Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Getting my Kitchen Ready for Layah: Earth’s Best 1st and 2nd Foods (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Over the past week, I’ve been extra busy in my kitchen. I’m getting my freezer stocked up for Layah. She’s already 4 1/2 months old. My intention is to start her on solids at 6 months, but I want to be prepared sooner just in case she can’t wait that long. I will make the majority of the food she eats using my baby food maker. I’m also using product from our CSA share and from our own little garden. These fruits and veggies are organic, and that’s what I aim to feed Layah, as much as possible. Plus, when you make it yourself, it really is quite affordable!

I also made Darah’s baby food, so I can tell you from experience that when you are going to be away from the house all day (running errands, going on a trip, etc.) it is challenging to bring your own food that might not be shelf-stable. Just like last time, I’ll be reaching for Earth’s Best for those moments! I can’t believe it is already time to start buying these cute little jars!

 

Earth’s Best can help you get your little ones to love their veggies from the start by exposing it to them early and often! They have some wonderful vegetables that are in season right now on the shelves, and every ingredient is organic.

As your little one tries a vegetable for the first time (such as sweet potato or green beans), keep in mind that a common response is to spit it out at first. Don’t be discouraged! Simply try again the next day and the next. In most cases, your baby will be willing and even happy to eat it by the end of the week! It takes time for their palates to get on board with a new flavor.

Earth’s Best also has some great resources online to help parents navigate introducing their little ones to solid foods and how to introduce new flavors and textures in a way that will maximize the chances of you having an adventurous eater! I loved this article on infants’ unpredictable palates.

Do you have a baby eating solids (or soon-to-be eating solids?). Then I have a great giveaway for you!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an assortment of Earth’s Best 1st and 2nd Foods – Seasonal Vegetables!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such, I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own

Ever Wonder Where Earth’s Best Food is Grown?

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When I first became an ambassador for Earth’s Best, I asked if anyone had any questions about the brand that I could ask the company. One reader wanted to know where the fruits and veggies in Earth’s Best products came from. I thought that was an excellent question, and I went back to the company to get the answer. And now I have it for you!

There are four main farms/growers that supply much of the food found in Earth’s Best products. I’d like to introduce them to you so that you can see where your child’s food is grown!

All of these farms are providing Certified Organic produce, which means they contain no GMOS, potentially harmful pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides.
I am so delighted that Earth’s Best not only discloses, but proudly showcases their growers on their website. It really makes you feel more connected to your food when you can see the people who grew it!
Disclosure: I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such, I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own


Quick and Healthy Lunch Ideas for Back to School!


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We have one more week until Darah goes back to school as an official pre-schooler! My eyes well up with tears at the mere thought of it!


Darah won’t be staying at school for lunch, so I don’t actually have to pack one for her, but I still have to have a lunch prepared for her when she gets home every day. I work as hard as I can on the blog and on grading work for my college class I teach, so I don’t really have much time to devote to preparing a lunch. I need to rely on more convenient options so that I can spend as much time as possible working before she gets home.


But like most moms, I don’t want my need to go for convenience to eclipse my desire to provide healthy food for my child.


Earth’s Best has got some great products that are absolutely perfect for the mid-day rush, and if you are packing a lunch, they work well in a lunch box, too!


Darah has been enjoying the Earth’s Best Sunny Day Snack Bars at lunch time and as an afternoon snack. They are naturally sweetened cereal bars filled with real fruit. They come in strawberry and apple flavors, and have Big Bird and Grover on them, which delights my little preschooler. I’m delighted by them because they are the right serving size for smaller tummies, and they provide big doses of calcium, iron, zinc and six B vitamins.


The other item in my pantry “lunch box” is Earth’s Best Kidz Organic Apple Sauce. Did you know that conventional apples are one of the “dirtiest” items of produce? The amount of chemicals from pesticides that is found on them is absolutely astounding. Going organic when it comes to apples is a very good idea, even if it is one of the only fruits for which you pay the higher price. I especially like having these individual servings of applesauce on hand for days when we might be out of fresh fruit. Darah can still get a serving of something healthy and delicious when I’m overdue for a trip to the store!



		
		
			
			
		
	


I do try to keep a specific box in my pantry for lunch staples that I can easily grab to help supplement the meal with minimal effort on my part. That is really essential so that I can be confident that I can pull lunch together for her in 5 minutes every day and not find myself spending 30 minutes of my work time in the kitchen scrambling to cook something. It’s a strategy that has served me well, and I highly recommend it!


Here are some other things I keep on hand for a healthy and quick lunch for Darah:


    

  • baby carrots and ranch dip
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  • blueberries
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  • strawberries
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  • bananas
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  • whole wheat crackers
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  • slices or cubes of cheese
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  • yogurt (I usually buy plain and mix in a little organic jam to sweeten it)
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  • round and thin sandwich bread (it’s the perfect size for a younger child’s sandwich!)
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  • peanut butter and graham crackers for a dose of protein
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  • hummus
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I’d love to hear what your go-to lunch and lunch box items are. Sometimes I get in a rut and love to be inspired by what other parents are doing! Please share (and remember…comments on this post earn you extra entries in the Earth’s Best giveaway I’ll hold in a few weeks)!


Disclosure: I am a blog ambassador for Earth’s Best, and as such, I have received complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.