One Week Down: Gluten-free

I am one week into my Gluten-Free (GF) diet; and just as a reminder, I am not doing this for fun, this is out of a need to heal my body. It hasn't been as hard as I originally thought it would be. I find that I am just eating more naturally GF products (with a few corn chips and GF pretzels thrown in.) I have stopped looking at this change as a bad and disappointing thing but more of a change for the better. I am already noticing that I am making better food choices and my body can tell the difference. I figure it will take a few more weeks to really notice a change but I know my mornings haven’t been as painful. I will still get an upset stomach after eating some things that I thought were GF or anything with too much dairy, but still it hasn’t been as bad. I know I have a lot more research to do to fully understand the GF lifestyle and I am prepared for the challenge adventure.  I am starting to see this as a life change, and not just a hump in the road, I have to admit it is a little scary but like I just said, I am prepared for this and having my family's support really helps.

I have been looking at different blogs, through different books, trying to get inspired for different food ideas. This past week, I ate a lot of salad with all my favorite add-ins, well except the croutons but nuts and seeds make up for the crunch. Some of the other foods I ate/made were: egg muffins with sautéed kale and mushrooms, that were great as a grab and go morning breakfast along with a banana; pumpkin and sweet potato soup, I froze some and the rest brought to work for lunch; tacos! {I love tacos} in corn shells of course and had left overs for lunch. I also snacked on grapes, multigrain corn chips, GF pretzels, hummus and vegetables like cauliflower and celery. I got to try Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix, for one evening we did breakfast for dinner. I personally really enjoyed them. It was a combination of different flours which included almond. There was a chocolate chip cookie recipe on the side of the bag that I would like to try at some point.

I have two parties to attend this weekend, the one I know that I will be bringing at least one dish (maybe two) but the other is a kids party and will probably not have too much for me to nibble on.  Both parties I will probably eat at least something before I go, just in case. [Side note: this wasn't posted until after the parties, I gave in and tried a piece of an awesome Mushroom Marsala Tart and I am not sure how much it did to me because I also drank too much wine and that usually bothers me, but either way my belly was NOT happy with me in the morning.]

Okay, so enough about that and now on to the recipes.  I mentioned this soup on an earlier post, it was originally from The Gluten-Free Goddess, I made a few changes due to what I had on hand.  The flavor was really good, not too sweet, not too spicy. I also try not to over puree soups because I like a little texture.  The egg muffins on the other hand were inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, I like having things I can just grab and go in the mornings.  And these freeze really well.

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup

(adapted from the Gluten-Free Goddess, see the original recipe here)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Dash of salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
2 small sweet potatoes, roasted, peeled, cubed
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry

In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Add in the chopped carrots and celery, and stir in the spices. Lower heat and gently cook for about 10 minutes.

Add in the pumpkin, sweet potato, broth and sherry; stir together. Cover and bring to a slow simmer, cooking the soup for about 25-35 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.

Remove from heat, and puree the soup. (I used a my blender, and pureed it batches filling only about half way full. Put the pureed soup back into the pot and continue to cook on low. Taste and adjust the seasonings.  This made about 6 servings or so and seems to freeze well.

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/11/pumpkin-sweet-potato-soup.html#ixzz2AKacxJ3O

Egg Muffins with Kale and Mushrooms

(makes 12 muffins)

2 cups Kale, chopped (spinach would work also)

1 cup mushrooms, sliced (use your favorite)

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

6 eggs

3 tbsp plain yogurt

pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent  Add the chopped kale and mushrooms toss to coat in the oil onion mixture, sprinkle with the salt and cover. Let cook until the kale had wilted and the mushrooms are tender.

Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray, fill each cup about half way with the kale and mushroom mixture.  Let cool slightly.

Mean while, whisk the eggs and yogurt together. Fill the muffin cups with the egg mixture. Bake  at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or so until the egg is firm to the touch.

*I didn't add cheese but you could easily add different ingredients. However, I do add a little bit of cheese on top when I heat them in the microwave. They only take about 30-45 seconds to heat through in the microwave from a frozen state.  You could also use a mini muffin pan to make little appetizers. The options are endless!

In case you have been wondering...

Fall. It is hands down my favorite season; it is also my least favorite. Go figure. It is funny how one can look forward to and dread something all at the same time, but I do. It is a struggle every year.

I love the crisp air, sweat shirts and jeans, bonfires, the color change, the smell in the air, the food...oh sweet warm and comforting food and fall produce, just to name a few.

I hate (and I don't like to use the word lightly) the short days, fall allergies, depression, my car (oh wait that isn't just because of the fall) and those sneaky winter like days. Granted this season is feeling a little worse due to my continuous flare up (yeah, yeah it may get to be a little TMI but it is my blog right? Right.) It is causing me to be a little more bummed then normal and is literally draining the life out of me. Not to mention it is also putting a damper on my personal and work life.  The mornings are hellish, and I must admit as cute as it is, it bothers me that my almost 3-yr old is concerned about me.

I have talked about changing up my diet before and I have gone through periods of time doing so. But this time is more of a need then a want. I don't like that I will need to give up certain foods or change at all but I am at a loss. Medication alone isn't helping enough. So with the support of my wonderful family I am going to eliminate things from my diet, and hopefully slowly introduce them back to see if and what may affect me. Worse case, I will be on a quest to make bland food not as bland. I know this isn't going to be easy, and will take a lot of planning on my part so I don't deprive my family of what they want.

Knowing I am going to struggle with this, I at least know I have great support; which I know is really important. Of course I am also doing this close to the holiday season, so temptation is going to be knocking all the time! But I need to listen to my husband and think before I just grab. "Think about what the effects will be, is it worth it?" the words of my wonderful husband.

So my plan for this weekend is to go through what we have in the house already. Make a "Catherine" spot, a place I can keep any special food, my snacks (in both the cabinets and fridge). Make some lists, and come up with substitutions for some of our regular dinners. I currently try my best to plan dinners but there are still days that we forget to take out meat from the freezer or just run out of time and opt for something quick and easy. Since my husband is the one who usually makes dinner {love him!}, I need to make sure whatever changes I make doesn’t affect his schedule and is or are easy to incorporate with whatever else he is making.

My mom told me she bought me a book, so hopefully it will be here soon and will have some other ideas to make the transition a little easier. By the way, if you are my friend…try not to offer me any food. I am really going to be working hard on not just giving in. I thank you in advance! I just needed to get this all off my chest and I am sure I will keep posting about my progress along with some of the recipes that I have tried or altered. But, for now I am going to end this with something that I look forward to trying!

Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup from The Gluten-free Goddess, see the recipe here.

Moms Meet - Sampling for a healthier family

A few months ago, while sitting in the doctor’s office, I picked up Kiwi Magazine. If you are a mom (or dad) and haven’t ever seen this magazine, I would highly recommend it. It is all about parenting while being green. While reading it, there was an ad for Moms Meet and how you could apply to be a Mom Ambassador. I decided to go online to http://www.greenmomsmeet.com/ and check it out. Here is a little blurb from the website about what they are:
Well long story short, I applied and was accepted to be a Mom Ambassador for my area (you may have noticed the badge on the side of blog.) So I rounded up some of my mom friends and asked if they would be willing to be part of my Moms Meet Group, all were for it! As the weeks went on, I didn’t really hear anything but then I started getting emails to try things. You aren’t guaranteed to get accepted to sample everything you apply for, I am not 100% sure how one is chosen but I think it mostly on a first come first serve basis. So far I have applied for 4 group samplings and one that was just for Mom Ambassadors.

My group and I were chosen to sample Almond Breeze Almond Milk; some of the moms (including myself) have tried Almond Milk before some have not. Currently my group consistsof about 6 moms all with children ranging from 1-10. In my package, I received two vouchers for a carton of shelf stable milk (any flavor), two cartons of their new milk that is a blend of almond and coconut milks, a recipe booklet, a smoothie recipe booklet, coupons, and a beach towel.

The first thing I did was start going through the recipes; I picked out a couple recipes to try during our meeting. Both that would be family friendly, except maybe adults only smoothie!

Our first meeting will be on July 28th, so look for more information regarding our reviews and recipes then!

Also, if you are reading this and are interested in joining our group let me know, the more the merrier!

Moms Meet is an online resource that empowers moms to come together in an informal setting and talk about the latest on raising healthy families and living green. We provide easy-to-read articles and discussion prompts on different eco-conscious parenting topics; think of it as an eco-themed reading club for your playgroup. Some subjects we’ve covered in the past have included:

• Going green on a budget
• Slow family living
• How to feed your family
• Sleep training methods
• Overparenting

In addition to creating a space for moms to talk parenting and eco-conscious living, Moms Meet offers exciting opportunities for Mom Ambassadors and their groups to sample the latest healthy, green products. Past sampling opportunities have included EO all-natural hand sanitizer, Wallaby Organic yogurt, and To Go Brands Trim Energy

Two Years and a blog rant...

I can't believe that I wrote my first post on this day two years ago. It started off as a place for me to share things about being a new mom and making healthy food for my baby. Originally I thought it would be more about my life as a mother, wife and hopefully a little about myself as an artist, but it seems to have evolved to more of my trials in the kitchen.

When making baby food my goal was always to make sure my son tried new flavors, introduce him early so he wouldn't have such a limited plate. What I have now just realized is that I have made it my goal not just to make healthy and more veggie based meals for me but to get my husband to eat more veggies and to expand his tastes. For some reason he has a very limited plate and it is hard to get him to eat healthier options. I always figured it would be harder to get my toddler to try things.


My boys



It has never occurred to me that I have this little mission going on, I really just want my family to eat a little bit better. I have mentioned in other posts that my husband is the one who usually makes dinner during the week. He gets home almost two hours before me, so unless I make something a head of time that can just be thrown in the oven or a slow cooker meal, he does the cooking. I don't complain, I am very grateful that he is able and willing to do this. However, a typical week of meals may include: fish sticks, chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburger helper, broiled pork chops. The sides may include: Macaroni and cheese (out of the box), green beans, peas, scalloped potatoes (out of a box), rice (flavored either from box or pouch), just to name a few. There is a trend here, anyone? A lot of processed food. I do the grocery shopping, so I can't fully blame him. I have been buying less and less processed and more fresh. Now that more items are in season it should get easier, or at least one would think. I try to go to the farmers market at least once a week, sometimes two. (There is one that is pretty close to the grocery store, so it will be easy to stop there first.) There is a growing trend of people wanting to eat less processed or shall I say 'clean', or at least all my friends seem to be. It should be easy, I live in a community within a rural area, there are farms all over. Now buying fresh is the easy part, getting my husband to eat it is a whole different story. There is not many veggies that he likes. Corn and carrots, I am pretty sure those are the only veggies that there is never a face or complain made. Here is the most recent problem I am facing, my son. Yes my husband will try most of what I make and he will eat the veggies that are on his plate, good right? Well he makes this face, it is almost a gag like face, not attractive and he doesn't even realize he does it. My son is picking up on the face and the fact he doesn't like the veggies, so in turn he doesn't want to eat as much as he used to. And even though I eat them, it isn't the same as daddy. I am starting to worry it will be two against one.

Let me back up a bit...I love my husband and he does SO much around the house, me dealing with his eating habits is minor compared to what he has to deal with with me. As you know I am training for a triathlon, which eats up a lot of my time, and (I will let you in on a little secret) I am a messy person.  A messy person how doesn't always realizes that she is messy. Yes, I know my dresser is a mess, my corner of my room and my studio space...but there are time I will leave something on the counter or table and forget about it, literally, even though I see it again and again.  For some reason it just doesn't bother me, key word...it doesn't bother ME.  I have been this way my whole life, my parents just stopped trying to get me to pick up my room.  I do think I am better then I used to be, but...I am still a mess.  Now with a little copycat in the house, I should be more conscious of picking up after myself, before I get the "well you don't do it" the same as "Well Daddy doesn't eat it".  So anyway, I guess I have something to work on other than just getting my husband to eat his veggies, now don't I??

Going Green: My Re-Pac Review

Just like a lot of other people out there I have been trying to be a little more green.  My most recent dilemma has been realizing how may plastic bags I go through a week with lunches.  I started trying to save some of the bags to reuse, but that didn't work very well.  So...when a Living Social deal came up for Re-Pac bags, I jumped at the deal.  I was able to get 4 reusable bags for the price of two.

They are great! They are lined with a water resistant fabric, and are able to be washed in the washer, dishwasher or you can just wipe clean by hand.  I wouldn't put really wet items in the bags because depending on how long it sits juices may start to seep through the fabric. But so far I really like them.  I did put them though the wash today and they held up great, I did not put them in the dryer.

I bought two sandwich size and two snack size bags. (Yes, my lunch bag says Cat Food, and the day I took this picture I didn't make a sandwich because I was meeting with my mom.)  I also make a lot of wraps, and those I still wrap up in either foil or plastic wrap, although I try to use the foil because I am more likely to use that again.

But anyway...I would give these 4.5 stars out of 5 and would highly recommend!

Being a Vegetarian…again?

I was a vegetarian for almost 10 years; I was what is considered a lacto-ovo vegetarian* which meant I ate dairy and the occasional egg and to some that may not be a “true” vegetarian. Shortly after college I started to re-introduce fish and seafood back into my diet and then chicken and then eventually red meat. Why did I start eating animals again? Well actually the main reason was for my health; which was also one of the reasons I became a vegetarian to begin with. While in college I wanted something quick and cheap so pasta was usually the answer, we didn't have a cafeteria. Not to mention all the pizzas, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, alcohol and late nights. I just wasn't getting the nutrients I needed. We occasionally had group dinners and a lot of wine.

So why am I even talking about this? Well I have been sharing vegetarian recipes with a co-worker whose daughter is a vegetarian and I have also been trying to eat a lot better and take better care of myself. I have actually been craving vegetarian meals, including tofu, tempeh and various other plant based foods. I have always been good about eating my veggies but I am in need of a change and I think this is what I need. I have already gotten my husband to agree on eating a couple meatless meals a week (I will just need to figure out ones he will at least try.) Just because I am ready to make some changes, doesn’t mean that I am ready to cut animal product out of my diet all together yet. I am not expecting my husband to change, but I would ask that he be open minded and willing to try it. He has been supportive so far and has even bought me new vegetarian cookbooks. Because he makes dinner during the week I don't want him to feel like he has to do anything special for me. He has and still is supporting me through my weight loss even though it cuts into our time, and I feel guilty sometimes for it.

Now once again I am making this change mostly for health, I am older and more aware of what my body needs. Not to mention I have lost about 20 pounds and I refuse to gain it back. I need variety in my diet and currently I feel like as much as I try I just don’t feel like I am getting what I what or need. My plan is to reduce my meat intake, especially red meat, this time also weaning off dairy. I can see myself someday going to complete plant based diet again but for right now, my reason or excuse is that I don’t think it is fair to my family. I know that I can not expect anyone else to change because of me, especially when the other people are used to a meat based diet and feels the need to have meat at every meal. Little by little I am going to make some changes, and introduce new foods to my family. Since it is farmer’s market season I have decided that every week or two I am going to pick up a vegetable or fruit that I have never had, made or just want to try. I got a timid okay when I suggested this but I think it will be good to taste new things. There are at least three different markets that I will be frequenting this season so I am sure I will be able to find new things.

Here is where I may upset some people; my first reason for not eating animals would be for health. Animal rights are a secondary and bonus. When it comes to factory farms I do agree that the way animals are treated is wrong. But I really try not to think about it, I know that is awful and I shouldn’t think that way, but it just is what it is. I do think that as a whole there are other more important things to be concerned with. I have been listening to a podcast called Vegetarian Food for Thought, by Compassionate Cook and it makes you really think about the animals and the rights they don’t have. I find it very educational and inspiring; the link for Compassionate Cook below.

Ok, I could keep on rambling on but I will leave you now with a few definitions and links…

*A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, seeds and nuts. There is no single type of vegetarian diet. Instead, vegetarian eating patterns usually fall into the following groups:

The vegan diet, which excludes all meat and animal products


The lacto vegetarian diet, which includes plant foods plus dairy products


The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, which includes both dairy products and eggs


Links I find useful and educational:


The Savvy Vegetarian
Vegetarian Times
PETA
Compassionate Cook

And what a birthday it is...

Today is my sons first birthday and what a great day it should be, right? Well for my son today is the most uncomfortable painful day he has experienced thus far in his short life. He has one of the worst diaper rashes I have ever seen, and on top of that he has a yeast infection and what I believe is a stomach virus; which isn't helping either cause. To see him in so much pain breaks my heart, what mother wants to see their child hurt? My husband and I have done everything that we can think of; putting on anti-fungal cream, zinc-oxide creams, baking soda baths, natural...I am out of ideas. He won't even put his little tushy in the water. I never thought that I would cry over something like diaper rash, but I feel like I am failing him and there is nothing I can do to help. Hugs really only go so far.
Different websites say different things from: use talc powder to don't use talc powder, browned flour, Maalox, making your own wipes, baking soda baths, and oatmeal baths to don't use oatmeal baths. The list is endless. I just want him to feel better, and I think the stomach is just making the whole thing worse. I finally called the doctor (again, I did call about the yeast infection) and got the rudest receptionist, but hopefully I will hear back from his doctor soon. His 12 month appointment is Wednesday but because it is getting worse I don't know if I should wait.
I am sure that there are other mother's that have dealt with this, I would love to hear how...

Fall Fun

I just want to share...My son, who is 10 1/2 months old, decorated his first pumpkin.

Halloween

This weekend is the first weekend in October and ours started off with our first Halloween Party of the month (really the only planned one we have).  Yes, we went to a Halloween party on October 9th, during the day.  Granted I think it was more geared to children and adults who act like children, so starting at 2 in the afternoon isn't such a big deal. 

The house was decorated to the nines, but I think it would have been better at night (I think I am going to drive by one evening to get the full effect.)  There was a scaled Psycho house in the front yard with a door that opened letting a red glow seep out, a dead man in the tub with a bloody curtain in the bathroom, Michael was in the garden, a mummy on the back porch, and misc. other items throughout the house.  In addition to the decorations, there was a bounce house, bean bag toss, a box of wigs and masks to use, and a spot to fish for skulls. 

I was assigned a Halloween themed appetizer.  So I went with mummified pigs in a blanket...can you ever go wrong with pigs in a blanket at a party? No.

I made them the same way you would make normal pigs in a blanket, with refrigerate crescent rolls and I used the cocktail sized sausages (not wieners/hot dogs).  I cut the rolls in to strips and wrapped the sausage, leaving a little space for a "face".

I used a little mustard on the end of a tooth pick for eyes, but you needed to use a lot to make it stay.  As the mustard dried it kinda faded.  But that didn't matter, they were all gone within 20 minutes, next time I will make more (I used 2 packs!)

My Baby's First Birthday

It is almost here...my son turning one! I can't believe how fast this year has gone.  It is funny how parents always say their children just grow so fast, I didn't realize how true it really is! If this year is flying by and he isn't moving that fast yet, I can only imagine how fast time will go when he is. But anyway, back to the first birthday. 

I originally wanted something small that included maybe just his grandparents and our neighbors, I mean really will he really remember any of this?  I feel like as long as I have the pictures for his scrapbook I should be ok, right? Well, we have decided that we are having him baptised the morning of his party which means it is going to fall on a Sunday.  This was decided so the grandparents can make one trip, it's just easier that way.  So my husband and I like Sesame Street so we have decided that, that will be the theme for the party.  If he wants to do it again later for his 2nd or 3rd than that is fine.

For his invitation, I created it in Microsoft Publisher using an image of the Sesame Street gang (above) and bold primary colors.  I then, using my scrapbooking stuff, pasted the cut out invitation on to a piece of primary colored card stock.  The finished product ended up being 4x6.  I just need to get envelopes, I am hoping that the dollar store might have them.  We will see. 

While I was looking for a picture of the whole gang, I came across cupcakes. So the plan now is that I am going to make cupcakes, with each character represented on the cupcake.  Then for my son, I am going to create a small Cookie Monster cake just for him.  I am really looking forward to doing this.  (I will post pictures after I make them.)

His birthday is in November and I understand it is just over a month away but because time seems to be going so fast, October will be over before I know it.  It is just crazy!

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Getting a phone call from my husband telling me one of my sons friends in his room at day care was sent home and has whooping cough is a little scary.  I know it isn't life threatening, but have you ever heard the sound of a whooping cough?  It is down right disturbing!  I have seen more public service announcements talking about getting vaccinated, but I never really paid much attention to it because I knew my son was getting the vaccine.  I never really thought about getting it myself, but now everyone is saying that adults should get re-vaccinated.  While I was at the doctors the other day, I got my much needed tetanus shot, which now includes the pertussis vaccine. 

Doing some research, since my sons doctor told us that if we see any signs within 21 days to contact the office so he can be treated, I not only was able to listen to the sounds the cough makes I also learned a little more about the bacteria.  First thing is that it is a bacteria and not a virus so it can be treated with antibiotics. Good news!  Also, it can last anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months, which is a really long time.  It is the most contagious in the first 2 weeks, but the symptoms are the same as if you had a cold with a slight dry cough so you really wouldn't know or even think that you may have the whooping cough.  And even worse is only 50% of people even get the 'whoop' that follows the cough, so how would you even know that you have the whooping cough and not just a bad cold?  Well you could just stop breathing and turn blue for a little bit. I think even though the 'whoop' sounds really bad, I would rather have the 'whoop'.

After the first 2 weeks, then the symptoms get worse and you may then get the 'whoop'. (I highly suggest that you listen to what it sounds like, even though I must warn you...it is disturbing.  You can listen at Whoopingcough.net, you can also find more information about it there.) The cough can sometime last for a long time, you basically have coughing fits, and in between you may feel fine.  I must say if your child ever gets the cough with the 'whoop' you will not question calling the doctor, you will think your child is gasping for air and can't breathe.

The Dangers of Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

Diapers and Formula

Last night I decided that I was going to compare diapers and formula because I am sick of just assuming certain stores have the best deals. When you are buying a lot of diapers and formula you should take the time and really look to see what you are getting. I know there are times when we run out of something and I just run to the closest store just so we have something but those are rare. So I looked on-line, at the stores I most frequent and compare some diapers. The brands I compared are: Pampers, Luvs, Huggies, and the store brand all in Size 4. The stores I looked into are: Babies R Us, Diapers.com, Target, Walmart and Sam's Club. (There are other big clubs out there like, BJ's and Costco but I don't use them so I didn't look into their prices.) So here we go...

Diaper Comparison

Store Brands:

• Diapers.com: 176 count @ 0.23 cents/unit = $40.99
• Walmart (Parents Choice): 82 count @ 0.18 cents/unit = $14.47
• Target (Up & Up): 124 count @ 0.16 cents/unit = $19.99
• Babies R Us (Especially for Baby): 126 count @ 0.16 cents/unit = $19.98
• Sam's Club (Members Mark): 176 count @ 0.17 cents/unit = $29.98

Pampers (Baby Dry)

• Diapers.com: 176 count @ 0.26 cents/unit = $44.99
• Walmart: 156 count @ 0.22 cents/unit = $35.00
• Target: 100 count @ 0.30 cents/unit = $29.99
• Babies R Us: 176 count @ 0.24 cents/unit = $41.99
• Sam's Club: 176 count @ 0.21 cents/unit = $37.98

Luvs

• Diapers.com: 180 count @ 0.21 cents/unit = $36.99
• Walmart: 180 count @ 0.20 cents/unit = $35.54
• Target: 180 count @ 0.21 cents/unit = 38.99
• Babies R Us: NA
• Sam's Club: NA

Huggies (Snug and Dry*)

• Diapers.com: 140 count @ 0.29 cents/unit = $39.99
• Walmart: 140 count @ 0.25 cents/unit = $35.00
• Target*: 108 count @ 0.34 cents/unit = $36.99
• Babies R Us: 176 count @ 0.24 cents/unit = $41.99
• Sam's Club: 176 count @ 0.21 cents/unit = $37.14

The winners for the cheapest diapers...

• Overall: Babies R Us brand @ $19.98, runner up: Target's Up & Up @ $19.99
• Cheapest per unit @ only 0.16 cents
• Sam's Club is not far behind at 0.17 cents a unit
• Pampers
• Purchase at Sam's Club @ 0.21 cents a unit
• Runner up: Walmart @ 0.22 cents a unit
• Luvs
• Purchase at Walmart @ 0.20 cents a unit
• Runner up: Diapers.com @ 0.21 cents a unit
• Huggies
• Purchase at Sam's Club @ 0.21 cents a unit
• Runner up: Babies R Us @ 0.24 cents a unit

My personal ratings of the diapers:

1 (poor) - 5 (excellent)

Diapers.com brand - NA
Walmart's Parents Choice - 3
Target's Up & Up - 4.5
Babies R Us brand - 4.5
Sam's Club's Members Mark - 4.5
Pampers - 5
Luvs - 4
Huggies - 3

*Target's Huggies were based on Little Movers

Formula Comparison

When it came to comparing formula I only looked in to the store brands and milk based (powder).  When we first switched to formula we used the name brands because that is what was sent home with us from the hospital and because we received a bunch of samples in the mail.  So once we ran out of the free stash we looked in to the generic brands and realized the ingredients were the same, so why by name brand for twice as much?

So...

Diapers.com - 25.75 oz @ 0.74 cents/ounce = $18.99
Walmart - 23.2 oz @ 0.51 cents/oz = $11.88
Target - 25.75 oz @ 0.47 cents/oz = $11.99
Babies R Us - 25.7 oz @ 0.51 cents/oz = $12.99
Sam's Club - 51.4 oz @ 0.38 cents/oz = $19.38

Sam's Club is the best price by far, followed by Target.

Baby Food

While I was pregnant I decided that I was going to make my own baby food. I wanted to know what was going in the food. So since my son was born I have made all his food. It is so easy to do and I don't know why more people aren't doing it. I take one day out of the week, usually Sunday, and make a big batch.

About 2 months before he was actually able to eat solid foods I started preparing and freezing vegetables. The first foods that I started with were sweet potato, banana, peas, butternut squash and apple. I started feeding my son around 4 months, but check with your peditrician before starting solid foods.

I bake the potatoes and squash because it will keep more nutrients opposed to steaming or boiling. The peas and apple are steamed. I keep the skin on the apples while I steam them so the nutrients from the skin will stay in the mixture, just let the apples cool and then remove the skin. You can just use a spoon to scrape the flesh off the skin.

Once the food is cooked just puree in a food processor until the desired consistency. You can add formula or breast milk to thin it down if you need to. Keep in mind that the peas will not get real smooth because of the shell, you can always strain the peas to make them smoother.

The banana is the easiest, you don't need to cook at all, just mash or puree until the consistency you want. You can even squish the banana in the peel and squeeze it in to the bowl, this works great when traveling.

When it comes to the cereals, I wanted to make my own but while doing research it is recommended not to feed homemade cereals until at least 6 months. So I just use the pre-made, I started with the Gerber rice cereal and now my son loves the barley cereal.

Some resources that I use:

Wholesome Baby Foods
www.wholesomebabyfood.com

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron
www.superbabyfood.com