Polish Apple Pancakes

Taste has such a connection with memory, don't you think? These pancakes bring back so many memories, but my favorite is of visiting my paternal babcia in Poland and her cooking these delights for my dad and I on the night that we arrived. I was about ten years old; tired, grumpy and overwhelmed. We were ushered in, sat at a plain and simple table in her small apartment's kitchen, and she continued to fry these babies up.

They are called "racuchy" (rah-tsoo-hiy) or "placki z jablkami" (pancakes with apples / "plah-ts-key z yab-kahm-eh").

These days I pull it out on those evenings where "breakfast for dinner" is on the menu again or if I have extra apples that should get used. They're like a mix between a pancake, fritters, dutch baby, beignet and a donut. There's just no one way to describe them! But they are super easy to make, use readily available ingredients and are so tasty. Even though they are essentially deep fried, they don't come out greasy.

You'll need:
2-3 apples (peeled, cored and sliced thinly)
2 cups of flour
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 tsp sugar
vegetable oil
powdered sugar

You'll do:
1. Mix together the 2 cups of flour, egg, 1 cup of milk and 1 tsp of sugar to make the batter. It'll be similar to the consistency of pancake batter. Fold in the apple slices.
2. In a frying pan, pour enough vegetable oil to fill the pan about 1/4 of the way up. Heat it to hot.
3. Ladle drops of batter with 2-3 apple slices into the oil. You don't need a lot of batter, just enough to stick the apple pieces together.
4. Cook until the bottom is lightly golden, then flip. It should take less than 2 minutes total.
5. Place onto a paper towel lined platter. Blot up any excess oil with another paper towel.
6. To serve, give it a good dusting of powdered sugar.

Sour Cream Zucchini Bread with Coconut Oil

This is a revamp on my previous recipes of sour cream banana bread and sour cream pumpkin bread. Seriously, what else can I mix into this fantastic recipe that won't be a win?

Yields 2 loaves

You will need:
non-stick cooking spray
1/4 c of sugar with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c softened butter (or 1/2 c Tropical Traditions Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 c shredded zucchini (drain for 30 minutes)
2 c  sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c flour
*Optional: Toppings such as more cinnamon-sugar, candied pecans or chocolate chips.

You will do:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Spray 2 bread pans with your non stick spray.
3. In a small bowl mix the 1/4 cup of sugar with the 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon. Dust onto the greased pans.
4. In a stand mixer cream butter and remaining sugar together. Add eggs, zucchini, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix until well blended.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly incorporate into the zucchini mixture.
6. Divide batter between your pans.
7. Top with cinnamon-sugar, candied pecans or chocolate chips.
8. Bake for about an hour (but check at 45 minutes), or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

To freeze extra loaves for later:

• Allow the bread to cool off completely
• Wrap tightly in plastic wrap
• Bag in a large freezer bag
• Freeze
• Use within 3 months

Yummy sandwiches in a "JIF"

 I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Jif. 

I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Lately grilled sandwiches have been my thing. Grilled cheese + tomato soup is always a great standby, but something about this pregnant belly of mine craves all sorts of grilled, buttery, crispy goodnesses.

A current favorite? A grilled Jif Hazelnut spread sandwich with sliced strawberries. Can hazelnut, chocolate and strawberries be a more perfect combination or what?!

Did you know that Jif Peanut Butter holds an annual Most Creative Sandwich Contest every year? If your household has a kids between the ages of 6-12 you can submit your original sandwich recipe (has to include two tablespoons of your favorite Jif products) and you can have a chance to win a $25,000 college fund and a trip to New York City! Be sure to read more about the Jif Most Creative Sandwich contest. Last year's Tropical Fantasy runner up sandwich is on my to-do list ASAP. 

What are your favorite Jif products to use in a sandwich or for lunch?

Disclosure:  I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Jif. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Monthly Its: October

So over the last 3 months I've been sharing some of my experiences with handmade soaps by StarGazer Soaps. Today Nicole will be sharing with you a boiled down explanation of how she makes her soaps! Read through to the end, because there's a surprise in store for you :)

Pre-Order here!

It took a long time to develop my soap recipes.  I have several tried and true that are a part of my main lines, but I am always looking for ways to improve them.  In fact, recently I added cream and cocoa butter to my silk soap, and LOVE the change!  My soap is even silkier than before!  So why cream?  Why do I use the ingredients I do?  I can't make claims about what my soap or any of my ingredients in my soap will do for a person.  But I use pure oils like olive, coconut, avocado, and butters like shea, cocoa, mango.  I also use silk & cream.  Each ingredient has a benefit, and adds to the luxury feel of the soap.  I choose each ingredient with great care, and test everything extensively before offering it to you.

When I make soap, I sit with my children and we smell my fragrance supply.  We chose which one inspires us, and then choose the color scheme.  Sometimes we decide on a design, but usually I have no idea what I am going to do until I am ready to pour my batter in the mold!  All soap starts the same way – Lye solution and oils.  When the Lye solution and oils meet, the magic begins.  I have some time to play with scent, color, and design.  Then the next 24 hours saponification takes place. This is the process where the Lye solution and the oils work together to make soap!  Within 24 hours, the Lye disappears, and glycerin is formed.  While safe to handle and use at this point, it really takes 6 weeks for the soap to fully cure.  Soap is like wine – it gets better with time!

If you haven’t tried handmade soap yet, now is the time!  
Visit StarGazerSoaps.com and use coupon code NATURAL
for 10% off your order until November 30th.  
Feel the difference.  
Handmade soap has honestly changed the lives of my family in more ways than one.  
I for one will never have commercial soap in my home again. 

Thank you Nicole for sharing that awesome discount with Pierogie Mama readers! Don't forget to check out my review of StarGazer soaps (my favorite has been pure and natural grapefruit, but I've definitely got my eye on a few to check out this holiday season!)

And now on to some more awesome reads :)

This Pierogie family loves their pooches, Romeo and Squirt. Though when we first had Penelope, we were a little anxious to see how the dogs would react to the new baby. Green Mommas outlines a few important points on your child's safety as well as your pet's comfort in mind when introducing each other.

I didn't give Penny a bath for a week after she was born. Yup. The vernix that covers a newborn is extremely moisturizing and goes along with my belief that a healthy body wouldn't produce something 'gross' or harmful for the baby. The result? Never any skin issues, cradle cap and oh my gosh the most intoxicating smell in the world resting upon my newborn daughter's head. Here's some more scientific reasons on why not to wash the vernix off your newborn, by Raising Natural Kids.

How to be a Supermom pretty much took away any guilt I had with my toddler and her level of screen time.

I read this the day of our ultrasound. I had a case of the mommy-worries, which are so destructive. This post came on a day I needed it. Trusting our children to God is not an easy feat.

Doesn't Pioneer Woman have a way with making you eat a bunch of stuff that is so freaking delicious but you know is just so bad for you? Well, in this case, she puts together a 'carb buster' breakfast that for all intents and purposes covers some pretty important food groups. It's on my to-do list for one of these weekend mornings.

Want an easy, fun and educational way to keep your toddler entertained for hours? That Mama Gretchen shares a water pouring activity.

And finally.. this one resonated deeply with me. I'd like to call myself a 'natural' and 'attachment' parent but Lord knows there has never been such thing as 'the perfect parent,' well except for the Lord himself ;) LOL! So this made me feel better one day when I was at my very own wits end and just wanted Penny to nap, and was on the verge of losing my own shit.

Sour Cream Banana Bread with Coconut Oil {Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway}

I'm a big fan of butter. Don't get me wrong. Butter just makes things better. Better with butter. But with heart disease being fairly prevalent in my husband's side of the family, I've really got to tone it down. After doing a little bit of research, I found that coconut oil is a totally viable and healthy alternative to butter in many aspects of cooking. You can substitute it as a frying oil, buttery spread and in baking. Tropical Traditions has graciously provided me with a jar of their Gold Label Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil so that I could give it a try with my tried-and-true sour cream banana bread recipe and we were all pretty impressed with the results!

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is certified organic & traditionally made. This coconut oil meets our strictest standards and is handcrafted by family producers in the Philippines using traditional methods passed down from previous generations. Recent studies show that traditionally-made coconut oils have the highest amounts of antioxidants. Tropical Traditions also has tons of info if you want to learn what virgin coconut oil is and how to use coconut oil. 

You will need:
non-stick cooking spray
a mixture of 1/4 c of sugar 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon for dusting
1/2 c Tropical Traditions Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil
3/4 c raw honey (or 1 1/2 c sugar)
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c flour
optional: Add 1/4 cup of mix-ins such as chocolate chips, golden raisins, organic shredded coconut or candied nuts).

You will do:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Spray 2 bread pans with your non stick spray.
3. Dust both pans with the cinnamon-sugar mix. You don't have to use it all, just enough to lightly coat the pan.

4. In a larger bowl, cream the coconut oil and remaining sugar together. Add eggs, bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Blend until well mixed.

5. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly incorporate into the banana mixture.

6. Divide batter between your pans.
7. Bake for 50-60 min, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool and enjoy with a smear of coconut oil.

Ready to bake some of your own banana bread with coconut oil? I thought so! Check out the giveaway below to enter to win a jar of coconut oil from Tropical Traditions. (ps - if you just can't wait - they are running a BOGO sale on their quart sizes of Gold Label! That's $20 for 2 quarts of amazing coconut oil!)

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Big long scary disclosure: I am not a health professional! Please consult your physician or other health official regarding any questions regarding health claims with any products. Nothing I have written here is intended to treat, cure or otherwise prevent any disease. I received a free sample of the product from Tropical Traditions for the review using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. This post contains affiliate links.   If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you. Giveaway is open to US residents, 18 years of age or older. Winners will be contacted via email and have 48 hour to respond before another winner is chosen. The Pierogie Mama is not responsible for prize fulfillment. 

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Ring (A 20 minute recipe!): Guest Post at Mishmash Mama Blog

I've shared my super easy and versatile recipe over at Mishmash Mama 

for a Pillsbury crescent dough ring that can use almost anything that you've got in your fridge!
What toppings would you try?

Just Peachy: Dessert Recipe Round Up

This week I bought a case of peaches...and kind of ended up with more than I can handle! But that's a good problem to have right?

So I spend an afternoon canning half of the case by using this tutorial from Make it Do. Super easy to follow for the novice canner without any extra special ingredients or tools. Just jars, water, sugar, peaches, big ole pot of water. Lots of time. Do it - you will be happy you did!

But I'm still left with a ton of peaches, and there's only so many times per week that I can make my super secret peach cobbler and still feel good about my self image. So I talked to some of my bloggy friends and they all shared their peachy recipes for me pass on to you! How nice!

So go ahead and pin this list round up and keep it around for the next couple weeks while peaches are in season and cheap. You'll be glad you did! And when you do try any of them out, be sure to let me know what you though! (And of course, give the author some love too!)

Everything Mommyhood: Juicy Peach Crisp

That Mama Gretchen: Peach Duff

The Lilac City Momma: Easy Peach Cobbler

More than Mommy: Peaches and Cream Muffins

Creative Family Cooking: Tropical Rice with Apricots and Mango (easily can subsitute peaches in!)

Save Green Being Green: Strawberry Peach Muffins

This isn't from a blog, but I tried these skillet pork chops with peaches from McCormick. I try to avoid copious amounts of salt, so I cut it down to 1/2 tsp of Lawry's.

A few ideas from The Pierogie Mama's kitchen:
Freeze slices on a cookie sheet to have for smoothies for the rest of the year

Puree / Mash up left over pieces and put them in a reusable baby/toddler food pouch.

---Like a Yummi Pouch - enter to win a pack here!---

Mix with finely milled oatmeal, yogurt, applesauce, roasted sweet potatoes or bananas! 

revised 9/6 for these lovely ladies' recipes.. These cannot be missed!
Simply {Darr}ling's Peach French toast... WHAT??!
Simply {Darr}ling's Beer infused Peach and blueberry cobbler
Simply {Darr}ling's Peach Pie Filling
HipFoodieMom Cinnamon Peach Monkey Bread
HipFoodieMom Peach Croissants
 

Got a recipe to share? Link up in the comments!

Yummi Yummi Yummi in Penny's Tummy! Yummi Pouch Review and Giveaway

What is always in my bag when I leave the house with my toddler?

It's not diapers. It's not a change of clothes.
It's food.
Can I get an 'amen' ?!

Penny's favorite snack lately has been yogurt or applesauce. But she's not to the point of self feeding... how can I put this...cleanly? ;)

Whether at home or on the go we use our Yummi Pouches for filling with gooey goodness like applesauce, different flavors of yogurt, finely milled oatmeal and even mashed potatoes (extra smooth and with extra cream to help make it more squishable). There's tons of other fillings you can try - any pureed fruit or veggie would work perfectly! I sometimes peruse the baby food aisle at the grocery store to get ideas of what to make at home ;) Check out my Pouch Food Pinterest Board for other ideas too!

My favorite part about Yummi Pouches is the rectangular shape. They are easy to clean (the main reason why I ditched other brands) and are easy for Penny to hold.

They also feature:

• an expandable bottom so that you can stand them up
• a wide ziplock opening at the top
• a 6 oz capacity
• BPA and Phthalate free
• dishwasher and freezer safe

Are you ready to win some Yummi goodness? Yummi Pouch has generously agreed to offer 2 prizes! 

The first prize will be their Little Munchkin Set (shown above)

• Set of 6 Yummi Pouch reusable food pouches
• 16oz filling funnel pitcher
• 10 dishwasher safe name label stickers
• 2 decorative dishwasher safe sticker sheets
• 6 mixed color extra pouch caps

And a second prize of 6 pack of Yummi Pouches.

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Disclosure: Thank you, Yummi Pouch, for providing The Pierogie Mama with free product to review. 
I received no other compensation and all words and opinions are my own. Participating bloggers Ramblings of Mama and Found Frolicking are not responsible for prize fulfillment. 

Would you like your product or service be featured on The Pierogie Mama? 

I'd love to chat! Send me an email and we'll discuss details :)

Check out more Pierogie Mama giveaways

Polish Apple Pancakes #Wordlesswednesday

Growing up, these were called simply "placki" (platz-ki), which means pancake - but the real name is placki z jablkami (apple pancakes - platz-ki z yab-calm-y).  Forgive the horrible mix of phone and actual camera photos.

Marionberry Freezer Jam

This summer I've been hitting our local U-pick almost on the weekly.

Our first visit produced 13.5 lbs of fresh strawberries - YUM! I shared how you can easily freeze your picked berries so that they are just like the bagged kind from the freezer aisle :) I love to use these in my smoothies and toss a few in with Penny's morning Cream of Wheat too.

Last week I visited the farm and picked about 3 lbs of marionberries. I have only had marionberry pie before but wanted to see what else I could do with them. I used a few handfuls for a cobbler that I was not terribly impressed with..otherwise I'd share a recipe ;)

Today I'm sharing my first foray into the world of freezer jams!

So here's a great recipe that can easily use marionberries, raspberries and blackberries. You can try strawberries or any other fruit you desire, but the sugar / gelatin content might be different. If I decide to pick more strawberries before the end of my farm's season, I'll try a batch of strawberry and give you an update :)

You will need:
4 cups (1 quart) of mashed marionberries - which starts out at about 2 1/2 pounds of berries
1/4 cup of sugar
1 packet of plain gelatin

You will do:
1. Mash the marionberries. You can use a potato masher, or if you don't have one (like me) just put a ziplock bag over your hand and mash manually. This way you don't have a berry stained hand at the end. One thing to note - marionberries have a internal stem/pit thing (like raspberries and blackberries) so when you mash them you might want to pick out that part. I couldn't imagine it being super tasty finding something that looks like a maggot inside of your jam. Sorry for the image.
2. In a large pot, bring all of the ingredients to a boil together. Allow to boil for about a minute.
3. Place into clean plastic containers. Allow them to set for about 30 minutes on your counter. Transfer to the fridge or freezer after that. Easy peasy!

How to Store Summer Strawberries

Last week, Penelope and I visited a local farm that grows all organic berries. Oh my.

In about 2 1/2 hours, I was able to pick 13.5 lbs of strawberries. How does one accomplish this with a toddler? (Many moms have asked me!). Well, I started out wearing her on my back in the Ergo. She wasn't happy about this, but tolerated this for about half an hour. It was pretty tiresome to bend over or kneel while wearing her on my back, and I knew she wasn't too comfortable either.

Once she started squirming in true discomfort, I let her out and run. She's pretty good about sticking close while she figures out the situation when we're in new environments, so she ran around within 5 feet of me for another 15 minutes. She also took advantage of foraging berries from my basket or off the bush - which I was sure to let the proprietress know about! As it goes with toddlers, her courage grew quickly and pretty soon she was off running in different rows or checking out the tractors close by. Sometimes she'd sneak up behind me and I'd find her in my strawberries...When we got home, we prepared the strawberries for freezing. I like to use frozen strawberries in our smoothies instead of ice, so I froze almost all of it! 

This is how I prepare berries for freezing (this is perfect for organically grown, though I would probably take greater care in cleaning them if they aren't organic).

You will need:
A big bowl of water
Distilled white vinegar
Berries of choice
Cookie Sheets
Cleared out space in your freezer
Freezer Bags

You will do:
1. Fill a bowl with a mixture of 2/3 cold water to 1/3 white vinegar.
2. Place berries into the bowl, allowing them to soak for about 5 minutes. Agitate with your fingers and rub off any dirt.
3. Place on a cookie sheet. I prefer mine not to touch each other, though if you don't care it doesn't make a difference.
4. Freeze for several hours. I just left mine overnight.
5. Once frozen solid, transfer into freezer bags.

I did reserve some for delicious strawberry shortcakes.. Which I made 2 nights in a row ;)

Toddler Friendly Smoothies Using Avocado

I recently discovered how amazing it is to add an avocado to smoothies. My household has a certain love affair with avocados, so I decided to give this a shot after a friend recommended it to me. Not going to lie, this was an amazing discovery. I think avocado needs to find its way into every corner of my cooking. Into my cereal, into my coffee.. yea, that part I was kidding about.

Avocados are considered the perfect food by many, it's been said that an avocado contains many of the nutrients we need to survive. It's a great first food for babies as well - Penny was chowing down on slices by the fistful when we introduced her to foods via baby-led weaning. Hanna from Endless Simmer hilariously recants the etymology behind the word: "...avocado is a derivative of ahuacatl, which happens to be the Aztec word for testicle.  The avocado grows in pairs, dangling from the tree so suggestively that even the Aztecs noticed, pausing long enough from their daily blood sacrifice to chuckle to themselves and bestow the avocado with its legacy."  Will you ever look at avocados the same again? ;)


But isn't the hardest part first selecting the perfect avocado? Avocado Central has a great interactive widget to help you determine the stage of your avocado's ripeness.

The Freckled Avocado
mmm, our favorite!

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 5 medium to large frozen organic strawberries 
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt 
• 2 Tablespoons of local honey

The Tropical Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 1 peeled and frozen banana 
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt 
• 1 cup of fresh orange juice 
• 2 tablespoons of local honey

The Chocolate Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

The Red Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 1 cup fresh orange juice 
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

A few that we'd like to try:

Beet- Avocado: from We are Not Martha

• 2 small beets
• 1 C vanilla soy milk (I used Silk Light)
• 3/4 C frozen berries
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 C baby spinach
• 1 scoop (10 grams) chia seeds

Avocado Apple: from Cooking Classy

• 1 medium ripe California avocado
• 1 large granny smith apple, chilled, cored and sliced
• 1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen
• 1 Navel orange, chilled and peeled
• 2 cups packed spinach
• 1 cup almond milk, chilled
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tsp agave nectar or honey, or to taste (optional)
• 8 ice cubes (about 1 1/3 cups)

Avocado Mango: from Reboot with Joe

• 1 cup mango (fresh or frozen) 
• 3 handfuls spinach
• 1/4 avocado 
• 1 cup almond milk- add a little water if you like your smoothie thinner 

Do you like to add avocado to your smoothies? What is your favorite combination? 

Memorial Day Weekend Camping Menu

Typical Bianca. Instead of actually packing and preparing for the impending camping trip that we are leaving tomorrow for, I'm at the computer writing about it. My husband is so right that I'm a procrastinator incarnate.

But I'm going to justify that this is a way for me to organize myself ;)

Tomorrow morning we are taking off for a 4 day camping trip. It'll be our first one with Penelope, but at 15 months I think everything will go just fine. Naps might be a little tough, but if she doesn't want to lay down in the tent we can always put her in the Ergo and go for a hike or snuggle up in the Maya wrap at the campsite and bop around until she lulls herself to sleep. I'm flexible.

Now I'm going to preface that when I say we're going camping, it may not mean the same thing to everyone. To some people, that means packing a backpack and heading out into the woods. To others, that means loading up the camper - complete with DVD player, oven, and shower. For us, camping is sort of in the middle. We "car camp," as many might say. We go to campsites that definitely have running water, preferably showers, allow dogs and I use a Coleman propane cooktop to prepare most of our food. This time around, I am bringing my Lodge cast iron dutch oven and am planning on putting it to good use! I feel really legit now! ;)

We're camping with another couple and are splitting the meal responsibility, but I am excited to share what I am planning on bringing for us.

Tales of A Mountain Mama's Dutch Oven Stew
Amelia, thank you so much for posting this on such short notice for my benefit :)
Home made pasta salad
Dirty Gourmet's Campfire Breakfast Potatoes
Mommy's Kitchen's S'mores Trail Mix (and regular S'mores too!)
Martha's Turkey Sloppy Joes
Moms and Munchkins' Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

I haven't made any of these recipes before - but I'm sure they'll be a hit!  

What are your camping favorites?

Happy Family Toddler Food Review and Giveaway!

Today I'm pleased to share with you a little bit about Happy Family baby food!

We first introduced Penny to solid foods at about 6 1/2 months via the baby-led weaning route. She started out with soft food, like avocado, and has since graduated to pretty close to eating exactly what we eat at every meal (reduced to bite sized portions, of course!). But as adults, we are prone to fall into our own routines and I know that not everything I eat is completely nutritious (we all know about my borderline unhealthy chocolate addiction) and certainly not organic, even though we are edging closer and closer to eating as naturally as possible.

However, as wholesome and nutritious as I endevour to be, it's not always possible. Some foods just aren't available in organic options where I live. So I decided that it was time to take a look at what kind of baby/toddler food is available on the market that fills in the gaps at home. I wanted to be sure that if I am going to be paying for baby specific food it needed be above the ordinary.

So when I discovered the Happy Family brand of baby and toddler food, I was able to breathe a big sigh of relief.  Why? Because their baby food is all organic and many ingredients are non-GMO certified (for a list of their non-GMO certified products, click here). GMOs or "genetically modified organisms" are a big deal for this mama, I've made the commitment to making sure Penny stays away from the whenever possible and am working on cutting them out of my and Adam's diets as well.

Along with having the standard flavors for baby food (pears and butternut squash), there's also a wide variety of ingredients that aren't old fashioned standard, such as kale. Or grains that I've never even heard of - like salba.







For this post we reviewed Happy Yogis, Happy Tot Meal Bowls, Happy Tot and Happy Tot Plus food pouches and Happy Munchies.

Because I am a stay at home mama and love to cook, it isn't very often that I use prepared baby food at home. But when we are out and about, it's a different story. Although Penny is still nursing, as a mama of a very interested toddler it's becoming more and more difficult to just sit down and nurse for a beat. Playing peek-a-boo with the hooter-hider is Penny's favorite game, but definitely not mine!

So for short trips away from home I keep a few different treats in the diaper bag handy. I like to use Happy Yogis and Munchies in the car. If Penny is getting a little grumpy I can pass them back without really worrying about her making too big of a mess back there. The Yogis are little freeze dried drops of yogurt and fruit with pre- and pro-biotics. We were able to try the Mixed Berry flavor and Penny is definitely a fan. They melt quickly, which is great for babies just trying out the concept. As for the Munchies, we've tried out both the rice cakes and cheese and veggie snack...Which remind me a little of Pirate Booty! These have been Penny's favorite lately as she's sprouted 4 teeth since January and is in super crunchy mode.

The food pouches are also a major hit. When we're out on longer shopping excursions and again, Penny is getting grumpy, these are a nice way to momentarily distract her and help us keep going. It seems like my coping mechanism to a fussy toddler is to shovel food at her.. lol! But I convince myself that it's ok because it's full of healthy fruits, veggies and grains instead of sugary snacks. It's also been great on the nights where I don't have my stuff together for dinner and we end up with something simple, but Penny can supplement with a Tot pouch.

Penny's favorite pouches tend to be the sweeter ones (go figure) with fruit. Her favorite by far is the strawberry, kiwi, beet and pear pouch. We've found that the green beans, pear and pea Tot pouches are a little thick and pasty for Penny's tastes, so she wasn't an immediate fan.

Last night Penny had vegetable ravioli in the Toddler Meal Bowl. The little raviolis were so darling and perfectly bite sized! Penny went pretty crazy, signing "more" as soon as each bite was in her mouth! I loved this meal bowl because it keeps in line it our baby-led weaning technique of feeding her foods as similar to ours as possible.

So in short, the Happy Family brand of baby/toddler food is a great choice for making sure your little one is getting wholesome, organic food whether you are on the go or at home.

Love what you see? Happy Family didn't only set me up with these yummy delights, they are giving away a coupon package for The Pierogie Mama readers too! Check out the Rafflecopter widget below.

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Open to US residents only.
Disclosure: Thank you to Happy Family for sending me manufacturer's coupons to facilitate this post and to provide an honest review.  All opinions in this post are my own.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Bread

Sour cream. One of my favorite condiments. And now, one of my favorite ingredients to bake with.

You've seen my post on sour cream banana bread. This is a rendition of that recipe, only with pumpkin instead of banana. So festive, right?

A few weeks ago we took a visit to the local pumpkin patch, where we picked our our family pumpkin and I also snagged a yummy sugar pie pumpkin.

Did you know that the canned pumpkin that you buy is actually winter squash? That's why when you taste something cooked or baked with actual pumpkin, it tastes so different (and better!).  But, be warned, the carving type of pumpkin does not taste the same as the type of pumpkin you'd use for baking or cooking. You'd want a sugar pie pumpkin for that. The reason for that is because carving pumpkins have been cultivated to grow large quickly, and they really don't have very good flavor to them. But sugar pie pumpkins are soooooo delicious!

Now that I've really piqued your interest, you might be wondering how to prepare said pumpkin. Super easy.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Cut pumpkin in half (horizontally)
• Scoop out the guts and seeds (save the seeds to roast them!)
• Place halves face down on a tin foil lined pan
• Bake for 30 minutes to an hour. The reason for the variation is that the thickness of the walls can vary. My first pumpkin this year only took about 30 minutes, but my second was much thicker and was almost the full hour. You will know when it is done by after 30 minutes, take it out quickly and flip one half over - stick a fork into the flesh and see if it is soft (like mashed potatoes). If it is hard at all, turn it back over and return to the oven for at least another 15 minutes.
• When it's done, remove the pumpkin from the oven and turn the halves over and cover with a dish towel and allow to cool off. Putting the dish towel over the pumpkins will allow them to cook off but not overly dry out because of the steam escaping.
• After the halves have cooled, take a spoon or ice cream scoop and start scooping out the flesh. It should be very easy. You can either store it in a tupperware as is (with a little bit of chunk to it), or you can puree it immediately and then store in a tupperware. It should last in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
• One sugar pie pumpkin will produce around 4 cups of pumpkin puree.

 Ok, so on to that awesome pumpkin bread recipe.

You will need:
non-stick cooking spray
1/4 c of sugar with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c softened butter (or 1/2 c Tropical Traditions Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c of home made pumpkin puree (see above)
2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c flour
*Optional: 1/4 c candied pecans

You will do:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Spray 2 bread pans with your non stick spray.
3. In a small bowl mix the 1/4 cup of sugar with the 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon. Dust onto the greased pans.

4. In a larger bowl, cream butter and remaining sugar together. Add eggs, pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Blend until well mixed.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly incorporate into the pumpkin mixture.
6. Divide batter between your pans.
7. Top with candied pecans.
8. Bake for about an hour (but check at 45 minutes), or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I promise, just like the original sour cream banana bread recipe, this sweet bread won't last long in your house.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. 

Barlean's Review and Giveaway!

Some major growing up has been going on at The Pierogie Mama! Today I am hosting my very first review and giveaway. I get to talk to you about Barlean's Omega Swirl and Flax Oil - one of the ways that I make sure that I'm getting the proper amount of Omega 3's into my diet. Want to learn more about the importance of Omega 3's? Check out this truly adorable video!

Barlean's was first recommended to me by my midwife, and I found their gel caps at my local Fred Meyer in the organic vitamin section. I tried these with hesitation - I had taken fish oil in the past and was seriously grossed out by the fishy smell coming from the bottle and from my pores later. With the Barlean's gel caps, I was so pleasantly surprised!  When you twist open the bottle, you're greeted with a citrus scent, which reminds me of squeezing lemon onto my fish chips! And I'm also sure you're dying to know - I never felt like I was sweating fish.  Even for someone who does have difficulty swallowing larger pills, these gel capsules are very easy to take. More recently I've gotten the chance to try the Omega Swirl (which comes in many flavors).  This is in liquid form so it's even easier for those of us who have difficulty with pills. Here's another cute video...

When I squeezed the Omega Swirl onto a spoon for the first time, I found myself humming "just a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down..." And again, Barlean's has proved me wrong. The Key Lime flavor was actually yummy! Would you believe me if I told you that I look forward to taking this each and every morning? It's the truth!  When Penelope was born and in my bleary alertness in the first couple weeks, there were a few days that went by that I'd forget to take my supplements. One of her eyelids had a tendency for being dry and flakey, which I was treating with Aquafor several times per day. I soon found a correlation between whenever I was good about taking my fish oil supplement, the irritation went away. I talked to our pediatrician about it, and she agreed that taking fish oil daily would help with Penelope's skin as well. The other supplement that I've become more knowledged about since having Penelope is flax seed oil. Barlean's prides itself on having the freshest flax seed oil around, with a proprietary press that extracts the oil from the flax seeds without damaging the product. Their Flax Oil is also organic and non-GMO certified (this is important, folks!! Read more about why you need to know about GMO's here) Now, to be completely fair, I also tried the flax seed oil straight via tablespoon and I wouldn't liken the taste towards "yummy." It truly had a very fresh grain taste to it. The consistency is a little less viscous than olive oil but it looks very similar, and can be incorporated into many different recipes without anyone being the wiser, like salads, cookies or soups . I've mixed it in with my cereal, oatmeal and cream of wheat. For a list of recipes that you can use any of Barlean's organic oils with, check them out here. You might find yourself wondering, what is the difference between Fish oil and Flax Oil?

• Both provide Omega-3 fatty acids that many of us do not have enough of in our diets. To get it the old fashioned way, one should eat oily fish (salmon and mackerel are good examples) several times per week, which is not feasible for many families. Getting your daily requirement of Omega-3's is so easy with Barlean's Omega Swirl or Flax Oil. 
• According to the Barlean's website, Flax Oil and Fish Oil have the following mutual benefits: Heart Health, Cholesterol Levels Already Within a Healthy Range, Joint Mobility & Bone Density, Energy & Endurance, Blood Glucose Levels Already Within a Healthy Range and Skin, Hair & Nail Health. 
• Flax Oil is a great way for vegetarians to get their Omega-3's.
• Flax Oil is a natural lactogenic - meaning it can help increase your milk supply while breastfeeding.

Ultimately, you'll find that both oils have many similarities but a few key points will help you choose which is best for you.  

Big, Scary Disclaimer:  I am not a health professional! Please run any of your questions by your doctor!  

Happy Disclaimer: Barlean's provided products for me to sample so that I could post my review to you, however all opinions expressed are my own. I promise you that I only give stellar reviews to products or services that I really love and think my readers will love too. 

 

Bottom line:

I love the Barlean's brand because while Penelope is still relying on me for her nutrition, it's of the utmost importance that I can incorporate organic, GMO-free, and simply healthy ingredients into my diet. Barlean's goes through a lot of trouble to get ingredients of the highest quality and my family deserves no less. Another (albeit small) point is that Barlean's is based out of little old Ferndale, WA - a stone's throw from my college town. I love supporting local whenever I can.  Now for the fun part! Barlean's sent me a bottle of the Omega Swirl and Flax Oil to try out - now you get a chance to try it out too! One lucky winner will have a choice of either the Omega Swirl or Flax Oil.  Check out the giveaway details and enter via the Rafflecopter window below! You can also sign up for a free sample and check out their store for more of their great products. Fine Print: This giveaway is open to US residents only. One winner will be notified within 48 hours of the end of the contest and will have one week to respond with their mailing address. Good luck!

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Pinterest Summer Recipe Challenge: Bacon Egg and Cheese Ring

If you are a Pinterest addict like I am, you'll know that sometimes you pin ideas that you, for all intents and purposes, plan to try at some point. My recipe board, Nyam, is full of those. I decided that this summer, I'm actually going to make use of this board and try these recipes out. My goal is 1-2 recipes per week, and I'm calling it my Pinterest Summer Recipe Challenge. You can find more of my challengers here.

Today's challenger is for those who need to spruce up their breakfast routine.

I'm not too much of a fan of the Pillsbury line of doughs. Ever since I learned how to make bread from scratch, Pillsbury just isn't the same anymore. My husband's favorite breakfast of all time, however, are Pillsbury biscuits (buttered) with poached eggs, avocado and some Choloula. Honestly, it semi-breaks my heart because I'd totally be happy to whip up something completely home made, with zero preservatives too. But I suppose the heart wants what the heart wants and so every so often I grant him this wish.

But, with all snootyness aside, I decided to try this recipe out. It combines the All-American breakfast into one slice. Behold:

You will need:
(serves 4, 2 slices each)
1 can of Pillsbury Crescent dough (8 crescents)
5 eggs
8 Bacon
Your favorite breakfast cheese, shredded or finely crumbled
Salt, pepper
Just under 1/4 cup of milk
Extras: anything else you might want in scrambled eggs or omlettes, such as sausage, avocado, hot sauce, peppers, ham, olives, onions, salsa..a family favorite here is Portuguese Linguica.

You will do:
1. Prepare your scrambled eggs by mixing eggs, salt/pepper with the milk. Scramble in a frying pan or griddle until fully cooked through.2. Prepare the bacon (or sausage or Linguica) to full cooked-ness.
3. Lay out the crescent rolls in a circle with the pointy ends going outwards.
4. Pile on the eggs, bacon (any extras), top with cheese last. I found that you would have to break the bacon in half to effectively turn the dough in.
5. Bring each of the points over the toppings and back into the center. Press the tip down to to the center to seal.

6. Optional: brush the top of the dough with an egg wash or melted butter.
7. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the dough is fully baked.
8. Cut into slices and enjoy!

My trio of helpers: Penny, Zeke and Squirt (who has learned what the benefits of
waiting underneath a high chair means)

Variations:
Today we had several options-
Bacon, egg, cheese
Bacon, egg, cheese, peppers
Ham, egg, cheese, garlic salt dusted on top** my favorite!
Ham, egg, cheese

This versatile recipe could be adapted to almost any meal.. you could prepare is a Mexican dish (ground turkey, taco seasonings, salsa, top with sour cream), or try it as a dessert with sweetened cream cheese and dusted with cinnamon and sugar.  The possibilities are endless :)  Write a comment and share if you can think of any other yummy variations!