Thankful Thursday- 1/13/11

Hello hello! It's that time again, friends! Today I am sharing my thanks for my super-duper awesome and convenient Beaba Babycook! I don't know if any of you have one of these, but it makes feeding baby healthy, homemade food a breeze.

It steams, blends, defrosts, warms, and it's all in one nifty little gadget. I mean, I can make about 6 servings for baby in under 15 minutes. The best part is I can use fresh, organic food; cooked precisely, so it doesn't lose valuable nutrients, with NO PRESERVATIVES. I can control exactly what my baby is eating, and make her things that you just can't get from grocery store baby food.

I. LOVE. IT.

I think she does too. I don't know if anyone has noticed, but there is just not a great selection of baby food in stores anyway. They may have 2 or 3 options for 1st starter foods, and you certainly can't make your own combinations of foods either. Also, like I mentioned before, it only takes 15 minutes or less, and I can then either store it in the fridge for use within 3 days, OR I can freeze it in these cool little BPA free silicone storage containers for up to 3 months, and pop out one serving at a time.

It's not just for infant purees though, it can also cook and serve, has a rice and pasta cooker attachment, as well as any other "food processor" function you can think of. I'm excited for baby A to get past the puree stage so I can really start cooking! Man, it must be nice to have a personal chef! Haha!

I've got these two books as well, which compliment the Beaba cooking method and are both chock full of information, recipes, and even tips for helping to integrate baby's eating into Mommy and Daddy's dinner time. Baby & Toddler can be found at Williams Sonoma, and the Babycook Book can be found at the Beaba website, or on Amazon. Click on the book to be directed for purchase. :)

Needless to say, with all the preservatives, additives, and unknown ingredients in baby food today, it's nice to know I can provide my baby with the best head start possible. I'm just thankful someone came up with a fast, easy way to do it so I can spend more time with my little darling, and not toiling away in the kitchen all day long!

Are there things in your life that make everyday things easier? Share below!



XOXO

            

Tutorial Tuesday- Roasted Butternut Squash

Welcome to the very first installment of Tutorial Tuesday! I'm going to start things out nice and easy with a tutorial for roasting butternut squash. Butternut squash is one if those super-versatile vegetables that, especially when roasted, can be used for making all kinds of things. But we'll get to that later. ;)

Lets get started!

First, take your fresh squash and cut length-wise into halves. Scoop out all of the seeds and the stringy, uh, stuff. (I'm sure it has a name, but oh well!) I like to use an ice cream scoop since well, it is made for scooping after all, but any metal spoon will do just fine.

Next, place the halves cut side down in a baking dish. I used one of those little disposable roasting pans from the grocery store because every. single. one. of my baking dishes is currently occupied. (I told you I'd be cooking up a storm!) I don't think the actual dish is all that important anyway as long as it has sides tall enough to hold everything in.

Add enough water to come up the sides of the squash about 1/4 inch.

Preheat the oven to 375°, then cook the squash uncovered for about an hour, or until realllllllllllllly soft and starting to brown. Ooooh Just look at that toasty goodness. See how mine are even starting to fall apart? That's perfect!

By the way, the smell is just fantastic!

When you take the pan out, drain the water off* and let the squash cool. Be patient, believe me, those suckers are going to be hot for awhile!

*If you're going to puree the squash for soup or for making baby food, collect the cooking juices in a container and set aside to use for thinning your mix.

When the squash pieces have cooled enough to handle, whip out your trusty metal spoon again and scoop out all of the flesh. Sometimes, the skin just peels right off, and there's no scooping required. ;)

If you haven't already eaten it all by the time you're finished, you'll have a nice big bowl full of butter-nutty goodness! I used half of mine to make baby food, and the other half to make butternut squash risotto for me and the hubbs. YUM!

So there you go, Roasted Butternut Squash: easy-peasy! Go for it! :)


XOXO

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