Daniel Walking Part 1

Daniel Walking!

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I’ve been using the test bowls and spoons for almost two weeks. I have a 12-month-old son who is starting to self-feed but still lets me feed him some purees from time to time. He’s not too much into the habit of tipping over bowls (plates, on the other hand, are another matter).

Here are my thoughts:

OXO Tot Bowl Set
- I’d give this 4.5 out of 5 stars

Pros: Very stable, lid stays on, 2 sizes are good for various needs (snack, meal, etc).

Con: They only stack 2 at a time, so it occupies a bit of space anyway if you have more than one set. Also, possible cosmetic yellowing after a few uses.

My initial thoughts when I opened the package was that these are very cool-looking, stylish bowls. I loved how I could easily open the package and didn’t have to cut myself trying to get to the product. The bowls are weighted very nicely, and the grip makes gives them enough resistance for my son not to tip the bowl over when self-feeding. I used the small bowl to give him some cheerios and it was just the right size for his hands. I used the bigger bowl for entrees like mac&cheese, etc. and it worked pretty well for my use too. I do like the deeper bowl as it’s easier to scoop up foods of varying thickness and textures.

One thing I did notice that after a few dishwasher runs, one of the bowls (the more often-used one) had a slightly yellower tint than the other. Perhaps from a food stain, or just the heat of the dishwasher, I don’t know–the effect was like that of yellowing paper/older plastic. However, even though I did use some red sauces they do not stain like those generic, cheap snap-ons. I observed that sauces bead up and roll off nicely so that it doesn’t stick too much to the plastic, making it easier to clean.

OXO Tot Feeding Spoon Set, Green
- I’d give this 4 out of 5 stars

Pros: Nicely weighted, good silicone coating

Cons: The spoon bowl is a bit too deep, some purees get left behind when feeding baby.

The big thing I like about these spoons is that they don’t tip over when you place it inside a yogurt container or other small bowl. Some spoons I’ve used before (munchkin) have long handles that are so heavy compared to the spoon part that when you put them back in the food bowl after giving baby a bite, it tips over and splashes food out of the container. So I love that these spoons are very nicely weighted, and probably the angle has something to do with it too.

I’ve tried this spoon on a variety of textures; eg. yogurt, fruit puree, and more chunky items like small pasta and rice casseroles. My pet peeve about these spoons is that for many of these food categories, some food is left behind/stuck in the spoon after I feed baby a spoonful–in the deepest part of the spoon. I don’t know if this bothers other moms; perhaps it’s just me, but I like the spoon looking “licked clean” after a bite  As I said, this is texture dependent but yogurt definitely gets left behind. I do like the narrowness of the spoon, it’s just right for controlling food amounts. And the flat edge definitely helps clean up around baby’s mouth. Silicone coating is nice and safe for the baby.

All in all, I am pretty pleased with the products I tested. The bowls are great for different stages and uses, but I think the spoons are most beneficial for babies 6-10 months who are being fed the runnier purees (due to sticking problem I mentioned).

2 chicken breast halves, pre-cooked and cut into bite-size pieces*
1 and 1/2 cups instant white rice
1 16-oz package of frozen brocolli, thawed (enough to break apart and spread)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (12 oz) Carnation evaporated milk
8 oz cream cheese
1-2 tsp curry powder, to taste

Grated cheddar cheese for topping

Grease baking dish. Mix the liquid ingredients and curry powder well, preferably in a separate bowl, and pour into dish. Add the rice and chicken, top with the brocolli. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with cheddar cheese, bake for another 10 or so minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.

Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

If you notice, there aren’t any seasonings, we season to each person’s taste at home and don’t add salt to most of our dishes so that Daniel can eat it too. Also, the cream of chicken contains a fair amount of sodium; Campbell now makes a Healthy Request™ version that has half the amount of sodium found in the regular one.

*Alternatively, you can use uncooked chicken and non-instant white rice and extend the initial cooking time to about 50 minutes. You should probably lightly brown the chicken first if you do this.

For this recipe, I microwaved the chicken breast to cook it. Just place the chicken on a ceramic or glass dish, microwave 30 seconds, and flip; repeat until thermometer reaches 165º in the thickest portion (you may have to cut off thinner parts to prevent them from overcooking). As a disclaimer, the meat may not cook evenly throughout using this method and you’re not supposed to use this cooking method for kids under 5, but since I was then placing it in a dish to bake in the oven (for 50 minutes) I felt it was safe to do

1 lb lean ground beef
1 T olive oil
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
2 cups low-sodium beef broth (I actually used homemade stock I had lying around in the freezer)
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
8 oz of tomato sauce
1 cup water
Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 head of cabbage, sliced into small pieces

1 cup of dry shell or macaroni pasta, cooked according to package directions

In a dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add ground beef to brown. Drain excess fat, add tomato sauce, beef stock, and water. Bring to boil, add Mrs. Dash to taste, add frozen veggies and simmer for 30 minutes. Add in the cabbage in the last 10 minutes of simmering, and stir in the cooked pasta before serving.

Pretty good, no salt!

I was trying to find a recipe that doesn’t take more than 2 hours so I combined a couple recipes I found online and it worked out great! It was super easy:

2 to 2.5 lbs country style ribs
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup orange marmalade (or Mango Jam, or whatever fruit preserve you happen to have, just stick close to orange-colored ones)

Line a baking dish with foil and spray nonstick oil. Place the ribs on the prepared dish. Mix the sauce and marmalade, pour over the ribs. Cover with foil and bake at 325ºF for 1.5 hours. Take off cover, raise temp to 400ºF and bake for 15-20 more minutes to brown.

The cut we had still had some bone and a layer of pork fat/skin, which added lots of flavor. Yummy!!! If you are familiar with Pata Tim, it tasted very similar (I guess because of all the pork fat). If you want to decrease the fat content, you could prepare this a day ahead, refrigerate, and take off the solidified fat layer.

It was a little pricey for this gluten-free newbie, but the coupon that Crazy Coupon Mommy posted helped (thanks!!). I just learned that she now has a Gluten Free giveaway on her website, so if you’re on a gluten-free diet, head on over and check out the fab prize pack, which includes a cast-iron Swedish Pancake Pan!

Oh, and I’m now on a limited wheat diet…which means I try not to eat pizza/pasta everyday! Those were the two things I missed the most. Good alternatives are Pad Thai (yum) and also I found these yummy rice crackers at Walmart, their own brand label called “World Table.” And what do you know, Cheetos and Fritos are  gluten free!! So it’s not too bad

I had a couple cans of tropical fruit salad, some condensed milk, but alas, no table cream for a true Filipino salad. While perusing the contents of my pantry, I noticed a box of Minute Tapioca which I had been meaning to use to make pie (obviously, I haven’t). Then, I noticed the packs of coconut milk powder that my mom sent over. This got me thinking….Hmmm….tapioca pudding+coconut milk powder=Yum! But would it work with fruit? Why not, they’re all tropical, yes?

It turned out great! Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try:

2 cans tropical fruit salad (14 oz), drained

1 recipe Minute Tapioca, prepared according to package directions (6 servings).

1 packet coconut milk powder (150 g)

Add the coconut milk powder to the pudding after removing from heat. Mix well and cool. Stir in the fruit salad and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Makes about 5 servings.

Because the smoky flavor of the yummy ribs (for some reason) brought to mind Chipotle’s carnitas burrito bowl, I thought it might be good to use the leftover ribs with the same flavors, but in soup form. It turned out great–here’s the recipe.

1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
About 3 cups of leftover rib meat, chopped into small pieces
1 can (14.5 oz) RedGold petite diced tomatoes with chipotle
1 can (14.5) RedGold petite diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can golden sweet corn
4 cups of chicken broth

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil, add everything else, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Top with Fritos and cheese if desired.

It turned out great! If we weren’t making it for kiddos, we would probably have added more spice using diced jalapenos and possibly an actual chipotle pepper in adobe sauce. And added a dash of lime juice and some chopped cilantro. But these were the ingredients we had handy, and it worked pretty well Yummy.