Original Christmas gifts

Want original gifts?

Check out Jelby's, a handmade baby burpie/onesie/adorable dress website. I am obsessed with the onesie dresses, like this one.

Please COMMENT and share your favorite original Christmas present websites, gift ideas, or etsy shops that you will be perusing this year!

Christmas deals

There are so many choices and options for creative Christmas presents. We wanted to help with gift suggestions that won't break your budget!

First, I must advertise a budget-friendly blog that I LOVE: Cha-Ching on a Shoestring. I find so many ideas on how to save money, and she updates daily with great coupons and deals.

Here are some recent (time sensitive) deals that I found out about there:

*Free holiday labels at VistaPrint.com

1. Click on "holidays" on the left

2. Choose "labels"

3. Pick your favorite to-from stickers or return address labels (so many cute choices!)

4. Just pay shipping (I got 140 to-from stickers and 140 return address labels for less than $5!)

*$10 off Alphabet Learning Pal, and a lot of other GREAT Target coupons on toys HERE

*Buy Up! and Monsters, Inc on Blu Ray at Target for less than $11! I did it and it worked, find out how here.

Have any deals you are going to take advantage of this Christmas season, please COMMENT and share!

Menu: Pork noodles and Chicken soup

This week has some new favorite recipes of mine. The October issue of Cooking Light was a jackpot of delicious recipes. This week, you will have five meals, with the potential to freeze for later. I will not be posting a menu for next week, as it is the Thanksgiving holiday. However, I will post a couple of favorite holiday recipes, and I encourage you to do the same!

Day One:

Noodles w/ Roast Pork and Almond Sauce

Okay, before you say, "that sounds weird," hear me out. This is a creamy, hearty meal that is a delicious use of pantry staples. I think it would be kid-friendly, just maybe decrease the chili garlic sauce and the ginger. This would work great with peanut butter, but if you have never tried almond butter, you are in for a treat! Cook the entire amount of pork tenderloin to eat half tomorrow, but halve the rest of the recipe since you are only eating it one night.

Recipe changes:

Add 1 T brown sugar to the sauce

Day Two:

Leftover Pork Tenderloin with your favorite dipping sauce (or just by itself)

Wild Rice

"Creamed" Spinach

This is easily one of my new favorite side dishes. A snack staple that we keep in our fridge is Laughing Cow light cheese wedges. This dish uses those and frozen spinach to make a healthy alternative to creamed spinach.

Ingredients:

1 container (12 oz) of frozen spinach (chopped or whole leaf, your preference)

2 Laughing Cow cheese wedges

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Thaw spinach and drain well

2. Sauté spinach in a little bit of olive oil over med-high heat

3. When spinach in warm, melt in the cheese, and season with salt and pepper

Day Three:

Chicken Cacciatore

This dish was delicious. Initially, with my "cook once/eat twice" philosophy, I thought I could cook the chicken ahead of time for tomorrow's soup, but that is not possible. One short cut you can give yourself is to go ahead and thaw/chop an extra 3/4 lbs chicken for tomorrow's soup to store in the fridge. If you need extra meals this week, you could make this entire recipe and eat it two nights in a row, if not, I would halve it because it makes a lot.

Day Four:

Chicken Orzo Soup

Wow. This is a fancier version of chicken noodle, but is totally accessible. I really recommend it; all ages and "pickiness" levels would love it. I did not try doubling it and freezing half, but I bet that would work great.

Ingredient changes:

1 cup of orzo instead of 1/2 cup (keep a really close eye on it, mine burned a little)

1 tea poultry seasoning

1 tea dried oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

pinch of red pepper flakes

(Only use the thyme sprig if you have it, don't buy fresh thyme just for this recipe)

Recipe changes:

1. Bring 2 1/2 cups broth to a boil in which to cook the orzo.

2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning before cooking.

3. Add oregano, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the carrot mixture while cooking.

4. Add bay leaf to broth mixture while it cooks.

Grilled Cheese sandwich

Day Five:

Leftover soup & another grilled cheese sandwich (or some other side dish)

Happy eating!

~Mamacita

Menu: Chicken casserole and Fried Rice

This week is all about reusing ingredients and STOCKING our FREEZERS! With the holiday season coming up, if you are like me, there are so many nights with events that it is hard to plan a cook once/eat twice weekly menu. So, use your trusty freezer to have dinner in a pinch!

Day One:

Chicken Artichoke Casserole

I love this casserole, it's always a hit. It freezes well, so while you are making it this week, make another one to freeze for later! When you double it, do not fully double the milk (it is a little too much). For this week's menu, make another cup of cooked rice to put in the fridge and use for your fried rice if you are cooking for two. If you are cooking for four, make two extra cups.

Ingredients :

1/2 cup chopped carrot (about 1)

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/4 cup sliced green onions (about 2)

1 T butter

1 10 3/4 ounce can low sodium (healthy option) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 9 ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and cut up

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I always use a rotisserie)

1 cup hot cooked rice (white or brown)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (I always use a little more)

2/3 cup milk (1% works great)

1 tea garlic powder

1 tea poultry seasoning

1/2 tea salt (more to taste)

1/4 tea fresh cracked black pepper

4 slices crispy, cooked bacon, crumbled

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large skillet (you can also use a wok or soup pot) melt butter over medium high heat. Cook carrot, pepper, and green onions in melted butter until the carrot is crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Stir in the chicken soup, artichoke hearts, chicken, rice, mozzarella cheese, milk, spices, and bacon.

2. Transfer the mixture to a 2 quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

3. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake about 20 minutes more or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Freezer directions: Place doubled casserole in a freezable container (I like foil pans). Let it cool down a little and then put it in the freezer. DO NOT top with parmesan until you thaw it and are ready to cook it.

Tossed Salad

Day Two:

Leftover casserole & tossed salad

Day Three:

Fried Rice w/ Hoisin marinated chicken

If you are cooking this recipe for two, halve it (then you will only use the 1 cup of rice you saved from the casserole) but make FOUR chicken breasts so you can have them for your salad tomorrow.

Recipe changes for the fried rice:

1. I use fish sauce instead of oyster sauce and use little (if any soy sauce) until I serve it at the table.

2. I cook mine in a wok and move the rice to the side and pour in a scrambled egg. Let it cook fully, then combine with the rice mixture.

Hints:

*For great fried rice always use old, cold rice!

*For quicker grilling, pound the chicken a little thinner to make it more even before putting it in the marinade.

Day Four:

Hoisin chicken tossed salad with Asian vinaigrette

Make your favorite salad meal! Suggestions: bib lettuce, bell peppers, mandarin oranges, red or green onions, and peanuts.

OR

A chicken/starch/vegetable meal if you don't want a salad meal (Ex: Leftover chicken, roasted asparagus, and sauteed zucchini/squash.)

Day Five:

Roasted Shrimp with bell peppers

Time to double up and stock the freezer again! Either make the recipe and freeze half of it for 2 two person servings, or double it and freeze an entire recipe for 2 four person servings. Follow the directions from the website about freezing.

Cous-Cous or Orzo

The recipe online says to serve with rice, but we have eaten so much rice this week, let's change it up!

Happy eating!

~Mamacita

Answering those airline travel questions, part 1

If you haven't taken your infant on an airplane yet and are wondering what you need to know before you do, you may be interested in my own experiences flying with my ten-month-old son. I've taken him on three separate round-trip flights between Texas and Illinois: the first when he was four-and-a-half months old, the second when he was six-and-a-half months old, and the most recent when he was eight months old. I've flown two different airlines (American and United) and had both non-stop and one-stop flights.

In this first post, I'll focus on my experiences with checking in for flights, getting through security, and boarding the plane.

Q. Do I need to bring my infant's birth certificate to show at the ticketing booth?

A. When my husband and I were preparing to take the first flight with our son, we did a lot of reading on the American Airlines website to try to find the answer to this question. We did not see anything about it, but just to be cautious, we packed our son's birth certificate anyway. When we got to the ticketing booth, the only thing the American agent asked us about our son was his name and age. I then received a ticket stating I was traveling with an infant. No birth certificate or other form of identification for him was required. When we flew United, I had the same experience (except for United did not even ask for my son's name and age).

So, bottom line, if you're flying domestically on either American or United, I would say you don't have to bring your infant's birth certificate. But since my experience is limited to these two airlines and domestic travel, I can't say for sure that you don't need a birth certificate on a different airline or if you're traveling internationally.



Q. If I'm traveling with my infant, can I use a self-service kiosk to check in for our flight?

A. We tried this on our most recent flight on United, and the kiosk was almost done processing our information when I noticed it hadn't asked me anything about traveling with children. I asked one of the agents about it, and she said that if I had an infant traveling with me that I'd need to check into the flight the traditional way to get the special "traveling with infant" ticket. Then I remembered that for our other flights on American, we had checked in the traditional way. So I would recommend standing in line to check in with an actual agent, just in case the airline you're traveling on is like American or United. You wouldn't want to waste any precious time at the self-service kiosk!


Q. Do I have to check my infant seat and/or stroller with my luggage?

A. No, you do not have to. In fact, if you do this when you are checking in for your flight at the ticketing booth, you may have to pay extra. As I recall, both American and United charge a fee if you want to check your infant seat and/or stroller along with your luggage at the ticketing booth.

There is no charge, however, if you take the infant seat and/or stroller with you to your departure gate and check it there. (This may be more comfortable for your infant, too!) The gate agent will give you special tags for any pieces of baby equipment you want to check. When you board the plane, you leave the equipment in the designated spot on the jetway. Once your plane arrives at its destination, you can pick up the equipment again.

Keep in mind that you can only bring your infant seat onto the plane if you've paid for an extra seat for it, or if you get lucky and there is an empty seat next to your own on the plane. I've never actually taken my son's infant seat on board a flight, so I don't know if there are restrictions on how it is to be placed in the plane seat (rear facing or front facing, etc.)


Q. What do I need to know about taking my infant through the airport security line?

A. Once you get to the front of the line, you will have to take your baby out of his/her infant seat or stroller and put these items on the conveyor belt to be scanned. The infant seat has to be flipped upside down to fit through the opening of the conveyor. The stroller obviously has to be folded up on the conveyor. A folded umbrella stroller will have no problem fitting through the opening of the conveyor, but a folded standard-size stroller may only fit through the opening if the bigger back set of wheels are on top. (I have a Graco stroller that's part of a travel system, and this has been my experience.)

You will also have to let the security people know if you have formula or breastmilk in any of your bags due to airport restrictions on liquids. It's perfectly fine to have these; the security people just need to be aware of them. They will take the bottles and wave a special pH strip over them to ensure they do not contain anything hazardous.

- J's Mommy

The Best Advice I received...

I would love to start a discussion among those who read the blog about the best piece of advice you received at any point of having a new baby. Please leave a comment, I'm sure we have lots to learn from each others' mothers, sisters, friends, or a great book!

When my daughter went through a really hard napping phase (as in, didn't nap at all), I was at my wit's end. I talk to my mom every day, and she is always giving me great advice, but something she said really stuck with me. She said, "Babies are people, too. They have their days just like anyone- they might be really exhausted, not tired at all, grouchy, or happy, just like you or I get in moods. All I can say is, try to read her mood, and if it's a hard one, pour yourself an extra cup of coffee in the morning, and tomorrow will be a better day!"

My mom is probably reading this trying to remember saying this or why this particular piece of advice stuck with me. However, I found it so liberating. My daughter might just be grouchy. Or tired. Or not tired and wanting to "chat." We all get like that. Although I am so grateful for the many books I have read that help with her schedule or napping, this advice really helped me from overanalyzing or blaming myself for her sleep or mood.

Love you, Mom!

~Mamacita

Please chime in!

15 under $15

You don't have to be rich to have some fantastic baby items!

15 great baby items under $15 (ages 0-9 months):

Smart Shopping Mama says:

• Medela Tender Care Lanolin

This is a MUST in the early days of breastfeeding! I preferred the Medela to other brands because it is not as thick and thus, it is easier (read: less painful!) to apply. Use before and after nursing and showering. I kept one tube in my diaper bag and one in my bathroom for the first month.

• Eddie Bauer Quilted Playpen Sheet
  

These sheets are thick, soft, and durable. I have two sets! They are available in-store at Target.

• Kiddopotamus Tiny Diner Portable Placemat

This is a fabulous product for babies who are eating finger foods. We started using this around 7.5 months. You take it to a restaurant and it suctions to the table so that you don't have to place finger foods directly on the table. It wipes off easily and has a nifty catcher that snags most dropped pieces of food before they become high chair mush. My daughter also likes to chew on it. It rolls up and fits well in a diaper bag.

• Razberry
  

This is my daughter's favorite teething toy (next to Sophie the Giraffe, which is a little pricier at $19). You can find them for around $3 at HEB stores or you can order them online. They are easy for little hands to hold. You can also attach them to a chain of links so that they don't fall on the floor.

• Links

These are wonderful to use to attach toys to an activity mat, stroller, high chair, car seat, etc. You can save them from falling to the floor! My daughter likes to play with the links by themselves as well. This gift set looks great and includes links!

• Mirror

You can use any mirror to entertain your baby, but it is great to have a safe mirror for babies to look at during tummy time or while they are sitting. My daughter and I think it is hilarious to exchange smiles in the mirror! This Sassy mirror looks great and has lots of fun things for baby to play with.

• Stacking Cups

My daughter LOVES stacking cups and NEVER gets tired of playing with them. She is obsessed with knocking towers down. They are great for learning to pick up toys as well as reaching for toys while sitting and working to get toys that are out of reach. She also likes to carry the smallest cup around the house. Any set of cups will do the trick but these are my favorite.

Mamacita says:

• Summer nose suction bulb

She does not scream or cry when we use this one, it really does the trick, and also comes apart for easy cleaning. I have two.

• Mylicon

This really helped with gas when she was 0-3 months old. Buy the off-brand, like Target's, and save major $$.

• EZ wrap swaddler (available in-store at Target)

I consistently give this as a shower present because I could not have lived without it when my munchkin was 0-2 months. It really helped with swaddling during late-night delirium.

• Infantino Loopalooza toy

I call this the "stop the crying" toy because every-time I use it, my daughter gets distracted and engaged. It is a wonderful toy. (Also great to attach to a stroller for a fun time!) Smart Shopping Mama seconds this one! :)

• Baby Einstein music "phone"

Out of all baby toys that make music/noise, this is more than tolerable for parents, it's enjoyable, because of the real classical music.

• Munchkin carrier strap covers

These really keep the straps from cutting in and also don't add too much bulk, so there is no safety concern. I am really glad I have them. I found mine in-store at Walmart.

• Any Baby Einstein book

They almost all say "9+ months." Whatever! My daughter loved them from the moment she started tracking objects and staying focused on one thing for 5+ minutes. I love them because the rhyming is clever, the pictures are bright, and they are educational.

• "100 Essential Classics"

This is the perfect classical music mix, available on itunes for $11.99. If you are like me and want to expose your little one to classical music, but want it to be the "real deal," I LOVE this mix on itunes. I went through and picked the most soothing ones and made a napping mix, but you could also just play it all day long.


Smart Shopping Mama says... and here is #16...

• Leapfrog Fridge Farm Magnets

Okay, so I don't actually have these yet, but this will be my next baby purchase! My daughter loves to venture into the kitchen and I can see these magnets providing lots of entertainment. I will let you know how it goes!

Menu: Pantry "lasagna" and Turkey Chili

This week was all about using things in my pantry because I didn't get to the grocery store until late in the week. So, if you have read my staple list, you can easily make these things, too! I think you will like them a lot, and they are very "family friendly."

Day One

Pantry "Lasagna"

Homemade lasagna is so good, but who has the time that often? I made this from things I always have. I keep ravioli in my freezer, and I didn't even thaw it to make this! You could double this and freeze one, but I honestly think it's just as easy to assemble and make it

that day.

Ingredients:

1 package large cheese (or other flavor) ravioli (No need to thaw or cook!)

1 jar pasta sauce

1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 can chopped artichoke hearts, drained

2 garlic cloves, minced (or 2 tea jarred minced garlic)

1 package shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a medium skillet over med-high heat, sauté garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes (do not brown or burn). Add spinach and artichoke hearts and sauté until warmed through. Season well with salt and fresh ground pepper.
3. Layer in a rectangular baking dish: 1/3 of the pasta sauce, 1/2 of the ravioli, 1/2 of the spinach mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat, ending with cheese on top, adding parmesan on the top.
4. Bake, covered in foil, for 25 minutes or until bubbly

Tossed Salad

Bread

Day Two:

Leftover Pantry lasagna

Steamed green beans

Bread

Day Three:

Turkey Chili

Every time the weather turns, I make this chili. It is truly one of our favorite meals. I have made it with beef and venison, and it is good with both. I have also made it with chicken broth instead of the beer, and it's fine, but with the beer it's better. Chipotle chilis en adobo are a great ingredient. They are smoked jalapeños, and are not spicy (trust me, I can't handle spicy).

Instead of the can of whole, peeled tomatoes, I use a can of diced tomatoes with their juices. For toppings, I always use: avocados, cilantro, cheese, and tortilla chips.

Cornbread

Day Four:

Leftover turkey chili

Cornbread

Day Five:

Pantry "Minestrone"

I found this recipe in an old Real Simple (such a great magazine) because I was trying to use things I had in my pantry to make a soup. I was pleased with how it turned out. I hope you have these things in your pantry, too! If you make this amount, enjoy some for lunch.

I brought the soup to a boil and added some small pasta for a real minestrone feel and omitted the green beans. I did not add the kidney beans, just the white beans. Remember, every time you use canned beans, rinse and drain them first.

Broiled cheesy bread or grilled cheese

Happy Eating!

~Mamacita