Summer!

It finally came, the last day of school for my 3 elementary-aged kiddos!

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It was a whirlwind these past few weeks so I was counting down the days and I really look forward to having my kids home more over the summer, but I was a little sad today for the ending.  Each of my kids has had such a great year with super teachers who love what they do, love my kids, and truly their teachers are people I've become friends with and will miss seeing regularly!  And there's also the reality that my kids are now in grades 5th, 3rd, 1st, and pre-K, which all just seems way too old!

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I give myself bonus points for making it to all 3 of their end of the year class parties this morning, with Little Girl in tow, but she was thoroughly spoiled and offered pizza and treats at each party!  I did the kindergarten party at the park first for an hour, left that early to catch 40 minutes of the 4th grade party, and then hit about 20 minutes of the 2nd grade Hawaiian themed bash.  My kids love having their mom at their parties so it's worth it to run around like a crazy person to show up for each of them!

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We came home and rang in summer with these frozen treats I made from this recipe.   So yummy and festive!

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Then it was time for this:

And this:

And this:

Happy dance:

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And we have it tomorrow -- a glorious day of nowhere we have to be!! 

Maybe we'll hit the library, maybe the pool or maybe we'll just stay in our jammies all day!  The possibilities are endless!  

Happy Summer!

Find more Friday Fragments here.

How to Make Homemade Baby Food

Okay, so here is the post I've promised. Please do not be intimidated by the idea! Making baby food really is not hard and not all that time consuming. I am a regular, ordinary, busy mom and I have done it for all 3 of my kids and rarely bought store stuff. It is necessary for travel when you won't have refrigeration, but otherwise it is much cheaper to make your own, fresher for your baby, and you know exactly what is in the food they are eating. In this day and age of strange preservatives and recalls due to factory contamination, making your own baby food gives you peace of mind about what you are feeding your tiny person! If you are still not convinced, do a taste test yourself. I bet you'll never subject your baby to jarred food again!

How to make baby food peaches, apples, apricots, pears, plums:

You'll need fruit, a steamer, a small food processor, and small containers (or ice cube trays)

Step 1: Peel and core fruit

Step 2: Put in steamer and steam until very soft (around 15 min.)

Step 3: Put in small food processor and puree until desired consistency.

Step 4: Divide into small portions and freeze anything you won't use in a few days.

Compare to store bought baby food. The color, texture, and taste is completely different! Yes, I did taste the store bought peaches -- so gross, definitely not something I'd willingly eat, but the homemade is yummy, just like warm peach puree, I was licking the spoon!

So, since I don't have a baby food eating baby around the house anymore, what did I do with the peach puree? It will become popsicles!
How to make homemade baby food bananas and avocados:

Step 1: Peel ripe, soft fruit

Step 2: Mash with a fork until desired consistency. That's it --- so easy!!


How to make homemade baby food sweet potatoes, acorn squash, white potatoes:

Step 1: Poke holes in vegetables and bake in oven until very tender.

Step 2: Remove peel.

Step 3: Puree with a little water until desired consistency, add water as needed while you puree.


How to make homemade baby food chicken, turkey, beef:

Step 1: Boil meat in a pan with some water until cooked

Step 2: Strain meat, but save remaining cooking liquid

Step 3: Puree until desired consistency, add cooking liquid as needed while you puree.


How to make homemade baby food zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli:

Follow same steps as the peach, etc. puree, using the steamer, but you may need to add some liquid during the puree step. Use the steaming liquid as needed to get desired consistency.


Final Tips:

- Once your baby passes the single food introduction phase, you can puree 2 or more things together to make a combo entree. Examples:

• peas and carrots
• chicken and peas
• chicken and pears
• chicken and apples
• beef and carrots and potatoes
• chicken and sweet potatoes
• chicken and avocado
• peaches and bananas
• apples and bananas
• turkey and carrots
• acorn squash and apples

- Then for the equivalent of Stage 3 foods, you can add cooked rice or potatoes and puree with the meats or other combos.

- Make large batches and freeze extras. While you are steaming and pureeing peaches you might as well do 8 peaches worth instead of just 2!

- Thaw them in the microwave but stir well after heating and check temp. with your finger. Beware of hot spots where part of the puree is cold and part is burning hot. You don't want to burn your baby's mouth!

- I bought my little plastic cube containers at the Dollar Store and they work great! You can go straight from the freezer to the microwave to the table with them!

- I learned most of what I know from this book and my own trial and error.


- For the small food processor, they do make ones specifically for baby food, but I've found a universal one to be easier to use, more durable, and more useful for chopping onions and green peppers, etc. after your baby food making days are over! Here is a link to one like I have:



So what do you think? Are you ready to try it? Do you already make baby food? Any extra tips to share from your experiences?
how to make homemade baby food