Freezing and Vacuum Sealing

I have mentioned freezing food quite frequently and wanted to share my favorite gadgets for keeping those meals from getting freezer burn.

Reynolds has a motorized vacuum sealer called the Handi-Vac. Ziploc aslo has a sealer simply called the Ziploc Vacuum. I have both and they both work very well. I have found food lasts up to twice as long as it would if frozen in normal freezer bags.

The only catch is that each brand has its own set of bags that must be used with the sealer.

The Reynolds Handi-Vac is powered by a battery. With the press of the button, the device pulls out the air. The Reynolds starter kit cost $7.48 and comes with 3 quart bags. A refill of quart bags will cost you $2.84 for 14 bags.

The Ziploc Vacuum is a hand pump. It has a powerful suction and is much quieter. The Ziploc starter kit costs $1.50 and comes with 3 quart bags. Refills cost $2.68 for 12 quart bags.

I prefer the Ziploc Vacuum simply because it is quieter. My son is a light sleeper and the only time I can spend freezing my meals is while he is sleeping. The Reynold's Handi-Vac is way too loud for our house. But, both sealer systems work very well. I have been very pleased with the results. Recently, I found a loaf of homemade bread in the back of the freezer. Usually, bread is consumed within a month but this had been in there for almost three months. It looked and tasted just like fresh bread.

I use the vacuum sealers for everything but soups. They don't work too well with soups. They tend to pull the juice out instead of the air.

Homemade Swiffer Juice

I love Swiffer! I think they are the greatest inventors ever! Well almost ever. The phone and the light bulb are pretty awesome!

I own almost every Swiffer gadget they make. There might be a couple that I don't own and that is only because I don't know about them or I can't think of them at this moment. The downside of swiffer is that you must buy refills for the products. That's money down the drain. So I have been trying to find a way to save money on my Swiffer WetJet. I determined the best way to saw money was to refill my Wetjet bottle.

I removed the lid by running it under hot water then using a gripper to twist the cap off.

The cleaning fluid was a mixture of vinegar, baking soda, and water. I haven't worked out the exact measurements. It was approximately 1 cup of vinegar to 1 quart of water and a tablespoon of baking soda.

It cleaned rather well but required more arm muscle than normal. The downside is that you must mix up a fresh batch with each cleaning. That is fine for planned moppings but unplanned messes as is typical with infants and toddlers need an immediate fix. There is not always time to mix up a cleaner before tackling the spill.

Thus, I am still working on it. I am also working on a cheaper replacement for the pads. Got some ideas? Tried a homemade cleaner solution? Leave a comment or send me an email, and I will give it a try!

How to Make Your Own Baby Food

Making your own baby food seems like a daunting task, but really it is simpler than it seems. The key is knowing the consistancy your baby will need. If you are making baby food for a 4-6 month old it needs to be quite thin with no lumps whatsoever. An older infant, could be fed a smooth, thicker version, and one the age of Snugglebug around 9 or 10 months will be ready for a few lumps to test out those new teeth. A good rule of thumb for determining the consistancy of your purees will be to make your foods the same consistancy as your cereals.

So, without further ado...On to the kitchen...

Step 1--You can use either fresh fruits and vegetables or frozen. My preference is to use fresh when it is in season and frozen when it is not. For frozen items cook according to package directions. For fresh vegies, peel and chop in rough chunks. Place them in a pot and cover with water. Cook until fork tender.

Do not add salt, sugar, or seasonings to the vegies. Keep them plain until you know what allergies your child may have. And remember to introduce the seasonings one at a time just like your solid foods to determine any allergies.

Tip--For older infants you can also roast vegies such as winter squash, just make sure you scrape off the carmelized portions, since it won't puree smooth. Also if you want to keep the vitamins from leaching into the water, you can steam you vegies. It just takes a little longer to cook.

Step 2--Place the fruits or vegies in a food processor along with a spoonful or two of the water and juices from the pot. This will help the vegies to puree smoothly. Pulse the machine a few times to see if you need to add more water. Remember, the younger the infant the more water will need to be added. If you get it too thin you can always add cereal to thicken it later. Once pureed spoon or pour mixture into a bowl and stir with a spoon. You are checking the consistancy. If it still seems too thick or chunky add it back to the food processor and pulse again a few more times.

Step 3--Your baby food is either ready to serve or preserve. I'm not an expert in canning, so I suggest freezing, and if your child eats like my Snugglebug, it won't last long in the freezer anyway.

The best way to freeze baby food is in ice trays. Fresh Baby makes an ice tray with a snap on lid that is especially designed for freezing baby food. I have two trays, and they work well. Unfortunately, after a few dozen uses the lid doesn't snap on tight and tends to come off far too easily. And since my favorite thing to do is to multi-task, I turn to standard ice trays. The standard trays stack nicely in the freezer, and it is easy to remove the cubes for storage.

Each cube of a Baby Fresh tray or a standard ice tray is equivalent to one ounce and hold approximately 12 cubes or 12 ounces of baby food. Depending on your type of fruit or vegie you get 1 1/2 to 2 trays per pound of fresh or frozen vegies.

Step 4--To store the cubes, run a little hot water over the bottom of the trays, then turn out the trays on a clean plate. Place the cubes in a marked freezer storage bag of your choice and place in the freezer. You now have baby food at your fingertips.

Step 5--To serve, thaw the total number of cubes in a microwavable bowl for 30 seconds to 1 minutes (depending on microwave wattage) on 50 percent power. Stir and microwave again for the same length and power.

I have an older microwave and it usually takes two minutes at 50 percent power to completely thaw and warm the vegies. If you overheat the cubes, then stir with an ice cube for a couple of seconds.

Happy Eating!!

Baby Food--The healthy and frugal way

I've been making Snugglebug's baby food since he started solids at 5 months. It has been quite an experience. You would think it would be easy to puree foods but apparently it isn't. Snugglebug is 10 months old now and eating quite well, and I am proud to say that I have figured it out.

My first inclination to make baby food was simply because I wanted to make sure it was healthy. With my own food allergies and sensitivies, I felt it was adament that I make sure the ingredients were healthy. Along the way, I discovered I was saving a lot of money.

Today, I cooked 3 pounds of Organic sweet peas, pureed them, and froze them. I got 16-3 ounce servings from those 3 pounds. Organic baby food runs 95 cents a jar and I spent $9 thus a savings of $6.20 or 40%. Granted the total savings could be much better if I wasn't insistant on organic. (I'll explain the importance of organic in a later post.)

Store brand frozen vegies that are not organic but still just as tasty cost on average of $1.25 a pound. And if you bought the regular not organic baby food, you would spend on average of 50 cents a jar. The same peas would then save you a grand total of $4.25 or a 53% savings.

In my next post, I'll tell you how I did it!