Plum Puree How-To

I made PLUM PUREE yesterday for the babies. Here's how:

These are my tools; A bag of black plums from WIC, a paring knife, a cutting board, and a blender. I few items are not pictured, I realized I needed them later: a potato peeler, paper towels, and a medium pot. 

1. Wash, peel, pit and chop as many plums as you'd like. I had 7 plums. 
2. Put slices into the pot and add a small amount of water. I added about 1/2 cup of water. 
3. Steam the plums for 8-10 minutes (I forgot to time it, I was also making dinner, I just picked out a slice, let it cool, then tested the mushiness).

 4.  Let cool, then poor into the blender.
 5.  I used the pulse setting for about a minute. I'm sure you could use whatever setting, especially if your more experienced with a blender than I am.
 6.  Let cool a bit more, then measure into the containers you choose, label then freeze.

A baby's serving size is 2 tablespoons. I put 4 tbs (2 servings) into a container, because I'm pretty sure I'll feed my twins out of the same container. Measuring into the containers will prepare for sanitary, healthy (disables overeating), and easy feeding times. 

These are applesauce containers my neighbor gave me. At least I think she said they were applesauce, i have never seen them with lids but ta-da! They were perfect. The labels are Evenflo's Smartsteps Magic Labels (disolving labels). They were on clearance at Wal-Mart in the baby section for $2.50 for 50 labels. 

Seven small plums and 1/2 cup of water filled 7 containers with 4 tbs. 

I thought you would like to see what the labels look like. On the left I used regular sharpie, on the right is a ball point pen. Personally, I would like how a medium felt tip pen would look, but I have none. I put the measured amount, what it is, and the date. I added at the bottom - 2 serv - so I remember that one container is for both of them a month from now, ha ha ha!

So, I tasted it, well, I licked the spoon, and it was delicious! It was very similar to applesauce. 

Plums are not a high allergy risk and good for ages 6+ months. They are high in fiber, low in cholesterol, sodium free and contain vitamins A&C. 

Well that's all I got. 

I'm Back!!!!

DEAR FOLLOWERS!!!!
      I AM BACK!!! My twin boys are 5 months old. I am very sorry for not keeping up with this. I was using this to make money with the advertisements, but they decided I was cheating on it. It was very discouraging since I was trying to contribute to our finances while expecting twins. I also did not have very much time or energy to keep up with my Informative Blog. But I do now!!! Let me see if I can catch you up -via pictures!-, then today's blog is about making space for baby(ies) in a TINY space. 

This is how big I got, taken 3 days before I went into labor.

^ Ryan and Elliot ^

Still in the NICU @ 1 week old

^ Ryan Scott and ^ Elliot Shae 

20 days old

^ Elliot and Ryan ^

On their blessing day 

3 months old

Our family

4 months old

^ Ryan and Elliot ^ 

5 months old

Well now your caught up!! So we are a family of four living in a 2 bedroom apartment, approximately 700 sq ft. It's umm... Not as squished as it was in the 1 bedroom but still not as much space as we would hope for. Here is how we make it work:

This is in our living room. To the right is our "adult" area - a rug, couch, and entertainment center. The swings we borrowed from a fellow mom of twins. The toy basket and what I call "The Clean Area" which is a blanket nobody walks on, we change diapers here, lay them there after a bath and just to change their clothes. You can see in the bottom, right corner their car seats. We tuck them under the couch arm. I vacuum this room every night before bed. The boys have their own room, we have two cribs, a laundry basket, another toy basket and two Seed Sprout closet organizers from walmart.com for about $20. Under their cribs we store their bathtub and a collapsible walker. I hope this helps with ideas for your Little Ones space! 

Here's a bonus:

1/5 red bell pepper, chopped                   4 tilapia fillets

1/5 orange bell pepper, chopped              1 cup wild rice

1/5 green bell pepper, chopped

3-4 portabella mushrooms, sliced

Throw 1/3 tablespoon margarine or butter into a medium skillet till melted. Add all peppers and mushrooms, moving till mushrooms are browned, or however you like your veggies sauted. Prepare the rice according to package. Put oven to BROIL. TIP- cover broil bin with foil for fast easy clean-up. Broil fish about 10 minutes on each side (each oven is different). Scoop 1/2 cup of rice on each plate, off to one side. Place two fillets on each plate, next to the rice. Using a spoon, scoop a line of the pepper mix in between the fish and rice. Serve. 

Well, that's all for today!

Cutting Board 101

O.K.! So, this is going to be a guide to a very common kitchen gadget for new house wives. This idea came to me today because I was cutting some strawberries for my husbands breakfast (@5:30 am!) and I noticed how gross my cutting board looked. My cutting boards were a gift from my mom, they are plastic. Now they have cuts all over them and they are starting to get stained with vegetables. So I want to buy a new one with our income tax this month. Well, I realized I have no idea what kind to buy! Now there are millions of items that are pure personal preference, and I think your cutting board is one of them. So I did some research. Here is what I found:

Cutting boards come in three materials and they range in cost from dollar store to higher end kitchen specialty store prices.  They come in a variety of sizes and colors. Cutting boards can be built into the counter or they can be fully portable. The current recommendations are you should have at least 3 cutting boards to avoid cross contamination - one for fruits and vegetables and bread, one for red meats and one for poultry. Remember to select the largest size that will fit in your work area, but it should also fit into your sink for easy cleaning. 

• glass - They are resistant to heat, very durable, easy to clean, dishwasher safe, non-staining and they are very sanitary. However glass boards will dull the edges of your knifes very quickly and can even damage them. These boards also pose a danger as they can become very slippery during use creating a cutting hazard to you. They are also very heavy and more expensive than wooden cutting boards. Glass cutting boards are generally pebbled on the cutting surface.

• wood - Wooden boards are made a couple of ways, end grain boards are thicker heavy duty boards made for heavy chopping and edge grain boards are thinner and lighter for everyday use. The different patterns and wood spices are a personal and décor choice for you to choose, what looks best in your kitchen. But if you are the professional chef that uses your board every day under heavy use an end grain maple board will be your best choice. Also any end grain board will be easier on your knifes edges. Some disadvantages of wooden boards, they do require hand cleaning and sanitizing, no dishwashers, then treating with cutting board oil. If cared for properly they will last a very long time. The bottom line is wood is safe, simple and looks great.

• plastic - All are dishwasher safe with the biggest complaint being they do stain. Some plastic compositions stain considerably less than others though. Plastic cutting boards are generally the most affordable and you can find them in a large variety of different designs, sizes and colors. The plastic boards also come thick or thin, hard or flexible. The flexible ones are great for transferring food into pots and containers and they are also easy to store. The downside to the flexible ones is the fact that they will not last as long as the thicker boards. This is because sharp knives will eventually cut through the thin material. The hard thicker plastic boards are very durable. Plastic boards are thought of as being the safest board to use as they are easy to sanitize and clean. But just because they are plastic doesn’t mean you don’t have to sanitize, these boards can harbor bacteria in the cuts on the board therefore needing to be sanitized.  Plastic boards do have the capabilities of being put into a dishwasher as long as they fit.

• bamboo - a well known cutting board that is actually grass. These boards have a natural anti-bacterial action and resist staining with no need for maintenance other than hand washing.They have become popular in kitchens today because of their inexpensive cost. The best feature of these boards is that they take it easy on the edges of your knife but they do scar, but you can sand them down in order to create a smooth surface. They can easily catch bacteria growth in the cuts, so you need to make sure you sanitize them each time you use them. One big disadvantage is the vast majority of these boards come from China and there has been a lot of controversy over the resin holding these boards together being safe or not.

I also found this stuff, which was interestingly contradicting, and some helpful.

Regardless of the material, regular maintenance of a cutting board is important.

• Sanitation with cutting boards is a delicate process, because bacteria can reside in grooves produced by cutting, or in liquids left on the board. For this reason, it is often advised to cut raw meat on separate cutting boards from cooked meat, vegetables or other foods.

• A very dilute bleach solution is best for disinfecting cutting boards.

• To remove odors, rinse the board and then rub with coarse salt and let stand for several minutes. Wipe board and then rinse clean. This procedure will also smooth out minor imperfections in the wood.

• Wood boards should never be placed in the dishwasher, or left immersed for long periods, as the wood or glue may be affected.

• A light food grade mineral oil is a good preservative for wooden cutting boards as it helps keep water from seeping into the grain. Alternatively, one may also use a food grade drying oil such as poppyseed oil, tung oil or linseed oil. The first two dry much faster than linseed. Note that most commercially available linseed and tung oil are not “food grade” as they contain metallic driers. In general, edible savory vegetable or olive oils are not recommended because they tend to go rancid, causing the board to smell and your food to pick up the rancid taste.

• Cutting boards should be treated when they start looking dry to prevent cracking. A standard recommendation is 5-7 times a year, or as needed.

• When heavily or deeply scored, wood or plastic cutting boards should be resurfaced as scoring can harbor bacteria, or mildew in the case of plastic boards. Wood can be easily resurfaced with various woodworking tools, such as scrapers or planes. Sandpaper is to be avoided, as it leaves residual abrasives in the surface which will dull knives. Resurfacing a plastic cutting board is more difficult and replacing it is recommended instead.

I am looking for something that will be easy to clean, wont stain easily, and just plain sanitary. I use my cutting board several  times a day. For fruits in the morning, more fruits or vegetables in the afternoon, and meats, breads, and vegetables in the evening. So after reading my findings ...I still don't know! Ha ha ha!!! But I hope this has helped some of you.