LilSugar

Get a Solid Start to Feeding Your Baby

babysugar — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:00:00 -0800

It's a joyous day when your lil one gets the go ahead to start eating solid foods. Starting with rice cereals and moving on to purees and eventually finger foods, we're here to help you get your tot started on a solid food regimen. Check out some of our solid food coverage and start creating meal plans that will inspire your new eater.

Top 100 Baby Purees	A Solid Start: 5 Foods to Avoid	Solid Food Feeding Quiz
10 Tips For Introducing Finger Foods	10 Foods to Kick Solids Into High Gear	Five Foods to Chop So Tots Don't Choke

10 Foods to Kick Solids Into High Gear

babysugar — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:00:07 -0800

Many a youngster starts their diet of solid foods off with Cheerios and then graduates to bits of bananas, pinches of meat and strands of pasta. The small pieces are a great way to introduce them to the world of real food and to enhance their motor skills, but these foods will give baby a firm grasp on dinner while helping them work through their incoming teeth.

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10 Tips For Introducing Finger Foods

LilSugar — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:00:48 -0800

Finger foods are the gateway to self-feeding. We recently sat down with children's chef Annabel Karmel to discuss the importance of finger foods and how parents can ease the transition for their children. Her newest book, Top 100 Finger Foods ($13), features several tips and tricks for introducing these foods.

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Table For Two For Fresh Baby Food

LilSugar — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:00:35 -0800

Waiter, we'll have one zucchini, carrot and potato puree please – hold the salt. The homemade baby food trend has taken the parenting community by storm, so it is hardly a surprise that restaurateurs are jumping on the bandwagon.

GustOrganics, a certified organic restaurant in New York City's hip West Village neighborhood, caters to a foodie crowd that can't even order for themselves. In addition to the adult menu of all natural dishes, the eatery introduced a baby menu featuring fresh, organic purees for early solid food eaters. With menu items such as baked squash, tenderloin beef puree with zucchini, carrot and one bay leaf and macaroni with spinach and Parmesan cream, the restaurant gives parents a break from the Beaba machine.

But such luxury comes at a cost. GustOrganics offers home delivery of their gourmet creations which starts at $60 for a four day supply – quite a bit more expensive than steaming and pureeing in your own home.

Delilicious: Homemade Baby Food

LilSugar — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:00:23 -0800

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 have brought homemade baby food back in vogue.

While 17 percent of LilSugar readers buy most of their baby food ready made, the vast percentage has at least attempted to cook up their own baby food. If you're ready to bust out the blender and cutting board and take a gander at these easy recipes and suggestions.

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Savory and Healthy Snacks For Kiddos This Season

babysugar — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:27 -0800

Gingerbread houses, candy canes, and other sugar-filled sweets can put a smile on baby's face, but they may not have such a sweet effect on her teeth. Instead of loading your tots up on sugary snacks, treat them to these tasty yet healthy alternatives.

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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!

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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!

Yummy Links: From Rachael Ray to Cupcake Wars

partysugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:30:33 -0700

To encourage kids to eat healthier, Rachael Ray is cooking her soft tacos for public schools in New York. - New York Daily News
Your local mixologist may be earning a lot more money than you think. - Grub Street NY
Why not make your own baby food at home?- The Epi-Log
American cheeses are gaining popularity in Europe. - Wall Street Journal
An inside look at the Food Network's new Cook or Be Cooked video game. - Eat Me Daily
El Pollo Loco responds to KFC's free chicken deal with their own free chicken promotion. - Eater
Learn how Heston Blumenthal cooks sous vide. - Serious Eats
Get a glimpse of San Francisco's recent Cupcake Wars. - Chow

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?