 pulses. Let cool slightly, then divide into 1/4-cup portions, place in airtight containers, and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 6 weeks until ready to use.

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Babycakes: Bake Sweets With Baby Food!

LilSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Once your baby has outgrown pureed foods, what's a mama to do with her stockpile of jars in the pantry? Well, Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown found a winning dessert in one mother's cupcake recipe. Made with pureed baby food, the moist and delicious pecan-laced treats satisfy a sweet-tooth of any age.
To get the inventive recipe, read more.

Babycakes
Lisa Roman, Food Network

Have some leftover baby food in the pantry, try baking with it!

Ingredients

Cupcake Batter Ingredients:

* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 eggs
* 1/4 clover honey
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 (4-ounce) jar pumpkins with pears baby food (recommended: Nature's Goodness brand)
* 2 (4-ounce) jars applesauce and apricots baby food (recommended: Earth's Best brand)
* 1/2 cup ground pecans

Frosting Ingredients:

* 1 teaspoon almond extract
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 4 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
* 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
* 1/4 cup ground pecans
* Special equipment: 2 (12-cup) mini muffin pans

Directions
Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl add the baking soda, salt, baking powder and flour. Mix thoroughly with a fork and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, honey, both sugars and butter. Mix until smooth using a hand mixer. Add the cinnamon and baby food. Mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula fold in the pecans. Slowly add the flour mixture using a sifter and fold in until ingredients are evenly mixed.

Place 24 mini baking cups (2-inch, nonfoil) into each hole of the mini muffin pan. Place a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag into a bowl (for support) and pour the cupcake batter into the bag. Seal the bag and cut the tip off 1 of the bottom corners of the bag. Squeeze the batter into each baking cup, filling them only 3/4 of the way full. Place the mini muffin pan in the oven on the center rack. Bake for 12 minutes.

Frosting:

In a small mixing bowl add the extracts, milk, cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy using a hand mixer. When the cupcakes are done baking remove each cupcake from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Place the cooling rack in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 minutes.

Once the cupcakes are cooled remove them from the refrigerator. Frost each cupcake by putting a generous dollop of frosting on the top with a spoon. Garnish top with ground pecans and they are ready to serve.

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Do You Make Your Own Baby Food?

babysugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:00:44 -0700

Many new moms fancy themselves the younger and hipper version of Martha Stewart. Wanting every morsel their tot eats to be fresh and nutrient filled, more moms are opting to churn out their own baby food. I tried my hand at it a few times and found that the grocer's supply of sweet potatoes was tastier than my own. With practice and the right utensils, I am confident I could have mastered making baby food. Next time around, maybe I'll give it a shot.

Did you make your tot's food from scratch?
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Delilicious: Tasty Baby

babysugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:00:52 -0700

Baby food sometimes gives me the heebie jeebies. Not one to venture out and test the foods myself, I was convinced by Tastybaby's packaging and website that the infant food would be desirable for adults, too. The company prides itself on blast–freezing their organic recipes at peak flavor - giving the fare farm freshness and nutritional value.

Giving it my best shot, I did a lil taste test of Life's a Peach (peach purée). After a quick zap in the microwave, I was shocked by the delicious flavors inside my mouth. Convinced I must have tried the cream of the crop, I also gave Sweetie Pie (organic sweet potato and apple purée with cinnamon) and Bangos (organic banana and mango purée with vanilla) a go.

To see what I thought of the iced entrées, read more.
After giving all the flavors a thumbs up from yours truly, I decided to let the real judge have a say. Though she's finished with "baby food," my daughter gobbled up the Sweetie Pie in one sitting. I was delighted to see recipes included on how to utilize them for adult pleasure. Toss a cup of Bangos in a blender with some apple juice, vanilla yogurt, ice, and banana and you've got yourself one mean Bango Smoothie.

Moms can choose from nine frozen organic treats for their wee ones. When the youngster licks the last one clean, the containers can be recycled in a blue bin or right in your own kitchen as a keeper of other items. An eco–friendly company started by two moms, Tastybaby is sold in recyclable and biodegradable wrapping and available on–line with free shipping. Order a six pack of flavors (each including three packs) for $40 with free shipping!

Junior Jetset: Packin' Smart

babysugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:00:10 -0700

Aside from lugging a carseat, carry–on bags and other items of entertainment with you for airplane travel, a savvy mom knows to cover her bases on the food front, too. The challenge is keeping all the necessary items in one easily accessible place so when the tot starts to amp up, you can settle him down with a quick fix of raisins or Cheerios.

The Packin Smart ($20) stacking tower makes it a cinch for moms on the go. Take one for a quick jaunt to the park or stack five together for a long trip with your youngster. For infants, the dispensers can hold formula, baby food, and dry cereal for longer trips. Each container comes equipped with a lid, cap, and base and is dishwasher safe.

Delilicious: Beaba Baby Cook

babysugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:00:39 -0700

For parents, who like to cook all of their tot's tasty meals, the Beaba Baby Cook is a heaven–sent product.

Hugely popular in Europe, Americans are now privy to the convenient meal–maker.

To learn more about this Beaba, read more.

This small machine works overtime as a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster. Instead of dirtying up pots, pans and blending appliances, use this simple gadget to do it all. Steam the veggies, preserve the vitamins and chop it all up in minutes.

For $140, you get two polycarbonate bowls, a cooking basket, a spatula and a recipe booklet.