Baby Porridge Recipe

Learning how to feed herself!

Quick. Healthy.  Inexpensive.  These are all words a mother likes to hear related to a recipe for her baby.  These things make baby porridge my favorite baby food recipe.

Baby Porridge

Breakfast, lunch and dinner it can be mixed with other fruits or veggies for substantial nourishment. Whole grains and dried beans are healthy and inexpensive, but can take a long time to cook.  This recipe cuts that time down amazingly.

Recipe:
1/3 cup uncooked whole grain (I've used brown rice, or millet, or groats, or wheat berries, or spelt, etc)
2 T dried beans (I've used white beans, large lima beans, lentils, garbanzo beans, or red beans)
2 cups water
Note:  I usually stick with one type of bean and one type of whole grain per batch.  My favorite combination is brown rice with white beans.  It has a nice creaminess to it.

 1.  Put grain and beans in a food processor and process for to 2 minutes.

 2.  Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a small saucepan.  Add in the grain/bean powder and stir with a whisk.

3.  Cook for 10 minutes uncovered, stirring every couple of minutes.
4.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Baby Porridge mixed with fruit.

I got the recipe from "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron.  

I would love to hear what is, or was your favorite baby food recipe to make!

Love Birds

This last weekend we attended a wedding and gave the bride and groom these two handmade love birds as a part of our gift.  The colors for the wedding were purple and black.  

While making these I learned that sewing something small and curvy proves to be more challenging than sewing straight and rectangular.  After scrapping my first attempts, I rallied my troops and went for it again. 

I have wanted to make these birds ever since I saw this bird mobile pattern.  I hope to make a bird mobile for the nursery some time in the future.  Especially since now my 1 year old loves seeing birds.  She gets so excited about birds that she does a baby-sign for birds whenever she wants to go outside.

Asking for Help

My 1 year old has been learning baby sign language.  She recently learned how to ask for "help" (she uses a fist instead of a "thumbs up".)  Quickly she learned that asking for "help" has a lot of power.  Especially when you are with someone who loves you and that person wants to help you.

She does the baby sign and then I will quickly be by her side wanting to know what she needs.  The first day or so she would ask for "help" all day long.  Now it has just simmered down to a consistent plea throughout her day.  This doesn't mean that she always gets what she wants.  But it does mean that I then know that she has a need and I help determine what is best.

This had made me think a lot about increasing in asking God for help throughout my day. 

Psalm 109:26  Help me, O Lord my God! 

Save me according to your steadfast love!

God loves me and wants to help me.  I am trying to remember to look to Him and ask for help more throughout my day.

 

Psalm 121:2  My help comes from the LORD, 

Who made heaven and earth. 

What a comfort to know that I am asking a God who has the power and the ability to help me.

Psalm 46:1-3  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

No matter how overwhelming the situation may be, it is not overwhelming for God.  In my life right now I get overwhelmed by caring for a 1 year old while 6 months pregnant, but God isn't overwhelmed with my situation!

Psalm 63:7  For You have been my help, 

And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

 Just as my daughter is comforted by my help, I can enjoy the comfort of my Heavenly Father caring for me.

  

Orecchiette with Ricotta and Peas

I recently found some whole wheat orecchiette pasta and made a recipe inspired by ideas from the bag.  Orecchiette is a pasta named for its resemblance to small ears.  The funny thing is I unintentionally made this recipe for our friend who just became an audiologist!  This recipe is super easy.  With being pregnant I'm trying to restrict myself to super easy.

Left overs for lunch the next day!

Orecchiette with Ricotta and Peas

8 oz Whole wheat orecchiette or shell pasta
2 cups whole milk ricotta
1 1/2 cups frozen peas thawed
3 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
tomato (as you desire)

1.  Boil the pasta, drain and return to pan.
2.  Mix with rest of ingredients.
3.  Season with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese

3 Days and 3 Nights

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12:40

Recently we went to a weekend Bible Family Camp.  I helped to plan what the children 2 to 7 years old learned.  Our theme was Matthew 12:40.  It was a great way to share the good news that God raised Jesus from the dead.  This verse provided lots of visuals and interaction.

Our Big Fish

One great thing that we did was have an interactive big fish, and an interactive tomb, both made out of tables.  The children took turns going into each of them. 

Our Tomb

 We wanted to have a craft that the children could take home and that would be nice enough for them to put in their room and remind them of what they learned.  They made banners with the images from the posters.  It really help to summarize what they learned.