LilSugar

Chef Tyler Florence Cooks Up Sprout Organic Baby Food

LilSugar — Tue, 11 May 2010 12:30:09 PDT

Food Network favorite and father of three, Tyler Florence has been cooking up something for kids - his baby food line! The celebrity chef's Sprout entrees (12 packs for $14) are organic and made from fresh, pure ingredients. The dishes come in eco-friendly pouches that convert into bowls and are free of preservatives, sugar and starches. The tot-friendly concoctions sound a bit more appetizing than what is already on the shelves at the market. They include roasted bananas and brown rice, pasta with lentil bolognese, oatmeal with roasted cinnamon applesauce, peach rice pudding, roasted pears and apricots, sweet peas and garden green beans, sweet baby carrots and sweet potato and white beans.

Stay tuned for our review. We'll let you know if Tyler has created the ultimate in baby food and surpasses our current favorite, Ella's Kitchen!

Delilicious: Homemade Baby Food Is Back in Vogue

LilSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:00:23 PDT

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?

Source

Delilicious: Tasty Baby

babysugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:00:52 PDT

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,

.
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!

Ecotot: Homemade Baby Food

LilSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:00:18 PST

Having grown up in California, I've been spoiled by fresh food. So, when it came time to feed my babies soft solids, I opted for the most appealing and pure, glass-bottled brands I could find like Earth's Best and Healthy Times. Though my husband was the official taste tester in our family, I had a hard time feeding my kids jarred food. And, pureeing the baby food myself was too time consuming.

Luckily, I discovered Homemade Baby, a line of freshly prepared, kosher, and organic baby food that comes in refrigerated recyclable grab-and-go containers and were convenient for our on-the-go lifestyle.

Offering three stages - So Smooth for babies 6–8 months old, Good Mushy for babies 9–12 months old, and Kinda Chunky for children over a year, the selections - Just Peas, Piwi (pears and kiwi), and Yummy Yammies (a combination of yams, lentils and other veggies), cost just a bit more than the shelf-stored organic brands and taste great.

Plum Organics Pouches: Quick and Healthy Hunger Fix

LilSugar — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:00:00 PDT

Uh oh - I've created a foodie! My 7 month old got hooked on the first food I fed him - Ella's Kitchen organic baby purees. There wasn't a fruit and veggie variety he didn't gobble down before the store I bought it at sold out. I tried to trick my tot into eating a few other brands and it was a no go. He pursed his lips and fasted (with the exception of milk) until I offered him Plum Organics. Available in squeezable pouches, the brand offers up seven stage two combinations from sweet potato, corn, and apple to spinach, peas and pear. ($8 for 6 packs).
Who is this product designed for? This product is perfect for parents who like to tote food on the go. The convenient packs can be popped open in the car or at the park and squeezed on to a spoon for easy feeding.
Is it practical? I didn't understand the pouch concept until I gave it a whirl with my third kiddo and now I think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
What could be better? I wish I could buy it in bulk! I cleared out the Whole Foods supply because my baby eats four to six containers a day so I have to stock up.
Would I buy it? I already did.
What did baby think? My son kicks his legs and reaches out to grab it. He's loved every flavor except for the blueberry, pear, and purple carrot, which wasn't available at our grocer.

The Dictator: Ruled by Tasteless but Funny Jokes

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:00:23 PDT

Full disclosure: I laughed out loud many times during The Dictator, knowing full well that I should have been offended instead. But what you see is what you get when it comes to Sacha Baron Cohen, and after movies like Bruno and Borat, you already know whether you'll be able to find humor in film about a horrifyingly ignorant world leader who's as naive, racist, and prejudiced as they come.

I know that sounds hard to swallow, but there is a big difference between The Dictator and Cohen's previous work: this time, it doesn't even feel remotely real. Whereas Borat and Bruno are made to taunt and embarrass what appear to be unsuspecting, everyday people, there's no mistaking The Dictator for what it is: a total farce that comes complete with actors you've seen before. It may sound obvious, but having Cohen's Aladeen interact with the likes of Ben Kingsley, Anna Faris, and John C. Reilly makes the whole story easier to digest - and much easier to laugh at in spite of yourself.

To see what else I enjoyed about The Dictator, just

At the core, The Dictator is really a fish-out-of water comedy, just taken to staggeringly inappropriate levels. Aladeen has ruled his North African country, Wadiya, since he was a small child, and in many ways, he's never grown up. While he's busy ordering execution for anyone that rubs him the wrong way (including the engineer that couldn't make his nuclear weapon pointy enough), his uncle Tamir (Kingsley) is the one that's really making the decisions about how the country should be run. Predictably, Tamir turns on Aladeen and seizes power during a trip to NYC, leaving Aladeen lost, penniless, and unrecognizable on the streets of the Big Apple.

The Dictator then turns into a bizarre romantic comedy, as Aladeen befriends a crunchy protester named Chloe (Anna Faris), who he initially mistakes for a boy. Chloe gives Aladeen his first job in her organic whole foods store, which opens a Pandora's box of jokes about the irony of a world leader wearing a hairnet. Meanwhile, Aladeen hatches a plan to bring down his uncle, and somewhere along the way, you start rooting for the same guy that suggests aborting a baby because it's not a boy.

I'm not saying that The Dictator is sophisticated by any means, or even groundbreaking as a comedy. Cohen spares us no expense of crude humor that pushes the envelope (and literally takes us inside a woman's birth canal), and if you're not a fan for Cohen's brand of humor, you'll probably walk out of the theater before you even get there. But if you've ever found his antics to be funny before, chances are you will again - even if you're slightly embarrassed to admit it when the credits roll.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Healthy Dose Link Time: Miranda Kerr Talks Healthy Snacks and Going Organic

Michele Foley — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:26:39 PDT

Working out, organic baby food, and more: get the dish on Miranda Kerr - Fit Celeb
A rock-climbing gym in your house? You betcha! - Houzz
Learn how a little stretch can improve your life - Real Simple
Mice get slimmer and sexier from eating yogurt. What about humans? - Self
How Smash's Katharine McPhee stays in Broadway-worthy shape - Fitness
The lunch bell is calling! 10 sandwiches all under 300 calories - Shape
7 things to do now, which help prevent Alzheimer's in the future - HuffPost Healthy Living

Happy Baby and Sprout Want to Feed Your Toddlers Organic Meals

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:02:23 PDT

Organic baby food pouches are so last year! Since the healthy, squeezable packets of baby purees first caused a ripple on playgrounds in 2010, the baby pouch has quickly become the go-to baby food choice for mamas who want the best, but just don't have time to cook up their own purees.

Now, two of the first baby food pouch creators are setting their sites on tots who've moved beyond second and third stage purees. Both Sprout and Happy Baby are introducing heat-and-eat organic toddler meals this Spring, and lil ones everywhere should be rejoicing! Here's a quick rundown of what the two are serving up!

Happy Baby The company that brought us the first organic puffs and an organic Thanksgiving meal in a pouch is creating four HappyTot Toddler Meal Bowls ($3.19 each) packed with protein and vitamin A. Using 100 percent organic vegetables, whole grains, and meats, the HappyTot line includes combinations such as Chicken, Vegetable, and Quinoa, as well as the more familiar Vegetable Ravioli. Each cup-sized serving comes precooked in BPA-free packaging that only needs to be heated for a minute in the microwave before it's ready to eat.

Sprout Tyler Florence told us that he was considering opening a Sprout café where moms and babies could stock up on food for a few days, but now he's done one better. Sprout Organic Toddler Meals ($3.49 each) begin where the Food Network chef's baby purees end, continuing his tradition of combining great but unusual flavor concoctions that kids can't wolf down fast enough. The ready-to-microwave, BPA-free trays bring together veggies, fruits, legumes, spices, and meats for eight meals, such as Macaroni and Cheese With Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato and Apple Risotto With Turkey. So while you might not have a sitter so you can go out and enjoy the chef's Wayfare Tavern, your lil one can gobble up his recipes in the comfort of your own home.

Source: Flickr User CarbonNYC

Eating Green With Ella's Kitchen's Pure Baby Purees

LilSugar — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:00:54 PDT

My son is six months old and he's already part of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution! I've been through a bunch of different organic baby foods (both homemade and store bought) with my two older kids, but juggling three leaves a limited time for a mom to concoct her own edible creations. While the goal is to make foods from scratch for my lil one, I decided to try Ella's Kitchen's - squeezable fruit and veggie pouches moms laud. Started by a father in the UK who believes his children should eat the very best, the 3 oz. purees ($10.50 for 7 packs) come in fruit and vegetable medleys that are appetizing to adults!
Who is this product designed for? This product is perfect for parents on the go! If you're really in a jam and don't have a bowl and utensil on hand, a mama could probably even just squeeze the nutritious goodness right into her tot's mouth for a quick fix to calm the hunger pangs. (But, you didn't hear that from me!)
Is it practical? I've done baby food in jars, in tubs, and in containers - these squeezable packets with a snap off top are perfect for tossing in a diaper bag and storing in limited pantry space. They do not need to be refrigerated until they've been opened, but once they are the puree needs to be eaten within 48 hours.

To see what could be improved and if I'd buy it.

21 Disposable Products You Can Reuse

Wise Bread — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:00:39 PDT

Even when the product is supposedly "disposable," you can always reuse it. Wise Bread shares awesome ways to reuse these 21 disposable products.

It’s said that we live in a disposable society. But the word "disposable" is a misnomer. Disposable is considered throwaway, something you use once and dump, regardless of the life that may be left in it. As a frugal shopper with a concern for the state of our environment, I think that just won’t do.

I often reuse many so-called “onetime-use” items, and I asked friends, family, and colleagues to tell me which disposable items they squeeze more life from. Here’s my list, including some of the surprising ideas I was given.

RELATED: 25 Things to Throw Out Today

1. Butter Wrappers

If you’re like most people, you unwrap your butter, pop the stick into your handy holder, and throw the wrapper away. But wait a second - instead of trashing the wrappers, keep them in a sandwich bag. The next time you need to grease a baking tray or dish, you’ve got something all ready to go.

Read on for more.