Stuff Parents Need

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

My Kind of Town

· by · 2 Comments

…Chicago is!

So sorry to have been absent for a while. We are just getting back from a trip to the Windy City! I was there for a conference, and Tim and Darah came along to play. Unfortunately, we were all pretty sick the whole time, but we still managed to see some great sites and catch up with some old friends.

The architecture in this city blew me away. There are so many stunning buildings in Chicago! I was also really impressed that they have a zoo that is completely free. Rock! And the Field Museum of natural history, while not free, was worth every penny of the $15 admission fee. The dinosaurs and the mammal exhibits were beyond awesome. I wish I could have spent more time there!

I’ll be posting some really great reviews and giveaways in the next few days. Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience with me!

Have you ever been to Chicago? What is your favorite thing about the city?

One of my Favorite Recipes Using Naan Bread: Naan-chos

· by · 6 Comments

Source: Rachel Ray

Are you looking for recipes using naan bread? Sometimes I pick some up at the store on a whim, to use with a meal, and I almost always have leftovers. Here’s a way to use those leftovers!

Today I have a naan recipe that is going to knock your socks off! I’m giving you the full recipe that Rachel Ray uses for naan-chos (cute name, huh?). But I take a shortcut and just used bottled salsa. I’m sure the homemade stuff is awesome, but ain’t nobody got time for that! We also use pita bread for this recipe. It is SCRUMPTIOUS. We love it, and if you like hummus, you’ll love it, too!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup-extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount
  • 2 cloves garlic, cracked
  • 4 slices Tandoori Naan Bread or Mediterranean flat bread or large pita bread
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/3 handful
  • A handful chopped parsley leaves
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
  • 1 can chick peas, drained
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Salt

Salsa:

  • 1/3 seedless cucumber, skinned and chopped
  • 1 vine ripe red tomato, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, from 5 or 6 sprigs, chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat oil and garlic in a small pot over medium low heat to infuse garlic flavor into oil. Pull the oil off the heat when garlic speaks by sizzling in oil.

Brush the breads with half of the garlic oil and reserve the remainder. Cut breads into tortilla-chip-size wedges. Sprinkle bread “chips” with Parmesan, poppy seeds and red pepper flakes. Bake breads to toast, about 5 minutes. Remove bread from oven and sprinkle bread chips with and parsley and salt. Pile chips on a platter and cover with cheddar cheese. Place platter under broiler and melt cheese.

In a food processor, combine chick peas, lemon, cumin, cayenne and remaining garlic and oil. Season spread with salt, to your taste.

In a bowl, combine cucumber, tomato, pepper, shallot, parsley, mint, lime juice, salt.

To assemble, top naan-chos with chick pea spread and a layer of cucumber salsa. Serve.

I hope your family eats up this naan recipe! We never have leftovers!

Beaba Babycook Food Maker: My Experience

· by · 229 Comments

Welcome to my 100th post! It has been a really fun journey for me thus far, throwing my two cents into the blogiverse about terrific products and services I have found that work for me as a new mom. Thank you so much for joining me. Your presence (and your comments!) mean more to me than I can even express.

In celebration of hitting this blogging milestone, I have an INCREDIBLE review and giveaway for you today. It is my great pleasure to introduce you to a product that has been given prime kitchen real estate in our home over the past 6 weeks. Meet the Babycook by Beaba.

The Beaba Babycook food maker, put out by Scandinavian Child, is a fabulous system that steams, purees, reheats AND defrosts baby food. Seriously, one little machine does all of these things for you. I didn’t really understand why having a product that could do all of these things really mattered until Darah started on her solid food journey. If you are going to be starting your baby on solid foods in the near future, let me explain some of the things that you are going to need to consider and do, and this will help you see just how awesome the Babycook really is.

First, you need to decide if you want to make your own baby food. I’m a working mom, so at first I assumed that I wouldn’t have time to prepare Darah’s food myself. I started researching what goes into jarred foods, and most of them are FILLED with preservatives and, depending on the fruit or vegetable, lots of pesticides. Furthermore, they don’t taste fresh. There are some organic jarred foods, and those are definitely improvements. However, the cost for those foods really adds up! I noticed that it would be easy for me to spend $10-15 each week on jarred organic food for Darah. After talking with other moms, I realized that if I had the right equipment, I could make Darah’s food myself, using fresh organic items, for a fraction of what it would cost me to purchase jarred food.

After you decide to give making your own food a shot, you will need to get cooking! The vast majority of baby food recipes call for you to steam the fruits or veggies and then puree them. You can see where you will quickly be making a big mess in your kitchen by getting out your pots to steam, and then lugging out your big food processor (assuming you even have one) for the pureeing. In many cases, simply fork-mashing the food isn’t sufficient, so that’s not really a good alternative.

If you make a large batch of food at one time (and I would definitely recommend that) you are going to need to freeze it so that it will last. And this, of course, means that you are going to need to defrost it later. Some people are a little bit uncomfortable with using microwaves on their babies’ food, and if you feel that way, then having the Babycook ready to defrost the food for you is awesome. Furthermore, if you added breast milk to the baby food in order to thin it out, then microwaving the food when you reheat it is out of the question. I personally am not against using a microwave, but I do add breast milk to the food. I guess that wouldn’t really have been an option for me if I didn’t have the Babycook, because I don’t know how I would have heated up the food once I added the milk!

If you don’t have a food processor and you want to make your own baby food, this is an absolute must. I have a food processor, but I still consider this product to be essential for me! I absolutely love how I can handle all aspects of cooking and preparing this food in one container. I also like just how easy it is to go through all the steps. Let me walk you through the process for making carrots.

beaba babycook food maker to make your own baby food The Babycook comes with instructions that tell you how much water you will need to use when steaming. You may need to fill the water line to 1, 2 or 3. You’ll noticed that I missed the mark just a bit, but that’s because my batch of food was on the small side.

beaba babycook food maker to make your own baby food Once you have the right amount of water, you will add it to the tower of the machine and close the lid. Then you add your food to the steam basket, close the lid, secure it onto the base of the machine, and turn on the steamer. Watch the clock or set a timer so that you will know when to turn it off (my one suggestion to Beaba is that they add a timer to the machine, itself.)

beaba babycook to make your own baby food Once your food is cooked, remove the steam basket and dump the food back into the blender base. Reattach the lid and turn on the blend button. You can make your food as smooth or as chunky as you like, and that will all depend on your baby’s age. Darah still needs her food to be on the smooth side. That’s all it takes to make food that is absolutely excellent for your baby!

So far I have used the Babycook to make pears, bananas
mangoes, avocados, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and peas. Every weekend I make 1 or 2 things for Darah to try out during the following week. This has honestly been a really fun experience for me, and the Beaba Babycook has made it easy. Grocery shopping has become a fun adventure, and so far (knock on wood), Darah has enjoyed every food she has been offered. I’m so happy that I am able to provide her with organic, fresh food that is made with a whole lot of love and not a whole lot of time!

Edit: This giveaway is now CLOSED.
Buy It! I wholeheartedly believe that the Beaba Babycook is an investment worth making. You can purchase one on Amazon for under $100. It will last through all your child-rearing years, and will be ready for you to pass along to a friend or family member when you are finished using it!

beaba babycook to make your own babyfood Win It! Scandinavian Child is celebrating with me today by offering one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a Babycook in the new color that is about to hit the shelves, latte! In addition, you will receive a Babycook Book, hot off the press! Can you believe it?! The contest will run until Sunday, March 20th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me why you need the Beaba Babycook in your home, and what you would make first in it!

Additional Entries:

1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email
2. Follow me through Google connect
3. Put my button on your blog and leave a url where I can find it
4. Subscribe to the Scandinavian Child blog, and if you add their button to your blog, leave your url and this will be worth an extra entry (1 entry for subscribing, and 1 entry for adding the button)
5. Become a fan of Scandinavian Child on Facebook
6. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
7. Follow Scandinavian Child on Twitter (leave your Twitter ID)
8. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

Disclosure: I was provided with a product sample for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Motherhood: the Movie

· by · 122 Comments

motherhood movie cover with uma thurman

When is the last time you got to go to the movies? If you can’t even remember, then you are in good company with me, my friend! When you have a little one (or more than one little one!) getting out to the movies (and just as tricky, coming up with the $$$ to go to the movies) can be difficult to say the least.

Today, though, I want to bring a fun movie to you! Have you heard of Motherhood? It stars Uma Thurman and is about a mommy blogger (yup!) who has one heck of a day as she tries to plan a birthday party, submit an entry into an online writing contest, and manage all other facets of a crazy life with kids. I won’t give away too much, but you can imagine that at one point the crap hits the fan! Does this remind you of your life, by chance??? 🙂

So right now if your chance to WIN a copy of your very own! This contest will run until Saturday, March 13th at 7:59PM CST. A winner will be drawn using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email before a new winner will be drawn. Open to residents of the U.S.

Edit: This giveaway is now CLOSED.

The entry rules are very simple, and are as follows:
Mandatory entry:
Follow my blog via Google friend connect or subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (just let me know which one).

Additional entries:
1. Tell me the best movie you have seen in the past year (it could be one you rented since we just discussed how hard it is to go to the movies)
2. Put my button on your blog and leave a url where I can find it
3. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)

Special thanks to Sugar Mountain PR for the giveaway copy of Motherhood!

Getting Ready to Celebrate!

· by · 1 Comment

Bang on the drums, shake the maracas, rock out on the guitar and tickle the ivories! Make some noise, because we are just days away from my 100th post on Stuff Parents Need!

I’m definitely excited about hitting this milestone. I feel as though Darah has been helping me celebrate, because she has REALLY been getting into making noises and sounds. She has a little drum set that she loves to bang on, and she seems to really like hearing new music. She really loves to try to make noises herself, too (let’s just say that she has discovered the power of her lungs, and she really enjoys YELLING…just for fun…)!

I’m really excited to tell you that I’m going to be working with an amazing company called CSN Stores in the upcoming weeks. This company has over 200 web sites that each specialize in something different and fabulous (ranging from kids bedding to wall art)! I’m thrilled to have discovered all of these sites…this just made shopping so much easier for me! Together, we’ll be taking a look at simplifying the search for quality toys and games. This site has an entire section devoted just to musical toys, something of particular interest to me at the moment. Get excited, and get ready to make some noise about CSN stores!

Root Beer Float Hack: Reduce the Calories, Not the Flavor

· by · 4 Comments

My father-in-law taught me a wonderful trick when he learned that I have a weakness for root beer floats. He told me to try adding a little bit of milk to root beer, and see what I think about it.

While it is not as rich and creamy as adding ice cream, the overall taste is remarkably similar, and for far fewer calories!

So if you like root beer floats, give this low-fat version a try. I bet you’ll like it! You can experiment with how much milk you add to your glass. I tend to do roughly 4 parts root beer, 1 part milk.

Using Gold and Pearl Earrings to Transition Your Wardrobe to Spring

· by · 184 Comments

Earlier last week we had snow on the ground here in Tennessee, and more snow was getting ready to fall. Old Man Winter was definitely still calling the shots. And yet, this weekend temperatures were hitting the very high 50s, and I noticed that the daffodils in our backyard were getting ready to bloom. This brought me so much joy, because those flowers are one of the very first signs in my world that spring is definitely on the way. In the 9 years I have lived here, we have NEVER had as much snow as we got this year, so those daffodils were an especially welcome sight.

Do you find that when the seasons shift making clothing choices can be a little bit tricky? What do you wear when it is 38 degrees in the morning by 62 degrees by the late afternoon, for example? I always find that to be a challenge. Lucky for you, gold and pearl earrings from lulu by leah I have been given the opportunity to give away some jewelry that can help you out right about now. Let me show you the Frances earring, a delicate, yet not unnoticeable gold and pearl earrings piece handcrafted by Lulu by Leah. According to Leah, “This piece is a great versatile earring as we move from winter into spring. It incorporates gold, white and peach which flatters many skin tones.” I couldn’t agree more. I am really struck by the overall quality of this set. Notice the intricate looping on the hooks; such great detail, and yet, still so simple! The freshwater pearls are absolutely beautiful in these shades, too.

Lulu by Leah is a company that I would call a major find for women who want pieces that will go the distance for them. They are classic, but have an updated feel. I personally find that I prefer to wear jewelry that is quality and that is very versatile, as it simply isn’t in my budget to have tons and tons of pieces. I also need my jewelry to look good in many different settings, so things that are cheap and trendy just aren’t for me. Leah goes on to say that the Frances earring, “can really dress up an otherwise simple top and has a great gatsby-esque look when worn with hair up for evening.” Perfect!

There are several other things that I really like about this company. One is that it is relatively small, which means that you won’t find these pieces in every mall in America. I really love owning jewelry that is a little bit different. I also love that Lulu by Leah is a company that has been launched by an enterprising Southern mom, as Leah has two children and resides in Louisville, KY. I can see the influence of the South in her designs, but she takes that standard strand of pearls and makes something much fresher out of them! I also love that her pieces are affordable, especially considering that they are built to last. Finally, I really love that you can shop online. As a working mom, I have very little time to go to brick and mortar stores looking for jewelry. Lulu by Leah gives me the opportunity to get the perfect pieces right from my computer.

It seems I’m not the only one who has noticed how fabulous Lulu by Leah is. The Lucy necklace was featured in the December issue of Southern Living. That is some seriously high praise to receive, and it impresses me a great deal!

Buy It: If your wardrobe needs some updating, consider buying some jewelry that will not go out of style any time soon! Lulu by Leah is certain to have something that will suit you! She has options for every budget, with pieces ranging from $16 to $78.

Edit: This giveaway is now CLOSED.

Win It: I bet you are still thinking about those gorgeous gold and pearl Frances earrings, aren’t you? Well here’s your chance to win a pair! One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a set of her very own. The contest will run until Monday, March 8th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States.

How To Enter:

Mandatory Entry: Tell me the piece you love the very most from the classic collection by Lulu by Leah, and let me know where you would wear it if you owned it.

Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email
2. Follow me through Google connect (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
3. Put my button on your blog and leave a url where I can find it (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
4. Subscribe to the Lulu by Leah mailing list
5. Become a fan of Lulu by Leah on Facebook
6. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
7. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

Disclosure: I received a pair of Frances earrings in order to facilitate my review. The opinions listed above are strictly my own.

 

How to Prepare for Childbirth

· by · 71 Comments

When Tim and I were preparing for childbirth last summer, one expert we turned to for guidance was Sheri Bayles. Sheri is a registered nurse who has put out a really great DVD series called “Laugh and Learn.” She has a series on labor and childbirth, breastfeeding and newborn baby care. We watched the labor and the baby care DVDs, and they were very helpful to us!

how to prepare for childbirth I recently had the opportunity to read the book version of Laugh and Learn About Childbirth. I thought it was simply terrific! One of my favorite things about the dvd was all of the very helpful diagrams she used. Well, those same diagrams (and more!) are in this book. It is so hard to fully understand “pelvic station,” for example, without being able to see a good visual. Dilation is also difficult to fully understand without seeing what the different centimeter amounts actually look like. I’m very glad to see that all of these concepts are illustrated in this book, as well as some strategies for easing pain while in labor and some pushing techniques.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is preparing for childbirth. Sheri helps take away much of the fear that is associated with childbirth by reminding us that, “The key to a wonderful labor and delivery is faith in the body’s infinite wisdom, combined with knowledge and information about the process itself – and a great sense of humor” (p. 17). She also walks you through every stage of labor, and gives you the most important information in a very digestible, and often humorous, format. This would be a book that I would suggest reading a few times throughout your pregnancy (and at 134 pages, it is a quick read) and then taking it with you to the hospital or birthing center.

preparing for childbirth logo Buy It: The brand new book, Laugh and Learn about Childbirth is available on the laugh and learn site for $12.95…a terrific price for a book so full of helpful information!

Edit: This giveaway is now closed. 

Win It: Sheri wants to give you the opportunity to win your very own copy of her latest book right now!
The contest will run until Friday, March 5th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States.

How to Enter:

Mandatory Entry: Check out the Laugh and Learn website, then come back here and tell me something interesting that you learned about preparing for childbirth.
Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email
2. Follow me through Google connect (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
3. Put my button on your blog and leave a url where I can find it (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
4. Become a fan of Laugh and Learn on Facebook
5. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
6. Follow Laugh and Learn on Twitter (leave your TwitterID)
7. Watch this YouTube clip of a class taught by Sheri, and tell me something you learned!
8. Enter any other currently open giveaway on my site (one extra entry per giveaway that you enter)

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Traditional African Food: Rice with African Peanut Sauce

· by · 6 Comments

I always enjoy trying new foods. Today I’ve got a recipe that features traditional African food (or at least as traditional as it can be outside of Africa!). This is another dish that I featured on my old blog, Feed the Moose. I hope you like it as much as we do!

Recipe name: Rice with African Peanut Sauce
Source: no idea
Servings: 6

Ingredients
3 cups brown rice, cooked
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 20 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion is soft and golden.
Add the curry powder and coriander, then cook for 1 minute more.
Pour in the tomatoes, then stir in the salt, crushed pepper flakes, and Tabasco. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
Stir in the peanut butter and peanuts. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Stir frequently so that the sauce at the bottom of the pot doesn’t overcook. The sauce is done when it thickens. Serve the sauce over rice.

Tim and I have made this dish twice, I think, and we have loved it both times. It has such a different, yet totally yummy flavor. I’m always well-pleased to find a vegetarian dish that holds it own and doesn’t make me think that I’m just eating large quantities of a side dish.

This would also be good with some sort of flat bread. If you try this out, let me know what you think of this traditional African food!