Cheaper greener tip for today- baby food

Maybe this subject doesn't apply to everyone, but let's talk baby food anyways. Ideally, I would love to make all my own baby food, but in reality, I don't always have time. I've found a few shortcuts that are quick and easy and MUCH cheaper than store bought baby food. (Although we still splurge on a few jars of the Earth's Best variety each month).

When I have time to make up a batch of baby food, here are the steps that I take:
1. peel, cut up veggies/fruit
2. steam
3. puree with hand blender or food processor
4. let cool, then freeze in ice cube trays
5. pop out frozen food cubes and put in freezer bag

Fruit/Veggies to try with the frozen cube method (you can do combinations for older babies):
sweet potato
carrots
butternut squash
summer squash
white potato
peas
turnip
pumpkin
pears
peaches
apples
mango

If your purees are too thick, add expressed breastmilk, formula, or a little bit of water
If your putees are too thin, add a little bit of baby cereal just before serving

There are also some foods that you can mash without cooking, which saves time and energy- ripe banana and avocado are two that come to mind.

When you really don't have time to make baby food, here are some options that are cheaper than the little jars (especially if you choose organic).
*Save money by buying applesauce and whole milk yogurt in full-sized containers instead of little baby-sized ones.
*Instead of buying the puffs with added flavors and preservatives, try puffed rice as a first finger food for your baby (you can get a big box of it for a couple of dollars).
*In the frozen food section of your supermarket, you can find already pureed winter squash and sometimes pumpkin or sweet potato as well.

****Always consult your pediatrician before introducing new foods to your baby****

A great website to check out for more info on making your own baby food: Wholesome Baby Food

A boy and his dog

Free samples- Bear Naked granola and Kashi cookie!

Get your granola!

And a cookie to go with your organic milk!

Diva discussions continued

There are a few things I wanted to add about the Diva Cup. For me, and many others I've spoken to, there seems to be a learning curve. The first few times I inserted my cup were tricky, but it became easier after the first couple of days. Here is a great resource on different folds (shown using a different cup, but you get the idea):

Menstrual cup folds

I also wanted to link to the Diva Cup website because they have a great FAQ section:

Diva Website

Hope this info helps!

Are you a Diva?

Warning to any men that may read this: this post contains girly vagina information not suitable for men of any age. Stop reading. Seriously, this is more info. than you would ever want to know.

After 16 blissful months without Aunt Flo, she has returned full force and I've finally gotten to try out my Diva Cup. I have to say I'm totally impressed. For those of you who are unaware of this fantastic little invention, here's the scoop:

The Diva Cup is inserted like a tampon, but instead of absorbing your monthly blood flow, it catches the blood in a cup and can be emptied out, then re-inserted. It comes in two different sizes (pre-baby is size 1 and post-baby is size 2). According to the Diva Cup website, they should be replaced every year, but as long as it is sterilized and cared for, I'm guessing they would be ok for about 3 years.

I got mine for just under $20 which is a great deal, considering how much money I will save over the next few years not having to buy tampons. Well, let's go ahead and see just how much money I'll save (this is really an estimate since tampon preferences differ as well as how heavy/long a person's period is...).

Let's say I can get an economy pack of 100 regular tampons for about $15. On average a person bleeds for about 5 days and changes their tampon every few hours, so about 6 per day. That's 30 tampons for each monthly period.

30 tampons x 12 months = 360 tampons x 3 years = 1080 tampons

so for 3 years I would need to buy about 11 boxes of tampons at $15 = $165

SAVINGS from buying a Diva Cup = $145

Even if you replace your Diva cup each year, you could still save about $40 per year!

Monetary savings aside, there are other reasons to switch to a Diva Cup:

Environmental reasons- less waste, packaging, etc.

Less vaginal dryness/irritation- people with sensitive skin (like me) can appreciate a non-chemical alternative to tampons

Convenience- Diva Cup can be worn for up to 12 hours, and there's no need to send hubby on an embarrassing trip to the pharmacy

Get your Diva Cup!

Free Quaker Simple Harvest granola bar sample!