Tag Archives: baby food

Making homemade baby food? Try storing in a reusable pouch

Posted by Courtney on April 3, 2013 7 comments

When my two-year-old was an infant I made all of her baby food. To many it seemed like a lot of work, but I thought it was easy because I did most of my cooking one day a week and then froze it all. However, there was one tiny hurdle of making my food though, and that was traveling with it.

In a pinch I would buy disposable food pouches so she could eat on the go, but that got costly fast. I’m so happy to have learned of Squooshi so I don’t make that same mistake once my son starts eating solids in a few months.

Squooshi is a reusable food pouch for baby food that can hold all of your favorite homemade recipes. They come in adorable packaging, so even a picky eater will want to use it!

squooshi

Squooshi was kind enough to send me a sample of their product to test out. I received the assorted 4 pack for review.

The assorted pack contains two small pouches that can hold 2.5 ounces, and two large pouches that hold 4.5 ounces.

Here’s how it works:

Gather your favorite ingredients, cooked or raw. Puree or mash to a consistency of thick applesauce.

Next, fill your Squooshi ¾ full with chilled or room temperature mixture. Grab and go or freeze for later.
Chloe Squooshi
And because it’s reusable, just pop it in the dishwasher or wash by hand. I love that you can use it again and again.

My daughter just adores the animals on the pouches. She likes to pick her food by which animal pouch she wants to eat from that day. I know I’m going to have to buy four more pouches once my 11 week old starts eating solids, they definitely won’t want to share! :)

Cool Squooshi features:

* Extra sturdy zip-lock bottom for easy-to-fill and easy-to-clean convenience & usability.
* Unique designs make even picky eaters happy.
* Compatible with spoon attachments.
* Great for baby food, yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies and more.
* Freeze, store and serve from the same container. No more freezer cubes needed!
* Made BPA-free, PVC-free, Lead-free, Phthalate-free with puncture resistant plastic.

If you’re new to cooking your own baby food, Squooshi’s website offers a bunch of recipes for kids of all ages.

Here’s a great Squooshi recipe for early eaters!

Apple-Liscious Oatmeal

Prepare 1/2 C cooked rolled oats.
Add 2 tsp applesauce.
1 pinch of cinnamon.
Spoon into your favorite Squooshi reusable food pouch.

Disclosure: I received an assorted pack of Squooshi reusable food pouches for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions expressed are mine.

Babyfood making class coming this July!

Posted by Courtney on May 14, 2012 None comments

This summer I’m teaching a baby food making class through The Learning Connection in Rhode Island, and we have solidified a date and location for the class.

Sign ups are available now through The Learning Connection’s website. The class will hopefully fill up fast, so if you know any parent that would love to learn how to cook wholesome, organic food for their little one, this could make for a great gift!

Here’s my course description:
Have you ever wondered what exactly is in store-bought, jarred baby food? Do you wish you knew how to make your own baby food, but don’t know where to start? Meet local mom Courtney Caligiuri and learn her kitchen-tested techniques for making healthy and delicious organic baby food.

Courtney will teach you about the benefits of homemade food for your little ones and your wallet, while you cook along with her using simple recipes.

At the end of the class, you will have a week’s worth of food for your baby.


What:
Making Homemade Baby Food: Your Baby & Wallet Thanks You!

When:
Saturday, July 14, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Where:
St. Martin’s Church
Classroom: kitchen
50 Orchard Avenue
Providence, RI 02906

Cost through The Learning Connection:
Non-member Fee: $29.00 Member Fee: $25.00 Materials Fee: $15.00

I’ll let you in on a little secret…I plan on making what used to be my daughter’s favorite. It’s a lovely butternut squash dish called Chloe’s Pumpkin. Your baby will love it!

Click here to sign up!

Cook with me! Learn how to make your own baby food

Posted by Courtney on April 24, 2012 None comments

I have some exciting news to share. Beginning in July, I’m going to be teaching a baby food making class with Rhode Island-based Learning Connection for new parents or grandparents.

I’m thrilled that I’ll be able to share techniques I’ve learned while cooking for my daughter. The first class is July 14th in either Cranston or Providence. Sign ups are available beginning in May!

Here’s my course description:
Have you ever wondered what exactly is in store-bought, jarred baby food? Do you wish you knew how to make your own baby food, but don’t know where to start? Meet local mom Courtney Caligiuri and learn her kitchen-tested techniques for making healthy and delicious organic baby food.

Courtney will teach you about the benefits of homemade food for your little ones and your wallet, while you cook along with her using simple recipes.

At the end of the class, you will have a week’s worth of food for your baby.

I will keep you all posted as we get closer to the date, but if you or someone you know would love to make their own baby food, this is a great place to learn.

Here’s a peek at a story I’ve done on the benefits of homemade baby food. Check out my mini-demonstration seen on The Rhode Show.

Organic food: Better for all of us, especially babies

Posted by Courtney on February 8, 2012 None comments

Since Chloé was born I’ve been feeding her mostly organic foods, including milk and snacks. But, I had no idea that some non-organic fruits or vegetables that I thought were safe to eat, aren’t.

I just read an article on Stonyfield’s website about persistent pesticides and the effects it has on children. My mouth dropped as I read some of the facts.

- Pesticide exposure has been shown to cause cancer, nervous-system and lung damage, reproductive dysfunction, and possibly dysfunction of the endocrine and immune systems. Research shows pesticide exposure may also heighten the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

- In May of 2010, the President’s Cancer Panel recommended food grown without pesticides (as well as chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and growth hormones) to help decrease the risk of contracting cancer.

It turns out that babies, toddlers and kids are more vulnerable than adults to pesticide exposure. Their young digestive tracts absorb toxins more readily than adult digestive tracts, so their young kidneys don’t detoxify as efficiently as adult kidneys. As a result of this, toxins circulate longer in babies’ bodies, boosting exposure to four times that of adults. I had no idea it was that severe.

But according to research, parents can immediately and dramatically reduce the pesticide content in a child’s body by switching to organic foods.

Researchers at the University of Washington found that by putting children on a mostly organic diet for just five days, they could “virtually eliminate exposures to a dangerous class of insecticides known to disrupt neurological development in infants and children.” That’s amazing!

Check out what makes the Dirty Dozen list and the Clean 15:

While I understand organic food is pricier, I have noticed while shopping at my local supermarket, each week some kind of organic produce is on sale, so I just switch my grocery list up depending on what’s the most affordable. I also buy frozen organic fruits and vegetables, which helps the produce last longer.

Get a free shopper’s guide to pesticides in produce.

Source: Stonyfield.com

Homemade breakfast bowls for baby

Posted by Courtney on September 22, 2011 None comments

Since my daughter is 13 months now, she can eat almost everything my husband and I eat. Sometimes, when it’s just Chloé and I, I’m at a loss as to what to cook for both of us because it doesn’t always make sense to make a ‘complete’ meal.

In my house we have a saying called “Brupper”, where we enjoy breakfast for supper. It’s quick, easy and best of all, affordable. So, Tuesday I decided us girls were having Brupper, and needless to say Chloé LOVED it!

Breakfast bowls were super quick to make and beyond tasty.

Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:
2 to 3 eggs
1 to 2 tbsp if milk
2 tbsp of shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
Small potatoes (I used 2 small red potatoes)
1 to 2 tbsp of butter

Steps:
Peel potatoes. Then using a box grater, shred both potatoes.
After shredding, wrap potatoes in a kitchen cloth and squeeze all of the water out.
Meanwhile, scramble the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Season to taste. But, if it’s for baby I stay away from salt, but pepper is OK.
Next, put butter in a saute pan over med-high heat and start to cook potatoes.
Once potatoes are crispy and golden, add your scrambled eggs and cheese.
Incorporate all together until eggs are fully cooked. ***When cooking for baby eggs need to be cooked throughout, due to a salmonella risk.
When everything is good and ready it’s time to plate and serve!

Breakfast bowls are so versatile you can add vegetables, meat and even substitute ingredients.

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