Storing Baby Bottles and Baby Food Containers

A kind friend of mine very generously passed along her collection of baby bottles, baby food cooker, and baby food storage containers.  I was so thankful to receive everything!

I did need to find a way to organize and store everything for when it would be needed in the future.  I was inspired by the photo I found here.  I liked the idea of using clear storage boxes with lids, so that things could be stacked and pulled when needed.

Bottles

Baby food cooker

Baby food storage containers

I put all of the bottles, bottle brushes, and anything else related to bottle feeding in one container.  I put the baby food cooker, baby food storage containers, and anything related to feeding solids in the second container.

Bottle feeding supplies

Baby food supplies

This gives you an idea of the size of the bins, which are the 12 gallon size.  I would like to point out that the lids don’t stay snapped down, so I’ll be taping them to ensure they don’t come off when lifting a bin.

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Gluten Free Tortillas – Turkey Wrap

I couldn’t find gluten free submarine rolls, so I made a turkey “sandwich” with a gluten free tortilla.

Start with turkey, bacon, and mayo.

Add cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.

Put under the broiler for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes.

Add lettuce and bell pepper, then roll like a burrito.

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How to Make a Nine Patch Baby Quilt, Part 1 of 2

This is Part One of making a nine patch baby quilt.

I got the measurements for the inner and outer borders from More Quilts for Baby, by Ursula Reikes.

To make this quilt top, I first cut 4 inch squares from a variety of dark and light fabrics.  I ended up not using all of the squares I cut.

I then arranged dark and light colors in nine patches with darker colors in the middle.  I made six blocks.  I sewed together the pieces of each block using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

I recommend sewing each row of a block, and then connecting each row.

Stay tuned for Part Two!

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Gluten Free Pasta

I prepared gluten free pasta and made Jamie Oliver’s Bolognese Sauce (from his Food Revolution cookbook) to go with the pasta.

I already had ground beef cooked with onion that I had stored in the freezer, so I used that in the sauce.  There was no bacon or celery in the house, so those were left out of the sauce.  I did a half recipe and cooked it without the lid on to speed up the process from 60 minutes of simmering to 20-25 minutes.  The sauce was very delicious, especially with fresh basil from the garden.  Paired with the sauce, the gluten free pasta was quite good.  I don’t know if my sweet husband realizes that he ate gluten free pasta.  I don’t know if I’ll tell him.  He said dinner was quite tasty!

You boil the pasta in salted water for 15 minutes and then rinse with cold water (for good texture).

My mouth is drooling just looking at this picture.  Yum!

After the sauce is done, mix in the pasta.  I poured a small amount of olive oil on the top and mixed that in, too.  I got the idea from one of Jamie Oliver’s Meals in Minutes TV episodes.

I served mine with a salad.  For the record, I know that’s a bigger portion of pasta than I’m supposed to have.  I only ate half of it!

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Garden Herbs

After going to three places, I finally found plain mint.  I didn’t realize that you could get peppermint, orange mint, chocolate mint, and candy mint plants, among other types.

I put the mint in its own pot, because I didn’t want it taking over my garden boxes.

I also decided to re-pot my oregano.  I’m so glad I did.  The soil at the bottom of the pot was compacted clay.  I ended up taking a portion of the oregano plant and putting that in a smaller pot full of homemade compost.  The plant has been with me a few seasons, and it hasn’t been at its best lately.  I hope its new pot, “haircut,” and new soil will help it to get more vitality and hopefully more of an oregano aroma and taste.

Oregano on the left and mint on the right.

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Gluten Free Foods

I went to the store and picked up some prepared gluten free foods.  I got loaf bread, tortillas, bagels, spaghetti, and soy sauce.

I’ve got a request at the library for a gluten free/sugar free cookbook, and I hope to do some cooking and baking once I get that.  You can find a lot of gluten free items and several sugar free items, but it’s hard to find items that are both sugar and gluten free.

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Pregnancy Swim Set #3

Here is the third pregnancy swim set:

The distance is 500 yards/meters (depending on your pool).

Swim Set #3:

• Warm up – 4 x 25
• Drills:  2 x 25 kick, 2 x 25 fist swimming (Swim with your hands in fists instead of flat hands.)
• Intervals:  4 x 50 fast/slow (For each 50, swim the first 25 at a faster paced freestyle.  Swim the second 25 a relaxed breaststroke or freestyle.  Your fast pace is whatever is comfortable for you.  Don’t do a full out sprint, just swim faster.  Try flip turns if they feel comfortable.)
• Cool down – 1 x 100 freestyle (easy pace)

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Summer Garden

I finally got around to planting my summer garden.  Since I got started so late, I went with transplants instead of seeds.  I mixed in homemade compost, so I hope that helps things grow well.

I didn’t plant too much, just a few things.  Last summer, nothing survived the drought and heat, so I was a little cautious this time.

I already had thyme, rosemary, strawberries, and oregano (separate pot to keep it from taking over the garden).  I added parsley and basil.

I added green, orange, yellow, and red bell peppers.

On the left, we have zucchini squash.  On the right, grape and full size tomatoes.

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Pregnancy Swim Set #2

Here is another swim set.  Remember to swim at a comfortable pace and rest after each 25 or 50 if you need to.

The distance comes to 500 meters or yards (depending on your pool).

Swim Set #2:

• Warm up – 6 x 25 freestyle (easy pace)
• Drills – Kicking:  2 x 25 freestyle kick, 2 x 25 breaststroke (or freestyle) kick – remember to kick gently on the breaststroke kick, unless you can handle a stronger kick
• Intervals – 2 sets of (1 x 25, 1 x 50, 1 x 25) – comfy pace
• Cool down – 2 x 25 breaststroke

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Salmon with Bell Peppers

After watching Jamie Oliver’s Meals in Minutes episode on crispy salmon, I made the meal at home, using what I had on hand.  There’s a listing of the recipe here.

I used a salmon filet, without skin, instant brown rice instead of Basmati, and bell peppers instead of chiles.  I didn’t have cucumbers, so I did a side salad instead of the cucumber salad.  I also omitted the tortillas and the guacamole.

Salmon cooked 15-17 min. at 350 degrees with bell pepper, onion, EVOO, salt, & pepper.

Instant brown rice mixed with bell pepper, basil, EVOO, and balsamic vinegar.  Combine this with the salmon for an amazing flavor combo.

I served my salmon & rice with a small salad.  It was a fantastic meal!  For those of you who are wondering if I’m going hungry on my “meal plan,” I definitely am not!

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Pregnancy Swim Set #1

Have you ever searched for a pregnancy swim set?  There’s nothing out there.  The searches produce tips about appropriate swimwear and conflicting advice about what strokes you shouldn’t do.

For those of you that used to do triathlons or jog or do other high-impact, strenuous workouts, but are now happy with calmer workouts of yoga, easy swimming, and walking, here is a pregnancy swim set.

This workout might take about 20-30 minutes to swim, assuming you are swimming at a comfy (non racing) pace, and that you are taking frequent breaks, such as resting after each lap.  Stop after each 25 to catch your breath and assess how your body is handling the swimming.  Start the next 25 when you feel ready.  Don’t put yourself on timed intervals unless you can handle it.

Remember, this workout is for someone who just wants a relaxing swim!  If you’re looking for pregnant triathlon swim sets, I’m sorry to disappoint!  (I’m also not a medical professional, so this is not medical advice!)

Total distance = 450 (yards or meters, depending on your pool)

• Warm up – 4 x 25 (freestyle at comfortable pace)
• Drills – 2 x 25 stroke only, no kicking; 2 x 25 single-arm swimming with kicking (first 25 left arm, second 25 right arm)
• Workout – 4 x 25 (comfy pace); 4 x 25 – alternate one length comfy pace and one length moderate (swim a little faster, kick a little harder, reach your strokes out farther ahead of you, and pull a little harder – not racing pace, unless you can handle it)
• Cool down – 2 x 25 (breaststroke, easy pace – consider breathing every other stroke, keeping your head under water when not taking breaths)

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More About Eating

Here are the basics of what I can and can’t eat:
No dairy for breakfast
15 g carbs at breakfast and snacks, 30 g for meals (including starchy veggies)
No white rice, white potatoes, or white bread
No corn or products with corn (that’s new)
No wheat (that’s new)  – includes bread and pasta
No sugar

I can have tons of meat and veggies.
I can have half a sweet potato, 1/3 cup brown rice, 1 slice of wheat-free bread, 1/3 cup wheat-free pasta, or 1/2 cup peas with a meal.  I can have 1 cup of winter squash, but I haven’t found a way to make it taste good yet.

I really love snacking on carrots, bell peppers, and drinking green smoothies (with kale).

I had a fantastic dinner the other night of two cheeseburger patties (no buns), carrots, and sweet potato spears.  I plan to learn to make a lot of easy stir fries, as I’ll be eating a lot of rice.

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