Mommy Money Saving Tip: Make Your Own Baby Food

Liam is definitely beyond baby food purees as this point, but I still wanted to post this for other moms with younger babies.

When Liam was younger, I was dead set on making his baby food.  The prices on the jarred baby foods were just too high for my taste.  Plus, I didn't like the idea of feeding my baby jarred foods when I don't even eat jarred or canned foods.  I remember telling family members and friends about my quest, and they would ask me why I would want to put that much effort into making baby food.  However, making baby food is actually quite simple.  All you need is a pot, steamer basket, some sort of pureeing equipment (blender, food processor, Magic Bullet), and either ice cube trays or baby food cube trays.

Have you ever tasted the baby food that comes in a jar?  For the most part, it tastes horrible.....flavorless, overcooked, and many times it tastes like unripened fruits and veggies.  I remember tasting some peach jarred baby food and thinking this is the worst peach I have ever tasted.  It was sour and smelled sort of like cheese.  I was not going to feed my son something that I couldn't stomach myself.

Homemade baby food tends to retain more of the nutrients (as long as you're not overcooking the foods) and simply tastes better.  You can control what goes in the foods and what doesn't.  Something that I did not like seeing in jarred fruit baby food was the ascorbic acid.  Liam had reflux issues as an infant, so the last thing I wanted was to add extra acid to an already acidic environment. 

Making your own baby food is so simple that I'm going to outline it in 3 steps.  Here it goes!

1.  Steam your choice of fruit or veggie (chopped up into 2 inch cubes) until it is just fork tender.  Depending on the fruit/veggie, you may need to peel before steaming.  Some foods don't require peeling like zucchini.  Do not overcook in order to retain more of the nutrients.

2.  After allowing the steamed fruit/veggie to cool, puree in your equipment of choice.  I usually used either my big food processor or my Magic Bullet for smaller batches.

3.  Freeze the puree in an ice cube tray or baby food cube tray.  I loved my silicone baby food cube trays.

Not all baby food needs to be steamed first.  If you're using soft produce such as avocados, bananas, or melons, then you can skip the first step.  When you're ready to feed your baby, pop your choice of cubes in a bowl and microwave for about 1-2 minutes or until completely defrosted.  Always remember to test the temperature of the food to make sure it's not too warm. 

Once you taste the deliciousness of homemade baby food, you will never want to go back.  Plus, who doesn't like saving money.....and making your own baby food will save you a lot of money!

Recipe: Wheat Snickerdoodles

In my opinion, you just can't have Christmas without cookies!  However, cookies are not in the nutritious category.  With the empty calories that come with refined sugar and flour, you end up eating so many but quickly getting hungry again afterwards.  That's why I decided to try and make wheat snickerdoodles this holiday season.

I know....I know.....you're thinking who on Earth would want wheat cookies?!  Well.....why not?!  If they're still delicious, I see no problem with adding something wholesome to cookies.  My husband frequently tells me that I have a knack for sneaking in nutritious ingredients into classic favorite recipes.  It's become almost an obsession for me.  I've gone as far as to make green pea cupcakes (that will be in another post in the future).

These are not "diet" cookies.  They're cookies that allow you to indulge without completely throwing out the idea of wholesome ingredients.  Wheat flour and natural sugar are staples that I use in baking.  I do still add all purpose flour to keep the taste light, but what's Christmas without a little "cheating"! 

For this holiday season, I used unsalted butter in the cookie recipe, but I would normally use Smart Balance to cut down on some of the calories and saturated fat.  Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Wheat Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup of butter
3/4 cup of natural sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/8 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of natural sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

-  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
-  Mix the flours, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.  Set aside for later use.
-  Add butter and 3/4 cup of natural sugar in a stand mixer.  Cream the butter and sugar.  Since this recipe uses natural sugar, the mixture won't be quite as fluffy as it is with refined sugar.
-  Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter/sugar.  Mix until well combined.
-  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Once it is all incorporated, stop mixing.  You don't want to over mix.
-  Mix the 2 tablespoons of natural sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Then, roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Due to the use of natural sugar, you will have to do a roll and pat to ensure that the sugar sticks to the dough.  Repeat this process for the rest of the dough.
-  Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet (about 2 inches of space between each cookie).
-  Bake for 8 minutes.  Due to varying oven temperatures, the baking time may vary a little.  Keep a close eye on these cookies, because they can burn rather easily.
-  Enjoy these cookies warm or room temperature....they're good either way!

Mommy Money Saving Tip: Mom's Groups

With the long list of Christmas gifts to buy, food to prepare, and visits to make, money seems to be flowing out of our bank like water through a sieve.  However, that does not mean that Liam and I will just sit in the house cooped up until the holiday season is over.  I'm a firm believer that, as a stay at home parent, it is my duty to keep Liam socialized and active.....and I found one of the best ways to do that....mom's groups!

The idea of meeting up with a group of people that you have never met before can be somewhat intimidating, but it really is a wonderful thing.  I started doing the mom's group thing when we were living in Stockbridge and found new groups after we moved.  Usually, the moms are super welcoming and just want to do what you want to do....keep their kids socialized and active while being able to make new friends who are in the same place as you.

Aside from being a great place to meet new people, it is usually the most affordable as well.  Many times, you will find play dates at people's homes or at places that are free like the park.  The moms also seem to know about all the great deals and events around town like free admission days at kid friendly venues and story times at the library or bookstore.  If you're living on a budget, the mom's groups are a wonderful way to keep your family active!

I remember the first time I showed up to a mom's group meeting.  It was scary.  All I could imagine was being an outsider in a group of people who all knew each other, but what actually happened was completely the opposite.  People were welcoming and made a point to ensure that you didn't feel left out.  I highly recommend joining a mom's group especially if you don't have a lot of friends with children.

If you decide that this is something you're interested in, try Meetup.  It's a great place to find many of the local mom's groups and other groups you may find interesting.

Mommy Money Saving Tip: Bass Pro Shops Free Santa Photo

I am one of those very annoying customers who will come into a store and get the free stuff without purchasing anything else.  I love a bargain, and I don't like to spend money on things that I can find free elsewhere.  Photos with Santa happen to be one of those things I can't bring myself to pay for.  That's why we decided to do the free photo at Bass Pro Shops.

Bass Pro Shops around the nation have free photos with Santa each year during the holiday season.  The photo session is reason enough for me to make a visit to the store, but they also have all kinds of neat activities for the little ones ranging from crafts to shooting targets.  Liam was a little too young for the activities, but we weren't going to give up getting a professional looking photo with the big guy himself.

After the last meltdown with Santa, I was a little nervous about how this was going to end up.....but it was perfect!  Liam loved this Santa, and we scored a great 4 x 6 photograph to put into our memory books.  We also got a few personal photos with our own digital camera.

Let me warn you though....this free stuff sometimes comes with a price.  Bass Pro Shops can get quite crowded during this holiday season, so you should plan accordingly.  We decided that going first thing on Sunday morning was best since many people would be attending church.  It worked for us, because we probably only waited for 20-30 minutes.  According to one of the employees at Bass Pro Shops, the best time to come is the morning during the week.....just a tip for those planning on making a trip there before Christmas has passed.

I'm not able to post the actual professional photograph due to intellectual copyright requirements, but I have some personal pics from our own camera.  The professional photo really was better in quality and pose (Liam was actually looking at the camera), but these will have to do for this post.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Kabocha Squash Wheat Biscuits

One of the local stores in my area had kabocha squash on sale for $0.49 per pound, so I immediately thought about making some sort of bread product with it.  My son is absolutely obsessed with anything that even resembles bread, so I like to incorporate various fruits and veggies to my homemade breads to give him a little health boost. 

Biscuits probably rank in my top 5 of all time favorite foods.  There's something about a warm buttery biscuit that brings comfort to my stomach.  However, biscuits aren't really the healthiest food on the block.  This is my attempt at a semi-healthy biscuit.  I call it semi-healthy, because I've incorporated squash and wheat into a biscuit.  However, this is not what I would call a low calorie or fat biscuit.....just more nutrient dense than your average white flour biscuit.

Kabocha Squash Wheat Biscuits Recipe

1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of honey
1/4 of cold butter or cold Smart Balance or canola oil
2/3 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of cooked and pureed kabocha squash (I like to roast the squash for maximum flavor)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a cast iron skillet with non-stick cooking/baking spray.

Combine all of the dry ingredients (both types of flour, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl.
If using butter or Smart Balance, cut the butter/Smart Balance into small pieces.  Add it to the dry ingredients.  Using your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture.  You should have what looks like a coarse meal.  Do not overwork the butter.  This process should only take a couple of minutes.  Add the heavy cream to this mixture, but do not mix yet.
If using oil, add the oil to the chilled heavy cream and add that mixture to the dry ingredients. Gently combine so it looks like a coarse meal.

Mix the kabocha squash, buttermilk, and honey in a small bowl.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the rest of the ingredients.  Gently mix/fold all the ingredients together.  Do not over mix or you will get a tough biscuit.  This biscuit dough will appear extremely moist.
Generously flour a large pan or cutting board.  Using a large ice cream scooper, scoop out the biscuit dough and place onto the floured surface.  Roll the biscuit around to cover with flour.  Lightly, tap the excess flour off of the biscuit.  Place the rounded dough into the cast iron skillet.  Repeat this process until you have filled the entire skillet with biscuits.  The biscuits should be touching and the skillet will look filled to the brim.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Serve with honey or eat alone.

The entire family went crazy for these biscuits.  They were so delicious straight out of the skillet!  Personally, I think that this biscuit is equally delicious with and without honey.

Mommy Money Saving Tip: Getting Pics with Santa

Before I had Liam, I found myself with pangs of pity for those parents who had to stand in the very long Santa lines at the mall.  The wait was long, prices were downright ridiculous, and younger kids were usually having meltdowns while in the line.  With all this in mind, I was a little nervous about how we were going to fit Santa in our already tight Christmas budget and how we were going to pull off a long wait in line with a very active and impatient 1 1/2 year old.

If there is a will....there is a way!  The Internet is a wonderful way to find free events around town.  I was perusing the web when I came across a free (yes....I said it....free!) breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus event sponsored by the Adult Activity Center.  As I continued researching, I realized that these free events are available all around Georgia for residents of the city or county.  For the one we went to, the lines were considerably shorter than the ones at the malls and the pictures were free.  You just had to bring your own camera, and it was encouraged (but not required) to bring an unwrapped toy for donation.  Plus, you got a free light breakfast for the entire family.  Even though Liam had a mini meltdown after we put him on Santa's lap, it was still a great experience....plus, you can't beat free in my opinion (well....close to free after our small toy donation)!

Next week, we'll be visiting the Bass Pro Shop in order to get a free professional quality photograph with Santa for our memory books.  Look for that post next week for more ways to get the Santa experience without spending a ton of money.

A little introduction....

As the blog introduction states, my name is Patti, and I am wife to a hard working and dedicated man, Eric, and stay at home mom to one beautiful and outrageously funny toddler boy, Liam.  You've probably heard this from many parents before (some who may be fudging the truth just a bit!), but I abolutely love being a mommy.  It probably doesn't hurt that I have a pretty easy going baby who makes parenthood a much smoother process.  In order to continue with my introduction, I'll need to give you a background of how I got here.

Before I found out I was pregnant, I was working as a social worker while pursuing a Master's degree in early childhood education.  We were making enough money to enjoy life, but we made some very critical mistakes regarding our finances.  We ate out at gourmet restaurants frequently, shopped for new clothes every weekend, and never had a set budget.  This lifestyle led us to the place where many Americans find themselves today....in debt.  Our credit debt was enormous!  Despite this, Eric and I still thought it would be best for me to quit both work and school in order to stay at home once Liam arrived.  However, we knew that things would have to change drastically in order for this to become a reality.

Things did change after Liam was born.  I learned how to set a budget and stick with it.  I discovered that there was a world of information out there for those who were hungry for it.  I found out that there are many things in life that really are free or close to it.  It wasn't an overnight process, but I got there eventually!

Today, we are steadily paying off our debt while maintaining a comfortable lifestyle.  What do I mean by "a comfortable lifestyle"?  Well for me, I am able to feed my child nutritious foods, my son and I are able to go out to a variety of places or do fun activities throughout the week, my husband and I are able to take a nice monthly date to reconnect, and we are still able to make headway on our debt.

I started this blog to allow other mothers to gain the knowledge that I was so graciously given by others.  The bulk of this blog will contain tips for saving money, recipes that are nutritious but wallet-friendly, cheap and easy crafts/activities for kids, and information on how to keep an active social life for the entire family without breaking the wallet.

Happy Reading!