Sweet Hash Browns

Last night we had brinner, (you know, breakfast for dinner) we had banana pancakes, eggs, and hash browns.  All were suitable for my little princess, except for the hash browns.  So I decided to come up with my own version of hash browns just for my little one, so that she was able to have exactly what we were having.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup grated zucchini
• 1/4 cup grated sweet potato
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pure maple syrup (make sure that your baby is at least over 1 year old, and that you have checked with your baby's doctor)
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baby cereal (flour would work as well)

Steps:

Heat a small pan over medium heat.

Spray pan with cooking spray.

Combine the zucchini, sweet potato, nutmeg, cinnamon, baby cereal and maple syrup.

Mix throughly.

Pat mixture into a 1/2" thick patty.

Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes.


Your toddler will love this yummy (and nutritious) treat!

Eatin' time!

As a girl who likes loves to cook, is it any surprise that I make baby's food?  That's right, there's not much in the way of jars found in this house.  I make everything fresh for my baby.  There are so many advantages to making my own baby food.  First and fore-most it saves so much money.  With homemade food, I control exactly what and how much of it goes into my baby's food.  Making baby's food can be fulfilling, creative, and fun!  Wholesome Baby Food has been the most helpful site in guiding me in what I should feed my baby.  Another good site is Weelicious.  Of course get the ok from your baby's doctor first.

I love knowing that I know exactly what goes into my baby's food.  When my baby was first introduced to solids, the only ingredients I wanted into her foods were the fruit or veggie and water.  Now at 8 months, I have started to integrate some added spices (never salt or sugar, but spices like nutmeg).  Right from the beginning, I have used just enough water as is needed to make a puree.  Using just what is needed in addition to using fresh fruits and veggies, makes homemade baby food so much yummier!  It is so good in fact, that I have sampled everything that I have made.  If I won't eat it, I certainly don't want to make my baby eat it.

Making baby food can be creative and fun!  I first introduced each fruit or veggie separately, then once I determined that no reaction was caused by any of the foods, I started to mix them together to provide baby with a much wider variety then what is offered by jarred.  Some of my baby's favorites are butternut squash and apples, peas and greenbeans, and pears and avocado.

Homemade baby food doesn't require any special tools.  I use a vegetable steamer to steam most of my fruits and veggies.  Sometimes I will bake items such as squash or sweet potatoes.  After the food is cooked, I put it in my blender with a small amount of water (I use filtered) and blend it up to my desired consistency.  There are even some foods (bananas and avocado) that require nothing more than a bowl and a fork to mash.

I store my prepared baby food in vital baby freezer pots.  Once the food is frozen, I simply pop the little cubes out of the containers and store them in a labeled and dated freezer bag.

What a money saver

Something that is an absolute necessity for baby right from the start is baby wipes. Wipes can cost anywhere from $4-$7 a package, and they go quite quickly. Not to mention that these products can contain chemicals that could irritate baby's sensitive skin, or even cause health problems.

By making your own baby wipes, you can minimize health risks, as well as diaper rash. Wipes are surprisingly easy to make, and they don't take that much time either. I have been making my own baby wipes because I like the fact that I know exactly what is going onto my baby's skin.

What you will need:

• 2 cups of warm water 
• 2 tablespoons of baby oil
• 4 tablespoons of baby lotion
• 2-3 drops of tea tree oil
• bottle for storage (I use a plastic water bottle)
• choose a size paper towels (make sure that you use a quality paper towel; I use viva--they are nice and soft)
• container to keep wipes in (I use a wipes container from some wipes that I got at my baby shower; I made sure to clean the container first)
• scissors

The process:

• Put the baby oil, lotion, and water into a pot.
• Heat the pot over low heat. (the ingredients don't have to be heated before you combine them, however, they will mix easier if they are slightly heated)
• Using a wisk, vigorously mix the oil, lotion, and water together.
• Turn the heat off.
• Using a funnel, pour the mixture from the pot into the empty bottle.
• Add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil (use an eye-dropper) to your prepared wipes solution.
• Allow the mixture to cool. (it should only be slightly warm)

• While the solution is cooling, tear 6-7 sheets from the choose a size paper towel roll.
• Cut the stack of paper towels in half width-wise.
• Place the stack into your wipes container.

• After the wipes solution has cooled, shake the mixture.
• Pour enough mixture over the cut paper towels to throughly the wipes.

• Close the lid, and let sit for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes open the lid of your container and flip the stack of paper towels over.
• Close the lid.

That's it. Simple as that. Make sure that you don't saturate too many wipes at once. Since these wipes don't have preservatives in them, they won't keep as long. I make only as many as I need for a day or two (7-10 choose a size sheets). For the diaper bag, I have a travel wipes case that I fill with only as many wipes as I will need.