review & giveaway! baby gourmet organic baby food - giveaway ended!

this giveaway has ended!  did you win?!?

i was so lucky to receive a sample of baby gourmet organic baby food... or should i say ian was.  my boy loves his food- and there is nothing worse for me than to be stuck out somewhere without food for my little guy.  i love all the squeezable baby food options that are out there- it's so much easier (and MUCH tastier) than conventional jarred baby food.  just pop a couple packs in your purse or diaper bag & you've got a meal for your baby or toddler on the go.  if i'm out somewhere with ian, there's a chance i have at least one baby food item with me!  i also love these pouches b\c they're perfect for self-feeding.  ian usually downs his in record time, coming up for air long enough to ask that you push the leftovers to the top so he can then get them out himself!!  these are perfect for everywhere- sporting events, church, babysitter, day care, shopping trips- no need to worry about tubs & jars of food... and no need to worry about silverware!

i was really excited to try baby gourmet.  another reason that we love the squeeze pouches of baby food is that they are perfect for getting picky babies/toddlers to eat fruits & veggies that they might not regularly eat.  as i said before- ian is a really good eater, but we've run into some issues lately where he refuses to eat things that he normally does, or he refuses to eat the non-pureed version of many veggies.  baby gourmet combines those veggies with delicious fruits and makes it so yummy, your baby won't even know they're eating veggies!  from juicy pear & garden greens to roasted squash & fruit medley- your baby is getting a fruit & a veggie in one delicious dish.

i made ian's baby food myself, i liked the fact that what i was feeding him was fresh- made by me.  baby gourmet isn't made by me, but it's 100%, no thickeners or fillers, no added sugar or salt and bpa free packaging.  i can also vouch for how yummy these are- i figure if i'm making him eat it, i can at least try it myself- and these are good.  the old fashioned apple crisp has been my favorite... so far!  i'm really looking forward to giving ian the vanilla, banana, berry risotto, so i can try that one as well- sounds so yummy!

so, i couldn't just try all this yummy baby food without sharing!  i have a sample for you too!  your sample will be the roasted squash & fruit medley.  delicious banana, apple & pear with vanilla & roasted squash!  plus it contains 70% of baby's daily vitamin c requirement!  we have had some allergy problems with squash in the past- so i thought who better to share with than my readers!!  the roasted squash & fruit medley is a level 2 (yummy combos) food.  this is best suited for 7-8 mo+ as most children by this age have gotten to try a variety of foods & textures.  this sounds like a truly yummy combo to introduce that i'm sure your little one will love!

 i know somebody that loves it!! 

wanna win it?!

just leave a comment telling me what your little one's favorite food is- or if they aren't to that stage yet, let me know what you're looking forward to introducing to them!

so easy!  

want to increase your odds of winning?  

1.  like baby gourmet on facebook or follow them on twitter @babygourmet

2.  follow me on twitter for pointless tweets @mcmellll or tweet about this giveaway...  including my handle & baby gourmet's handle. 

3.  i'd love if you were a regular reader- so follow my blog!

so, you could have 4 entries total

don't forget to leave a separate comment for your additional entries to count!  giveaway ends sunday 8/21 @ 11:59 pm.  winner announced on monday 8/22!

*disclaimer:  i was not compensated monetarily for this review or giveaway.  the products were sent to me in exchange for a review, in which i chose to giveaway part of what i received.  the opinions stated here are mine and mine only and cannot be bought!

wean green cubes review

about wean green the company:  founded in canada in 2008 by melissa gunning, wean green is dedicated to providing parents with safe and environmental baby products that fit into every parent's diaper bag.
"we love researching environmentally friendly, modern, and unique baby products. we also love it when our diaper bags match our shoes! with this in mind, we created a company devoted to combining eco and chic in all of our products. our eco-chic designs make it possible for parents to choose environmental products without sacrificing style.  wean green grows with your baby, too. our wean cubes were designed with many secondary uses, including keeping cereal from spilling all over your purse!  our goal is to ensure that your eco-footprint does not grow faster than your baby's sweet little feet. the wean green team continues to design products that will meet the expectations of our weaners and their proud parents."  wean green means it when they say they are keeping their eco-footprint as small as your baby's feet:  their packaging is environmentally friendly and contains NO paper!  all of their invoicing and media kits are done electronically.

about wean green cubes:  wean green cubes are a safe way to store and transport food for your little one- they're bpa, pvc, phthalates and plasticizer free!  they are made from 100% recyclable glass that's durable enough for the dishwasher and to stand the heat of a microwave and the cold of the freezer (from my personal experience, don't accidentally send one flying off your kitchen counter onto your tile floor, b\c i'm pretty sure no glass can handle that).  wean cubes have smart clip lids that lock into place keeping air out of your food, and food out of your bag!

about my experience with wean green:  these cubes have changed our lives in the baby food department.  every night we were taking out our bowls, filling them with baby food, and covering them with plastic wrap that didnt' stick to the bowls.  heating food took forever... and traveling with the bowls, forget it.  we were using food storage containers that i'm sure weren't bpa free.  the wean green cubes eliminate all this mess.  we take the food straight from the freezer, pop 2 servings in the cubes and either go straight to the microwave or the refrigerator to thaw.  the cubes not only heat the food faster and more evenly- they also don't get hot!  i did manage to break one of my cubes by accidentally slinging it off the kitchen counter (there were tears involved), but that was more of a clumsy mommy thing.  they are also extremely easy to travel with- put the food in the cubes, clip the lid- and drop them into the diaper bag (they fit perfectly in the side bottle pockets.  no spills, no worries.  they clean easily and don't stain.  my husband raves about them EVERY TIME he uses them.  his words:  "these are totally awesome, i love them!"  i definitely wouldn't want to go back to life without them.  if you feed your baby, these are a MUST!

wean green cubes in action:

wean green cubes come in 4 delicious colors:  blueberry, raspberry, carrot & peas

up close and personal- tight fitting lids prevent spills and keep food fresh!

ian's food for the lunch & dinner- easy as can be!  (ian was eating plums & pumpkin for one meal, and mango & cauliflower for the other)

from the microwave, straight to the table!

interested in buying wean green cubes for your little weaner?  go to their website and during checkout enter the promo code "ohbaby"

disclaimer:  the opinions stated here are mine and mine only.  i was not compensated for this review, however, i did receive a sample of the product to try and review. 

awesome mom check-in

i'm not one for tooting my own horn, but i kicked some serious ass today/tonight. 

i'm on day 7 of the shred- and it's going well.  i'll admit, i didn't shred yesterday, as i had pregnancy-like tiredness.  btw, anytime i have a pregnancy like "symptom" i get really paranoid.  being pregnant is awesome- but this is neither the time or place.

after shredding and getting ready, we headed to the grocery store- we had been making just small trips while our friend was staying with us, and it was time for a real trip.  so we got our groceries, some new pillows for the bed, and a 5-piece patio set (in late august, yes).  after she had finished ringing everything up, the total was over $285- then we gave her our coupons... our new total- $202!!  we basically got the patio set for FREE!  The receipts at target always print what you saved and we saved $91!!  couponing = total pain in the butt that is so worth it!!

after we got home, i made dinner- which was pretty much a 6-dish meal!  coleslaw, shrimp tacos (husband grilled those for me), guacamole, mexican rice, black beans and apple bars w\ homemade whipped cream for dessert!!  i managed to do all of that in about an hour & 15 minutes.  it was awesome...  photo evidence:

in between all that i made baby food for ian:  plums and yellow squash- plus, i froze some canned pumpkin for him.  i had to put nectarines, peaches, and more peas & apples on hold for another day.  i can only do so much...

i'm off to pat myself on the back, and rest until tomorrow... which after all, is another day....

myobf

#20 on the 30 before thirty - make ian's baby food.  let's just say the making of it is easier than figuring out when to give him what, when to start mixing, and what to mix.  sheesh.  behold, i will show you how to myobf (that's make your own baby food)...

i went with sweet potatoes- which will be food #2 3 that we are introducing.  we started with acorn squash, which made ian's skin break out, and if i had to write a blog on how to make baby avocado- then i shouldn't be blogging. 

i decided to make ian's baby food because of how easy everyone said it was + i'm always here + i love to cook + i have nothing better to do.  it also tastes better- have you ever eaten jarred baby food?  at my baby shower, we played a game where i was blindfolded and had to taste several different flavors of baby food and identify them.  i didn't do well- you couldn't even tell what many of them were!  ick!  fresh food just tastes better!  i also think it helps us to eat healthier- i just buy extra- cook it all at once, and then there's enough for husband & i to have what ian has.  more veggies = healthier.  healthier = thinner.  thinner = me fitting into my clothes.

here's how easy it is!  myobf- sweet potato style. 

1.  scrub your potatoes.

2.   prick holes into the potatoes

(those poor potatoes)

 

3.   microwave potatoes until tender (you can also bake in the oven for 60 min, but this was much quicker).

4.  remove potatoes from microwave carefully (hot potato isn't just a game- it's a fact).  slice potatoes open to let cool- this way you can handle them without receiving 3rd degree burns.

 

5.  scoop the delicious, orange sweet potatoey flesh out and into your blender/food processor.

 

6.  add 1\2 cup of water to potatoes and puree to desired consistency, adding more water if necessary.

 

7.  desired consistency.  

 

8.  pour potatoes into ice cube trays if freezing (i suggest freezing because most foods are good for a month- some 2 months, while refrigerated food needs to be used within days).  i got my trays from my Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Kit, but you can buy them anywhere for cheap!

9.  freeze 8-10 hours or overnight!

10.  once frozen, remove cubes from trays and store in ziploc baggies.  be sure to label baggies with date and food.  my potatoes were still frozen, but here are my frozen apricots & acorn squash!

and there you have, 10 easy steps to making your own baby food- all it takes is 30 minutes.  done and done.