The Momma Stuff Blog

Coffee for one with Tassimo | Review

2012-02-18T11:32:00.000-08:00

Do you Tassimo?

I recently admitted that I'm a bit of a coffee addict so its probably not surprising that I'm quite particular about the coffee I choose to brew in my own home. I've had tons of coffee makers since I first moved out on my own, back when I was in university. I've had machines that brew into travel mugs, expensive coffee makers and cheap ones and one thing I can say with certainty is that brewed coffee tastes best when you make at least 6 cups.

The hubs doesn't drink coffee and considering I usually only drink one cup of coffee at a time, its seems wasteful to consistently brew more coffee than I need. So when I won my Tassimo from Maple Leaf Mommy, I was eager to discover what it was all about.

My Tassimo brews great coffee quickly. Each T-disc has a barcode that tells the machine exactly how to brew the coffee, including the precise temperature and quantity of water required to brew the perfect cup. Since I've been home with my boys (and trying to cut back on my Starbucks addiction) my Tassimo has been my saviour.

There are a huge variety of coffee and tea options for the Tassimo; I allow myself one caffeinated coffee each morning and either the Americano or the Gevalia Dark Roast always hit the spot for me. I love that you can buy t-discs just about anywhere: grocery stores, drug stores, department stores and even office supply stores.

Although I'm off of dairy these days, for the sake of the baby, the Tassimo also brews a mean latte, chai tea or hot chocolate simply add the milk T-Disc to the machine once your espresso, tea or chocolate syrup has finished brewing.

My favourite part of my Tassimo? The boy comes running to help me make my coffee, its quite possibly one of the cutest parts of our morning routine.

So back to my original question, do you Tassimo?

You can find Tassimo Canada on the web, on Facebook and on Twitter.

FYI - there is a voluntary recall on some Tassimo T-discs and brewers; I have already registered for my replacement part and you should too!

I received sample t-discs for the purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own.

Medic Alert Bracelets: Do they work?

2012-02-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

Three weeks ago my sister Kat went into anaphylactic shock.

I knew, without question, that a phone call at 3:30am meant someone was in trouble. Fortunately, she was already at the hospital recovering and her friend was by her side; the baby was due to wake up for a feed so it was close to 5:30 by the time I got to her.

Her reaction came on slowly, over a few hours and although she knows she’s allergic to hazelnuts and latex, she has still been unable to determine exactly what caused the reaction. She was in pretty rough shape and home from school for a week, though I think she’s pretty much recovered now.

Anaphylaxis is scary. I hope the boy will never have to fully experience it, however it’s a very real fear. Almost immediately after we found out the boy was allergic to peanuts, we got him a medic alert bracelet that he wears at all times. It provides peace or mind that regardless of the situation, the boys’ information will always be close at hand to those that would need it.

That belief is currently under review.

Although she was unable to talk, no one checked my sister for a medic alert bracelet. Despite her barely conscious, oxygen deprived state she waved her medic alert at the nurse who repeatedly pushed Kat’s arm away without a second glance. She was a the hospital and NO ONE checked her for a medic alert bracelet.

Three weeks later and she still has a rash on her arm from the latex tourniquet used to start her IV; a minor reaction to a small but unnecessary action. If someone had checked her for a medic alert, they would have known to keep everything latex-free.

I can’t help but be disappointed. I always believed that wearing a medic alert was a proactive move; a medically recognized way to keep medical information is available, regardless of consciousness. But now I’m not so sure, Kat tells me this is the second time she's been to the hospital and no one checked her for a medic alert.

As a parent of a peanut allergic child, I NEED to believe that wearing a medic alert will help keep my boy safe. I must stay strong and I can't allow my faith to be shaken; anaphylaxis is scary enough as is.

Do you or your family member wear a medic alert bracelet? Do you know someone whose live was saved by their medic alert bracelet? Or alternately, do you know someone else whose medic alert bracelet was ignored?

It's all about the choice baby | Potty Training Month 2

2012-02-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

I know I've been talking about potty training a lot lately, but its my reality and its exhausting. For the first time since he was born, I really felt like I was losing a battle with the boy. He wanted to wear the big boy undies and refused diapers but he also refused to sit on the potty and essentially peed wherever he felt like it.

We've tried nearly every suggestion I've read to get him to sit on the potty: special books and toys, treats, bribery, reward charts, bubbles in the potty, sitting backwards on the potty, even watching tv while on the potty. The only thing that's even been remotely helpful has been singing my 'pee pee in the potty' dance after a success.

Given that I see a lot of my brother in the boy, I decided to experiment with a tactic that worked for him. Growing up, my little brother had ADD and one of the things that works for him is to always offer choices and allow him the illusion of control.

When the boy started to shriek and protest a trip to the potty, I calmly told him it was his choice; he could go pee pee in the potty or he could go and have a time out in his room. I want to be clear, I was not trying to threaten or scare the boy into using the potty, I simply needed to provide an undesirable second option to increase the odds that he would choose the option I wanted. Once he thought it through, he promptly chose to head to the washroom where he sat on the potty and went pee almost immediately. Honestly, it felt like a miracle.

Since I started giving him a choice, he has not once chosen a time out (or time alone in his room as we usually call it) and we have had very few accidents. The boy seems to be embracing his new role as the big boy and the big brother and its absolutely amazing.

It's been about a week since I introduced the choice and we've had a number of accident free days and even a two-day streak. but yesterday we had two major successes. First, the boy peed in a public washroom (and on a full size toilet no less) and second, the boy initiated a successful trip to the potty; success truly does taste sweet.

I no longer need to offer a choice everytime I take the boy to the potty, more and more he is understanding how his body works and acts agreeable when its time to go to the potty. It's true, potty training is a tough road, but they all get it eventually and when we embrace and celebrate the little steps along the way the road doesn't feel quite so bumpy.

I'm a finalist in the Canadian Family Tales of Bliss Readers' Choice

2012-02-02T21:41:00.000-08:00

Last February I was honored to win tickets to Blissdom Canada because of all your votes. I had an amazing experience; I met fantastic people, heard thought-provoking speakers and found myself inspired in ways I'd never thought of.

While there, Jennifer Reynolds, Editor-In-Chief for Canadian Family issued an impromptu 'How did you find your bliss' challenge. I spent a lot of time thinking about the topic, I wrote and re-wrote and re-worked the article until it really said what I wanted it to.

And now I'm honored, yet again, because I'm a finalist in the Canadian Family Tales of Bliss Readers Choice. After the editors chose three stories to be published, they chose another thirteen they felt were worthy of sharing with their readers. The stories are amazing and I hope you will have a chance to read them all, but it would mean the world to me if you would read my story and if you like it, I'd appreciate your vote.

CLICK HERE To read my submissionFinding My Bliss by Amber Smith

CLICK HERE To VOTE
(second to last entry)

And once again, thank you all for your support, comments and overall awesomeness, in this instance and always.

Looking for Equal at Walmart Canada | #Cbias #EqualCanada

2012-01-31T22:33:00.000-08:00

Every dietary restriction has its challenges, I know first hand what it means to live a life without gluten and feed a child with sensitivities to gluten, dairy and soy. Food is important to me and finding a way to eat the food I love regardless of dietary restrictions is not optional in my opinion. My continued search for Equal Sweetener has really made me stop and think about all the people that can't have sugar. Of course my thoughts immediately went to all the goodies that I could make with a canister of Equal, but that's just me. My very good friend's husband is diabetic and she's lactose intolerant, so I'm definitely going to make them something tasty.

My sister Kat and I headed off to the Queensborough Walmart in New Westminster BC, which was recently expanded into a Supercentre with a complete grocery store. On our last trip I spent so much time in the food we barely had a chance to look at the rest of the store.

As we shopped the grocery aisles I assumed that I would find the Equal with the sugar and baking supplies and when I didn't find it there, it took me a moment to remember to check the pharmacy, which is exactly where I found it. The yellow Equal Canister I was looking for was on the middle shelf , but I found it kind of odd that the blue Equal products were on the bottom shelf with a different brand of sugar alternative on the shelf between the two.

The Equal yellow canister is their new sucralose sugar alternative and it can be substituted 1:1 for traditional sugar which makes baking adaptations easy. The 275g canister is equivalent to 5lbs of sugar and at a price of $7.97 it feels like a pretty good deal, particularly for a specialty item. Although the yellow canister was on rollback price, only the blue Equal products were displaying rollback tags.

After a quick stroll through the clothing, we headed for the checkout. We accidently ended up in the express lane; somehow we didn't see the sign that the central area of cashiers were all express. Fortunately it wasn't very busy and our cashier was very gracious about the situation.

After our shop both Kat and I were feeling thirsty so we headed to the McDonalds for a smoothie, but were dissapointed they didn't have any. We ended up grabbing some french fries and hitting the Starbucks drive through on the way home instead.

Although I had noticed them outside on the way in, the inside recycling and garbage cans were completely photoworthy and thus worth mentioning. I love garbage cans that emphasize recycling and I think its great that Walmart is making an effort to help their customers, help them, reduce their waste.

Now I just have to find the perfect recipe, something gluten and dairy free that will travel easily from my home to my friends.

You can find #EqualCanada on the web, on Twitter and on Facebook and you can view the rest of my pictures from this trip on Flickr.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #Cbias however all opinions are my own.

Cupid's Cash $850 Giveaway | MamaNYC

2012-01-31T22:08:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the Cupid's Cash Giveaway hosted by MamaNYC! I have teamed up with a number of amazing bloggers to bring you yet another fabulous cash prize.

One lucky reader is going to WIN
$850 USD in Paypal Cash.

To enter the Giveaway please use the Rafflecopter Widget below. This giveaway is open to residents worldwide; 18+. Winner must have a PayPal account in order to claim this cash prize. All entries are optional, but the more completed entries – the higher your chances will be to win this prize.

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway This giveaway is a self-sponsored group collaborative effort in order to provide a cash prize. Each participant has provided funds in order to present this giveaway. This event is in no way sponsored or affiliated with any company or other individual(s) other than those included within the Rafflecopter widget.

Cupids Cash $300 Giveaway | Sober Julie & Kidsumers

2012-01-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Cupid's Cash Giveaway Event hosted by Kidsumers and Sober Julie Doing Life. I have teamed up with a number of amazing bloggers to bring you a fabulous cash prize, just in time for the Valentines Day!

One lucky readers is going to WIN
$300 USD in Paypal Cash!

To enter this giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below. This giveaway runs February 1st at 12:01 AM EST until February 14th at 12:01 AM EST and is open worldwide. The winner will be announced through the Rafflecopter widget and notified by email by the end of the day on February 17th, 2011. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

GOOD LUCK!!!
Participating Blogs:

Sober Julie Doing Life

Kidsumers

Nugglemama's Handful Funny Things Are Everywhere Between The Kids Elegantly Said Shopping in Your Pjs My Little Review Corner The Jolly Blogger A Hen's Nest Nolie's Place Wisconsin Mommy Raising My Boys Humble Pie Tara's View of the World My Secret Home Shasher's Life Maple Leaf Mommy Mommy Moment Smookie Style Thriftymommastips Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar Rants Reviews Pixie Deals Noteworthy Country Mouse, City Mouse Mommies Point of View Bewildered Bug Canadian Coupon Mom Mom's Musings My Big Blue World The Momma Stuff Blog Number Crunching Momma Family Tales Not Ties

McDonald's Fruit Smoothies are gluten-free, dairy-free and delicious | #cbias

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

There's something about smoothies I love, so I was excited to try McDonald's new fruit smoothies, I did my research and not only are they gluten free, when made without yogurt, they are dairy free too. A fast food treat that I can enjoy is always cause for celebration in my books. I'm certain I had seen some coupons for McDonald's smoothies around my house, but I have a tendency to keep and lose coupons until after they expire so I didn't bother looking for them.

I piled my boys into the car, dropped the boy off at preschool and the baby and I were on our way. Once again, we headed to the Ironwood McDonalds so the little man and I could enjoy our visit in the Playplace.

When we arrived the baby was in good spirits and there was no lineup, so I had a chance to really look around. Pretty much the entire menu and all the signage inside the restaurant reflected the McCafe branding. I like the clean look and style, though I'm pretty sure not all the items available are on the menu boards anymore and sometimes I find that a little frustrating.

But I digress, when it came time to make my purchase, I knew without a doubt I would be trying the Mango Pineapple Smoothie, I'm a sucker for the tropical flavours and I'm not actually a huge strawberry fan. Raspberry on the other hand, I would have a hard time passing up. Although I was certain I'd only be having a smoothie, I couldn't help but order a Big Breakfast at the last minute. I recently discovered that without the english muffin, the eggs, sausage and hashbrown are all gluten-free and dairy-free and for only $3.49 its hard to go wrong.

Despite missing his nap, even after an extra 15 minutes of driving, the baby was an amazing date; he happily had a little snack and a few bites of hashbrown while I enjoyed my Mango Pineapple smoothie and Big Breakfast. The smoothie was delicious, the flavours blended well and tasted natural and fruity. Almost as important as taste, the texture was smooth, the ice was uniform and the entire drink melted evenly making it easy to drink every last drop.

Before we left the baby had a quick crawl around the PlayPlace to burn off some steam. One of my favourite things about the PlayPlace is that the room feels very safe and secure; there is only one entrance and that all of the edges are padded and protected.

After that we headed off to pick up my new menu planner from Staples and brief stop at home before running back to preschool to pick the boy up before lunch.

You can check out all my photos from this shop on Google+ and you can find McDonalds on Twitter @MCD_Canada.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias, however all opinions are my own.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

2012-01-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

With yesterday's new moon, a new lunar year began.

In Chinese culture, that's the only year that matters. In fact, my grandmother can't even tell you her exact birthday since she counts it on the lunar cycle rather than the traditional calendar. Much like the traditional new year, our family celebrates on the eve of the new year.

Although I'm sure there were fantastic parades and festivals around Vancouver, our family simply gathers at my grandmother's house for a home cooked meal and of course the exchange of the lucky red envelopes.

As you may know, although I am half Chinese, I don't speak Chinese and as such my knowledge of Chinese culture and traditions is minimal, though I have travelled to China three times, including my most recent trip when the boy was only 8 months old.

When I was young, red envelopes were a cause for celebration; married relatives must provide the unmarried children with cash filled lucky envelopes. As far as I know, there are only a few simple rules.

Each adult must provide each child with a lucky envelope, couples may not give a single envelope.
All envelopes must be received with two hands, accompanied by the appropriate thanks, dough-ja in Cantonese.
One must NOT open their envelopes and count their money until they are in the privacy of their own home, to open them when received is simply rude.
Lucky money must NOT be spent on bills, groceries or other household expenses. It is meant to be enjoyed, so its a perfect excuse to splurge on something unnecessary.

Although I'm a day late, I want to wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY

Gluten Free Expo Vancouver

2012-01-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

As a purveyor of all things Gluten-Free, I'm always on the lookout for tasty, new products and I welcome the opportunity to speak directly with the company about the foods they produce. I'm more than a little excited about the Gluten Free Expo taking place in Vancouver today.

GLUTEN FREE EXPO VANCOUVER
January 22, 2012

11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Croatian Cultural Centre

3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Entrance by Gluten-Free Food Bank Donation

This event will bring together Gluten-Free exhibitors and the public in a forum to taste, talk and enjoy the gluten-free life. Exhibitors include large well known companies such as Kettle Cuisine (who sent me some of their delicious soups to try out), Martins Marvelous Naturals (their gluten-free granola is fantastic), Glutino, Udi's gluten-free, and O'Doughs as well as a number of smaller companies that I'm excited to try out.

It's all happening today so if you're looking for a delicious (and gluten-free) way to spend your Sunday, head on out to the Expo and make sure to say hello if you see me, my sister, my dad and my baby strolling around.

Still Potty Training | Two & a Half Weeks Later

2012-01-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

The word training sometimes feels synonymous with hard work, determination and frustration; especially when said training involves a toddler. As you know, we started potty training in late December and although I was skeptical about 3-day potty training, I was willing to give it a try.

We didn't leave our house for five days, I washed countless pairs of 'big boy undies' and we kept our 'proud parent' hats on at all times.

So the moment of truth, is the boy potty trained?

Two and a half weeks, oodles of stickers, tic tacs and marshmallows later and the answer is still no.

Does he want to wear big boy undies? Yes.
Does he want to wear diapers? No.
Does he know he's supposed to pee in the potty? Pretty sure that's a yes.
Does he want to sit on the potty? HECK no.

So what do we do? We were making great strides, we were down to a totally manageable one accident a day when suddenly, as if a switch flipped, we were back to square one. Refusal to sit on the potty, crying and screaming; literally all things no.

I'm fairly certain its a control thing and the truth is, he's right. I can't make him sit on the potty and I certainly can't make him pee on command, but I'm also not sure where to go from here. I've been offering him a diaper, reminding him to tell me when he has to pee and swooping him onto the potty when he does pee. I've been giving ridiculous amounts of praise when he sits on the potty, even if its because I managed to get him there mid-stream.

But is that enough? I'd let him wear diapers and lay off the training for a while if I thought that would help, but he's as adamant about not wearing diapers as he is about not sitting on the potty.

Honestly, its exhausting and I need a bit of inspiration. I'd love to hear your suggestions on how to get through this particularly trying segment of potty training.

Cranberry Orange Muffins | a gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free recipe

2012-01-07T22:42:00.000-08:00

I love good recipe swaps. I recently swapped my quinoa minestrone recipe for a cranberry orange loaf that I used as the basis for this cranberry orange gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free muffin recipe. These are so tasty that the hubs just ate half of mine after stealing 'just a nibble'. I’ve made these muffins twice this week; the first time batch I split with my sister Kat, but this time I’m keeping them all to myself.

This recipe uses more sugar than I usually do, but I think the tartness of the fresh cranberries kind of needs it so I’m hesitant to cut it back. You could probably substitute honey or ¾ cup of agave with good results if you wanted to keep the recipe clean.

You need to chop up an entire bag of cranberries for this recipe, it’s kind of a pain to do, but it’s worth it if you want little cranberry pockets that ooze flavour in your muffin. I guarantee you will think you have too many cranberries, but I promise you don’t. Stir them in, all of them, you won’t be sorry. I’ve also added a completely optional sprinkling of sugar on the top of the muffin. I just love that little crunch of the sugar with the tart of the cranberry.

This recipe uses my gluten-free flour mix but I'm sure any good gluten-free mix would work. Also, don't skip the ginger ale, that little bit of carbonation really lightens up the muffin. If you don't have any ginger ale, I'm sure any clear carbonated beverage would work, even just soda water.

It’s hard to believe I could love these muffins so much, I don’t even like oranges or orange juice.

Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe

gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten-free flour mix
1 cup sugar + more for sprinkling*
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp xantham gum
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
¾ cup orange juice
zest of one orange
¼ cup ginger ale
1 bag (~3 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F, prepare muffin pans.
In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk the oil, egg, orange juice and orange zest together.
Gently stir the ginger ale into the wet ingredients before pouring the wet ingredients into the dry.
Gently stir the batter, as soon as it starts to come together, fold in the cranberries until blended.
Nearly fill the muffin cups, then sprinkle lightly with sugar*.
Bake for 35 minutes, turning once during baking, until tops are evenly browned and lightly firm to the touch.
Allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 15-18 Muffins
* optional

Balance in 2012 | One Word Goal

2012-01-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

Happy belated New Year, I don't want to start off with apologies or excuses, so I'll simply say, it's been busy.

Before the new year there were a lot of inspirational posts, I really liked Tara's One Word Goal for 2012 and even though I don't really do resolutions, the idea really started to grow on me. One word, something broad but not unattainable; a single word to guide the focus of an entire year.

Balance.

It always feels so elusive, but surely its worth striving for.

25 First Foods for Baby | Starting Solids

2012-01-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

As we all know there is a plethora of information available on what foods to introduce to your baby and I've discussed my thoughts with regard to introducing solids as well. Sometimes rather than wading through a bunch of information, a simple list is easier to follow, so here are the first 25 foods (and a brief explanation for each) that I fed to my little baby boy.

1. Rice cereal - an easy and common first food that can be mixed with nearly all other introductions.

2. Avocado - a smooth creamy texture and loaded with good fat, avocados are easy to transport and are an ideal early food.

3. Sweet potato - another common first food, sweet potatoes are full of nutrients and have a sweet silkiness that babies love.

4. Pears - have a light sweet flavour that can be mixed with anything to make new foods palatable.

5. Chicken - Health Canada recommends meats as a first food to refill depleting iron reserves; I always mix chicken with other foods. For my boys 'chicken & sweet potato' and 'chicken & pears' were hits on the first feed.

6. Quinoa - nutritious and delicious, this super grain is loaded with protein and fibre. Quinoa baby food is easy to make and the baby gobbles it up, again mixed with pears or chicken.

7. Zucchini - a summer squash that's abundant in Vancouver, this moist and mild vegetable is great for blending, but resist the urge to add extra water when pureeing, it thins out a lot.

8. Prunes - at this point I noticed the regularity of the baby's poop's decreasing and the crankiness increasing so I introduced a daily dose of prunes. I simmer the prunes with a little bit of pear to tame down the richness.

9. Banana - I dislike bananas, but they are great food for travel and I was about to head off to Blissdom Canada so I mashed some up and gave them to the boy. In truth, he's not super fond of them either.

10. Carrots - easy to make, easy to eat, easy to blend. It's a common first food for a reason.

11. Peaches - my aunt brought me some peaches from her friends farm so of course I cooked them up for the baby. After that, I just used canned peaches; its far more convenient and the baby only likes them mixed with other fruits anyway.

12. Broccoli - we eat a lot of broccoli in our house, so its natural that we'd introduce it early. At our house it was a hit mixed with zucchini and some rice cereal.

13. Tofu - a great protein source that once again can be blended with just about anything. The dietician told me to make sure you boil it before feeding it to your little one.

14. Blueberries - this sweet purple treat is abundant in the summer here in Vancouver and its another common food in our house. Although the bright purple colour can be intimidating, this antioxidant rich treat is worth it.

15. Potato - Not my favourite, nor my boys, but it’s a welcome addition when you start making dishes that are more ‘meals’ than simply vegetables.

16. Pumpkin - After a visit to the pumpkin patch I had some delicious sugar pumpkins to roast and the baby was happy to partake in their sweet, mellow flavour.

17. Oatmeal - I made my own oats for the boy by grinding up some gluten-free oats and boiling them on the stove before mixing them with fruit for a new breakfast option.

18. Spinach – a nutrient rich veggie I was excited to introduce this to the baby using Annabel Karmel’s superfood puree recipe. Blended with chicken thighs and sweet potatoes, my little man can’t get enough.

19. Parsnips – a readily available root vegetable with a creamy texture, I hoped to use this to blend with foods the baby wasn’t so keen on. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to care much for parsnips.

20. Green beans – another plentiful, local vegetable, I introduced these so that I could prepare one of the boy’s favourite recipes for the baby with my next introduction.

21. Tomatoes – personally I only like cooked tomatoes and skinning fresh tomatoes is just too much work, so I always use canned tomatoes for my baby food. The boy loved ratatouille made with a hearty mix of tomato, broccoli, zucchini and green beans.

22. Pork – after slow roasting a pork should for pulled pork, I blended up some of the unseasoned meat with some pears for the baby boy. Just like pork chops and applesauce, only with pears.

23. Apple – I waited to introduce apples to both my boys simply because some varieties give me an oral allergy; that is they make my throat and inside of my ears uncomfortably itchy. Granted I don’t get that reaction when the fruit is cooked and removing the peel on fresh fruit generally prevents the reaction, but given that my boys loved pears, there never seemed to be a reason to rush to introduce apples.

24. Egg yolk – an quick and easy to prepare finger food, I introduced egg yolk to add a little protein. He likes it more now that he can feed himself, I separate the egg then fry the yolk firm without breaking it.

25. Chickpeas – legumes are rich in fibre, protein and nutrients and if we want our kids to eat them it just makes sense to introduce them as babies.

In general I steam the fruits or vegetable until tender and then puree them with a bit of the steaming water. I use an electric food steamer (which also works great as a bottle sterilizer) which makes it easy to avoid oversteaming the vegetables to ensure they stay flavourful and minimize nutrient loss.

I’m curious which foods you introduced to your little ones; did I introduce anything that you absolutely wouldn’t? Or perhaps I missed something that you think is essential, I’d love to hear what you think.

Lunch on the run at @McD_Canada while on the hunt for #EqualCanada #Cbias

2012-01-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

I've never really been one for fast food, even before I was gluten-free, though I've always had a weakness for McDonalds cheeseburgers. The hubs however, has a bit of a love affair with fast food and eats out a little more than he probably wants to admit.

In the past, we have taken the boy to the Ironwood McDonalds (in Richmond, BC), as its the only location that still has a Playplace, but we've always just had a beverage and shared some fries among us all. Now that we are re-introducing wheat, dairy and soy into the boys diet I'm excited about heading out for more than fries.

So when my Mom and I were out with the boys doing a few errands and lunchtime was upon us, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. We drove across town to Ironwood to pick up some coffees and chicken nuggets.

I haven't tried the coffee since McDonalds unveiled their new McCafe branding, though I'd heard good things about both the taste and flavour. I was happy they had decaf, though I did find that it tasted a little bit old (which frequently happens with decaf).

My Mom uses sweetener in her coffee, so when I was ordering ours, I inquired about Equal sweetener and found they didn't carry it. I was surprised to find that they only have one sweetener option available. I explained to the cashier that it would be great to see more sweetener options as many people are very specific about their sweeteners and also mentioned that Equal is available in Canada in two varieties, including the popular sucralose option. In general I think that having more options for something as simple as sweeteners can really make a difference to the customer and as such is good for business.

To ensure that my opinion was heard I inquired about a comment card, however that cashier didn't seem to know what I was talking about and the assistant manager simply informed me there was no comment box available and that decisions 'like that' were made at a national level and would require discussion at the highest management level. After explaining that was exactly why I wanted to leave a comment, the assistant manager was able to confirm that I could leave my comments on the website listed on the back of the receipt and that she would pass my comments on to her superiors. Of course, I followed up with the online form when I returned home.

While I was ordering food and discussing Equal sweetener with the staff, my Mom and the boys had a quick play in the playplace before we ran home to enjoy our delicious McDonalds take-out.

You can connect with Equal and McDonalds on Twitter @EqualCanada and @McD_Canada and on Facebook at Equal Canada and McDonalds Canada.

“This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias, however all opinions are my own.

Potty Training | Day 2

2011-12-31T22:11:00.000-08:00

The boy's going to be three in March, he doesn't like wearing diapers and he definitely knows 'the baby' wears them. But, he doesn't like the potty; we don't think he's afraid of it, he watches us, tries to flush and used to wave 'bye bye'. But, he also doesn't like new things and potty training is definitely a change. I don't want to physically force him and I don't want to make it hard for him, but I've suspected for a while he was ready.

Then on Thursday he asked for 'no diapers', which I allowed, but as soon as I stepped into the kitchen he started peeing, all over his brother's new Amazing Animals Sing & Go Choo-Choo.

I don't necessarily think it was completely intentional, but I don't necessarily think it was coincidental either.

I asked on Twitter and Facebook and came across some good reading about a 3 day potty training plan. It makes sense to me, don't confuse the kid by sometimes wearing diapers and sometimes wearing underwear. Just slap on the big boy pants, tell him he's a big boy, give him lots of praise and make your entire day (well 3 days) completely about his pee.

Yesterday we went for it.

I had one of my best friends and her son over for the morning, which meant I had an extra pair of hands to help out with the boys, and the hubs had a half day at work for the new year, so I wasn't on my own.

Yesterday, we learned the boy has some serious bladder control.

He danced, he bounced, he squatted and of course he assumed the position; knees together, hands between the legs. He didn't want to pee in those big boy pants, but he sure didn't want to go in the potty either. He made it about 2.5 hours all toll and he spent over an hour putting off the accident.

Today, we got him to sit on the potty.

A definite improvement on crying 'no' and standing up immediately. I took a suggestion to 'find his currency' to heart and we've given a few Hot Wheels for his big achievements and designated a Lightning McQueen notebook only for use on the potty. Then, around 4 this afternoon, we pulled the potty into the living room and got him to sit down (in the midst of an accident) with a new Dora book he got for Christmas and he finally relaxed.

Success! He peed in the potty.

It only happened once, but its still pretty fantastic all things considered. Thank goodness the hubs was home, we're both exhausted and the boy is too, but I think we'll all be happier when the boy's out of diapers.

Merry Christmas | Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that the whirlwind that is Christmas has come and gone. The boy still has a pile of presents under the tree and has taken to saying 'Merry Presents' rather than Merry Christmas. It's the first year he's had any sort of understanding of Christmas, or even the concept of presents.

Seeing Christmas through the boy's eyes make's everything new again, from the small Steveston Santa Parade, to the overwhelming barrage of Christmas presents, its nearly impossible not to enjoy Christmas with an eager toddler in tow.
As I hoped, my Merry Christmas came in the form of a brand new, custom Sony Vaio laptop; unfortunately it came equipped with Photoshop Elements and I've been using Lightroom, so I have some researching and learning to do before my photos will be looking all beautiful with rounded again. I'm also hoping to learn to do a quick and easy watermark.

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas, Hanukkah or holiday season spent with those you love.

Quinoa Minestrone Soup | gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free recipe

2011-12-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

As much as I try to feed my children healthy, nutritious food, I admit that sometime its hard. Like when its the holiday season, you have one son with mono and another whose teething like crazy and you're up far more than you want to admit in the night. Sadly one of the things that tends to slide in those tough motherhood moments is the food and as of late the boy has had more lunches consisting of hot dogs or grilled Daiya cheese and ham sandwiches than I'd care to admit.

That said when I got my act together and made him some homemade fish sticks, yam fries and kale chips for lunch the other day he eagerly gobbled it all up. This simply reminded me that his tastes are tailored to healthy, delicious foods because that's what I feed him and so I realized its time to get back on track; poor food choices should never really be an option.

So I pulled out my Quinoa 365 book and made one of my favourites, Quinoa Minestrone. It's fairly thick and I consider it a stoup (thanks Rachael Ray for coining the term), in fact I like to use a scant measurement for the quinoa just to keep it a little thinner. This stoup is delicious fresh and although the flavours are still great the next day, the quinoa just keeps absorbing the liquid and it gets quite thick the next day, so this time around I opted to make a half batch, which was more than enough for the three of us with one bowlful leftover. This soup takes about 45 minutes from start to finish, veggies chopping included, so its more than possible to decide to make it at 11am and have it on the table in time for lunch.

This is a great meal for the entire family, the baby happily enjoyed this stoup with us for lunch; he's moving to chunkier foods and I was surprised to find that he was happy to eat it without any pureeing. You could try making it without cheese and pureeing for younger babies, but the cheese (Daiya in our case) really gives the soup a creamy texture and taste. The original recipe calls for parmesean, so if your family eats dairy please feel free to re-substitute it back in for the Daiya).

Quinoa Minestrone Soup

Adapted from Quinoa 365 by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming
(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free & Soy-Free)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1 can of diced tomatoes, including liquid
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup quinoa
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup Daiya vegan cheese
1 cup thinly sliced spinach

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and saute the onion, carrots, potatoes and salt until the onion is tender, about 7 minutes.
Add tomatoes and liquid, stock, quinoa and garlic, bring to a boil.
Simmer partially covered, stirring occasionally, until quinoa and vegetables are tender, about 18 minutes.
Add the zucchini and half of the the Daiya cheese. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the spinach and cook for an additional minute.
Ladle into bowls, top with remaining Daiya cheese and enjoy!

Last Minute Gift Ideas | Hallmark Press Pause Panel

2011-12-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to get excited, Christmas is only a few short sleeps away. I can't wait to see the boys face when he sees the tree and the presents waiting for him. I can't wait to see his delight at his new toys and watch as he enjoys them. Of course its the baby's first Christmas so that's exciting too, though he won't really know what's going on, I'm positive I'll catch him eating paper.

All that being said, I have a lot of wrapping to do. My shopping is pretty much complete and this year Hallmark helped me out in that department. Check out some of the great stuff I received as a member of the Hallmark Press Pause Panel.

The Rockin' Talking Santa Hat is super fun, not only does it sing Santa Clause is Coming to Town it dances back and forth all on its own. The hat has a full frame on the inside so its a little heavy and won't fit a toddlers head, though they might just dance along.

And where there's dancing, there's often singing and the Merry-okee microphone transforms you into an elf with the push of the button. I love the elf voice, but neither the boy or the hubs seems to get quite as much joy from it as I do. Merry-okee comes with six pre-recorded holiday songs to sing along with, including 'silly versions'.

This is our first year with a full-size tree, so we can finally really start amassing our own family collection of ornaments. The Wayne Gretsky Ornament is perfect for Hockey Loving Canadian dads; the hubs is getting one this year.

Have an early reader in the house? Jingle the Husky Pup Interactive Storybook and Story Buddy are super fun, read your child the story and as you read along jingle will jump right in and bark, whimper and sing. The best part? I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and saw Jingle in store.

Hallmark has been helping us remember to 'Press Pause' because Life is a Special Occasion all year long, and now they want to help us celebrate Christmas. What are you doing to 'Press Pause' this holiday season?

I received Hallmark product for the purposes of this post, however all opinions are my own.

Toddler Allergy Testing

2011-12-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

Allergies are my reality, nearly everyone in my family is afflicted, including the hubs' side of the family. We have symptoms ranging from anaphylaxis to oral allergies and pretty much everything in between, so it kind of felt like a given that our children would have allergies, to something. So far the baby seems to be showing no indication of sensitivity, but as you all know the boy is a completely different story.

We've been waiting since January, when the mere touch of a peanut butter sandwich sent the boy to the hospital, to see the allergist at Children's Hospital (the reason the boy had bloodwork a couple weeks ago). Although I received a pamphlet in the mail, I wasn't sure entirely sure what the visit would entail and whether we would be doing any testing at the appointment. Regardless, I came prepared with snacks, juice and 'Bear' just in case.

I needed them all.

I was fortunate enough to have Kat along to watch the baby and walk him around in the Ergo carrier, I'm not sure what I would have done without her. Although I was excited about getting some insight into the boys allergies, I was less than thrilled with an appointment at 1:30pm; at our house naptime starts promptly at one.

After a consult with the resident doctor and a chat with the supervising allergist, it was time to whip off the boys shirt and doing some prick tests. He was tested for 23 allergens and had at least minor reactions to most of them, however he only showed up allergic to a handful.

In fact the only food allergen identified was peanuts, which was expected. The tests indicated that he is likely outgrowing his dairy allergy and that his reactions to soy and wheat are not significant. Which means that we have to begin slowly re-introducing dairy, soy and wheat into the boys' diet.

The allergist also identified cats, dust mites and grass pollen as allergens for the boy, which means we need to get extremely diligent about cleaning his bedroom.

All in all, our trip to the allergist was a positive one and I'm excited for the boy to start trying new foods again. I simply hope that the allergist is right and that he can tolerate these allergens particularly now that his eczema is (for the most part) under control.

The Roadhouse Bake Shoppe

2011-12-13T06:56:00.000-08:00

As a gluten-free connoisseur I don't frequent bakeries much these days, but when I heard about a local family owned business, that chooses to sell gluten-free items (baked off-site in a dedicated space), in need of some patrons this holiday season, I decided to help spread the word.

The Roadhouse Bake Shoppe is located in the Surrey / White Rock area of the lower mainland and is located right next door to the family's restaurant McJacs Roadhouse Grille. With the holiday season rapidly upon us, the opportunity to make homemade baked goods is slipping away, however with a quick stop at the Roadhouse Bake Shoppe, you won't have to show up at any of your holiday engagements empty handed.

The Roadhouse carries a number of items from the O'Delish Gluten Free Bakery including gluten-free Christmas cake, breads, cookies, muffins, chips, donuts, stuffing mix and lentil crackers. For those of you that are also dairy-free, don't despair, O'Delish will make your items dairy-free upon request, just give the Roadhouse Bake Shoppe a call and pre-order. I'm literally salivating at the thought of walking into a bakery and having so many gluten-free options.

Did you notice the logo also says 'Cheese Market'? I may be off dairy for the time being, but I am a cheese addict through and through. Once the baby stops breastfeeding, I'll be in serious need of a cheese market.

For those of you that love pictures and a bit of sentimentality, check out what Shasher has to say about the Roadhouse Bake Shoppe.

Although I've never been to the Roadhouse Bake Shoppe, next time I'm in the area I will absolutely be stopping in to sample the delicious gluten-free delights and pick up a little something gluten-full for the hubs.

The Roadhouse Bake Shoppe can be found online and on Facebook and Twitter and the O'Delish Gluten-Free Bakery can be found online and on Facebook and Twitter.

Searching for Equal Sweetener at Starbucks | #Cbias #EqualCanada

2011-12-10T20:25:00.001-08:00

Absolutely no question about it, I love coffee. I love the way the scent permeates your nose and the flavour washes over your mouth. I just love it. And my coffee of choice, for a long time, has been a Starbucks Americano. These days my americano's are decaf and without cream but still equally delicious.

So when I had the chance to go for a coffee in search of Equal I knew exactly where I was going. I was hoping to go for a leisurely coffee with my mom, where we'd have time to sit and chat, sans children and just relax. Unfortunately, time to myself hasn't been in the cards for the past week. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you probably already know the boy has mono (I had no idea toddlers could get it) and I've barely left the house.

So when I had the opportunity to run some errands with my sister for an hour, I jumped at the chance, as long as there was time for a Starbucks run. For me, even in the midst of the chaos, Starbucks always feels like a momentary break. I particularly love when the red holiday cups come out and all the festivity that follows.

While waiting on my coffee, I had the chance to talk with my Barista about sugar substitutes and was pleased to find that they carried three different options, including Equal. During the course of our conversation she explained to me that drive-through customers have the opportunity to choose the sweetener of their choice and that most people have a brand specific preference. We also discussed Equal Surcalose, now available in Canada.

I think its great that there are so many sugar substitute options at Starbucks Canada and I took the time to fill out an online Starbucks comment card to let them know that I appreciate the sweetener choices they provide their customers. I also wanted to compliment the helpfulness of the baristas.

And because I'd love to be able to buy the boy a kids 'steamed milk' and I because I miss dairy myself, I also requested the presence of a non-dairy, non-soy milk alternative such as rice or coconut milk.

You can find #EqualCanada on their website, on Twitter and on Facebook.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias, however all opinions are my own.

Why I Make Homemade Baby Food | Starting Solids V4

2011-12-07T10:39:00.001-08:00

After flopping on the couch, exhausted from a day with the kids and an afternoon chock full of babyfood making, the hubs turned to me and said, ‘why don’t you just buy your babyfood like everyone else?’ I looked at him dumbfounded for a moment before I started spouting off all the benefits of making your own babyfood.

Cost – when you consider that a little 4.5 oz jar of baby food costs close to a dollar and most fruits and vegetables cost somewhere between one and two dollars per pound, it becomes obvious that making your own babyfood is far more economical. For example, I just bought close to five pounds of Bartlett pears for under five dollars, those pears will make approximately four whole trays of babyfood and at 12 oz per tray that’s about 48 oz of babyfood. For the same price I could buy about four to five jars of baby food (unless they are on a super sale), which (in this example) makes homemade babyfood about half the cost.

Taste – have you ever tasted jarred babyfood? It tastes funny. It’s so processed that the natural flavours barely shine through the super strained purees. I want my carrot baby food to taste like carrots and my pears to taste like pears; otherwise I can’t help but wonder if my babe will recognize the flavour once he moves on to table foods. As far as I'm concerned, the thicker stage 2 and 3 jarred baby foods are in a class all their own, they taste gross, they smell disgusting and my spoiled, homemade baby food eating kid wanted nothing to do with them when I took the boy travelling to China at eight months old.

Nutrition – it’s no surprise that fresh, whole foods are the most nutritious options for the entire family, so it follows that fresh homemade food is a good choice for baby. I have been known to occasionally grab a few beginner purees from the store, for those days that I haven’t quite got up the gusto to make baby food, but only after carefully reading the labels. Many jarred baby foods (particularly the stage 2 and 3 variety) have high water, salt or sugar contents. Remember the order the ingredients are listed are an indication of the composition of the food; water should never be the first ingredient.

From a nutrition standpoint, not only does homemade baby food give me complete control over what my baby consumes, it also allows me to introduce foods, like the superfood quinoa, that are not readily available in jarred foods.

Texture – last, but certainly not least, making my own babyfood gives me the power to gradually introduce texture to my boys. There’s no need to go directly from super-pureed to chunky foods. When the baby started eating solids, I pureed everything until smooth, now I puree until there is just a hint of texture. I also make a point of having at least one slightly chunkier food available throughout the week to slowly ease the transition towards table foods.

In essence, by making my own babyfood, I’m saving money, retaining control of what my baby eats and giving him a chance to taste the flavours of a well-rounded, wholesome and nutritious diet that I hope he will carry forward through his entire life.

Do you make your own babyfood or do you buy it from the store? What prompted that decision?

High Crow Gluten Free Christmas Giveaway

2011-12-05T10:36:00.001-08:00

Although I love to bake, the ultimate treat is an allergen-friendly gluten-free goodie that I didn't have to make myself and for that, I always turn to High Crow Gluten Free Foods. This giveaway is direct from High Crow to you, read on for more information from Julie regarding this amazing prize.

Tis the season to indulge in some GF holiday baking! And why not accompany it with a cup of tea in a one-of-a-kind High Crow MUG while wearing your new High Crow T-SHIRT?!

Enter for a chance to win a gift basket full of High Crow baking, plus a High Crow mug and High Crow T-shirt (size M). All entries will be collected and a winner announced the evening of Wednesday December 15th. Giveaway is open to Lower Mainland residents only.

Enter using the Rafflecopter after the jump...

Surviving Toddler Bloodwork

2011-12-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Ever since the boy ended up in the hospital after touching apeanut butter sandwich crust back in January, we’ve been on the waitlist to see the pediatric allergist. We finally have an appointment this month and the allergist has requested some bloodwork. To say I was nervous about taking my 2.5 year old, who doesn’t like to be touched, to have bloodwork would be putting things mildly. I actually found myself feeling a bit anxious about the whole ordeal; I had visions of him screaming and flailing while I failed to restrain him.

Fortunately, I am neither the first nor the last mother to be in this situation, so I turned to social media looking for words of wisdom, advice or guidance. Of course you all stepped up and shared tons of great solutions; here are the ones we used. Special thanks to my Facebook Fans who were full of fabulous advice.

“Make sure he's well hydrated or they'll have trouble finding a vein...”

The boy usually drinks tons of water, but of course the morning of his bloodwork he just didn’t seem thirsty. I needed to pull out the big guns, he guzzled a cup of (half water) juice in about 5 minutes flat. I also gave him a juicebox while we were waiting at the lab.

“Bring food. His favourite food. From my experience, a crying child usually finds comfort/distraction in yummy stuff :)”

This one comes courtesy of a friend who happens to be a nurse, so she has lots of experience with crying children. Although I can’t speak for others, the boy loves his food. The word snack literally grabs his attention and is usually followed by an adorable face and the words ‘want snack.’ I brought more snacks than could humanly be needed during the visit and saved his absolute favourite, a Halloween sized bag of popcorn twists for after the bloodwork was done. A snacking boy is a happy boy at my house.

“Take a bottle of bubbles with you. When they are going to take the blood pull them out and have him blow them away from the side they are doing the blood work. He will be pre-occupied, Good luck!”

Although we didn’t end up needing them, I loved knowing that I had an ace up my sleeve, the boy goes nuts for bubbles, what a great distraction. I love to buy the wedding bubbles at dollar stores, they create tons of tiny bubbles, they are compact and they don’t leave you with soapy fingers.

“Hit the dollar store after for toys and stickers!!!”

There haven’t been many instances that I feel warrant rewards, but getting blood drawn seems pretty valid. Fortunately there was a dollar store in the same plaza as the lab and before we were even at the store I’m pretty sure he’d forgotten about having the bloodwork. I think he felt pretty spoiled to have a chance to be in the store without his brother, getting to pick a toy was pretty much a bonus.

All in all, getting bloodwork for the boy was manageable and not anywhere near as horrible, for him or me, as I anticipated. He didn’t like being restrained, but we plopped him in my lap, I used my leg to hold down his legs, wrapped my arm around him to hold one arm down and then one nurse held his arm still while the other did the bloodwork. By the time they were on the last vial he was barely struggling. After a hug, snack and the promise of a new toy the tears subsided and we were on our way.

How old was your child when he/she had bloodwork? Do you have any other tips for making things go easier?