REVIEW: Kiinde Foodii Starter Kit

The Kiinde Foodii Starter Kit

My little Wyn is getting to the age that she wants to try everything that mommy is eating but unfortunately she is struggling with being able to chew and swallow. I never had this issue with my oldest who from six months (maybe younger?) inhaled food whole, never choked on anything, and hasn't stopped since.  This being a new stage for me, I talked to my sister-in-law's about their experiences. One had success using reusable baby food pouches so I looked into them. I had a few boxes I had to check before ordering:

• reusable
• screw tops NOT "ziploc" (Jerusha is capable of opening zip tops)
• clear, or mostly clear pouches so I could be sure I got them cleaned (there are very few areas that cleanliness and paranoia intersect for me but kids and mildew is one, ask me about tommee tippee sippy cups sometime..)
• reasonable price

Technically the Foodii Snack System didn't check the "reusable" box but after reading a few amazon reviewers who said they wash and refill the pouch a few times I decided to proceed. 

They were one of the few options that had a screw top so again I continued.

I loved the fact the pouches are totally clear on one side with minimal solid white on the other, another box checked.

When I originally found this system on Amazon it was listed at $49.00 which would have been a definite no for me, however, the Amazon Prime price was only $14.99 and although I don't have Prime my mom does and is always willing to let me order through her account.

I just rechecked the price for you guys and it's actually being sold on the Kiinde site as a special right now for $19.99 and over at Amazon for $18.58 with Prime and $38.99 without Prime.

What I like:

I have reused some of the pouches up to three times already! I simply rinse what is left out, squeeze a dot of soap in, shake and then inserting a finger into the top I run it along all the seams just to be sure there's nothing left and then I rinse again. Easy!

The Foodii Filler. When I originally ordered I thought that it would be kind of unnecessary but it has proved useful. The baby food actually has to be quite thick in order to prevent my girls from slinging it all over the house and dripping it everywhere so the Foodii Filler comes in great handy. It is a squeezable container and as you squeeze the contents into the pouch there is a small vent on the cap to prevent too much vacuum. Eventually it does begin to create a vacuum but, really, its no big deal.

Minimal parts = minimal mess. Many of the systems I looked into come with "easy filling" squeeze stations similar to this and although they may work great for some people, I wasn't interested; I quite honestly don't enjoy doing dishes that much. I'm a minimalist. I'll stir batter with the Tablespoon measure I used if it means not washing another spoon.. As I mentioned before, I thought the fact the Foodii system came with a special filling device a little over the top but, since it is extremely easy to wash and is easier than spooning or funneling baby food into the pouches which also would create dishes it was a win. 

Several other systems also come with special blenders or miniature food processors to make the baby food in but, again, more dishes. I already own a blender which works great and serves well for my own smoothies, baby foods, as well as chopping every thing else. Minimal parts therefore minimal messes.

I have yet to try this feature out but all the reviewers I read loved this and in fact, I believe, the Kiinde brand originated to create easy breast pumping/milk storage/bottle feeding options. They sell converter top sizes that screw into the pouches, allowing you to use nearly any breast pump and pump directly into these pouches. You can then purchase their bottle converter, turning it into a bottle and feed your baby; you could also use the converters to choose your own nipple size/style. This all seems nifty to me, so far with my two I have not had the need to pump and bottle feed but if I ever do this looks like a good option, maybe some day I'll have a review for you on it!

What I'm Not Crazy About:

The spoon attachment. These make no sense to me. Until they make a spoon that squeezes the food out onto the tip of the spoon they're just a mess. In my girls cases they attempt to eat the food off the spoon but end up pushing it up the handle since its all in a pile on the far side of said spoon.

The Snack Spouts. They certainly aren't terrible, I just wish Kiinde could have used a design more similar to the store bought pouches; one where the spout is longer and skinnier, allowing a child to keep it further in their mouth, minimizing extra squeezing out accidentally. It's really not that big of an issue though and my almost two year old seems fairly capable but my nearly eight month old can't keep it in  her mouth. I may be expecting too much out of her though, and even if she could keep it in her own mouth I'd have to supervise the squeezing so it isn't that big of an issue. Just something I think could be improved.

The first food I made was from this (our favorite) yogurt, an apple, and sweet potato

I baked the sweet potato and allowed it to cool and steamed an apple then peeled and cored it

blended that all up with yogurt until it seemed to be a baby foodish texture and consistancy

put it into the Foodii Filler (picture feat. Jerusha's helpful hand)

once I had squeezed as much as I could directly into the pouches I unscrewed the cap from the Filler and used it as a funnel in order to use every last bit of the baby food

filled pouches, as you can see they are clear, making washing easier

Another flavor I  made was Bananas, Cocoa Powder, Peanut Butter and the same Yogurt blended. It ended up quite runny so Jerusha gets to eat those more often than Wyn.

Most recently I used organic Blueberry Juice, Yogurt, homemade Blueberry YL Lemon Oil Jelly, and Chia Seeds. All those ingredients have great health benefits and both the girls and I have enjoyed them; to be honest, all three of us have enjoyed each flavor, which is one of the main reasons I sought out DIY squeezy pouch options; I want to know what is in the food I feed my girls and I want to know it tastes yummy.

I hope you enjoy this review and maybe it will be helpful to you if you ever find yourself looking for reusable squeeze pouches.

Have a blessed day enjoying YOUR very own Beautiful Bubble

~Haley

{Foodie Post No.8} Sweet & Spicy Green Tomato Pickles

I failed to take step by step pictures of the Pickles but still want to post about them.

I actually wasn't super impressed by this recipe. The recipe probably isn't at fault though, I'm just not a huge fan of slimy mushy "pickles" that taste like bread and butter pickles. If I had this to do again I would pick a dill-ish pickle recipe but I didn't have fresh dill :(

Spicy Green Tomatoes

• 2 pounds green tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons pickling salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 or 2 hot peppers

Cut tomatoes into wedges. Slice onion. Sprinkle tomatoes and onions with pickling salt and allow to set for about two hours or over night.

Rinse tomatoes and onions.

In a heavy bottomed pan combine apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, turmeric, mustard seeds, and celery seeds. Bring mixture to a simmer over low heat.

Slice desired type and amount of peppers. (I used three Jalapenos)

Begin filling clean canning jars by layering slices of peppers and packing tomato wedges and onions on top.

Using a funnel, pour the hot vinegar and spice mixture into the jars. Check for air bubbles and try to release them by gently tapping the jars, or by using the end of a clean kitchen utensil. Wipe the rims clean and securely attach the lids. Process jars to a hot water bath for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts.

{Foodie Post No.7} Salsa Verde

It took something like 24 batches in my two cup food processor, if you have a bigger one, I recommend using it because I got lazy and my salsa ended up quite a bit chunkier than true Salsa Verde should be.

It was an extremely full pot!

Salsa Verde

• 24 cups green tomatoes, chopped
• 4 green bell peppers, chopped
• 4 colored bell peppers, chopped
• 6+ jalapenos, chopped 
• 6 onions, chopped
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 heads of garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp oregano
• 2 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper *optional

Simmer salsa on low/med heat for 30 minutes. Stir well.

Adjust salsa to taste.

Once the salsa is done, ladle into prepared jars. 

Wipe rims and place lids and rings on. 

Process for 20 minutes in water bath. Remove from water and allow to cool completely before removing rings.

Yield: 8 quarts

We have used this salsa on chips and enchiladas so far, I feel like it is slightly bland and a little too acidic but the ingredient base is good, I just needed to do more adjusting than I did for my taste preferences but I had run out of onions, garlic, and cilantro; and wanted to have some cumin left! :P

{Foodie Post No.6} Green Tomato Spiced Chutney

This recipe originally started with these ingredients:

By the time I was finished, I had added a jalapeno and black pepper

Zested the lemon peel and grated the ginger

pre-mixing

post-mixing

finished product

Green Tomato Spiced Chutney

• 4 lbs green tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 lemon, zest and juice
• 2 inch piece of ginger, grated
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and gently mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate over night or up to 24 hours.
Transfer to a large pot and heat on the stove. Bring to a simmer and hold for about half an hour, enough time for the flavors to meld and the tomatoes to soften slightly.
Remove the cinnamon stick.
Fill clean sterilized canning jars. Clean rims, place lids on and screw down bands. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes. Remove from the bath and allow to cool and seal before removing bands. 

Notes: 

Many people don't trust a water bath to properly preserve tomato based foods, you can opt to freeze this instead, I read some about using a pressure canner but there seems to be evidence that you would reduce your chutney to mush if you tried that route. My family has always trusted the water bath method and have yet to find it be problematic. 

I wasn't very careful in accurately weighing or measuring the tomatoes, or anything else to be honest, I just did it by taste; hence the addition of black pepper and jalapeños.

This made 5 pints (configured as 4 pints and 2 half pints if you noticed in the picture).

Next up will be Salsa Verde!

Green Tomatoes

This will be a series, short and flavorful, about how I used up 72 green tomatoes.
I chose to make some Jam, which I turned into Chutney as I realized pectin would be a necessity I didn't have in tomato jam making, Salsa Verde, and Sweet & Spicy Pickle Wedges.

 You may remember my mention in my  Cranberry Jalapeno Jam post I mentioned that my tomato plant had gone unwatered one too many times and was just about dead. Well, God had other plans for that plant apparently, as I continued to be negligent on the watering front He made up for it by sending loads of rain. That nearly dead, dried out twig of a plant turned into this by the end of summer:

the pot this plant is in is actually
a few steps down the staircase now hidden by the plant

some of the tendrils reaching the bottom of the steps

the 72 green tomatoes awaiting their destiny

This is one of the very few tomatoes to have fully ripened and reached its fullest potential: sliced for hamburgers and leftovers salted for pure tomato devouring 

And as you can see in the last picture it was painful to chop up such beautiful meaty potential but as Jerusha kept trying to eat them saying "appy appy" (mistaking them for apples, in case you are unused to deciphering toddler lingo) I wasted no time trying to let them ripen, plus it has been my experience in tomatoes that they don't reach perfection anyways if picked green and ripened afterwards; they end up a grainy let down.

the one last tomato that was nearly
ready for picking when the frost arrived

This was a Beefsteak tomato plant and you can be sure I will grow another (or maybe more than one!) next year as they are amazingly meaty, flavorful and large but not cracking and rotten large.

Recipe's will be posted following this!

Family Pictures & Thanksgiving Condensed

Before things turned miserably cold (which I'll admit, we did have a nice extended warm fall so I have no reason to whine) my sister Shelby did a photo shoot for us. So, it's old news, but I wanted to share a few of the pictures. 

Since then, Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was a lovely few days of family and feasting, as it always is. It is the highlight of my year; working side by side with mom and siblings fixing countless cookies, candies, pies, and dishes. (Note: I lie. We keep count, very close and accurately;)) For me Thanksgiving isn't simply comprised of one o'clock dinner on the third Thursday in November, no, Thanksgiving, for me, starts when we begin fixing the foods and continues on past Thursday into Friday and often longer, as my family gathers again and again to eat left overs, play games, and watch movies; holding onto the celebration as long as we can.
This year there was some especially exciting news announced on Thanksgiving and that was the new sibling my mom is expecting. She's since had some complications in the pregnancy and although this baby may reach heaven before we've met, it is still a blessing worth noting and giving thanks for.
*EDIT* I edit to acknowledge the fact that this sibling has gone on to heaven before us. We miss it and look forward to meeting it someday in paradise <3

Soon, I promise, I will post how I used the 72 green tomatoes I picked from my plant after we had our first hard frost.
Until then, I hope you all stay warm and enjoy each day you're given.
Blessings
~Haley

Taking Time

One of my very favorite things these days:
Walking at a toddlers pace.
I hold the tips of Jerushas fingers, guiding her as we go. Step by step. Slowly. With many near topples.
My heart races as I think of making it across the parking lot without inconveniencing someone trying to drive through it. Races as I think of getting to the car to leave, to run the next errand, to move, move, move. But then I can physically feel my heart pace, blood pressure, and racing mindset slow. I breath deeply and recall the time.  The time is walking with my toddler and it is one of my most favorite times in the world. I may have more children and get to walk this slow pace year after year but I will never have Jerusha be eighteen months, and sixteen days old, holding my hand, and walking through Hobby Lobby again.
The thought continues as we go her pace up and down the stairs to do laundry. Again while I wash dished waiting for her to slowly rinse. It carries on throughout my days, and although sometimes I simply must hurry as things need done, I'm now on the look out for times I can stop, step back, and join Jerusha's beautiful pace.
So today I'm going to walk at the pace of a toddler and take time to slow down and notice the little things. ❤️

Jerusha testing out a chair at the beginning of out Hobby Lobby excursion.