DIY Baby Food in a Crockpot

I love this age that Cadence is at right now. She’s army crawling around the house, exploring everything she can, and starting to eat new foods. I do enjoy making food for her and it doesn’t have to be a lot of work. When I was making baby food for Ben, I experimented with cooking sweet potatoes in a crockpot and it worked out really well. Check out the original post HERE. Anyway, I had an idea to make multiple foods at once and see how that would work.

I lined the crockpot with tin foil. I find it is really hard to clean if you don’t line it.



I peeled and cut the sweet potatoes and put them in the bottom (in the future I’d put them on top)



I put another sheet of foil on top then put apples on top of that. So I would reverse this because the apples have a higher water content so the liquid pooled at the bottom.



Put it on high for about 3 hours until the fruits or veggies are tender.

To puree the apples I scooped the flesh out of the skin and put it in a blender with a little of the liquid that pooled at the bottom. Blend until smooth, may need to add more water.

For the sweet potatoes, I did similarly. Put them in the food processor (because I was lazy and didn’t want to wash the blender, ha!) Add filtered water and blend until smooth. I use this pitcher because it is the only one to filter out lead!



Then you just divide them into your containers. Fruits and veggies that have a high water content (apples, pears, zucchini, etc) will make fewer portions since you won’t need to add water. I think I did like 4 apples and 2 sweet potatoes this round…I had a question about where I got my storage containers. These are from Babies R Us and there are a bunch of other great options on Amazon as well.



Later in the week I made some more apples and a bag of carrots.



 Do you enjoy making baby food? What is your or your baby's favorite? If you'd like more baby food recipes, check out these posts...HERE

DIY Compost Bins and Composting Tips

For Christmas, we gave the boys a Curious George DVD and they love it. One of the episodes is about composting and it got me thinking, I throw out so much stuff that can be composted, why don’t I start one. I know most of you aren't even close to thinking about spring and planting yet, but here in southern Nevada it has been a very mild winter.

So I grabbed some plastic bins, I had previously used these for planter boxes in our previous home when I wasn't ready to set down a garden bed.

Drill holes in all the sides of the box and lid

Fill with dirt and leaves.

Then add your compost items; fruit and vegetable peels, egg shells, lint, egg carton.  Wet all the contents and stir to cover with dirt

Put the lid on and let it do it’s magic.

Here are some other tips to help you get started:

Mix, Mash, Moisten, and Move

-MIX as many different plant based ingredients as you have.

-MASH: the smaller the pieces are the faster it will break down, so you may want to chop everything into smaller pieces.

-MOISTEN: you want it just right, not too dry and not too wet, just moist.

-MOVE: The more often you turn the contents, the faster it will be ready

     -If you want it ready in two weeks, turn daily

     -if you want it ready in three months, turn weekly

     -if you want it ready in a year, turn monthly

Good items include:  fruits, eggs shells, dead leaves, grass clippings, shredded cardboard or newspaper, dryer lint, hair, and vacuum dust/debris.

Limited amounts: saw dust, pine needles, coffee grounds, and hedge trimmings

NO: animals parts, seeds and fruit pits, dairy products, anything treated with pesticides, pet waste, or grease

Spice Rack Book Shelves

This has been a long week. Actually a long couple of weeks. My husband is a CPA and is working his tail off right now. He was out of town last week and the week before, luckily we got to see him on the weekend. Anyway, by the end of the day, I'm exhausted so that's why I've been a little irregular blogging my projects. I do have an awesome tutorial coming soon, just putting the finishing touches on it. I think you'll LOVE it!

Today I have a simple update for you that has made a huge difference in keeping my boys' room clean and orderly. 

I can't tell you how much I love these book shelves. They're inexpensive, easy to hang, and manage the mess so well! 

As an added bonus, they fit perfectly behind the door.  

Prior to hanging these spice racks, books were all over the ground and under the boy's beds. The boys love their bedtime stories, but they aren't always kind to their books. 

So all you need is 

-spice racks

-nails/screws

-a level

-a tape measure

I measured the distance between the holes on the back of the spice rack and marked one spot on the wall. I put my laser level in the hole and measured the distance to where the next hole should be. Hammered in two nails and it was done. Super simple and it is so nice to have the books stored away behind the door.

What simple organizing ideas have made a big difference for you?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Alex

Pallet Wood Christmas Tree

Hey wonderful readers, I hope you had a great weekend! I’m just popping in quickly to share this craft with you I just did with a friend on Friday.

It was really simple and cost $0! Plus I used up some pallet wood that was taking up space in my garage! So here’s how you do it. First dismantle your pallet and cut down the wood. Here are the measurements that we used.

After you get it all cut down to size you can either free hand the words on, use a cutting machine to make a stencil or just use vinyl, or you can print the words out. That’s what my friend and I did. Print the words out on a regular ink jet printer. Turn the paper over and rub chalk on the back then place the paper on the wood and rub each letter with an embossing tool. This causes the chalk to transfer to the wood. Then you just paint over it.

To assemble, use nails or screws from the back. I used 1” nails because that’s what I had on hand and worked great.

It was super easy and fun to do while hanging out and talking with a friend. I left my tree tall, but you could also cut it down and hang it on the wall or it could be a yard sign. I put mine right by my front door and I love it!

I hope you all have a happy, safe, and Merry Christmas! I’ll be back afterward with a great breakfast recipe and some other projects!

 

DIY Nursing Cami

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels like I have 3 different wardrobes; normal, pregnancy, and nursing. Nursing seems to be the hardest for me to find functional tops. This time with two little boys running around, I like to have my back/belly covered because I never know when I’m going to have to get up and help or chase a little boy. So I’ve found I really love wearing a cami under shirts so I’m always covered but the one I’ve been using has gotten stretched out pulling it down to access the goods.

I looked at getting a nursing tank, but they were pricey, like $30! What?! Plus I like my tank tops to come up a little higher than the ones I was seeing. My favorite ones are from DownEast Basics and Shade. Over the summer Shade was going out of business so I snapped up a couple camis. So here’s what I did to make it accessible for baby.

Cut the straps about a 1/4” from the neckline

Then grab some snaps

With a needle and thread, simply sew the snaps on. The ‘female’ side goes on the front of the neckline hem, and the ‘male’ side goes on the backside of the strap.

I love how it turned out and it works so well! I’m able to wear it under V-neck tees and dresses and can easily access everything without stretching out a shirt or having to lift the cami up. I’ve made a couple of these so I’ve always got one to wear. The great thing is I can still wear this when I’m not nursing.

What are your favorite nursing essentials?

Little Girl’s Headband and Bow Organizer

Having a little girl is fun! I can craft and sew for her and there are so many accessories I can put on her . (Mom, you can wipe that smug grin off your face – I know, I never thought I’d be so girly haha)

At my baby shower I wanted us to make headbands instead of playing games, it was awesome and the ladies made headbands to match the outfits they picked out for Cadence. So with all these accessories comes the problem of how to store and organize them. Here’s what I came up with.

Take an oatmeal canister and shake it out really well.

Next you pick a fabric and measure it around the canister and cut it to length allowing a little bit to fold under.

Hot glue the edge down. Apply ModPodge to the body of the canister and smooth the fabric down as you go. Get out any air bubbles that form.

Tuck the top and bottom in and hot glue down.

Let it dry and then put your cute headbands around the canister and bows on the inside.

Super easy and it really helps keep her headbands in one spot where I can find them, love it!