BlogginMomma.com

Posted by cassie on Thursday, 6 March, 2008 @ 8:44 pm

I recently made play-doh with Jody for the kids and used the recipe below (#1) but this one caught my eye as I was browsing a magazine so I thought I would post both.

One of my mommy’s groups is doing an Easter Egg hunt for the kids and each of us will be bringing eggs, so maybe I’ll try out the *new* version and let you guys in on the differences.

Storage tips: Small butter containers; plastic containers that Stage #2 and #3 baby food comes in; Take and Toss snack containers; and other smaller tupperware-ish products. You could also store the dough in a larger container altogether if you prefer. I just find it easiest to dole (or not) out the colors as Anthony requests them instead of giving them all out at once as you would with a single larger container.

Playdoh Recipe #1

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup salt
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (canola works well)
• 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)
• food coloring (liquid, powder, or unflavored drink mix) about 6-10 drops of liquid if you want it to be vibrant colors

Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes. If you have a really thin-bottomed sauce pan it cuts the stirring time down significantly.

When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the center remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle.

Sprinkle flour on the counter or other surface and knead dough. To make different colors separate dough into desired amounts and work food coloring in. We found it easiest to cut the batch into 4 colors (conveniently the same amount in the food coloring boxes), flatten the dough out, add the coloring drops and fold dough over onto itself. The initial squishes of the dough can cause the food coloring to squirt out so wear an old shirt or something you don’t care about.

Playdoh Recipe #2 (New)

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups salt
• 6 tsp. cream of tarter
• 3 cups water
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• Food coloring (optional)

Combine flour, salt and cream of tarter in a pot. Add in water and vegetable oil. Stir over medium heat until a ball forms. Let cool and knead until smooth.

Posted by cassie on Tuesday, 4 March, 2008 @ 7:12 am

Here’s an awesome granola recipe that I’ve been using for about 6 months now with the family. Anthony loves it too!

Baked Granola

• 2 cups rolled oats (available at Richard’s Health food or similar place)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I do this to taste also)
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (warmed to liquid)
• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
• 1/3 cup almonds, sliced (optional)
• I also add in ginger, nutmeg, all-spice and cloves to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and almonds*. In a glass measure warm honey until it is no longer viscous. (I zap it for about 35-45 seconds.) Add olive oil to honey and stir. (or add honey to dry ingredients and warm olive oil for 35-45 seconds and add to mixture which is what I do)

Drizzle the honey-oil combo over the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Spread the mixture on a cookie sheet and bake 15-25 minutes. I flip mine 5 minutes before it is done. Stir in the raisins. Makes about 3 cups.

Remove from oven and let cool. It will come apart in nice chunks.

* Remember nuts are harmful to small children due to potential allergies. Check with your doctor before feeding.

Posted by cassie on Sunday, 2 March, 2008 @ 10:22 pm

Amazon.com’s Grocery Store has many exciting instant rebates featured for March. Check them out below.

Save $25 on Select Kraft, Crystal Light, Planters, and More until March 31, 2008. Instantly save $25 when you spend $59 or more on any combination of eligible items from Bakers, Crystal Light, General Foods International Coffee, Jell-o, Kood-Aid, Kraft, Planters and South Beach Diet. Use the following code when you check out: BIGBRAND.

Save $20 today when you spend $49 or more on any combination of General Mills Products, including Betty Crocker, Hamburger Helper, Fiber One, Gardetto’s, and more. Use the following promotional code when you check out: GENMILLS. Good between March 1 - 31, 2008.

For instance if you purchase two packs of regular “plain” Cheerios (18 oz box pack of 4) for $19.61 (or one “plain” and one honey nut ($19.10)) and purchase something else for about $13 from the eligible page, you would get 8 boxes of Cheerios and ??? for under $23 (roughly) after the code and free shipping. (Complete side note but Cheerios work awesome for toddlers that like to play kitchen and mix “stuff” in cups. They don’t smell/attract bugs and are easy to clean up. So yes! you can go through 8 boxes)

Posted by cassie on Sunday, 2 March, 2008 @ 8:43 pm

This was sent to me by my Grandma (thanks Grandma!!). I don’t know how recent it is but it begs the question of what really is in and on the foods we eat. Amazingly enough MSG is still in some of the things we use today. Amazingly I say because of the huge backlash it had several years ago. It concerns me as a person with borderline diabetes, as a mother to a toddler and one on the way and someone that just wants their family to be healthy.

I thought I would do my part in getting the message out there that MSG or Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein is still in our foods by posting the article below.

Click this link for related published articles after reading: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

MSG The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as “Natural Flavoring.”

MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton’s and other brand-name coffee shops!

I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow Poisoning of America.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by cassie on Saturday, 1 March, 2008 @ 9:35 pm

Amazon.com is currently offering a great deal featuring an $10 off instant rebate of $25 or more in their grocery department. This includes lots of kid friendly snacks.

Use the following code when you check out: CLEARALL. Please note that some clearance items may have a short shelf life and are not refundable. Quantities available for this instant rebate are limited, so act quickly to get the best deal. Free shipping too!

Eligible items include Horizon chocolate milk singles, Kraft Mac n Cheese spirals, Planters trail mix, Harmony snacks, Starkist tuna, PopTarts, YoGos, Disney dried fruit, Jello and more.

You can bet your sweet pa-tootie that I will be checking this deal out.

Posted by cassie on Tuesday, 16 October, 2007 @ 6:58 pm

I haven’t tried making these yet but Jody did over the weekend. Thought you guys might find it interesting.

Kids Oatmeal Banana Bars

1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c soft margarine
1 c brown sugar
2 egg
3 med mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c quick-cooking oats
3/4 c (total) chopped nuts, raisins, or dates (opt)

Preheat oven to 425
Grease and flour 13×9

Sift together flour, salt, soda and spices, set aside.

Beat til fluffy,butter, sugar, egg. Add bananas and vanilla beat til smooth.

Gradually stir in flour mixture and oats til well combined.

(If a little thick, slowly add up to about 1/4 c milk if needed or you can add a little applesauce) Stir in nuts etc.

Bake about 25 min,til golden

They can be left out - don’t have to refrigerate.

Posted by cassie on Tuesday, 11 September, 2007 @ 7:42 pm

Biglots has a large selection of gerber organic, graduates, etc at the moment according to one forum poster. I’ll be going to my local one tomorrow to confirm and buy the joint out

Posted by cassie on Monday, 6 August, 2007 @ 7:18 pm

I remember when my mom made us lemonade popsicles and I thought they were awesome. I never realized that not only was she saving money she was also giving us healthy stuff! Kudos to mom!! To this day the memory of that white tupperware container filled with cold delights makes me happy, so I was delighted to see this in a newsletter this evening. Want to buy it for yourself? Go here!

Juicy Pops
Instead of buying popsicles at the grocery store that are laden with high-fructose corn syrup and scary food dyes, make your own at home!

Your toddlers can participate in the fun. Get some popsicle molds and purchase juice that is naturally sweetened with cane juice, beet juice or organic sugar, available at health food stores or grocers like Whole Foods.

“My kids love organic lemonade, or cranberry juice popsicles. My 6- year-old fills the containers with juice and my 4-year-old adds the sticks,” says Kristen Horler. “I place the popsicles in the freezer while they’re at summer camp and the entire family has a special dessert that night.”

Posted by cassie on Monday, 30 July, 2007 @ 8:44 pm

Anthony is one of those children that is constantly teething but the teeth just don’t come in. Combine that with his separation anxiety and we’ve got problems! Nick’s cousin said she used to use chamomile tea to help her youngest son sleep (when Ant’s anxiety goes thru the roof) so I did some quick research and found this.

Chamomile Flower (Matricaria recutita) - Chamomile Flower is considered safe by the FDA, with no known adverse effects in pregnancy, lactation, or childhood. Chamomile tea is commonly used by nursing moms for relaxation. Peter Rabbit’s mother gave him a cup of chamomile tea after he returned from his day of danger in Mr. MacGregor’s garden to settle his stomach, calm him down, and make him sleepy. But the medicinal use of chamomile starts way before the story of Peter Rabbit. Ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks used chamomile flowers to relieve sunstroke, fevers, and colic. Germans use a phrase to describe chamomile, “alles zutraut,” which means that chamomile can cure anything.

There are many uses for chamomile. Irritation from chest colds, slow-healing wounds, abscesses, gum inflammation, psoriasis, eczema, ulcerative colitis, children’s conditions such as chickenpox, diaper rash, and colic are common reasons for taking chamomile tea, baths, or tinctures.

Here’s some more helpful hints:

 

Baby-Safe Alternative Medicine
Natural remedies for four common infant ailments

---

By Meryl Davids LandauWith more parents turning to alternative remedies to cure what ails them, it’s not surprising that they’re increasingly interested in treating their babies this way too. “These methods can be more gentle and have fewer side effects, two reasons they are gaining in popularity for young children,” says Benjamin Kligler, M.D., a family practitioner and associate medical director of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing in New York City.Of course, what works for parents may not be safe for their kids. Because natural remedies are not regulated by the government, talk to your pediatrician before trying any alternative approach. Following are common alternative treatments for basic baby bothers:• Cradle cap: Olive oil is an ancient remedy used to help moisturize the scales that come with cradle cap, says Edward Cox, M.D., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Rub one tablespoon into the head a half hour before bathtime three times a week, gently comb out the flakes or rub them with a soft toothbrush, then rinse.• Colic: Diluted chamomile or fennel tea relaxes a baby’s intestines, says Stuart Ditchek, M.D., clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine and coauthor of Healthy Child, Whole Child. To get the correct concentration, steep a bag for one minute in four ounces of warm water. Then give your baby a half-ounce or an ounce by bottle a few times a day, not exceeding four ounces in a 24-hour period.

Water can fill up an infant’s tiny tummy, so decrease if this appears to affect your baby’s appetite. A very small number of babies may be allergic to chamomile tea, so it’s important to talk to your doctor before trying this remedy. Symptoms of a reaction include rash, vomiting, or breathing difficulty. Dr. Ditchek also recommends infant massage, “which not only soothes the irritable child, but also calms the parent doing the stroking.” Use a baby-safe moisturizing cream and rub gently over your infant’s body.

• Teething: Homeopathic remedies (extremely diluted forms of a substance) have no documented side effects and may be effective for even the youngest teethers, says Dr. Kligler. The remedy Camilla (diluted chamomile) can be given orally as directed several times daily.

• Constipation: If your baby is over 6 months, constipation can often be cured by increasing her water and fiber intake; good sources are baby cereal with added fiber and mashed peas, broccoli, or beans. A teaspoon of caro syrup in four ounces of liquid may help as well.

Babytalk, March 2004

Posted by cassie on Wednesday, 11 July, 2007 @ 10:14 am

You aren’t supposed to feed your infant eggs before 12 months but I’ve been finding it harder and harder to find stuff for Anthony to eat now that he only wants finger foods. So I did some research and found out that you don’t have to put eggs in certain recipes, especially baked goods.

I tested out a few cakes for his upcoming 1st birthday and used 1/4 applesauce instead per egg. (Warning: the applesauce does make it a little denser so if you want to avoid this you can also add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.) They came out delicious! I’ll post the recipes in a little bit for other moms who want to hold off on certain allergy-related foods!