Product Review of The Week: BabyGanics Germinator

As you can probably guess from my obsession with healthy food and the welfare of my child, I am also a complete clean freak. Living in New York City kind of sets me off into crazy lady territory on a daily basis. The past few months have been a new challenge for me as my baby begins (is forced) to become a social butterfly. Music class, gym class, free plays, playdates...they are all wonderful, but I do have to make a concerted effort to leave my crazy thoughts at the door.

In an effort to keep my sanity and not plunge my baby into a bath of purell as soon as class is over, I like to use Babyganics Germinator Hand Sanitizer. Its alcohol and fragrance free and kills 99.9% of germs naturally. Bada bing. Bada Boom.

Available here.

Powerhouse Breakfast

We went to a farm and picked a pumpkin a few weeks ago. The pumpkin has been sitting in my kitchen staring at me in the face ever since. I had no clue what to do with it, how do you even get started? Do I need a hammer?

I looked at it, knocked on it, patted it, turned it around and was finally ready to start cutting into it when I saw something that looked like mold growth.

My neurosis kicked into overdrive. This is so not happening. I placed the little pumpkin next to the garbage can and slowly walked away.

For the pumpkin advocates out there, I have to assure you that this pumpkins life was not in vain. It inspired this powerhouse fall flavored breakfast recipe that my baby INHALED.

½ millet or quinoa

1 ¼ cup almond milk

1 cup pumpkin or winter squash puree

Agave and cinnamon to your liking

Combine all ingredients and cook together for about 20 minutes.

You can add more almond milk if its too thick.

What a great way to start your babys morning. Super healthy, filling and seriously delicious.

Product Review of The Week: ThinkBaby Thinkster Sippy Cup

So remember my bib story and how I bought like 4 different types of bibs before I found the one and only? Same thing applies to my quest for the perfect sippy cup. I bought so many types of these ridiculous cups, that the “baby section” of my cabinet looked like I had 4 kids. Some people get lucky in the drinking department and their babies chug down water like its…water. For some weird reason my baby cringed when he drank water, it was like he was taking a shot of tequila. So I got the sippy cup with the nipple, the one with the bigger nipple thing, the trainer cup, the one with the spout, the one with the straight straw, the one with the bent straw, until finally I found one that worked.

Holy hell Halelluyah. Crisis averted.

If your baby DOESN’T DRINK WATER you will understand how I feel.

I introduce to you ThinkBaby Thinkster cup. The only sippy cup that my baby will drink from. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because the water doesn’t flow too fast, maybe because my baby can hold it easily, maybe he thinks opening and closing the cap is fun? Who knows and I really don’t care, it works. The feeling of watching your baby chug down water when you’ve been struggling to get drops down his throat is probably one of the best feelings in the world. This is what motherhood does to you. It makes you appreciate the small victories in life. 

The ThinkBaby Thinkster cup is made from smart plastic that’s completely free from Bisphenol-A (BPA), PVC, phthalates, nitrosamines, and lead. Did you know that when this company came to the market, 95% of baby bottle companies were making bottles with BPA, a chemical that disrupts the endochrine system. Learn more about what that means here http://www.thinkbabybottles.com/learn.html . Its information like this that really gets under my skin and aggravates me. Why poison our babies? Why don’t corporate a-holes care? Why is it all about profits? Ugh, im going to live on a mountain one day…mark my words.

Read more about the great company that is ThinkBaby here. http://www.thinkbabybottles.com/ourstory.html

ThinkBaby Thinkster Bottle available here.

http://www.giggle.com/eng/product/thinkster_bottle_with_straw/thinkster

Mamas Hungry: Raw Apple and Pear Crisp Bomb

 
A few weeks ago I was invited to dinner party at a friends apartment. Being the gracious friend that I am, I offered to bring an apple crisp. Of course I procrastinated until the last possible hour and settled on an allrecipes.com apple and pear crisp concoction which was chock full of crap, also known to the nutrionally unconscious as goodness.

Sugar, white flour, butter, more sugar…it was sinful.

But, I made it because I had no choice/was too lazy to look for another recipe and the 453 reviews assured me it was bomb.

Anyway, fast forward to my recent trip to my home away from home, WholeFoods, where a lovely lady named Kelly Jane was handing out samples of her insane apple crisp. I couldn’t believe it. Raw, no sugar, guilt free and bomb. I vowed then and there never to succumb to the sugar laden typical apple crisp that we all know. I'm not raw and don’t plan on ever being raw but this is really such an easy and seriously delicious recipe that is ready instantly. I quickly bought up all the ingredients and have been making batch after batch, night after night, time after time.

Filling:

• 2 Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji Apples, cored and sliced
• 2 Pears, cored and sliced
• 1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Topping:

• 3/4 cups Pecan Halves
• 3/4 cups Almonds
• 1/2 cup Pitted Dates, roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Real Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1 pinch Ground Cardamom
• 1 pinch Ground Nutmeg

1. Places apples, pears and dried fruit in a large bowl. Add orange juice and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish.
2. In a food processor, combine pecans, almonds, dates, vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, kosher salt, cardamom and nutmeg. Pulse until finely chopped, but not paste-like.
3. Sprinkle nut and date topping over fruit filling and serve. 

Find the original recipe here.

  

Dairy Free Gluten Free Vegetable Lasagna

So here’s the deal. My family, as in my husband baby and I, have been trying out dairy free and gluten free for our own personal reasons and have found it works for us. Im not trying to change your mind about how you eat, this is just what makes us feel better. Its really is just as simple as that.

I have to admit I was a little worried about how this would come out, especially since real cheesy lasagna is such a hard dish to live up to. BUT, it was epic. Buttery, flavorful, decadent…it was pretty amazing. We finished the entire thing in a day and a half, baby devoured it and my husband asked if I could keep lasagna inventory in the freezer.

You can always use your regular noodles and real cheese for this dish.

Vegetable and Cheese Lasagna

 

1 Small onion chopped

1 ½ large zucchini cubed with peel on for nutrients

Half pint grape tomatoes halved

1 Pkg mushrooms peeled and sliced

1 10 oz frozen spinach package defrosted and drained well

1 Jar marinara sauce

1 Pkg rice lasagna noodles

1 Bag Daiya Mozzarella cheese

1 Big ass pyrex

1.     Saute the onion in olive oil until translucent.

2.     Add the zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach.

 3.     Stir the veggies until they are coated in oil and simmer with cover on until all veggies are soft.

4.     Pour a layer of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the pyrex.

5.     Layer noodles. Keep it neat!

6.     Add sautéed veggies.

7.     Sprinkly cheese to cover.

8.     Add some sauce.

9.     Layer noodles, veggies, cheese and sauce. 

Call me if you get confused 917-583-4044.

   10. Finish with cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for about an hour.

Enjoy!

If you would like to know more about feeling better and taking control of your body and life you can start by reading (one of many books out there) Kathy Freston Veganist

Chia Seed Pudding

I don’t know about you but until recently I only knew of chia from those genius chia pet heads a million years ago. A few weeks ago I fell in love with chia seed pudding at the juice press (kind of obsessed with this place) and my baby and I loved it. I did some research and was blown away by the health benefits of this seed. I rarely eat fish and my baby is basically limited to salmon, mostly because I’m still wary of the effect of pollution on fish and all that radioactive stuff. So, when I found that chia seeds are crazy rich in omega-3s I knew I had to make this a staple in our diet. By weight, chia contains more omega-3 than salmon, is packed with antioxidants, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, and zinc.

Chia is a very diverse little seed. You can sprinkle ground or whole chia seeds on cereal, on yogurt, salads, eat them as a snack, or grind them and mix them with flour if you’re making muffins or other baked goods. Most of the time you wont even taste them and you’re packing your body with omega-3s.

My first experiment with the lovely chia is pudding.

Seriously so easy anyone can make it, it requires ZERO effort.

2 tbs chia seeds

½ cup almond milk room temp so it can get puddingish better
½ tspn agave

dash cinammon

whisk really well and let it sit in fridge for at least 15 min.

*** My version is not as good as The Juice Press. I will be working out the creaminess texture in the future and will notify you of all progress made. However I do believe this is a good start. Enjoy!

Song of the Week: Foster the People - Pumped up Kicks

Hi Ya'll.

No im not dead.

Just busy with LIFE.

Heres a bomb song that makes me happy as a clam.

Listen here.