DIY High Calorie Purees for Babies and Toddlers

Lots of store-bought baby purees with some additional add ons to create high calorie puree combinations

This post is the resource I wish I had found last year. High calorie purees, with macros, especially carbs, taken into careful consideration. As much as I thought I would do baby led weaning, Everett is 22 months old and still can’t feed himself. A store-bought puree or pouch just does not have enough calories to sustain him without making him rely too heavily on bottles for his daily needs. And if I tried to feed him two at a time, it’s too much volume and the carb count just causes huge spikes and crashes for his blood sugar. After searching for someone on the internet to tell me what to do, I finally just sat down with a spreadsheet and figured it out myself.

If I can help one mom (or dad, grandparent, or other caregiver) out there with this post, it will be so worth it to me! A child doesn’t need to have Down syndrome and Type 1 diabetes to have a need for higher calorie purees (and lower carbs possibly), it could be any child for several medical reasons; feeding tubes, texture aversions, etc. I’ll stop rambling and just get to the meat of the matter. Continue reading “DIY High Calorie Purees for Babies and Toddlers”

Peppermint Syrup For Coffee Drinks

The timing of the Pumpkin Spice Latte is very controversial.  The actual enjoyment of the drink is also debatable.  But the ultimate coffee flavor that doesn’t get enough street cred in my opinion is peppermint!  As soon as my coffee and lattes switch from iced to hot, the peppermint syrup makes its seasonal debut.  Last winter I couldn’t find peppermint syrup anywhere so I got creative and made my own.  It’s the easiest thing in the world and the results are super delicious too!

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Alcohol-Free Wine to Celebrate the Holidays

It goes without saying that 2020 is a very different year.  The holidays will be different.  Alcohol consumption is already different – it’s increased over last year thanks to the pandemic.  So why not end the year with different wine?  Alcohol-free wine that is.  I’ve been trying different brands for months and have narrowed it down to my top picks here.

Alcohol-Free Wines to Celebrate the Holidays Continue reading “Alcohol-Free Wine to Celebrate the Holidays”

Decanting Pantry Items and Cook Time Cheat Sheet

Is your phone all organized now?  Are you ready for an easy project away from the couch?  How about decanting your pantry items?  With all the baking I’ve been doing at home, I got really sick of the messy flour and sugar bags.  I took 10 minutes of my Saturday night (what else is there to do now?) and decanted!  I also have a solution for all the cooking directions on your pasta and rice packages so decant those too.

Decanting Pantry Items Continue reading “Decanting Pantry Items and Cook Time Cheat Sheet”

Why You Need a Recipe Book (and How to Make One)

I have a confession.  I stopped doing my month long meal planning for a short time.  We were in a recipe rut and I just needed to try new things!  When I found a recipe on Pinterest, I printed the recipe out to follow and it was a game changer.  I started printing out all the recipes I regularly make right before making them.  And the pretty recipe book I’d been trying to make for the past two years, came together so effortlessly.  Since we are all home and cooking a lot more while practicing social distancing, I figured this was an easy project anyone can pull together over the next few weeks.

Why You Need a Recipe Book (and How to Make One) Continue reading “Why You Need a Recipe Book (and How to Make One)”