LilSugar

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!

Homemade Baby Succotash

Lil Community — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:32 -0800

This recipe comes from the group The Children's Table from member lauren.

I have an amazing brother and sister-in-law, who had their first child this last year and in hopes to make sure my niece's diet is full of healthy and tasty things, they have been making homemade baby food. They received the Beaba Babycook as a shower gift and trust me they have been using this handy contraption nonstop! I am sure you could make the same recipe on the stove but this definitely, in my aunt opinion, makes it much easier!

To get the recipe, read more.

Homemade Baby Succotash
Recipe from Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months

Ingredients

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup lima or butter beans, frozen
1 cup corn kernels frozen
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

With the beaba babycook, steam the frozen lima beans and corn kernels. Save the liquid in case, so it can be added back for a smoother texture.
Remove the stemming bowl from the beaba and place the cooked beans and corn in blender portion. Add the butter, salt and paprika and stemming liquid, if needed. Quickly blend to the desired consistency.
Let cool and feed your cute babe!

Print recipe with images | without images
Do you have a favorite product or recipe that your tots love? Share it with other lunch making mamas in The Children's Table group over in the LilSugar Community!

Delilicious: Marshmallow Sprinkle Skulls

LilSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0700

After seeing BabySugar's ghostly cupcakes, I wanted to bake something Halloweenish for my wee ones. I was thrilled when I found these simple and adorable marshmallow skulls – a perfect decoration for a Halloween baked good. With only a bag of marshmallows, color sprinkles and a knife, I turned a regular marshmallow into a spooky skull.

Rather than make elaborate chocolate-coated Madelines as the recipe called for, I made a simple brownie recipe. I cooked the brownies in a muffin tin for easy individual servings. Rather than coat the brownies in frosting to attach the skulls, I waited for the brownies to cool slightly and the warmth melted the marshmallows just enough. If you want to decorate your tasty treats with spooky and squishy skulls, keep reading.

Did You Pig Out in the Final Days of Pregnancy?

LilSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:00:01 -0700

Can the final days of pregnancy be compared to a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where Augustus Gloop is seen gobbling up a buffet of wonderful foods? Maybe. For women who watch their weight throughout their nine months, the final days of pregnancy can be an opportunity to indulge in the tasty treats they deny themselves throughout the rest of the prenatal period.

A friend recently told me about her week of gluttony following her final doctor's appointment. Not a fan of her weekly weigh-ins at her obstetrician's office, my friend left her 39-week appointment pleased with her overall weight gain. Given baby's breech presentation, the doctor had scheduled a c-section for the following week. Knowing that she would not have to get on the scale before her surgery, my friend spent her final days of pregnancy gobbling up the hamburgers, ice cream sundaes and pizza slices she had forgone over the past nine months. Though she said she really wasn't hungry due to the little space left in her stomach, she was enjoying the tastes of her favorite foods before she would have to focus on losing her baby weight.

My friend's week of indulgence got me thinking: did you treat yourself to some special foods before giving birth?

Want to talk pregnancy with other expectant mamas? Join the LilSugar Community!

Delilicious: Tic-Tac-Toe Peanut Butter Style

babysugar — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:00:35 -0700

Eeny, meeny, miny, mo, have some fun with tic-tac-toe! Turn a meal into a game time gobble with lil jolts of protein and tasty fruit pieces. Moms with a wipe clean place mat at their disposal are at an advantage but anyone with a piece of paper and a pen can play this game. Using a cookie cutter or any circular cutting shape (I used a baby bottle cap), take two pieces of bread and cut out small circles for the game pieces. Cover half of them with peanut butter and the other half with Nutella. Then put banana slices on the nutty ones and raspberries on the cocoa flavored bits. Tiny diners can pick their flavors and play one round to see who can get three pieces in a row. The game can go as the pieces last, which won't be long!

View 5 Photos ›

Do you have a healthy snack recipe that your tots love? Share it with other lunch making mamas in The Children's Table group over in the LilSugar community!

10 Grab and Go Snacks For New Moms

LilSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:30:20 -0700

Once baby arrives, new moms tend to trade in the bowls of ice cream for healthy snacks that will nourish them while helping them shed the baby weight. While healthy eating can be tasty, it isn't always quick and with a lil one demanding constant attention, eating with one hand and on-the-run is essential. We've rounded up 10 quick and easy one-handed snacks that should give a new mom the energy she needs to make it through the day.

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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.

Source

Mural Meal: A Preppy Pink Heart

babysugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:15:00 -0700

If you want wee ones to take another little piece of your heart, serve it up on a pretty platter. We all know fish is good for the heart and full of protein so introducing it to tots at a young age will teach them to eat healthy. A cinch to cook, salmon is a tasty meal that leaves very little clean up behind. Surround it with peas and rice and baby's got a whole new perspective on "seafood."

First cook up some tasty rice and peas. While those are heating up, turn on the oven to 350. Place a piece of foil in a Pyrex dish and the salmon fillet on top of it. Using a teriyaki sauce, glaze the fish and put the pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes. It should "bleed" white when it is cooked through. Once the rice is done, scatter it in a circle on a plate. Then using a heart shaped cookie cutter, break apart the salmon and spread it in the heart. Finally, spoon out peas to encircle the rice for a preppy pink and green mural meal made with love.

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Bringing Sexy Back: Snack on Aphrodisiacs

babysugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:00:54 -0700

Mamas looking to spice up their sex life may just need to heat things up in the kitchen. Certain foods known to increase a person's sex drive can play a part in parents trying to get back in the swingin' groove. Try serving up one of these tasty treats to a loved one with nothing but an apron on.

We may not all like the asparagus aftermath, but it's known to get things going.
Seductively slurp down some oysters for a chance at lust.
Who knew radishes were known to get the blood pumping in the right places?
Nibble on truffles for romantic appeal.

To see the rest of my tricks, read more.

Mustard activates the sweat glands and gets everyone hot and bothered.
Mommies who crave cheese can snack well knowing it can help one fall in love.
Sip (don't gulp) some spirits to loosen inhibitions. Don't drink too much or it may lead to a snooze fest.

Pretty soon, papa will be thinking his baby mama is the pop tart du jour.
Source

Multiples Baby Shower: Theme, Guest List and Invitations

babysugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:00:23 -0700

We've been sprinkling you with ideas of baby showers all month but what's more fun than celebrating one baby-to-be? Celebrating two or three! Moms expecting twins often need a double dose before the babes arrive. Prepping the mama-to-be with twice the good wishes, onesies and diapers will give her a jump start on the juggling act she's about to perform. Not wanting to create a circus for her before the show, we used calm, muted colors to create a natural and soothing surrounding for this soiree.
Bring an aviary touch to the shower and invite the whole gaggle of ladies to celebrate the mom-to-be. But, a lengthy guest list and two impending babies to celebrate doesn't mean the bank will be broken. For this shower, it's all about dividing and conquering. Stay tuned this week to see how we will create a charming setting, tasty dishes and fabulous favors for this birdy bash. To get the party started, we've created a winsome downloadable invite for hosts to send out to their guests. To download them, read more.

Free and easy to use, everyone will be impressed with the lovely two birds chirping on cherry blossoms PDF invite that you can download here.

Don't forget to enter our fabulous April Showers Giveaway for a chance to win a $2,500 gift card to put toward your babe's nursery and/or necessities for your child at Pottery Barn Kids! And, check out the baby shower invitations we've created exclusively for pingg! Pingg allows you to email invites to a guest list or print and mail, and send reminders via SMS, online, Facebook, Twitter, and more!