Breakfast time is usually a big deal at our house. I try to make sure the little guy gets a healthy nutritious meal to start the day. I also try to stay away from cereals due to their high sugar content but occassionally a bowl of cereal makes it’s way onto the table.
Since having a child I’ve made breakfast important. I mostly make meals from scratch and make the best attempt to stay away from anything packaged. The chickens have been such a blessing. We’re able to cook eggs most days any which way you can think of and have them for breakfast or “breakie” (what we call it here).
Pancakes are the biggest hit for breakie…just ask my son, he’ll tell you he wants *pancakes*! Before I knew about this recipe I’m going to share; I’d always thought I was making pancakes from scratch.
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When I found out I was pregnant with my first child, there was really no question in my mind that I’d be making baby food. Ensuring a healthy diet and knowing that my son would be getting the necessary nutrients were my determining factors. I also wanted to be in charge of what was going into my son’s system and wanted to be able to offer him a wide palate of foods.
I knew this couldn’t be done if I bought food from a jar at the grocery store. How often do you see eggplant, collard greens, and zucchini purees at the grocery store? Unless it’s an organic gourmet baby food line such as Yummy Spoonfuls it’s highly unlikely you’ll find less common veggies and even fruit.
To be in control of my son’s first start with solids I knew I’d have to make his baby food from scratch. If making his own food meant being aware of the ingredients, then I was willing to take that plunge and go for it. I’d much rather know what was going into my son’s food then always worry and have to read each and every label. With all the preservatives, chemical, added sugar, salt and starch it made absolute sense to avoid those factors and just make it.
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The holidays have the aroma of pine trees, spiced cider, candles, and woodsmoke to me. The smells bring back memories of Christmas traditions from my childhood, mostly food-related: we baked a lot of cookies and made a lot of fudge, popcorn balls and caramels for parties and friends.
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Easily the most exciting tradition for us was making gingerbread houses. It seemed like a long process back then, but really, it’s just two days. Perfect for a weekend family project.
Recipe, instructions, and a video after the jump…
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Halloween is almost here.
They deserve better.
When our kids get all dressed up as ladybugs and fairies, we give them a goodie bag full of homemade treats and all natural candy, such as mini organic chocolates or sesame candies. We might make pumpkin spice cookies or vegan brownies. They may even get a honey stick or two.
The favorite Halloween treat, though, is maple candy, a treat so simple and pure, so heavenly sweet, that it puts all other candy to shame.
If you can operate a stove and a spoon and a thermometer, you can make maple candy at home. The recipe is simple, and there’s only one ingredient. Pure maple syrup. You also need a candy thermometer, but they’re pretty cheap, and many grocery stores sell them.
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For a unique keepsake of your pregnancy, try a homemade pregnant belly cast.
A homemade belly cast is best done around 8 months along, although a progression of casts done each month of the pregnancy would also be really neat. This video gives you an idea of the process, with full instructions after the jump:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/y1LYTRCf5CU]
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