When it comes time to feeding your baby solid foods, your initial vision might be dipping a spoon into a little jar of pureed peas, carrots or bananas. Did you know that your baby will eat about 600 of these cute little jars of baby food? And that the cost of all these jars can add up $400-$600?

If you are interested in making a HUGE dent in this baby budget line item, we recommend you make your own baby food. Now don’t laugh, roll your eyes or start trembling at the thought of cooking – most people find it surprisingly simple and quick to make baby food. Read the rest »

June officially kicks off summer, and it’s time to take the party outside!

The June/July issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray gives great tips on how to put a playful spin on a classic cookout. Read the rest »

Soups are a terrific way to introduce your toddler to vegetables and fruits. There are many types of soups. The best place to start with your toddler is with pureed soups. They have a pleasing smooth texture. If your child’s “spoon” skills are not refined enough for soup, pour it in a cup and sip away.

Pureed soups, such as cream of asparagus may sound exotic, but they are quite simple to make. Even a novice in the kitchen can be successful. A hand held immersion blender is a good appliance to invest in for making pureed soups hassle-free. This appliance is placed right into the soup pot, move it around, and viola – pureed soup!
Don’t overlook fruit soups. They are sweet, healthy and refreshing. Most fruit soups require no cooking. You simply put ingredients in a blender and whirl away. Fruits soups are a huge hit with toddlers. Read the rest »

Here are some affordable meal ideas to help you get dinner on the table each night without too much time or effort.

Casseroles
Casseroles are an all-time favorite comfort food and can be inexpensive one-dish meals. Here are two recipes that are crowd and wallet pleasers.

Classic Tuna Casserole:

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, minced
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 can cream of celery soup
3/4 cup milk
1 5-oz. can tuna in water, drained
3 to 4 cups flat egg noodles
1/4 cup breadcrumbs Read the rest »

Feeding your 12-24 month old

Babies are introduced to solid foods at about six months old, and from this time to about 24 months old, they will learn plenty about food, and it goes well beyond taste.

First it is just swallowing solid foods, then lumps, picking up pieces, chewing (or gumming) and much more. It takes a great amount of coordination, muscle development and motor skills for your baby to master these tasks. The best approach is to take things slowly and to wait for your baby to give you signals he or she is ready. There is no need to rush this development process. Read the rest »

The American Academy of Pediatrics conducted a study of toddler age children that concluded the average toddler may need to see a new food on their plate at least 10 times before they will eat it!

Here are some tips for introducing new foods: Read the rest »

Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), a peanut processing company and maker of peanut butter for bulk distribution to institutions, food service industries, and private label food companies, today announced an expanded recall of peanut butter produced in its Blakely, Georgia processing facility as well as the voluntary recall of peanut paste produced in the same plant because these products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The company on January 13, 2009 previously announced the recall of 21 lots of peanut butter produced on or after July 1, 2008. Read the rest »