Puree Recipes

Ok.... Nothing super exciting.....but here are the 'recipes' for the purees I made this weekend.

Basic Veggies:
I used the same method for Cauliflower, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash and Broccoli. Some people mix veggies together. I like to keep all mine separate till I get my kid use to each flavor.

Peel and dice into 1 inch cubes.
Steam till fork tender
add to blender with water from bottom of steamer. apx. 3 parts veg 1 part water....this really depends on what stage your baby is at. Add more water for thinner puree
I add 1/2 tbs of butter per every 4 cups of veggies

After it is pureed allow to cool . I use a 9x13 pan.

Then portion out and place in freezer uncovered till frozen solid. After frozen, put in plastic bags.
I freeze mine in regular or mini muffin tins. I did buy special food storage containers from BRU....waste of money. Muffin tins or ice trays and plastic storage bags work better.
To remove from tins after frozen....just let them sit on the counter for a minute or two and then pop out with a butter knife.

Apples and Pears with Cinnamon and

3 medium golden delicious apples ( or any non tart apple)
3 medium pears
1/2 cup All natural unsweetened apple juice
1 tbs unsalted butter
large pinch of cinnamon

Peel, core and chop fruit. Sautee in medium/large sauce pan with juice, cinnamon and butter for 5-7 minutes, or until soft.

Blend till smooth. NOTE: you do NOT need to add any extra water.

cool and freeze just like veggies


Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Chicken

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 medium sweet potatoes
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup water

Peel and chop potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Cut each chicken breast in half.
Line 9x13 baking pan with aluminum foil. Spread chopped potatoes in even layer on bottom of pan. Place Chicken breast halves on top of potatoes. Pour water into pan. Sprinkle evenly with Cinnamon. Cover with another layer of aluminum foil....leave one corner slightly open to allow steam out.

Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes....until meat thermometer reads 160. ****DO NOT UNDER COOK******

Dice chicken, add chicken and potatoes to blender and blend till smooth. You will need to add a lot of liquid to this one. I used water today...but I would suggest using Organic Chicken broth. I will be using that next time. Also, do not try to blend too much at one time. Maybe I just have a horribly cheap blender but mine was really getting hot while I was doing this one.

Ok those are the recipes for what I did over the weekend. I'm going to try to add up the cost of everything and compare it to what I would have paid if I had bought pre-made organic baby food. I will try to have that done by tomorrow night.


Butternut Squash streaming


Chicken and Sweet Potatoes


Acorn Squash and Broccoli ready to freeze

Carrot puree in those stupid containers

Frozen Cauliflower

Mommy is Sneaky!!!!

So, I have noticed recently that Preston and Landon are becoming picky eaters. Preston hates veggies and Landon hates meats. Several years ago I heard of a mother who put veggie puree in normal food that she fed her kids. I have decided to try it too. So, this morning I loaded up the kids and we tackled Whole Foods. I love that store. Landon and Madison sat quietly in the 'race car' buggy and Preston helped me pick out fruits and veggie....fun!!!! After lunch and younger two went down for naps, Preston chilled on the couch to watch cartoons and I got to work in the kitchen. I decided that since I was already making purees for the boys I might as well make Madison some baby food. (Madison has just started eating solids this month) Today I made carrot, cauliflower, butternut squash, acorn squash, broccoli, sweet potato and apples with pears and cinnamon. Tomorrow I will be doing more sweet potato and carrots, then pumpkin, red potato, Chicken with apples, beef with green peas, and turkey with carrots. I also got melon, peaches, mango, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries to do fresh purees. (all the veggie purees will be frozen)

I will post the recipes tomorrow.

Making Phone Calls.

When Preston was little James and I made the mistake of letting him play with our cell phone. So, we determined that Landon would not be allowed to touch them....easier said than done. Landon is ridiculously stubborn. He doesn't get hi hand on my phone very often but when he does he made the most of his few seconds of naughtiness.

For Example: This past July I was able to take the kids and go stay in DC for 3 weeks. During that time Landon came down with a cold. I got him up one morning and the snot was unbelievable. So, I grabbed him to wipe his nose. You would have thought I was killing the kid. He started screaming and thrashing all around. Somehow, during the struggle he managed to get my phone out of my pocket and called Aunt Janis (James' aunt) I did not realize that he had done this until a few minutes later when she called me almost in a panic. Scared her to death.

He is also fond of sending blank text messages to Aunt Carissa (my life long best friend)

Normally he gets in trouble for touching my phone. However, this morning he made a phone call and I didn't have the heart to punish him for it.

I had plugged my phone in to charge and walked out of the room to go do something. I returned a few minutes later to find that Landon had managed to put the phone on speaker and called his daddy. By the time I got in there he was in the middle of a conversation. His little face was beaming. I think it totally made James day as well. So, I let it go this time.

It feels like Fall!!!!!!

Fall is by far my favorite time of year. Maybe I love it so much because I was born in the fall....I just realized my birthday is 3 weeks away. Yay me!!!!!

The past few years I haven't done much for fall. I was too exhausted from being preggers to get much into the fall spirit. Even this year I haven't been feeling it. However, I was walking out the front door to leave for the grocery store when the people who live across the way opened their front door. The most amazing smell of cinnamon and pumpkin filled the breeze way. I wanted to just go sit in their living room and enjoy the smell....Landon must have been thinking the same thing because he started walking through their open door. Anyways I knew I had to get some Fall decorations and scents going at my house. So, while we were at Bilo we got a huge pumpkin and a spiced cider candle. When I got home I immediately lit the candle. Then I set up my Fall/Winter Hot Drink Station. I stored the toaster oven under the counter and replaced it with my coffee maker, hot pot (for boiling water) and a basket filled with hot coco mix, apple cider mix, hot tea, honey and marshmallows.





Here is a list of my favorite things about Fall.

~ Hot Apple Cider
~ The smell of leaves
~ Sweatshirts
~Fresh picked Apples
~Thanksgiving
~My birthday ; P
~The sound of crunching leaves
~ Rainbow colored fires my dad makes in the fire pit at his house.
~ being able to play outside in the sunshine and not get all sweaty.
~ Curling up on the couch with a blanket and hot cider.
~ Grilled cheese and tomato soup
~ Scarfs
~ Candy Corn

Sky Top Apple Orchard!!!!!

Landon's favorite activity was rolling around in the dirt.


Preston loves tractors!!!!!



Fresh Apple Spice donuts!!!!!!


Me and my baby girl!!!!!!!!!!!





Preston really liked the hayride.
Soooooo tired after our super fun day.....

Day at the play gound with Daddy.

While Daddy was home we packed as many fun activities as we could. I already posted pictures of our Zoo trip. So, here are pictures of our trip to the playground.

Daddy is gone/ kids are sick

So, I haven't written in a while. James was home for a few days and then all the kids caught a cold. Needless to say I've been a bit busy.
James had to fly back to DC Tuesday night. So, we decided to just chill at home all day till we had to leave for the airport. James spent most of the day just cuddling with the kids. I am still amazed at how attached all 3 of the kids are to James. So many people told me that the kids wouldn't miss him and that when he came home it would take several days for the kids to get use to him again....not true for my kids!!!!!! Just goes to show what an amazing Dad James is. : )
Anyways, that afternoon we took James to the airport. James and I decided it would be easier to just drop him off and say goodbye at the car. I think the less of a big deal we make out of it the better. The kids have asked about Daddy a lot since he left but overall things are going better than I though they would. I'm so proud of my little men. Since James went home Preston is back to being the protector. He is always to concerned that Landon and Madison are taken care of...Bottles, Blankets, Toys....Also, every night before I put them all down for bed Preston gives Madison and Landon kisses and tells them that Daddy loves them. And yes I cry every time.
In other news....all the kids have caught a horrible cold. Poor little guys are coughing, sneezing and have snot pouring down their little faces. I found Preston trying to use the bulb to suction out Madison's nose. She was looking at him like he had lost his mind. hehehe Oh, and Landon is walking around blowing snot bubbles out of his nose and popping them with his finger...

Daddy is home for the weekend!!!!!

So, for most of this past week I have been getting ready for James to come home. The plan was for him to fly in late Friday night and fly out Tuesday afternoon. Friday morning I needed to go get groceries.....I had been putting this trip off for days. So, I decided to go early in the morning to get it our of the way. I needed to spend the rest of the day cleaning and getting ready for a party I was going to later that evening. When we got to the store I started feeling a bit sick to my stomach and my back was hurting. I decided to still try to make it through my shopping trip....bad choice. Between pushing a huge shopping cart filled with groceries and 75 pounds of little boys and wearing 20 pound Madison in a carrier my back started throbbing. I ended up cutting my chopping trip short and going home. After several hours at home with no relief I finally called my mom to come watch the kids so I could go to the chiropractor. I must say I would die without a chiropractor. Anyways, the rest of the day was really fun. Tracy ( my awesome babysitter) came over to watch the kids while I went to the party. The party was a lot of fun and helped pass the time till James flew in at 11:30. We decided to not tell the kids that Daddy was home till Saturday morning. So, Saturday morning we got up and James went in and woke the boys up. They were super excited. James carried them both into the living room and they sat with daddy while I cooked breakfast for everyone.

That afternoon we went to the Greenville Zoo. Someone remind me to never go to the Zoo on a Saturday. The place was packed. We ended up leaving after about 20 minutes. The boys aren't use to being there when it's crowded and it was a bit overwhelming for them. So, we came home, had lunch, took naps and then Uncle Sam come over for dinner. Overall it was a very exciting day.

We love the Greenville Zoo

The Greenville Zoo had become a weekly activity for us. Most of the entrance workers know who I am now....not sure if that is funny or sad. Anyways here are some pictures of the kids enjoying the Zoo.






Last time we went to the Zoo before Daddy deployed

The second we get past the entrance Preston runs to see the elephants
Madison happy to be out of the infant car seat and sitting up like a big girl
"Let me go Mommy. I want to go play with the boys"
"Ok, I guess I can look cute for one picture"
Landon LOVES the goats....and please note the 3yr old jumping
the fence....yes this is the time he got in the goat pin.
Landon likes to try to give the goats kisses.
Landon's first time climbing up on the playground!!!!
Madison and Landon are stroller buddies!!!!!!