Mommybliss: Homemade Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

Being a mommy means that a trip to Starbuck$ is both crucial and logistically difficult.  My solution is to make my own.   In large batches. Over ice.

My version is caffeine & gluten-free and uses non-dairy milk.  Substitute your choice of chai and milk to make it your own!

Mix equal parts of this:

 and this:

then stir in 1-2 Tablespoons of this:

and if you want, add this (or similar):

Pour over or blend with:

 Drink and enjoy!

Making Baby Food - The Who and Why

Who:  Not just for hippies. We are a fairly food conscious household to begin with-but by no means are we crunchy hippie types.  I say this to point out that making your own baby food is not just for "hippies"!  We eat gluten-free because of my celiac disease, and Steve is a fan of lean protein because of his bodybuilding/wrestling background.  I kept a gluten-free pregnancy, and plan to avoid gluten for the Nug until he is schoolage and even then, we will introduce gluten with great caution.  However, those who know us would say our favorite foods are doritos (me), peanut m&m's (Steve) and red meat (both of us).  
Anyone can make their own food, it takes very little extra effort if you are already comfortable in the kitchen, and saves us a ton of money.

Who else: Why, Nug of course!  While Nugster still thinks that BM is the tastiest thing going, he showed great interest in solid foods around the age of 6 months.  (Around 5 months we fed him a bit of avocado, more for our amusement than his nutritional needs.  Since most of it ended up on his hands and clothes, we can hardly count that.)  I still nurse him before every meal, but he now (at 6.5 months) enjoys solids for breakfast and dinner as well.  

Why: As a proud owner of a Baby Bullet, I was beyond excited to begin making my own baby food. 

Good for more than just baby food (ahem, margaritas  mango smoothies anyone?)

I've probably lost a few of you with that statement, but let me share a few benefits.

Health: Jarred baby food has a shelf life of 2-3 years.  I actually found one brand that had an expiration date that was a whopping 5 years away.  I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to eat a banana/carrot/chicken/squash that had been sitting around for 5 years!  Yes there is organic jarred baby food, and yes, it is expensive.  The bottom line is, when I make the food, we know exactly what is in it and can be sure of the freshness.
 
Cash money:  Babies are expensive.  With the cost of diapers, gear, toys, clothes, etc, even those with disposable income want to save a buck. Jarred baby food is about $1/jar. A jar is about 4 oz.  If Nugster ate jarred food, his food budget would be about $50/month.  While that may not sound like much, let me show you the math for making our own food:

2 sweet potatoes ($1.50) = 60 oz of food ($60+ worth!)

1 bag of organic frozen mango ($2.97) = 15 oz of mango puree ($15 worth)
2 avocados ($1) = 10 oz of food ($10 worth!) 

You get the idea. So, for less than the cost of a grande soy with whip, we feed Nug for over 2 weeks!

   
Time:  Instead of going to the store, selecting foods that baby may or may not like, hauling it home, and then storing it, we simply pick what foods we want the Nug to try for the week (more like 10+ days) and then blend it to perfection.  It takes less than 5 minutes to puree an avocado or banana.  It takes less than 30 to prepare a months worth of chicken-carrot-spinach dinner for the Nug. 

Fun! It's incredibly rewarding (Mommy Bliss!) to make baby food for the Nugster.  Choosing what new food he will try next, and how to prepare it (bake, chop, puree, blend, steam, boil, peel, mash...)  He looks forward to each meal, and we are more dedicated to sharing mealtime with him because we invested time into making his meals.

Nugster enjoying some pureed squash.

My next post, since Nug is waking from his nap, will be about what makes for yummy homemade baby food!

How do you save money as a mommy (or daddy)?  Have you tried making your own baby food?

Mommy Bliss (& Breastmilk)

Mommy Bliss (mom-ee blis): any items, acts, or observations relating to one's child that cause immediate and undeniable joy and warming of the heart.

For me, mommy bliss comes from both small and large things - the arrival of Nug's stroller (and the associated anticipation of the arrival of Nug), breastfeeding, morning smiles, watching Nug learn something new, preparing homemade babyfood...overall, anything that brings a smile to Si's face gives his daddy and me great bliss. (More on Daddy Bliss another time.)

So, that said, where shall I start?  With 9 months of pregnancy and 7 months of mommyhood behind me, I feel like starting with the present, and as time allows, working backwards.

Nugster likes loves to eat.

Feeding:  We decided early in the pregnancy to breastfeed, ideally for at least a year.  While we respect and appreciate the some mothers choose or are not able to breastfeed, this was the right choice for us.  Because I had a job that I enjoyed, and planned to return to work following my maternity leave, I knew a breastpump was our next purchase.  I solicited the opinion of valued friends (Thanks Kris W. and Kate C.!), and decided on the Ameda Purely Yours breastpump for a few reasons.

I spend a lot of time with this thing.

1. It is very reasonably priced. We actually got a large discount by avoiding the "ultra" model (ultra model has large "cones" and is mounted in a backpack-a disadvantage in my opinion, since I currently toss my pump into a purse, diaper bag, or suitcase and take it everywhere) and ordering directly from Babies R Us. I believe we paid less than $140.  It's $127 on Amazon while over at Babies R Us it currently lists for $199-but if you get a great sale, use a coupon, or get a registry completion discount, you can probably score it for less. 

2. It is a closed system, which means that you (tired, busy, pumping new mama) don't have to clean the tubing.  This saves time (if you're pumping at work, your boss will appreciate that) and allows you to resell your pump without the hygiene issues.

3. It has adjustable speed and suction. Comfortable it isn't-no breastpump is, but being able to control the action definitely helped me stick with the pumping.

Storage!    

While I do pump directly into the 4oz Ameda bottles, at the suggestion of a friend (Thanks Jess B.!), I also bought the adapters for the Playtex drop-ins system, as well as 3 nurser bottles.  This allows me to pump and freeze for longterm storage (3 months) without occupying the bottles themselves.  Using 4oz bottles instead of 8oz allows us to avoid wasting milk if Nug doesn't finish a bottle.    

After purusing the Babycenter boards, I found a system that worked for me:

Before pumping, I mark each drop in at the 1oz, 3oz and 4oz mark with a sharpie.  I also write the date.

For each session, I doublepump into 4 oz drop ins, (or one drop in and one Ameda bottle) and refrigerate.  If necessary, I combine the chilled milk to fill one drop in.  If using one Ameda, you can wash, sterilize and then reuse, rather than tossing a drop in. (Never mix warm fresh pumped with chilled or frozen...yucky and bad for the milk!)  Repeat throughout the day.

Once a 4oz drop in is full, place in freezer cap end up.

Our freezer has a compartment on the door that is perfect for freezing drop ins!  (Although for long term storage, we NEVER use the door-too much fluctuation in temp!)

Once frozen, remove the ring and cap, and place drop in inside a freezer safe bag.  Be sure the date is on the drop in and the bag, and store upright.  Wash and sanitize the ring and cap for immediate use!

Soon you'll have amassed a collection of 4oz tubes of liquid gold, and have saved tons of money by not having to purchase extra drop in caps and rings.

  

Happy little bag o' liquid gold!

Milk is easy to defrost-just leave in the fridge overnight, or if you need it sooner, run cold water over it for about 15 minutes!

Since the Nugster is on solids now, I think we know what the next blog post will be! 

What pump do you use?  Do you have any milk storage tips to share?