Max had such a great time at the kiddie pool last week, that we are heading to his grandparents’ house for some good swimming! (Too bad the floaty toy we got him has been recalled.)
Gone Swimmin’
July 3, 2009 at 10:11 am (Uncategorized)
A Pea for You and a Pea for Me
July 1, 2009 at 9:07 am (Green Living, Parenthood, Uncategorized)
We bought fresh peas at the farmer’s market. I made chilled pea soup which we had with a side of salmon and pecorino romano toast.
I reserved a small batch of the peas and made them for Max. He handled them well. This is an illustration of how baby food doesn’t have to be processed or expensive. I merely reserved a little bit of food that we had bought for ourselves anyway and turned it into fresh, nutritious and presumably delicious baby versions. Ok, full disclosure… I thought the peas were a little expensive as adult food. I paid $8 for a lunch sack sized bag of unshelled peas. This will be some of the first foods we try to grow ourselves whenever we get a place with a yard!
Also, a thank you goes out to JerseyGirl who recommended that we give Max yogurt and plums. As you can plainly see, Max loved the yogurt! He also loved the plums, but I didn’t take a photo of that.
Pump Up the Jam – Revisited
June 28, 2009 at 9:02 am (Green Living, Recipes)
I made jam (or possibly a thick sauce) yesterday out of the apricots on my parents’ tree. I had made a test batch about a week or so before, and it was mighty tasty.
I took the pits out of a bunch of apricots. (maybe 3 pounds? maybe more?). I didn’t even bother taking the skin off, which is a huge time saver. I added 1 cup of water. (next time i”ll do 1/2 cup). Brought to a boil, then a soft boil for 20 minutes or so. Use immersion blender till it’s all same consistency. Then add 3 cups of sugar. and the juice from 1/2 a lemon. (around 2 tbsp). I also put in the zest of the lemon. I let it continue at a gentle boil till the mixture held its shape on a spoon.
For jarring, I sterilized wide mouth 1/2 pint jars. I looove the new jar tongs! MUCH safer than trying to use regular kitchen tongs. Then I funneled the mixture into the containers, leaving 1/4 inch of space on top. Then I covered with sterlized lids. Then submerge the jars in water and boil for 10 minutes. Let cool and give away to family members…because I don’t need 5 jars of apricot jam.
Next adventure: Plums!
A New Food Group!
June 26, 2009 at 1:08 pm (Green Living)
Max is loving his solid food! The other day J. started him on cottage cheese. He loved it! He pounds on the tray to show he wants more.
So, to recap here are the foods he’s had so far (and any tips I have to go along with said item):
- rice cereal (just a few days at the beginning, and we also use it to thicken up extra juice fruit purees
- sweet potato (roast for an hour in the oven on a rack, then peel, mush and serve)
- banana (freeze extra banana mush in ice cube trays)
- avocado (mush on its own, or in combo with banana)
- carrots (use a metal steamer tray, then combine with banana cube)
- zucchini/squash (steamer tray)
- peaches (peel, mill, combine with rice cereal to compensate for the juice)
- apricots (at first I’d take the skin off, now I mill it with skin on)
- COTTAGE CHEESE!
- (oh, and he gnawed on some ciabatta crust the other day, but since the crumbs went into his diaper rather than his tummy, I don’t really count that)
Things I’m nervous for no reason about giving him: oatmeal (maybe because I don’t eat it), broccolli, plums (maybe too tart?), strained meats — I don’t even know where to start with this one.
Am I missing any key things that babies love at this stage??
I’m hesitant to go for any of the puffs/baby biscuits type stuff. It seems like those must be loaded with chemicals to be able to disintigrate in babies’ mouths. Anyone want to talk me down from that?
Is it time to start with cheerios yet?
Not so fast…
June 24, 2009 at 10:39 am (Uncategorized)
Turns out that greenpress is not quite ready for prime time. I’m optimistic that they’ll get their ducks in a row soon enough, but till then, I’m afraid I’ll have to continue posting here. Sorry for the drama!
Moved!
June 22, 2009 at 10:37 am (Uncategorized)
You can find me at http://almostima.greenpress.com
Hope to see you there! (And it will look better soon, I promise)
Another Cheap Dinner Option – Frittata
June 21, 2009 at 9:27 am (09 - Saving is Fun-damental, Frugality, Recipes)
As you may have noticed, pictures have been a bit sparse on the website. I’m borrowing J.’s computer these days because it’s a little faster, but most of my pictures are on another computer. Ah, the complicate
d joys of technology. Anyway, here are some photos of one of dinners this week: frittata. Every ingredient is from the farmers market. I didn’t calculate the cost of each ingredient, but I’d venture a guess that it’s roughly $5 a serving. This frittata also makes use of a couple of egg whites left over from making mayo.
The Smell of Clean
June 20, 2009 at 12:37 pm (Green Living)
We’ve had our apartment cleaned a few times by a service. We asked the service to use only green products in our house.
It didn’t occur to me till last night that after the cleanings the apartment doesn’t smell like it has taken a chemical bath. I always associated “clean” with harsh lemon-type smell. But now, after the maids leave, the apartment looks great, yet it doesn’t smell like anything. It’s just clean.
We don’t have to worry about what our son crawls on or sticks in his mouth. We can all rest a little easier. (Well, maybe not Stella)
We’re Movin’ On Up to the Green Side
June 19, 2009 at 8:19 pm (Green Living)
I’m still figuring this out as I go, but I am moving. Not moving from my apartment (yet). This time I’m moving my blog to greenpress.com. It’s a new community that aggregates green-theme blogs into a community. All things being equal, I’d rather lend my support behind a green start-up.
I am joining greenpress.com as a “founding blogger.” So, that’s kinda fun, no?
I still need to figure out the logistics of the move, but probably by the end of the weekend you’ll be able to find me (and all my old content) at http://almostima.greenpress.com.
Hope to see you there!
White House Organic Garden Update
June 18, 2009 at 4:01 pm (Uncategorized)
Check out this great video clip on the progress of the white house organic garden! When one considers how long it takes for change to take root in Washington, it’s nice to see such wonderful growth in just a few short months!
