Homemade Baby Food

I have been busy! Fin is now eating solid food, so I got my blender out and have been pureeing and freezing all kinds of veggies and fruits. It is such a great thing to be able to do for my baby. I did this for Max and now am doing it for Fin. Sometimes people ask why I don't just buy baby food because they think it takes so much time to make it. Actually, it takes me less time to make more food than I could buy in the same amount of time. I make my own for three reasons: 1) so I know exactly what is going into his mouth; 2) it is much less expensive; and 3) deciding what to buy at the store makes my head go 'round -- there are way too many choices!

So what I do is cook the vegetable or fruit or meat and then puree it in the blender or food processor. I pour it into ice cube trays and cover it with cellophane wrap and just pop it in the freezer overnight. Then I pop the little cubes out and put them into a ziploc freezer bag and back into the freezer they go. When I am ready to feed him, I get a couple cubes out and thaw them in the microwave. It's as simple as that. In the freezer right now we have pears, butternut squash, yellow squash, green beans and sweet potatoes. I am planning on doing peas, acorn squash, and white beans this afternoon. And if I can get to the store, I'll pick up some chicken breasts and veal to do as well.

I have also made my own oatmeal powder so that it is not too chunky for him. I just put some old fashioned oats in the blender and blend it into a fine powder, then cook it up and let it cool. I usually make enough to last a few days and put it in the fridge and sppon out what I need. I mix this with mashed bananas and yogurt for him for breakfast. He is such a good eater and has not rejected anything yet.

This is a wonderful book and has helped me with learning what foods to make at what stages. It is well-used.

Yummy Soup in the Crockpot

From my good friend, Grayson:

MEXICAN BLACK BEAN, TOMATO, and CORN SOUP

Two 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

One 4.5 oz can chopped roasted green chiles w/ juice

One can Ro-Tel tomatoes and chiles w/ juice

One 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes w/ juice

One 11 oz can yellow corn, drained

1/2 small onion, chopped

One teaspoon garlic powder

One teaspoon chili powder

One teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup beef or chicken broth

Toppings:

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

corn chips

Add all ingredients (except cheese and sour cream) to crockpot. Stir to mix well, and then taste for salt & pepper. Add salt/pepper till taste is right (I added 1/2 tsp of kosher salt). Then cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. Add more broth to thin out, if needed. Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Serve corn chips on side if desired.

***We made this tonight and it was PERFECT. It has been cold and rainy here and we have all been sick in this house. The last thing I wanted to do was fuss with cooking a meal. The only thing I would've probably changed about this yummy recipe is (per my husband's request) added some shredded pork. We baked some corn bread muffins to go with this and even my 2 year old boy ate it!

I Have Been Tagged!

Tag you are it. (I hope I did this right!)

THE RULES:

*** Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

***Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

*** Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their name as well as links to their blog.

*** Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.




1. I never cared for chocolate until I became pregnant with my second child; now I can't get enough of the stuff.



2. I love reality TV; current favorites being 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Dr 90210' and 'Dancing with the Stars.'



3. My husband and I were married barefoot on the beach in the British Virgin Islands.


4. I wish I could get a pixie cut, but my hair would stick straight out on all sides.


5. I was born in Japan.


6. I wish I could sew.


7. I need to eat more veggies.


Tagged:

Life Unscripted: http://www.fivestrongs.blogspot.com/
Peace Love and Yoga: http://www.greengirlwannabe.blogspot.com/
Dandelion Dayz: http://www.dandeliondayz.com/
Jason for the Love of God: http://www.jasonfortheloveofgod.blogspot.com/

Stir Fried Ginger Shrimp

I am back! I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post. I have been super busy, mostly with my two little ones. By the time I have some free time to sit down and blog, I am so exhausted that I just want to be horizontal on the couch watching some mindless reality TV. I have so many things to get on this blog, but let's first start with this shrimp recipe that I made. I found this recipe in the latest Cooking Light magazine. It was so easy and quick. I changed up a couple of things, because that's just what I do. For example, I didn't use celery and instead I added sliced zucchini. I also used 2 tbsp of mirin instead of the 1 tbsp that the recipe calls for. Mirin may be hard for some of you to find. It is a sweet Japanese rice wine. I get it at a very large Asian super market near here.

Stir Fried Ginger Shrimp
Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of white pepper
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine) --I used 2 tbsp
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1 cup thinly vertically sliced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diagonally cut celery (I used zucchini)

Preparation
1. Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with ginger, salt, and pepper; toss well. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Combine 1/2 cup water and next 6 ingredients (through chile paste) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp mixture to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove shrimp mixture from pan; set aside. Wipe pan dry with a paper towel. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add celery; stir-fry 1 minute. Return shrimp mixture to pan; stir-fry 1 minute or until shrimp are done.
4. Add water mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories:
192 (31% from fat)
Fat: 6.7g (sat 0.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 2.3g)
Protein: 23.8g
Carbohydrate: 7.2g
Fiber: 0.8g
Cholesterol: 172mg
Iron: 3mg
Sodium: 594mg
Calcium: 82mg
Charlene Dy, Vancouver, British Columbia, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2008