I find it hard to sit down and out my thoughts to blog sometime!
I am a big fan of Bountiful Baskets. I have been trying to get my family (and myself) to eat more fruits and vegetables for some time now. I was fortunate enough to come across a blog about BountifulBaskets.org and have been participating regularly since!
If you don't know anything about Bountiful Baskets, it's a volunteer run, fresh fruit and veggie co-op. like a CSA, you don't get to choose which types of produce you bring home, you do get a large amount. There are 'extras' that you can add on that range from large quantities of strawberries, apples and oranges, organic bread, heavenly tortillas, raw honey and theme veggie packs or juicing packs. The value is undeniable with what you get.
Now on to what I've been thinking about. Juicing. I've not been a fan of commercial juice. I didn't encourage my son to drink it when he was little and I don't encourage it now for him at almost 12. The baby LOVES juice. Watch out when she gets straight juice (which only happens by accident)! Straight juice is like heroin for her. So what does a Misguided Mama do? Buy a juicer, of course!
So we have the Ninja Pulse blender and have loved it. It does amazing things, just as promised! It will make the perfect snow cone, blend frozen fruit into a de-lish sorbet like dessert and make wonderful smoothies. But I have found it's claims to be a 'whole juicer' a bit hard to stand behind. Now maybe it's because I have the Pulse instead of the full power model, I can't say. I did watch every YouTube video comparing different emulsion blenders and the ninja was always in the middle, no where as good as a Vitamix but better than your run of the mill Black and Decker blender. So now we are moving on to the Nutribullet! We were very fortunate and Misguided Grandpa purchased one for us and its on its way to us as I type!
Why do I need another blender? Well, that was Misguided Husband's question too. It's because my hate for commercial juice is because it strips all the healthy, nutrient filled fiber from you juice and you are left with a cup of sugar. Ok, maybe it's vitamin filled sugar and WAY better than chemical filled soda, but it's still lacking the 'good stuff'. I want my family to have the good stuff. I want ban soda and process foods. I want to never hear the words High Fructose Corn Syrup. I want to eat heirloom varieties of fresh fruits and veggies and never wonder how my genetically modified produce has been modified. So our first step is was more fruits and veggies. Now it's using them in more ways.
It's not easy to change. I am currently digesting our lunch of McFast Food. Hey, everyone in the house is sick and Misguided Mama doesn't want to cook or clean up again! But we are trying and that is happening one cup of homemade juice at a time. Look out for a follow up when the Nutribullet arrives and we go from juice to whole juice/smoothie!!!!
For those with juicers, this is the juice recipe that I shared with the Punkin.
Green Juice:
1cup Kale
1cup spinach
1/2 small key lime
1/2 small lemon
1 orange
1 small Fuji apple
1 large Granny Smith apple
1/2 cucumber
1/2 inch cut from a piece of fresh ginger
Put all through your juicer machine, chill and enjoy!!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Toddler Colada!
Have you seen the Yonanas machine that makes frozen bananas into a soft serve like treat? For Christmas, a mom on my favorite Facebook parenting group received one of these. Other moms chimed in about their experiences with this fancy contraption. Like the compulsive hoarder I am, I began researching the ins and outs of this magical treat making machine! I knew I had to have one! My sweet little Punkin Toddler was being deprived because I was unable to make her or her brother "The Pre-Teen" delicious, wholesome soft serve treats! Another realization and confirmation of my misguided SAHM skills or lack there of!
Well, I finally calmed my shopping compulsions and remembered the Ninja Pulse blender that was my "Yonanas" machine of the 2011 holiday season. I have been freezing the bananas that Pumpkin Toddler has been half eating for quite some time now. I decided to pull out my Ninja Pulse and start my blending and seeing what I could come up with!
As a child, I loved going to the county fair or Disneyland and getting a chocolate dipped frozen banana on a stick. Shoot, I still love them. My first attempt was ok. Plain old banana blended with homemade chocolate sauce made by Misguided Husband. It was ok. "The Pre-Teem" loved it but I don't know how much I trust his uncultured palette! Misguided Husband liked it but he likes anything with chocolate, especially his homemade chocolate sauce. Off to the freezer I went and was thrilled to find all of the ingredients to make a toddler version of my favorite type of "Mama Juice".
I give you. . . The Toddler Colada!
Toddler Colada Soft Serve/Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1 cup cubed frozen pineapple
1 tablespoon Cream of Coconut (like the kind for Mama Deinks) or Coconut Milk
(the kind in the Asian market or aisle at the grocery store)
Blend or food process your frozen banana and pineapple. This could take several minutes of blending and scraping the sides of the container. As the fruit begins to thaw, the consistency gets much better and very creamy! At the end, add you coconut milk or Cream of Coconut and blend until combined. Serve in a bowl, parfait cup or scoop into my favorite The Yummi Pouch.
I may sub out the coconut for some Greek yogurt next time to add a little protein boost!
Happy blending!
Well, I finally calmed my shopping compulsions and remembered the Ninja Pulse blender that was my "Yonanas" machine of the 2011 holiday season. I have been freezing the bananas that Pumpkin Toddler has been half eating for quite some time now. I decided to pull out my Ninja Pulse and start my blending and seeing what I could come up with!
As a child, I loved going to the county fair or Disneyland and getting a chocolate dipped frozen banana on a stick. Shoot, I still love them. My first attempt was ok. Plain old banana blended with homemade chocolate sauce made by Misguided Husband. It was ok. "The Pre-Teem" loved it but I don't know how much I trust his uncultured palette! Misguided Husband liked it but he likes anything with chocolate, especially his homemade chocolate sauce. Off to the freezer I went and was thrilled to find all of the ingredients to make a toddler version of my favorite type of "Mama Juice".
I give you. . . The Toddler Colada!
Toddler Colada Soft Serve/Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1 cup cubed frozen pineapple
1 tablespoon Cream of Coconut (like the kind for Mama Deinks) or Coconut Milk
(the kind in the Asian market or aisle at the grocery store)
Blend or food process your frozen banana and pineapple. This could take several minutes of blending and scraping the sides of the container. As the fruit begins to thaw, the consistency gets much better and very creamy! At the end, add you coconut milk or Cream of Coconut and blend until combined. Serve in a bowl, parfait cup or scoop into my favorite The Yummi Pouch.
I may sub out the coconut for some Greek yogurt next time to add a little protein boost!
Happy blending!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Yummiest Pouch Pumpkin Pie
Moms of babies and toddlers, are your children hooked on the baby food pouches? If you don't know what I'm talking about, you must be living under that one rock. You know the rock, the one where your children don't need puréed foods or where you can sleep in or go to the bathroom without little eyes examining every movement you make. I miss that rock sometimes! But I'm not there with you anymore. I am under the Toddlerland rock. That place where once sane people disappear once their babies are past the larvae stage and not yet to the 8am "Go get yourself some cereal while mommy sleeps for 30 more minutes" stage.
We were spending at minimum $1.00 for around 4 ounces of organic, puréed fruits and vegetables! That $4.00 a pound for "exotic" flavor filled treats!! That's crazy expensive for produce I can get from my grocery store, Bountiful Baskets or farmers markets.
So my search began for a refillable food pouch. I won't bore you with all of the pouches I looked into because we decided to support a Washington business, Yummi Pouch! We were lucky enough to be a tester family, have our review shared on the Yummi Pouch website and shared a yummi recipe for a classic dessert with a healthy toddler twist!
For this recipe I used local pumpkins purchased at the summer farmers market. Farmer Nick turned us on to a specialty pumpkin that was more butternut squash shaped than classic pumpkin. The oblong vegetable had few seeds, thin skin and sweet meat! If you have access to fresh pumpkin, that's the best bet for sweet nutrition! If you are down to only store bought, canned pumpkin, make sure it's just pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie mix.
RECIPE
2 cups pumpkin purée (or butternut squash if pumpkin is unavailable)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Honey (if needed for sweetness or to taste--not for younger babies!!! Check with your dr about the appropriate age to feed your baby honey)
The first thing to do is to bake your pumpkin. If you have never baked a pumpkin, it's super easy! Cut your pumpkin in half, remove the stringy flesh and seeds with a spoon or ice cream scoop and brush cut edge with a little olive oil.
Put your pumpkin cut side down on a cookie sheet. A jelly roll plan is best, just in case your pumpkin is extra watery. If you choose a sugar pumpkin or amber cup, you should have little to no water on the pan after cooking.
Roast the pumpkin, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. A fork should easily penetrate the pumpkin meat. If it is still a bit stiff, give it another 5 minutes until it is soft.
Let your pumpkin cool, then scoop out the cooked pumpkin with a spoon or ice cream scoop. Mash pumpkin with a fork to your desired consistency. You can purée in a blender or food processor for younger babes.
Combine 2 cups cooled pumpkin, 1 cup of Greek yogurt (I prefer plain Fage yogurt), 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract and any honey to taste! Fill up your Yummi Pouch or other container and then refrigerate or freeze!
Looking forward to hearing how your little (or big) loves like their pumpkin pie purée to go!
We were spending at minimum $1.00 for around 4 ounces of organic, puréed fruits and vegetables! That $4.00 a pound for "exotic" flavor filled treats!! That's crazy expensive for produce I can get from my grocery store, Bountiful Baskets or farmers markets.
So my search began for a refillable food pouch. I won't bore you with all of the pouches I looked into because we decided to support a Washington business, Yummi Pouch! We were lucky enough to be a tester family, have our review shared on the Yummi Pouch website and shared a yummi recipe for a classic dessert with a healthy toddler twist!
For this recipe I used local pumpkins purchased at the summer farmers market. Farmer Nick turned us on to a specialty pumpkin that was more butternut squash shaped than classic pumpkin. The oblong vegetable had few seeds, thin skin and sweet meat! If you have access to fresh pumpkin, that's the best bet for sweet nutrition! If you are down to only store bought, canned pumpkin, make sure it's just pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie mix.
RECIPE
2 cups pumpkin purée (or butternut squash if pumpkin is unavailable)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Honey (if needed for sweetness or to taste--not for younger babies!!! Check with your dr about the appropriate age to feed your baby honey)
The first thing to do is to bake your pumpkin. If you have never baked a pumpkin, it's super easy! Cut your pumpkin in half, remove the stringy flesh and seeds with a spoon or ice cream scoop and brush cut edge with a little olive oil.
Put your pumpkin cut side down on a cookie sheet. A jelly roll plan is best, just in case your pumpkin is extra watery. If you choose a sugar pumpkin or amber cup, you should have little to no water on the pan after cooking.
Roast the pumpkin, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. A fork should easily penetrate the pumpkin meat. If it is still a bit stiff, give it another 5 minutes until it is soft.
Let your pumpkin cool, then scoop out the cooked pumpkin with a spoon or ice cream scoop. Mash pumpkin with a fork to your desired consistency. You can purée in a blender or food processor for younger babes.
Combine 2 cups cooled pumpkin, 1 cup of Greek yogurt (I prefer plain Fage yogurt), 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract and any honey to taste! Fill up your Yummi Pouch or other container and then refrigerate or freeze!
Looking forward to hearing how your little (or big) loves like their pumpkin pie purée to go!
The Musings of a Misguided Semi Stay-at-Mom
There is nothing like saying something out loud to get you motivated. At the middle school I teach/taught at, we call it "ownership". On January 1, 2013, I said it out loud! I feel like an incompetent Stay-at-Home Mom (SAHM)! How would a moment of ownership like this happen, you may wonder.
I was in the car with my Mom (i.e. Misguided Grandma) and my daughter, on our way home from Walmart. Yes, I shop there sometimes. No, I don't want to hear about how horribly they treat their employees. I live in a community that only has a Walmart, Safeway, Fred Meyer/Kroger, and a local grocery store called Red Apple I see how they treat their employees. Back to my ownership moment. . .
I boldly told Misguided Grandma that I feel like a failure at being a Stay-at-Home. I rarely cook, I can barely keep up on the housework or laundry, I never take my toddler to classes or morning play groups or story time. I had to wonder. . . What the heck am I doing then?
I used to be Super Mom! I taught middle school, was a single mom, had a social life, managed my household and was able to keep up with most of the laundry. . . The important stuff anyway.
Fast forward 4 years, I have Misguided Husband, my 11 year old "The Pre-Teen" and our 18 month old daughter "The Punkin". All of that PLUS a house twice the size of the last.
So here I am. In year two of being a semi SAHM (I work part time) and I still don't have the picture perfect home, the most creative and well behaved children or a personal recipe book or craft room of all the amazing things I've been doing. What do I have?
A reason to blog. :-) Call it free therapy!
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