Cedars Story

Real life Down Syndrome Awareness

How to Make Your Own Gourmet Baby Food

by Leave a Comment

You read that right, Make Your Own Gourmet Baby Food.

It tastes better, it doesn’t have any dyes, preservatives, or other junk you don’t want, and for me, it is a perfect way to keep my child with Down Syndrome from struggling with constipation that he is prone to as a result of his low muscle tone. I want to show you what works for us and how to make your own gourmet baby food too.

First things first, it isn’t hard like you think.  I have 6 children and I was so afraid of how hard it was to make my own baby food that it wasn’t until my 3rd that I started to venture into this arena.  I discovered that it is also a huge cost savings for us so that was an added benefit to making your own gourmet baby food.

My favorite product that makes all if this so much simpler is the baby bullet.  This little product is worth its weight in gold to me and in the course of making all of the food for my last 4 children, I have not found another product that I like better (not even my Ninja blender works as good).

 
I am going to start easy with you because I know myself that I was easily overwhelmed in the beginning.

Let’s begin simply, sweet potatoes and apples.

Grab 2 sweet potatoes and 1 apple at the grocery and then while you are cooking dinner toss them in the oven on a baking dish at 350 for 60-90 minutes (don’t forget to pierce them a few times with a fork to keep them from splitting).  Once they are tender, simply pull them out of the oven, cool, cut in half lengthwise and scoop the potato guts into your baby bullet.  For the apple, it will all but collapse in your hands so simple slide the guts out of the peel and scoop the seeds and stem out with a spoon.  Add 1/2 cup of water (or apple juice) and a dash of cinnamon and you will produce enough to fill 6-8 small containers that you can now store in your freezer.  That’s it!

Okay now for all of the gourmet stuff…

Think about flavor combinations you have seen at the store, or ones you enjoy yourself.  Fruits and veggies pair well together and help you get plenty of vitamins and minerals in your little one as well as offering them so many flavor combinations.

Quinoa/apples/broccoli

1/2 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice

2-3 cooked apples (peeled and cored)

1 crown of broccoli (steamed) -*I throw the apple slices and broccoli in a saucepot together and steam.

Add all ingredients together and then puree.  Put in individual serving size cups or ice cube trays and freeze.

 

Butternut squash/peas/corn

1 whole small butternut squash baked (just take the whole thing and put in a casserole dish, pierce it 4-5 times with a knife and bake whole until a knife slides into the thickest part like butter, then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds before scooping out the “meat” of the squash to puree)

1/4 cup cooked peas

1/2 cup cooked corn

Add all ingredients together and then puree.  Put in individual serving size cups or ice cube trays and freeze.

 

bananas/blueberries/oats

pureed quick cook oats (not cooked)

3 whole ripe bananas cooked in a saucepan with a small amount of water until tender

1/4 cup frozen blueberries cooked with the bananas

Add all ingredients together and then puree.  Put in individual serving size cups or ice cube trays and freeze.

 

Make Your Own Gourmet Baby Foodcarrots/apples/peas

3 whole carrots cut and cooked

4 apples (peeled, cored, chopped)

1/4 cup frozen peas

*cook the carrots, apples and peas all together in a covered saucepan with 1/2 cup water over medium heat until all are fork tender then puree. Put in individual serving size cups or ice cube trays and freeze.

mixed berries and bananas

4 large ripe bananas

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

*all all ingredients and 1/4 cup water to a covered saucepan over medium heat until fork tender then puree

sweet potatoes/corn/apples

2 sweet potatoes (pierce and bake for approx 1 hour or until tender)

1/4 cup frozen sweet corn, cooked

2 sliced/peeled/cored apples (cook with the frozen corn)

Add all ingredients together and then puree.  Put in individual serving size cups or ice cube trays and freeze.

 

The sky is the limit when it comes to your imagination of flavor combinations.  The only trick is to either bake or steam your foods so that they are soft and squishy (and any bacteria are killed off) then add as much water as you need to your puree to make it smooth.  This is something I like to control as my baby gets older, I found with my child who has Down Syndrome we moved slowly from very liquid-like purees to thicker ones and then finally to chunkier blends.  I love that I can control all of this with just the length of time that I puree.

Make Your Own Gourmet Baby FoodI also make my own prune mixes for helping to battle constipation.  I buy a canister of dried prunes and put about 1/2 of the canister into a saucepan with 3/4 cup water then cook over medium heat until the prunes are super soft and easy to mash with a fork.  I then blend in the baby bullet and sometimes I add cooked apples or peaches to the mix for added flavor.

 

So there you have it, my recipes and my favorite gadget to help. (affiliate link included)

What are some of your favorite combinations to make?

Related Posts:

5 Reasons You Should be Making Your Own Baby Food

Make Your Own Gourmet Baby Food- tips and tricks from a mom of 6

 

Down Syndrome- What I Would Have Told Myself in the Beginning

by 4 Comments

Down Syndrome- what I would have told myself in the beginning if I had only had the words.  I was broken back then, but I healed faster than I thought possible.

But back in the beginning, I heard the two words, Down Syndrome, and I cried.

I cried because I was scared, I cried because I was ignorant, I cried because I didn’t know what else to do.

[Read more…]

I will change the world for my child

by Leave a Comment

Be sure to check out our new Children’s book Down on the Farm on Amazon!

change the world for my child

A mother loves unconditionally, but the world is not always so kind.  I will change the world for my child, or at least the perceptions of Down Syndrome that are so antiquated.

A LIFE CHANGING DIAGNOSIS

I gave birth to our 6th child with the expectation of adding another beautifully brown eyed, boisterous personality-laden child to this world.  I thought I had this raising babies thing down pat, most moms don’t do it six times, so I knew what to expect, or so I thought. 

When my Cedar was born he had a surprise to share with us.  He was born with Down syndrome, a fact that had been hidden from us until the moment of his birth.  When those two words were placed squarely in my lap, I was overcome with fear, grief- dare I say even terror of what this life was now going to be like.  I felt life as I knew it was slipping through my fingers and I would never again be filled with joy and happiness.

COMING TO TERMS WITH THE DIAGNOSIS

I knew nothing of Down Syndrome except for the intellectual delays, the noticeable physical characteristics, and the stereotypes. I learned very quickly that even Google was not on my side, the information I found scared me more than comforted me.  I cried so many tears that my face threatened to remain crimson, and my red sore eyes were glassy and red-rimmed. My fears came in waves as I was scared of the 16-year-old Cedar I had yet to meet, the 30-year-old Cedar who may not carry on a typical conversation, and the 45-year-old Cedar who might be here alone when I am gone.  All of these fears while looking down at the peaceful, angelic face of a babe newly born and weighing 8 little pounds. I prayed, cried, read, and hugged this tiny human.  I slowly began to realize that this babe in my arms was not scary and was nothing to be feared.  In fact, this tiny human was going to teach me as much as I hoped to teach him. Each day I became stronger, I found other families who were in the same place I was, had been the same place I came from, and were moving forward to the place I wanted to be…at peace and smiling once again.

I searched out and found pictures of children who had Down syndrome that were smiling, reading, swimming, laughing, going to school, visiting the zoo, and just being children.  What I didn’t find was all of this hope in one place.  I had to search for it, I had to put together endless key words and search past the initial pages that popped up in Google searches to find the true stories of families raising children like my Cedar.  They were like hope in breadcrumbs scattered here and there for me to find and grasp tightly to. That is when Cedar’s Story started to form at the edges of my mind.

What if I could help the next mom who was glassy-eyed, fear-filled and seemingly alone?  What if she could find that other moms had felt the same feelings as she did, what if she could see beautiful families moving forward?  What if she could find answers that were not sterile and full of medical jargon that she would glaze over in an effort to understand? I wanted to help that new mom and I wanted to educate others, surely there were people as ignorant as I had been.  I wanted them to see not just my child, but also others like him, and recognize them as beautiful humans, not just diagnoses.  I wanted them to see Down Syndrome and think hope, tenacity, confidence, kindness, joy, and amazement.

In short, I wanted to change how the world saw Down syndrome, I wanted to change perceptions.  It was then that I realized my son was changing me in ways I didn’t know possible.  His birth and diagnosis was going to have an impact far beyond the reach of just our immediate circles.  He himself was going to change perceptions and I was going to help with the platform to do so.

CEDAR’S STORY

I had already been an established blogger for a number of years before I launched this blog, I had already learned a lot through trial and error with my homesteading blog. With prayer, and urging, we launched this site in March 2017 and within 30 days we had hit over 20,000 views.  I began receiving messages from women around the world (Philippines, China, England, Africa and so many more) saying that they were finding hope.  It is with the generosity of a whole community that this is happening, by sharing stories from families around the world from diagnosis to topics that interest those raising someone with Down syndrome.  It is the collaboration of many families, that has made this possible

So, Cedar was born, a website was launched, a community was knit even more closely than before and all because of a diagnosis.  Down syndrome is not to be feared, it can be a beautiful journey and this little boy is teaching his mom just that. I want to change the world for this little boy, and all the others like him.

In fact, I want to be able to reach children when they are young and I am happy to share that we just released our very own Children’s book on Amazon.  It is my hope that this book will help change perceptions and normalize these beautiful children who show the world tha they are #morealikethandifferent.

A mother's love will change the world- Down Syndrome advocate

Down on the Farm- A Children’s Picture Book Featuring Down Syndrome

by Leave a Comment

Pssst…. Our Down Syndrome picture book will be promoted on the original release date of 3-21-18 but as one of our faithful followers, you can get your copy NOW so that it will arrive in time for World Down Syndrome day!

Down on the farm is Down Syndrome picture book (just click on the image below and you will be routed to Amazon where you can use our affiliate link to purchase your book)  Oh, and we also want you to know that 10% of all the profits will benefit various Down Syndrome non-profits throughout the year.

 Down on the farm a down syndrome picture book…

Down on the Farm Down Syndrome Picture book

Farms, animals, and children, is there a better combination?  Down on the Farm is our new Children’s picture book featuring Down Syndrome, in a unique way.

You see, there is a twist.  In this “Down on the farm” Down Syndrome picture book the book features 10 beautiful children who all have something in common, an extra chromosome. However, despite the children all having a genetic condition, the story has nothing to do with disability or even Down Syndrome, it simply showcases these beautiful children being children and having an adventure on the farm.

It was a beautiful sunny day in June, 2017 when I invited the children to a photo shoot that also included horses, ducks, bunnies, gardening, snacks and so many laughs.  At the time my son, Cedar, was only 5 months old and it was quite emotional for me to see so many children with Down Syndrome in one place, it was the first time I ever had that experience.

I think that because Down Syndrome is rare, and we don’t see it that often outside of social media, we sometimes are uninformed about just how “normal” children who have Down Syndrome are.  That means that we don’t know that they laugh, run, play, and get into mischief just like any other child.  My hope with this book is to also inspire hope when parents get a diagnosis and they don’t know what their future is going to look like, they can see here that it can be just as wild and fun as if their child did not have a genetic condition.  I also hope that for those who are not touched by Down Syndrome, this book will spark conversation about diversity.  It will allow typical children to see that the same activities they enjoy are also enjoyed by children who may at first seem “different” to them.

Watch our book trailer here…


The vision has come full circle and the book is ready for the public to see.  You can purchase your copy on Amazon and I would LOVE for you to also review it there!  If you post on social media (Instagram) you can be entered to win one of our 3.21 necklaces by using the hashtag #downonthefarmbook and tagging @cedarsstory.  I will pick one random winner at the end of March from that hashtag.

*We use Amazon affiliates program and there is no extra cost to you for using our links.

Still need some tangible items to show your support of those in the Down Syndrome community? Grab up one of our necklaces and use code “wdsd” for FREE shipping through 3-21-18.

 

CedarsStory.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Terms of Use, Privacy, Copyright, Disclaimer

Top Posts & Pages