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,

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!

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.

NurturMe's Caroline Freedman: An Easy Way to Get Lil Ones to Eat Their Fruits and Veggies!

Kate Stahl — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:02:14 PST

As a soon-to-be first-time mom, a pregnant Caroline Freedman was obsessed with all things baby (sound familiar?), including what she would eventually feed her new lil one once she advanced past breast milk and bottles. "I was shocked at how little innovation there had been since I was a baby. It was still Gerber jarred foods," says Austin, TX-based Freedman, now mom to a 3-year-old and a 4-month-old. "Considering how parents are eating a lot differently now, it seemed so out of sync."

Freedman, along with her business partner Lauren McCullough (a former culinary arts teacher) decided to do something about the discrepancy. The result: NurturMe, the first certified organic, all-natural, gluten-free baby food made from quick-dried fruits and veggies. If a dehydrated baby food isn't inventive enough - each pouch is light as a feather and makes about 2.5 ounces of baby food when mixed with water, breast milk, or formula - NurturMe has yet another selling point: it's also an easy way to sneak fruits and veggies into older tots' meals. Keep reading for more from our interview with Freedman.

Ruth Reichl: "American Food Is the Best in the World Right Now"

Susannah Chen — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:23:06 PST

This weekend, food artisans from around the country are being honored in the second annual Good Food Awards, which celebrate American food producers who enhance the country's agricultural landscape and help to build community. While the awards are relatively new to the gastronomic landscape, they're already backed by some of the country's biggest food influencers, such as Whole Foods, and seminal culinary figures, like Ruth Reichl.
Ruth is currently the editorial adviser at Gilt Taste, another cosponsor of this weekend's Good Food Awards. The author, former New York Times food critic, and final Gourmet editor sat down with me over dinner at Mission Chinese Food to talk more about good food and future projects.

YumSugar: Tell me about the partnership between Gilt Taste and the Good Food Awards. How did it come about?
Ruth Reichl: I've known Sarah [Weiner, the director] for a long time, and we've been talking about this for a long time. When I went to Gilt Taste, it just seemed like a seamless, natural partnership, finding and supporting food artisans in America.

YS: You're the keynote speaker at this year's Good Food Awards. What kind of a legacy do these awards create?
RR: It's hard for younger people to understand how bad things were in America, a time when all food was essentially industrial. There were no farmers markets. I have an interview with Wolfgang Puck that I did in 1982 where he goes, "Six years ago, there was no decent food in America." Now, there's this explosion of farmers markets, and while so much of the world is abandoning their food heritage, Americans are reclaiming theirs before it gets lost . . . We have these two completely parallel, simultaneous, and opposite tracks: on the one hand, people with money who eat organic, sustainable, handmade food. But if you're a poor person, you're stuck eating stuff that's cheaper than food and that will kill you. Food safety in this country becomes a worse and worse issue; we import more and more food; 80 percent of the antibiotics in this country go to perfectly healthy animals. We have a real crisis on the one hand - and on the other hand, we have, for the first time, an awareness of it. Which is quite stunning.

I really do think American food is the best in the world right now, because of the people making the kind of food that goes to the Good Food Awards. We have to nurture it, and make sure that it doesn't just stay with us in this little enclave.

YS: There's movement toward eating a plant-based diet. What do you think of that?

To find out her answer, keep reading.

Lil Links: You Know You're a Mother When . . .

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:32:18 PST

Twenty-five ways you know you're such a mother! - The Stir
Elton John's Zachary is Hawaiian dining - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Lisa Loeb is expecting baby number two! - Celebrity Baby Blog
Expectant couples dress for success at the gym - FitPregnancy
Steal style tips from these gorgeous nurseries - Parenting
Organic kid food myths - The Daily Beast
Things you don't know about conception - The Bump
Five unexpected pregnancy expenses - Momformation
Luxury labors are on the rise: how to give birth like Beyoncé - Yahoo! Shine

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.

3 BPA-Free Alternatives to Canned Beans

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:48:48 PST

BPA (bisphenol A) is bad news. Animal studies of this chemical, which used to be found in many reusable plastic water bottles, links high levels of BPA to cancer, heart disease, and early puberty. BPA-free bottles have replaced reusable plastic water bottles and baby bottles, but BPA is also used in the lining of canned foods. A recent Harvard study found that after participants ate a serving of canned foods once a day, five days in a row, their levels of BPA rose 10 times.

As a vegetarian, I've been living on canned beans since they're so convenient. But now I feel they're unsafe to eat, especially for my 1-year-old. If canned beans are a staple in your diet, here are three BPA-free alternatives.

Go with Eden: This brand of organic canned beans specifically says on the label, "bisphenol A-free can lining." Don't assume that all "healthy brands" are BPA-free. I emailed Westbrae, and at this time, the linings of their cans do contain BPA.

Continue reading for two more BPA-free alternatives to canned beans.