Making your own baby food CAN be easy!

Making your own baby food isn't as scary as you think.  I want to share with you something that is going to make it even easier... a website: Wholesomebabyfood.com.  One of my "go-to" mommy friends told me about this website when I started feeding E solids and I've been hooked ever since. Not only will Wholesome Baby help you learn how to cook food for your baby, but it's also a great resource of what to cook for your baby and when.  

I tried to make a lot E's food, especially when it was single purees.  It is so simple. Do not let baby marketers fool you; while the Baby Bullet and Baby Breeza are great, all you really need to make baby food are some pots, pans, an oven, blender of some sort and ice cube trays.  I actually used our knockoff bullet blender that we got as a wedding gift and it worked perfect!  

Is your baby a beginner to solids? Start here for stage 1 foods and some basic pureeing.  Now that E is onto mostly finger foods, I want to find recipes I can still make in bulk and store in the freezer. This weekend I baked E some broccoli & cheddar cheese nuggets and wanted to share the recipe!

Broccoli & Cheedar Cheese Nuggets

1 16 oz package frozen broccoli, cooked, drained and chopped

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 large eggs [or 5 egg yolks]

{directions}

preheat oven to 375

[1] lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside

[2] combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. {* add seasonings if you like: garlic powder, pepper, extra basil or oregano; also can add fruit or veggie puree to substitute for eggs} 

[3] shape mixture into nuggets and place on baking tray. bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning nuggets over after 15 minutes. serve warm, crumble if baby needs.

I also found out that author of Wholesomebaby.com, Maggie Meade, is coming out with a book tomorrow called The Wholesome Baby Food Guide.  

Baby food doesn't need to be tasetless, processed and in a jar. It can be fresh, vibrant and delicious. In THE WHOLESOME BABY FOOD GUIDE, Maggie Meade will show you how easy it is to feed your baby homemade goodness. 

Based on the top-rated baby food website, THE WHOLESOME BABY FOOD GUIDE is filled with carefully researched information on nutrition, allergies, myths, and the best practices for introducing foods to your little ones. With more than 150 recipes, as well as storage tips, and allergy alerts, Meade reviews the three major stages of a baby's learning to eat: 4-6 months, 6-8 months, and 8 months and up.

Do you make your own baby food? Where do you find some of your favorite recipes? 

Happy FIRST Birthday to E!!!!!

You changed our lives in the best way possible. Happy Birthday my little man.  

Beat the Winter Blues!

February: the time in Minnesota where everyone starts going a little crazy from being inside all winter. We have been lucky enough to have a pretty mild winter; in fact E and I have even been able to make a few trips to the park in January and that is UNHEARD of! But going outside is still a challenge and being stuck inside with a baby or young toddler can drive a parent crazy.

I've been working on compiling a list of indoor playgrounds to take your baby to and saw this GREAT list that MinnMoms.com put together. [By the way, if you haven't checked out MinnMoms.com and you live in the Twin Cities you need to add it to your bookmarks!] I've taken some of their list, plus added a few of my own and made sure they are baby friendly. E has been walking for about a month now and he is at that stage where all he wants to do is climb, crawl and walk all over. An indoor playground is PERFECT and I can't wait to take him to one of these!


[photo credit]

Adventure Peak [Edina]
Adventure Peak features great areas for toddlers to explore. The Tot Area includes climbing, crawling, sliding and even bouncing in an inflatable air bounce geared just for them!

Eagles Nest [New Brighton]
Part of Eagles Nest, The Eaglets Aerie, is for kids 3 and under. It has its own colorful ball pit, challenging climbing structure, reading corner and more! $5.50/baby 12 months & up.

The Blast [Eagan]

Babies 17 months and younger are FREE [they do not have a specific toddler area] But at the Eagan Community [where The Blast is] they do have open gym Monday-Friday for $3 which is for ages 1 and & up, see more details here.  

Maple Maze [Maple Grove]
Babies under 12 months are FREE and over 12 months are only $5 [$4 for residents] There is a specific toddler area for ages 3 and under where they can crawl into the lions mouth and back down a slide to venture on to the molded alligator, hippo and more.

Lookout Ridge [Woodbury]
They do have a toddler area here [$4.50 for 1 & older].  The "inside tip" is that mornings are usually busy, so if you are looking for a quieter time to take your baby, head on over after lunch.

Tropical Adventure [Shoreview]
Babies under 12 months are free, otherwise it's $5 per child for their indoor playground.  Tropical Adventure also has an indoor water park with an area called "Ship Wreck Beach" with a zero depth pool just for little tots to splash & play in!

Sky Zone [Oakdale, Plymouth]
Sky Zone is a indoor trampoline park. Check each website for toddler time [ages 5 & under].

The Little Gym [Edina, Burnsville & {coming soon} Eagan & Eden Prairie]
The only downfall to The Little Gym is that they don't have any type of open gym and you have to sign up for weekly classes. Although your first class is FREE so you can always try it out first!

My Gym [Eden Prairie]
Same thing with My Gym, they have ongoing classes that you can register for unless you are a member then they have "free play".

I have yet to speak from experience about any of these places so I would love to hear if you have been to any and how they were. Or did I miss any places you like to bring your older baby to? Please share!