Spark

“You can’t start a fire without a spark.” – The Boss/BRUCE/Bruce Springsteen.  Wise words indeed.

I’ve got so many sparks flying around I should have a towering inferno by now.  Maybe it’s flammable material I’m missing?  Or more time?

I’m finding it really difficult to find the time to start piecing my baby food cook book together.  By the time work is done, unnecessarily long drive home due to construction is done, kids are picked up and fed, sporting events attended, kids bathed, bed time storied and tucked in, PVR show taped from 2 weeks ago watched and a spousal exchange of hello, my week days are toast.  By the time the house is cleaned, garden tended to, kids entertained, friends entertained, exercise entertained, blog written and a week’s worth of meals prepped for a new detox/cleanse regime my husband and I are trying out is done, my weekends are toast.  I don’t think that leaves any days?

I know I set out on this journey indicating I would be taking baby steps toward my goal, but I think I’ll update that to baby ant steps.  I suppose even baby ant steps move forward rather than stay still so I may be on track yet.  Look at me go!

Well at least I’m starting to get a good collection of recipes together to include in my book thanks to this blog.  It’s allowing (forcing) me to stay on track with my dream as I whip up baby food puree’s to share with you on a regular basis.  Thanks blog and you who are reading. J

When time is something you don’t have a lot of, you can always slip in a simple 1 fruit puree for baby.  Let’s talk plums.  They are a great first food for the 6 months +, Solid Food Apprentices out there.  They are easy to digest and are said to have laxative properties so if baby needs some help in that department…plums to the rescue!  They are also a good source of potassium and contain vitamin C and riboflavin.

 

For this puree you’ll want to peel them.  The easiest way to do so is to score an “X” on the bottom then plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds, then cool immediately in cold water for about 10 seconds.  Remove from cold water and they should be easy to peel.  You can always use a hand held peeler to help if they aren’t cooperating.  The riper the plum is, the easier it will be to peel.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Peek-a-boo Plum Puree

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         5 ripe plums

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and slice plums taking care to get all the flesh around the pit.

2.      Place plum slices in saucepan over medium heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, just enough to get the juices flowing.

3.      Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor, blender or bowl to use a hand held blender to puree.

4.      Puree to a smooth consistency.

5.      Let cool for a few minutes then transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to be used within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to be used within 48 hours.

Makes – 10 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Note: Even really ripe plums are somewhat tart so when you offer this puree to baby I would suggest adding a bit of mashed banana to it for some added sweetness to cut the sour and save baby’s face from turning inside out.

I wrote my first blog post 1 year ago this month.  Happy Anniversary to me.  Now let’s get a move on baby ant!!

Do What You Love to Do

Forgive me for my tardiness in blogging this week.  I was engaged in a 3 day “Win Back the Customer Sales Summit” at my real job.  It involved the coming together of our sales field reps and internal corporate teams to share thoughts and ideas to come up with a strategy to do what the summit title suggests.

Our coordinator had to take an emergency leave a week prior to this summit which left the coordination of the event details added to my proverbial plate.

It’s all the little details that seem meaningless to outsiders in their preparation that have the most disastrous effect if they aren’t taken care of.  I fret more over the coordination details than the sum of all the other parts which include, but by no means are limited to, my own presentation on consumer insights, supporting each colleague with sales and marketing data for their own presentations and supporting my boss, VP of Sales and Marketing, with anything and everything.

I was an event coordinator in the past so I know what happens when the gluten free bread doesn’t arrive with lunch, or breakfast isn’t included with the hotel bookings, or evening meal destinations aren’t preferred by all…hell breaks loose.

So given all of this, needless to say as I’m sitting in the boardroom waiting for my turn to present, the next person’s turn to make sure I’ve queued up their slides properly, and the arrival of the special order non-dairy sandwich with lunch, my stress level rises to the ultimate degree and remains there for the balance of the summit.

Our Thursday evening event was to take part in a cooking class at the Calphalon Centre in Toronto and then enjoy the personally prepared feast with our team.  When I walked into the professionally stocked kitchen and took in the view I could literally feel the stress drain from my body.  How cool is this?!?  In the midst of all the chaos of the summit, I was able to do something I love…cook!  Even though I cook a lot and think I’ve got my own methods down, to have a professional chef demonstrate their techniques was an incredible learning experience and not to mention a whole lot of fun.  I would recommend it to anyone…from those who love to cook, to those who love new experiences but don’t cook more than once in a blue moon.

That evening made the next and last day of the summit a breeze…it’s amazing how incorporating something you love into your day can make the not so great things a lot more bearable.

The dramatic drop in my stress level after stepping into that kitchen was the reassurance I needed that I’m on the right path for me…to cook and share recipes.  I want to do what I love to do.   

I try not to let a blog go by without sharing a baby food recipe so let’s talk plums and pears…a perfect combination.

Try to choose plums that are nice and ripe.  Avoid those that are hard with little colour, or very soft and bruised and spotted.  Ripe plums are fragrant and well coloured and relax to light finger pressure.

When choosing pears make sure they are smooth and firm but not too hard, and have no bruises.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Plum Perfect Pear Puree

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

-          5 plums

-          5 pears

Baby Steps

-          Peel, core and slice pears into 1cm. thick pieces.

-          Peel plums using the boiling water method if they are really ripe, or use a regular peeler if they are not so ripe.

-          To peel plums using the boiling water method, make an “x” shape cut with a knife on the bottom of the plum.  Place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them and leave for 1 minute or so.  Take out of water with tongs and let stand for a few minutes.  If the plums were ripe you should be able to peel the skins off easily beginning with the flap that is exposed from the “x” you cut in the skin earlier.  If you’re still having trouble, don’t fret…just grab a regular peeler to finish the job.

-          Slice the plums into 1cm. thick pieces and discard the pit.

-          Add Pears alone to a large sauce pan with 1 tbsp. water.  Cover and cook over medium/low heat, stirring often for 10 mins.

-          Add the plums to the pears, cover and continue to cook for another 7 minutes.

-          Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

-          Transfer to a blender, food processor or bowl to use a hand blender to puree the fruit to a smooth consistency.

You can keep some in the fridge and transfer the rest to freezing trays.  The frozen puree will safely last up to 3 months and the refrigerated puree approx. 48 hrs.

Makes approx. 14 servings (1 serving is 2 tbsp.)

Maybe next year I’ll be coordinating a “Win Back the Homemade Baby Food Preparation Summit” rather than the customer sales one that I just did.