Our Favourite Tennis Mum!

Congratulations to Kim Clijsters, our favourite tennis Mum, on winning the 2011 Australian Open!

I love her winning style AND the fact that she makes all of her own homemade baby food....even when on tour :)

Latest Review by Inhabitots

At Mumi&Bubi, we believe that there is nothing more eco than making your own healthy, homemade baby food.

As a big fan of modern green design, I like to keep an eye on what’s happening over at Inhabitots, your guide to green parenting, eco baby and green kids.

Check out their fabulous Solids Starter Kit review. Thanks, Beth! We think it’s time to give standard issue ice cube trays the cold shoulder too :)

Solids Starter Kit review

It is so neat to receive your feedback and hear that the Solids Starter Kit really makes solids easy for starting solids ~ and beyond.

Here is the latest customer review from Vanessa, who purchased her Kit from Breastmates:

"My son started solids a couple of weeks ago and I've found this set to be AWESOME. I love the fact that each cube is 30ml which is quite a bit bigger than your normal ice cube tray and with 42 cubes you can freeze over a litre of pureed food. They stack great in the freezer. I have frozen a selection of individual fruit and veges andput them into zip lock bags and now when its feeding time I just pop a few out and microwave them - cheap and easy and you can mix and match foods easily. When its time to introduce a new food I may just mix in one cube with something they are familiar with and then as they get used to it I put more in. Easy to clean and very durable. I have been recommending this to all the mums I meet!"

Thanks, Vanessa! I hope you find your Solids Starter Kit just as useful as your son progresses into finger food, then for making toddler snacks and saving heaps of $ by freezing your leftovers into handy, easy-to-defrost cubes :)

Another Happy Mum :)

I just love our mumi&bubi Mums (and Dads)! Even more so, I love that our Solids Starter Kit really makes their lives easier.

This just in from our happy Mum, Nicola:

"As we are at nearly 10 months now, Thomasina is more or less eating what we do. However, yesterday as i steamed another batch of pears for breakfasts, i was sooooooooo thankful i had my mumi&bubi solids starter kit! This really has been one of the best bits of "must-have-baby-kit" i ever received, thank you thank you thank you!!!"

Get organised for solids and beyond with a mumi&bubi Solids Starter Kit today at:
http://www.mumiandbubi.co.nz/solidsstarterkit.htm

Solids Starter Kit on sale at Baby City!

When out and about shopping this week, pop into Baby City and pick up a Solids Starter Kit ~ now only $29.99!

Join the Bub Club and be the first to hear about sales, new products, exclusive offers and more!

Sale on in store, online and by phone (0800 BUB CLUB) until 24 December 2010 :)

Mango baby puree

Mangoes are so delicious and refreshing in summer and, as they are grown in so many tropical parts of the world, you can usually find one...if you don't mind the food miles! The Aussie mango pictured here is so tasty and sweet!

I thought to be realistic that I would only use 1 mango for this recipe. They are pretty pricy and definitely a "treat" food in our house as a result.

I was surprised at just how much puree a single mango yielded: 12 and a half 1oz cubes out of this mango :)

Recipe for Mango Baby Puree:
-Wash and halve mango. A large seed will be on one side, like an avocado. Scrape as much of the mango flesh from the inside of the skin and around the seed as possible and into a bowl.
-Puree with a stick blender (or just mash, or slice as a finger food for older babies)and spoon into your mumi&bubi freezing tray.
-Place the lid on, making sure the tabs are on the same side.
-Freeze overnight.

Nutritional Info for Mango:
Mango is packed with Vitamins C & A ~ a single serving will provide 76% of your daily Vitamin C requirements and 25% for Vitamin A. And the orange colour indicates a healthy dose of cancer-fighting carotenoids. What a powerhouse for immunity as well as healthy skin and eyes!

While mango is an ideal food for babies, I would leave it for babies 8m+ as tropical fruit can sometimes produce a reaction in young babies. As always, consult your Plunket nurse or family doctor if unsure of introducing new foods and always introduce new foods exclusively for 3-4 days.

Mango would also be ideal added to banana lollies for older kids :) And for Mum & Dad, pop a couple of these frozen mango cubes into a smoothie to really pack a big Vitamin C punch!

Mango!

Australian mangoes are coming into season, yum!

In many Asian countries, mangoes are known as the king of all the fruits. And for good reason: they are packed with nutrients, anti-oxidants and, their high water content makes them so refreshing on a hot day in summer.

To get ready for mango season, I am posting new recipes all this week. First up: mango baby puree, of course :)

Winehot

In case you were wondering about the romantic French bistro??? I have one word for you:

Winehot

Here are some more words: sexy, unpretentious, best food ever, intimate, amazing service & atmosphere ~ think black walls and glittering old-world chandeliers.

How much? How little! we had 3 drinks before dinner (Gav: 2 beers, me a glass of bubbly) and then a gorgeous bottle of wine with:
1 bread & dip plate to share ~ best in town says Gav, I didn't know he kept an eye on the bread & dips around town, but apparently so and this one's a winner :)
2 mains:
Merino lamb for me because I usually only wear it, not eat it and had to have a taste, yum. Gav had the Steak frites and is still talking about it 5 days later. Gavin even raved about the salad dressing - so light! so tasty! - and if you haven't met him before, he's a pretty laid back, non-rave-y type of guy, especially about salad dressing.
1 dessert:
the creme brulee, of course. Nice and crispy on top.

All of this deliciousness for only $140. If we eased up on the sauce, the total would be well under $100, more like $80. What a gem! We'll be back....very soon.

from Gavin since our Winehot experience:
Saturday ~ all tucked up, nearly asleep and he says, "So, how soon can we have another date night and go back to Winehot?"
Sunday ~ "What kind of blue cheese do you think that was on my steak? I can't stop thinking about it." What???
Monday ~ walking back from the produce shop "What kind of oil do you think they use at Winehot to cook those fries?" Me: "Hmmm, must be a good one, and a pretty special variety of potato, too." Gav: "I think I'm going to buy myself a deep-fryer for Christmas."

Winehot
605 New North Road
Kingsland
Auckland
www.winehot.co.nz

Beetroot puree tip

When cooking beetroot to puree into baby food, steaming is very easy. But if you have the oven on anyway to cook dinner, why not try roasting your beetroot in foil?

Roasting beetroot makes it taste sweeter and brings out a complexity flavours that steaming does not. Wash under running water, shake off the excess water and trim any greens, then wrap in foil. Wrap as many beets as you like in the same foil packet and bake in the oven at 180C.

Check smaller beets after about 25min, larger can take up to an hour. When they are cool enough to handle, you can use a knife to peel but you will find that the skins peel away very easily.

For the baby puree, throw the beets into your blender or use a handheld stick blender for a smooth puree. Hopefully, you will have cooked enough for a big batch of beetroot cubes to freeze in your Solids Starter Kit and some for you to enjoy :)

Intolerance to milk?

Today's solids tip is from our Plunket nurse, Yvonne. She has helped me overcome dietary intolerances in both of my children and today, her tip is about milk intolerance.

The first time I noticed that something was up with Isobel and milk was when we switched from formula to organic cow's milk when she turned 1. She began to get these inflamed, itchy eczema-like patches on her abdomen and thighs. After a few days, it became pretty clear that it was the milk as it got progressively worse and milk was her only new food during that time.

Even though she was 1 and well past the starting solids stage, this emphasised how important it is to introduce new foods - one at a time, for a few days - and keep track of any changes in behaviour or skin appearance during that time.

The good news is, you've got plenty of options if your baby has a milk intolerance:
-boil the milk: bring to a boil in a saucepan. The act of bringing it to the boil takes care of that harsh protein that causes the intolerance, brilliant! We have been doing this, it is easy and it does work. I boil about 500ml a couple of times a week for Isobel, let it cool and store it in the fridge in a glass bottle.

-go back to formula. I had wanted to eliminate the formula altogether by this stage, but she has it a couple of times a week in her Safe Sippy. I notice now, at 15months of age, that she is starting to wean herself from formula and only has about 100ml anyway.

-drink goat's milk! Although theoretically the same chemical composition as cow's milk, goat's milk does not cause this sort of intolerance and people who suffer from allergies or intolerances to cow's milk swear by it. Our friend, Mel, also recommends it :)

More good news for Isobel: this is not an allergy to milk and she will very likely outgrow this milk intolerance. How do we know that? Well, she is fine with formula which comes from cows, no problems with cheese or yogurt either, thank goodness. We'll try her again with cow's milk when she is 2.

I hope this has been helpful! If you have any tips that you would like to share, please add your comments below.