Fresh Fed Baby

Since a lot of people have been asking how I feed Miss Emma Boo, I figured it'd be easier to just post a "go to" for homemade baby food. So if you're not into making baby food, you can stop reading here ;)

*Months 4-5- Introduce foods one at a time, starting with apples and peas. (Funny thing is, those are still her favorites) Introduce a food for 3 days only mixing it with previously tested foods. This was helpful, because we found out Emma couldnt eat yellow squash!

*Months 6-8- try all kinds of yummies...(keeping to the 3 day rule) zucchini, kale, spinach, peaches, bananas, sweet potato, white potato, eggplant, green beans, corn (not much of this), brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, pears, avocado, squash, broccoli, asparagus, blueberries, strawberries, plums, and carrots.

The way to cook them is to steam (if needed) in either a steamer, pot, or covered microwave pot. (I did add cinnamon to some mixes at 9 mo old and she loved it!) After steaming, puree and add water. After the single items have gone through the 3 day test, I'd blend them to make mixed meals. No citrus fruits!

*Month 9-12- Introducing chicken and beans! Yummy! Black beans you just cook thoroughly and then puree with broth and I mix apples with it.  have found, recently, that the best way to do a huge batch of chicken or turkey dinners are with my crockpot. I cook it all day, covering it with water, add a stalk of celery and carrots to flavor, and then you have plenty WITH broth and carrots to make dinners. For a whole chicken, (which runs $5-$9 youll get 15-30 chicken dinners!) The key is to mix about 1 part chicken to 2 parts veggies/grains. For example, Ill fill my blender a third of the way with chicken and then the rest of the way with what I want to add to it. Mom and I noticed such a difference in Emma when she eats proteins. Shes sooo much happier! And plus she has that long beautiful hair...thanks protein!  Be sure to add chicken broth to these when you blend or it will not blend it and yoj will wear out the motor!

These are Emmas favorites below-

*Chicken, pineapple, brown rice
*Chicken, carrot, green apple
*Chicken, sweet potato, kale (add cinnamon)

Now, side note....I DO buy organic whenever possible. Aldi has great options! Food lion has whole all natural chickens, but my favorite come from lowes foods, or of course farmers markets.

*Month 12+ We are starting on table foods and sippy cup now! (Nuby brand sippy cup for the win, super cheap at Marshalls)
...Tear...where did that tiny girl go? Shes loving anything that we eat but still enjoys her homemade baby food. Im trying to make those purees last as long as I can, while making them chunkier to help her get a feel for texture! :)

Shopping/heath tips:

*We always get organic in the following since we eat them almost daily: milk, apple juice (thanks Aldi!!!), apples, bananas, greens, rice, and snacks. I get happy tot brand snacks after lots of research to find the best store bought organic brand. (You avoid nasty gmo's, gluten, and more with this brand) Yea...they are a little pricey but last a while.

*Freeze cubes of apple juice so you dont waste it! I send cubes of it, and many other things, to moms house since Emma is only there twice a week.

*Shop your local aldi first. Its smazing the organic options they have now, for super cheap!

*"Pinterest" recipes. Ive found teething cookie recipes, purees and more!

I love being a new mom. Its like you are a fresh slate for learning. :)

-Kay

For the Cooks in the House

Nesting has officially hit!!! 7 mo pregnant and I have caught myself staying up til 2 am some nights lately just cooking, cleaning, working, and reading. Better get it all organized before Luke gets here, right?

Well I figured Id share some helpful tips for easy recipes that Ive learned lately. Ill do another post for all my baby mamas on homemade baby yummies. :)

First of all Ive started to follow, on facebook/blog, the page "My Whole Food Life". She posts great crockpot recipes that only require whole foods. Its been an effort of mine to eliminate condensed soups and processed items from our meals. It makes you feel better to not have the added sodium in your diet...not to mention the other junk that is in them. You can ask Emma....our lazy susan cabinet, that was meant for canned food, is pretty much empty now. It takes a little more planning and work, but when you are used to it...its fine.

The first tip I learned is how to make your own condensed soups. Do you ever read these labels? Its not good for you at all! Well I made chicken casserole and made my own condensed soup. It was fabulous! No more Campbells Cream of Chicken for us. Here is the link- http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/condensed-homemade-cream-chicken-soup-recipe/

Now, as for the chicken casserole, I kept two whole chickens in the crockpot for 9 hours...the house smelled divine. I covered them both with water, added a few organic baby carrots and some celery along with salt, pepper, thyme, and celery seed. Once the 9 hours was up, I de-boned the chicken...the least fun part....and had a huge mixing bowl full of yummy chicken!!! I filled a quart bag to freeze, made 16 chicken dinners for Miss E, and made the yummy dinner...all while having 2 qt of chicken stock to freeze!

Recipe for casserole: dice or shred chicken, add to condensed soup (link above) and layer in bottom of 8×8 or round pie pan. (About 3.5 cups chicken). Cook stuffing to directions and add to the top. I mixed a little throughout the chicken too. Cook on 400 for 25-30 min. Yumm!

Modern Day Ninevah

Jonah 1:22 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

This was what God told Jonah.  What did he do? He refused, and thought that he could run away from God.  Truthfully, in his heart, Jonah didn't really WANT the city of Ninevah to be saved...after all he was a Jew and they were Gentiles. Everyone viewed the city as completely wicked, so why would he even bother.  Sound familiar? This was "pre-Jesus" guys, but how applicable is this today? 

It has been laid on my heart for the past week to study the city of Ninevah in the Bible.  If you have accepted Jesus as Lord and you at least try to walk with the Lord...I KNOW you have to feel it too.  The sin of this nation is moving by leaps and bounds.  Selfishness, lying, stealing, murder, adultery, pride, sexual immorality, lack of concern for prayer....The sin of Ninevah was SO great that it was relevant in the heavens.  Contrary to what America believes, Christians and non-Christians, SIN IS REAL. Right now, the majority of America, and the majority of Churches are numb to sin.  It breaks my heart.  They refuse to acknowledge it with fear of being labeled as judgmental.  In reality, its passive and cowardly.  Well...guess what? We serve a God who TELLS us in scripture to proclaim the gospel- the Great Commission.  We cannot fully share the love of Christ with someone without revealing the entire nature of God.  What He loves, and what He hates.  And God hates sin! As Billy Graham wrote: "We are in an epic drought.  We not only seeing basic misunderstanding of the Word of God, there is an absence of God's complete Word." 

I'm sure God is aware of the great sins of this nation as well...and we are tempted, as Jonah was, to just turn our backs on the wickedness that surrounds us and claim we have nothing to do with it.  It was one of the greatest revivals in the Bible.  It wasn't someone telling Ninevah, "Oh its okay, God loves you, you can do what you feel is okay."  It was a revival with a message of repentance from their sins.  And the city of Ninevah believed.  Everyone from the King on down repented and they were forgiven of all of their wickedness.  A city that people had lost hope in....just like we are losing hope in America.  But you know what the awesome thing is- we won't lose hope in our God, we know not to!  A revival CAN happen in America! 

I stumbled upon a link that really caught my attention.  Of course it was talking about Ninevah.  Did you know that the great revival pastor Reinhard Bonnke, from Africa, has now realized (from the Lord a few years ago) that AMERICA is the one in need? Over 72 million people in Africa saved, and he comes to America.  He and other great theologians have joined together in an effort to bring revival to this nation.
Read more at the link:http://mobile.wnd.com/2013/08/94-year-old-billy-grahams-warning-for-america/

More than likely I'm going to start a study on this part of scripture, about Ninevah, if anyone would like to join me.  Searching now for a good credible study to do. Who is ready to learn what God has in store for us as Christians within a modern-day-Ninevah? I am! We have nothing to fear...God loves and protects his children...and he has a divine purpose for each of us! If not for yourself, do it for your children and the children of others, because the America that we once lived in is fading away. 

If you haven't already viewed the video by Toby Mac you can view it here-City on Our Knees It has references in it from Billy Graham about Ninevah.  Powerful words to the song when you think of revival in America.  

"Through the fog there is hope in the distance, from cathedrals to third world missions, 

love will fall to the Earth like a crashing wave....

we could sail across the sea, to a city with one King- a city on our knees." 

So the bottom line? Hit your knees. We won't be leaving that spot for a while. :)

-Kay






Scripture and other things to think on: 

-“Now the Spirit [of God] expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared. … If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:1-2, 6).

-Paul's words about the Word of God-   Paul wrote in connection to the Gospel: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them … so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God … but became futile in their thoughts. … Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1:18-21, 24-25).

-Definition of a coward: "Someone who refuses to do the right thing for fear of consequences"

Back to Back

Ever wondered what it'd be like to have two babies back to back? Well I'm one of those blessed ones to find out. One of my biggest fears was that Emma wouldnt get what she'd need once baby 2 comes along. I'm starting to see that isn't even close to reality. Her life will be so much more wonderful with a lifetime best friend. A few tips I've picked up for having two close together:

1.) Your husband is your partner in crime. Seriously do NOT know what I'd do without Garrett. He does anything I need for Emma no matter what time. He also pours his heart out into his baby girl.

2.) You can wesr two babies at once. Lol...if you are a fan of "babywearing" you'll know what I mean. Here's a picture from our morning walk-

...notice you can see baby two popping out too ;) Want to baby wear while you are 7 mo pregnant? Well...obviously it CAN be done! Excuse Emmas opinionated self, she wouldnt leave her right arm inside the ergo OR leave a bow in her hair. Fun morning lol!

3.) Stay in hiding for the first 4 months. Haha this one actually makes me laugh and Ive heard many moms say it. I remember wanting to stay in hiding with Emma those first 4 months...it was insane! Well Luke will be born in the harsh winter months, so we probably will just snuggle down in our house and never leave. ;) 

Verse of the day: Prov 4:23 "Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do comes from it." 

I can thank my Mama for this verse. Its one of her favorites. And its a constant reminder that it is YOUR job to guard your heart from things that arent good. Happy Friday!!!

Catching Up

I seriously feel like I had fallen off the face of the earth! So many events going on lately, including Miss Priss' birthday party. One year old already? Cant be. :(

Heres a few pictures of her party. Pinterest-inspired farm theme: pink, red gingham, and cow print. It was so much fun getting everything ready and naming all the snacks after "farm lingo". ;)

Carrie made an amazing cake with a homemade baby cow on top. Emma was nottt impressed with this thing called "cake", and she screamed in embarrassment...made for funny memories. 

Kuddos to my amazing hubby for organizing the garage for the event. Especially since it rained, I was thankful for a covered area.

He even organized a hay ride for everyone, complete with rain! ;) 

Im sure Im not the only one who has felt this way, but I have been so burdened by our country and the choices that have been made. There are so many times that I blink and think, is this really happening? ISIS, Same sex marriage, and even just the lack of wisdom in things as little as the foods that we eat... do I want to bring another child into this world? Truthfully no. But God reminds me that I must persevere and raise them into adults who know Him. They will be few and far between. 

Ive started listening to 106.9 instead of klove for the simple fact that there are amazing sermons on this station daily. Tonight he talked about endurance. 

"The ones who endure to the end are true believers. Their faith is persevering, and an enduring faith. But get this- the ability to endure is produced BY the trials."

Something to think on tonight :)