Wednesday, July 25, 2018

5 Reasons I Make My Child’s Baby Food : Guest Post


Hi Everyone! I am taking over the blog today while Lisa is on vacation. Today I will be sharing 5 Reasons I Make My Child’s Baby Food, but first here's a little About Me:

I'm a mom to a sweet baby boy, happy wife, and lover of the outdoors. I blog about all things motherhood, lifestyle hacks, and travel at Little Mountain Mommy. I truly enjoy sharing my stories and encouraging you to live your best life! When I'm not blogging with a warm cup of coffee in hand you can usually find me on my next mommy and me adventure with my husband and little one exploring the mountains of Idaho which we call home.


When Clyde was first born, one of my most apprehensive thoughts revolved around what I was going to feed him once it was time to introduce baby food into his diet. It may seem like an easy solution and something that wouldn’t cause worry for a new mom, however in my case it was completely the opposite. Nowadays, there are so many options for feeding one’s child. Organic, Non-GMO, no pesticides….all of these different criteria for selecting the right brand and kind for my baby started to give me a headache.

So like any new mom would do...I consulted with my pediatrician. I had noticed on Pinterest so many different types of baby food recipes and I decided to ask, “What if I made Clyde’s baby food from scratch?”. At first, I thought when do I have the time? And how complex can it really be? After I talked to my son’s pediatrician, he was in complete agreeance that making my son’s food was simple, easy, cheaper and better nutritionally wise for my baby!

5 Reasons I Make My Child’s Baby Food

You Know Exactly What’s In it

If you are buying store bought baby food, often there are added preservatives and fillers. You never truly know what is exactly in it. That is why, if I can, I opt to making my son’s baby food since I see and add the ingredients with my own eyes to his food. I LOVE that I know exactly what is in my son’s baby food and I can control what he is eating. It is a comfort to be able to pick the most organic ingredients for him and know that right off the bat. A lot of my angst is gone from making his food at home rather than buying it in the store.

Homemade Baby Food is Less Expensive

When I first would go to the grocery store to look for baby food I was baffled at the prices and high how they were! One organic jar of baby food was around $1.25. That is when I turned around and thought okay if I can avoid this as much as possible I will save MAJORLY. I bought 2 organic sweet potatoes and pureed them for a Stage 1 baby food for my son and it made enough for about a week and a half. This cost a total of $3.00. You truly end up saving so much money if you go the homemade route and as a WAHM I am constantly trying to cut costs for our family. It's a more beneficial eating experience that will carry on into their adult lives.

Clyde enjoying his homemade sweet potato baby food

More Nutrition for Your Baby

I know that if my little guy eats homemade baby food, he is receiving the most nutrients for his body which enables better growth and development. Store bought baby food is much more processed and cooked at higher temperatures then if you were to make it at home. This nukes the nutritional value of baby food and your little one does not benefit from the nutritional aspect as much as if they were to eat something that was homemade.

More Flavorful - Helps Transition to Table Foods Easier

If it is one thing I have noticed with homemade baby food, it is much more flavorful than store-bought. I can also play with the textures as well which I wouldn’t have been able to as much if I purchase store-bought baby food. This in turn, helps a baby transition much easier to table foods if their palette is better expanded and they are used to different consistencies in what they are eating at a young age.

You Can Plan Ahead

I have actually found that just like adults meal prep, you can easily do the same for your baby. If you make larger batches you can easily plan a month or so in advance what your child will be eating; creating a more organized way of living that I know all of us moms need in our lives.

Ultimately, your baby’s nutrition and health is #1 and as mothers we strive to give our baby the best that they need. By making your baby’s food as much as you can, you are giving them a more beneficial eating experience helping your little one grow and develop which us moms all want for our children.

Monday, July 23, 2018

DIY Balboa Bar - Frozen Dipped Banana Recipe

 
Hi guys! I'm Elizabeth from Outrageously Elizabeth and I am filling in for Lisa today while she is out enjoying her vacation!
 
A Little About Me
 
I grew up in Huntington Beach, CA and one of my favorite places to visit was Balboa Island. It was only about 15 minutes from my house, but because you took a ferry to get there, to me it was magical! It is a tiny little island with beautiful homes, kid-friendly beaches, fun little shops, a Ferris wheel and an arcade! What could possibly be better? No trip to Balboa was ever complete without a Balboa Bar or a frozen banana from Dad's! A Balboa bar is a bar of vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and topped with your choice of a million different things and delicious! A frozen banana is a "healthier" version of that, or at least that's what I told myself as I got older. I felt it was my duty to introduce my oldest to what I consider a dream on a stick when she was two and she was addicted! When we go and stay on the island now she has to have one every night, so I was thinking how could I possibly recreate something like this at home, while actually being a little healthy.

I have found such a fun and easy recipe that the girls can help me with. My little ladies are 2 and 5 and love to help me bake and create in the kitchen. I always pictured baking with my daughters being something out of a movie, we have a flour fight and laugh for hours and I don't care about the mess I know I will have to clean up. Sadly, it does not go like that! Flour does end up on the floor, but usually because my youngest Sydney has knocked something over! But with this easy and super fun dessert recipe there is no flour!! I came up with the idea of making a banana, almond milk ice cream, combining the Balboa Bar and the frozen banana and dipping it in dark chocolate and of course sprinkles! The girls had a blast dipping the banana bars and topping them. Such a fun, somewhat healthy dessert for the summer with just a few ingredients! 

Ingredients
Banana Ice Cream Bars
3 frozen bananas
1/2 cup almond milk
2 cups dark melting chocolate
Whatever toppings make your heart sing!

Directions
Blend the three frozen bananas and 1/2 cup almond milk to an ice cream like texture. Spoon into Popsicle molds. Freeze for at least three hours. Once frozen, heat the chocolate chips until melted, dip the frozen banana bars into the melted chocolate and then immediately into the topping of your choice, We did sprinkles and crushed pretzels. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and freeze for a half hour and enjoy!  
 
 
These really brought me back to when I was a little lady! You can read more on my blog at Outrageously Elizabeth or follow me on Instagram @outrageouslyorangeelizabeth.




Lisa created this adorable FREE PRINTABLE recipe card for you to keep! That way you will have the recipe for this frozen dipped banana recipe when you need to grab it!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c9FvLuKMzhg2phAyluSItq-qIU5eQPpL/view?usp=sharing


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c9FvLuKMzhg2phAyluSItq-qIU5eQPpL/view?usp=sharing



What is your favorite Summer Treat?

Thursday, July 19, 2018

5 Tips On How To Live In The Now For Busy Moms

Hi Everyone! As you know I am on a few week vacation with my husband and our sweet little girl. I am having Kristle from Mama’s Way take over the blog for today. Take it away Kristle!


Friday, July 13, 2018

Cheers To Four Years!

Anniversary

Last Thursday, my husband and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary. We went to one of my favorite teppanyaki restaurants in Southern California called Bari Bari. If you are ever in the area of Yorba Linda - you MUST go!  We ended up grabbing a thrifty's ice cream after dinner too!

If you would like to read more about our wedding and details, come read along here. (I am working on getting some of the details up on this new blog, but until then...there ya go!)







My hubby came home with these beautiful blue and white flowers. I'm usually not one for flowers, but these are so pretty and fun! Kenzie even leaned in to smell them too! 
We took a little family photo shoot and I was asked by a few people where my top was from so I figured I'd share that with you! I actually found it at TJ Max, but I am in the process of finding similar tops and will do a post soon with all the outfit details!




I also asked on Instagram which color Lipsense to wear to dinner. I was between Caramel Apple Diamond and Fleur De Lisa and the majority voted Caramel Apple Diamond. If you are looking to purchase a lipsense, I highly recommend checking out Lips & Legos on instagram. (I Do not work for lipsense, I just really like their products!)

 
Which color would you choose?

Since we don't have Time Warner Cable and live too close in proximity to the Dodger Stadium, we cannot watch the games on TV (Which drives hubby insane) So I have been following along on Twitter and trying to keep up when I can. His app on his phone to watch games doesn't always work either since we live "too close" to the stadium. How does that make sense? The Dodgers really need to get back on normal TV. I am not about to change my entire cable provider just to watch the Dodger games. So frustrating. 
Luckily I have some awesome followers/friends who keep me in the loop and update me!


Weekend Plans

Well, we have a busy weekend ahead of us. On Friday evening we will be heading to the Dodger game to support my brother-in-law, Saturday I have my friends babies First Birthday Party and Sunday we have another Dodger game we are attending. My brother-in-law has been KILLING it for the Dodgers so we are SO proud and happy for him! If you want to follow along on my crazy weekend or just want a little glimpse in my daily life- make sure to follow me on Instagram & Snapchat. (I post the most on those two!)

What are your weekend plans?

Monday, July 9, 2018

Weekend Recap

*This post may contain affiliate links, any purchases made using my links help keep this blog alive at no additional cost to you. 

If you follow along on instagram or snapchat then you know my weekend was full of baseball games in extreme heat!  My brother-in-law was just traded to the Dodgers so I    am super excited that we will be able to go to more games since they are closer to home for us!

On Friday evening my husband and I started packing for our big trip coming at the end of the month. I knew that the next few weeks are going to be pretty hectic so I wanted to get a head start on packing. I am not one of those last minute packers. I don't know how people do it! I start to panic just thinking about forgetting something.  I did, however, manage to make some cute shirts for Kenz and my niece to wear to games and my mother-in-law made the cutest skirts for the girls!  We all got matching blue Nikes too. 


Letterboard

Once Saturday came around, my husband woke up and told me his brother missed his flight. Apparently he didn't realize he had to be there an hour before check-in. So they wouldn't let him on the plane. He had to catch another plane later on and ended up showing up to the game after it started. It worked out for us, because we were running around and didn't make it until after the first pitch anyways. We grabbed some lunch and drinks before the game and then made our way to the busy stadium.  It was literally the hottest day and our seats were in the direct sunlight. Kenzie was getting pretty antsy, so my mother and law and I walked around and cooled off in the shade. Everyone at the stadium was hot and miserable. I mean, sweat was dripping in places it shouldn't. It was pretty bad. 


Dress | Bow


On Sunday we grabbed an early lunch before he had to go to the field, and then we made our way to the hotel to swim and rest. It was another hot day, but not nearly as bad as Saturday.  He pitched at the end of the game and did really well! Unfortunately, they still lost but we were excited that he did so well. The two teams play again next weekend at Dodger Stadium so we will be back at it again next weekend. Follow along on my instagram stories or snapchat to see some behind the scenes fun!




whattt
















Linking up with the lovely Biana sharing my weekend recap.
How did you spend your weekend?  Who is your favorite baseball team?


Friday, July 6, 2018

Five on Friday

Happy Friday! Finally, right? What a strange week it has been since the 4th of July fell on a Wednesday. Is it just me or is this year just flying by? How is it July already? We are halfway through the year. Crazy.

This summer has already been filled with SO many activities and weekend trips that I haven't really gotten a chance to unpack and the laundry keeps piling up. We have a 2 week trip to Nebraska in a few weeks to see my husbands family and they finally get to meet Mackenzie, so I know I have a lot to do beforehand and I'm trying to find the time to get anything done around here! I know I only have one child, but how does one get all the things done?! Tips are always appreciated, mamas!
 

We had some big news in the family on the 4th-- my brother-in-law got traded from the Reds to the Dodgers, which means we will be able to go to a lot more home games! My husband and I are pretty excited about it.  Turns out, this weekend they play the Angels which is pretty close to our house! I need to just start buying generic baseball gear, because now I have Tampa Bay, Cubs, and Reds gear that I most likely will never wear again. I keep telling myself, "generic baseball stuff from here on out."
 
Now, let's jump into my Five On Friday: Friday Favorites...

[1] Currently obsessing over rompers. Anytime I browse shops online or when I go to the mall, I have been looking for the perfect romper. I've never owned one before but I feel like now is a good time to hop on that trend... I know, I'm a little late to the party.
 
Shop Here
 


[2] Our Bedtime routine. Kenzie usually goes down between 8:30-9 and she plays until she gets sleepy.  Once she goes down, I catch up on my TV shows. I am currently loving The Bold Type.
 

[3] Since it has been so hot lately, my husband and I have been craving Acai bowls as a snack/light meal. We have been frequenting Nektar which is a yummy juice bar near our home. They can get pretty pricey so I plan to start making my own soon. We have been going out of town so often that I haven't wanted to go to the store and have everything spoil. So once we get back from our Nebraska trip, it's game on!

[4] We have been spending as much time in the pool with Kenzie, since she of course loves the water! And it really tires her out and I noticed she sleeps so much better through the night when she goes for a swim. That's a win for me! She loves this pool float because she can kick and splash and play and it beats holding her the entire time, which could get tiring. I also love that it shades her so she's not directly in the sun the entire time.

Similar one here

[5] Since we will be heading to baseball games the next few weekends, I knew I had to keep my baby girl as cool as possible. I purchased these cooling towels before our river trip so that I could keep her cool while on the boat.  I also used it while she took a nap in the boat. (I snuck in a nap too!-- Don't mind my super white skin!)


What are your summer plans? 
What TV shows are you currently loving right now?

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Fourth of July Recap




I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July! We got to celebrate our baby girls FIRST fourth.
On Tuesday night we walked around the lake and got a spot to watch the boat parade. In my parents neighborhood, they decorate their boats for the fourth of July and have music, food trucks, and a boat parade. I was surprised at the turnout considering the 4th landed in the middle of the week this year. Since it doesn't get dark till after 8:30, the parade didn't start until 9 (Which is after Kenzie's normal 8:30 bedtime, but she was a trooper and stayed up to watch it. She ended up falling asleep on the way back to the house. I will call that a win)


On Wednesday, we headed over to my parents house to make breakfast and spend the day with them. I made pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Kenzie even got some pancakes of her own.
After breakfast I was exhausted for some reason so I took a little nap. When I woke up, we took Kenz swimming. She loves the water so much so I knew she would have fun! She loves splashing the water.










I celebrated and drank a beer. Whoo hoo! I know, it's not an "American" beer, but it's all I had available at the time. I wasn't complaining. After swimming we ate some snacks-- 7 layer dip (I shared the recipe here), stuffed jalapenos, and  fruit. What is it about snacking on Holidays? I may have over-indulged a little too much and a light salad is on today's menu...

We BBQ'd Ribs, corn on the cobb and had my favorite beef rice pilaf for dinner.  It was the perfect end to a perfect, relaxing day.  My baby girl has been teething pretty bad, so she wasn't the normal happy baby. She ended up projectile vomiting all over when I tried putting her down for bed. Luckily I was there and she didn't choke on it, but I felt so bad and was scared for her. She's never done this before but I think the teething definitely hasn't helped. (Or she just partied way too hard?-- totally kidding) So if you have a life changing teething solving method, please share!!!!!!

She's been feeling so much better today thankfully and she is celebrating being 9 months old! I'll share about that tomorrow, so until then, here is an adorable photo of her:



How did you spend your 4th? I would love to hear about it.  How do you feel about it being on a Wednesday this year? Did that interrupt your normal plans?