Food

Cuisinart has a fairly new line of baby products. Exciting, right?! The line-up includes a Baby Food Maker & Bottle Warmer, a Baby Bottle Sterilizer and other baby-focused products. We love Cuisinart and have several appliances in our kitchen and I’m sure Brett would have more if we had more counter space.

When Trent turned 6 months old, we immediately started making him baby food at home. We tried a new food every week or so after starting with sweet potatoes…some he liked, some he didn’t (and we are coming to find that we have one picky little eater on our hands!) but we enjoyed making our own baby food. We felt it was much healthier, more nutritious and surprisingly much cheaper than buying jars of baby food.

We also used a bottle warmer to warm up his bottles. It truly was one of the most used baby products in our arsenal.

In order to make the baby food, we would use a steamer pot or the oven, then a chopper (a Cuisinart!). Brett thoroughly researched the existing baby food steamer/chopper appliances on the market and ultimately decided that this was the best way to go. So we went the long route with items we knew would work. It was still a pretty easy process, but when we saw that Cuisinart had a Baby Food Maker & Bottle Warmer in one, we were excited to try it.

Remember what I said about counter space? This product helps by combining 3 tasks into one product: a bottle warmer, food steamer and food chopper.

From Cuisinart:

The new Cuisinart Baby Food Maker & Bottle Warmer is a fast and easy way for parents to turn the foods they choose into healthy meals for baby – the unit steams and purees in the same bowl. A 4-cup work bowl allows for a significant amount of leftovers, which can go right into the refrigerator or freezer. Additionally, a built-in bottle warmer heats baby’s bottle to just the right temperature.

• Steam, chop/pureé and bottle warmer functions
• 4 cup work bowl
• Patent-pending Bladelock System holds the blade in place while pouring
• Steam blade creates even steam distribution for quicker, more efficient results
• Bowl seal to prevent spitting and improve steaming
• User-friendly dial control with LED indicator light
• Powerful motor for quick steaming and precise chopping
• Recipe booklet, spatula, bottle adapter ring and integrated measuring cup included
• 18-month limited warranty

The bottle warmer is located in the back of the unit, which also serves as the water reservoir for steaming food. It comes with a measuring cup to measure the water you’ll need for each task.

On one side, you can measure for bottle warming…

…and the other side measures water for food steaming.

To warm a bottle, simply pour the required amount of water into the reservoir, then place the bottle into the reservoir and turn the dial to steam. The unit will turn off automatically once steaming is complete.

Even though Trent doesn’t really eat baby food purees any longer, we still try to come up with healthier versions of things that we can make on our own. Since he loves ice cream, we decided to make banana ice cream with blueberry sauce.

This banana ice cream is made of only one ingredient…frozen bananas! We placed 2 very ripe bananas in the freezer…but you could also cut them up and put them in a freezer bag before putting them in the freezer. He also loves blueberries, so adding some blueberry sauce gives it a little more oomph and yumminess. What a great way to sneak in some extra nutrition while he thinks he’s getting a treat!

Make the blueberry sauce first by pouring the required amount of water (there is a chart provided with the unit with some guidelines) into the reservoir.

Then pour the blueberries into the steam/chop bowl and close the lid and the top of the unit.

Turn the dial to Steam. The light will turn on and you will see the steam accumulating in the bowl.

The light will turn off once the steaming is complete. Then simply turn the dial to Chop as many times as needed to reach the desired consistency. You can do quick chops or long continuous chops.

Pour the blueberry sauce into a bowl and set aside while you make the banana ice cream.

Clean out the bowl, then put your frozen banana pieces into the bowl, cover the bowl and close the unit.

Turn the dial to Chop as needed until the bananas reach the consistency of ice cream.

Scoop out the ice cream using the provided spatula.

Top your ice cream with the blueberry sauce and enjoy!

This would also be great to steam and chop healthy snacks for yourself. Want more baby food ideas? Check out the Cuisinart Baby website, where you can find recipes for different stages your baby is in, contests to enter, blog posts and other baby tools and ideas.

Giveaway!

Up for grabs: A Cuisinart Baby Food Maker & Bottle Warmer (a $129 value!)

How to enter: We’ll be using Rafflecopter for this one, so there are multiple ways to enter…pick one or pick them all!

This giveaway ends on Sunday, August 4, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST. US only please. I will contact the winner the next day by email and will announce the winner as an update to this blog post. Good luck!

{If you are viewing this post in an email or RSS feed, please click over to the blog to enter the contest using the Rafflecopter form }

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I was given this product in exchange for a review and giveaway. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Hi friends! I hope you had a fun Cinco de Mayo. Brett had a 3 month old photo session and then we headed over to a relative’s house where we each enjoyed a margarita, chips/dip and enchiladas. Later that night, Brett made fried cinnamon apple chimichangas to enjoy while we watched the Amazing Race. They were dee-lish.

We used this recipe.

Ingredients:

Filling

1 1/2 to 2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 apples, cored and chopped bite-sized (we used Granny Smith)

Chimichanga

8-12 flour tortillas (We used 10 medium MexAmerica tortillas)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Oil for frying

Cut up the apples into small bite-sized pieces.

In a large skillet or saucepan, mix all the filling ingredients except the apples and bring to a boil.

Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until the mixture becomes really thick.

Add the chopped apples, cover, and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the apples are tender. This took about 30 minutes.

Once the apples are tender, set the mixture aside until cool. We put it in the fridge to speed up the cooling.

Mix together the remaining cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.

Scoop the apple filling into the flour tortillas. We used about 1/3 cup for each chimichanga.

Roll over the one side of the tortilla.

Fold in both sides, then roll up the rest of the tortilla.

Once all the chimichangas are rolled up and ready, add about a quarter inch of oil for frying in a large heavy bottomed or deep cast iron skillet. Heat it until medium-hot. Using tongs, lower the Chimichangas into the hot oil one at a time. Let them fry for maybe 30 seconds per side, then move them off to drain on a paper towel once golden brown. We had to fry them in several batches, 2-3 at a time.

Roll each one around in the cinnmamon sugar mix while still moist, then put on another plate while you fry and coat the rest.

Let cool a little, but I suggest enjoying them while warm…and with a scoop (or two) of ice cream of course!

Just as a side note, we had a few leftover that we ate tonight. They weren’t as crispy or good the second night, but were really good the first night. So eat as many as you can the first night…tough job, right?

Also, I recommend a splatter-screen when frying the chimichangas. We don’t have one and it made a M-E-S-S everywhere! Brett made sure to tell me several times that we will be buying a splatter screen the next time we see one.

Thank you to MexAmerica for sending me the delicious tortillas to make this tasty recipe! I received the following 3 varieties:

100% Whole Wheat Tortillas with Honey (mmm…these would make a tasty snack with peanut butter and banana!)

Flour Tortillas

Corn Tortillas (Gluten-free!)

Learn more about MexAmerica:

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Both my uncle and my grandmother had diabetes, and while they died when I was too young to know the exact reasons for their death, I always keep it in the back of my mind that I am at a higher risk for diabetes since it runs in the family. Luckily, I haven’t had any issues with it so far in life, and although I definitely splurge on food on holidays and vacations (I think I need to start a “Post-Disney” diet), I still try to be mindful not to consume too much sugar or bad ingredients on a daily basis. This is why I was excited to try Werther’s Original Sugar Free Candy.

When I told Brett about it, he told me that Werther’s candies were actually one of his favorite candies as a kid, and although I’ve enjoyed the non-sugar-free variety in the past, I was interested in seeing if I would also enjoy the sugar-free candy, as well.

Look at this awesome box they sent the candy in! It was like Christmas!

I tried four varieties of Werther’s Original Sugar Free Candy:

I think these are a delicious way to satisfy your sweet tooth, without loading up on sugar! I think the Caramel Apple is my favorite…I could really taste a caramel apple, just a hint of sweet without the mess!

These candies are made with isomalt, which is a unique, excellent tasting sugar-free sweetener derived from sugar. Because the same amount of isomalt is used in products as would be used if they were sweetened with sugar, isomalt-containing products have the same appearance and texture as those made with sugar (source). Each piece has only 8 calories, so in addition to not loading up on sugar, you can have several pieces without loading up on calories too.

At work, the office “goodies table” is literally 10 feet from my desk and completely visible to me at all times of the day, so I often have donuts, cookies and cake sitting there staring at me all day long saying “Lynn, eat me!” So it can be difficult to resist, especially during a long afternoon. Keeping these sugar-free candies at my desk for when I have a craving has helped resist the temptation of the sugar-filled goodies table.

When I get a craving or just need something to get past the 3 o’clock lull, I’ll reach over to my candy jar and grab a Werther’s sugar-free treat!

Buy: Amazon or Find a Local Retailer

Connect: Werther’s Original Sugar Free Facebook Page

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

You guys ready for some mathematical fun about Pi Day on 3/14?! No? Well, here it goes anyway…

Pi Day is an annual celebration commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi), which is approximately 3.14159, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi Day is observed on March 14 because of the date’s representation as 3/14 in month/day date format. This representation adheres to the commonly used approximation of 3.14 for π.

Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits.

In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day. The earliest known official or large-scale celebration of Pi Day was organized by Larry Shaw in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium where Shaw worked as a physicist, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, then consuming fruit pies.

Sources: http://www.piday.org/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day

Your reward for reading all that nerdy stuff is…you guessed it, PIE! After all, 3.14 backwards spells PIE

Source

As stated above, a common way to celebrate Pi Day is not to do math problems all day, but to eat pie! (feel free to do math problems if you’d like, or draw circles, or memorize as many digits of pi as possible, but my way sounds more fun, don’t ya think?) Sounds like my kind of holiday.

We enjoyed our pie a little early when I picked up a Marie Callender’s Cherry Crunch pie yesterday. There were several options, like Key Lime, Chocolate Mouse and the ever-popular Apple, but I just couldn’t resist trying out this cherry goodness. I was also tempted by the single serving mini pies available, but after a glance over at the ice cream section, I decided a nice cherry pie and vanilla ice cream combination was the way to go.

These pies are found in the freezer section. This particular one came with a separate bag of crunchy brown sugar streusel.

After it cooked and cooled while we ate dinner, we enjoyed it as our dessert.

The combination of the warm cherries and streusel with the cold, creamy vanilla ice cream hit the spot. Luckily, there is plenty leftover to celebrate tomorrow and the next day too!

You can find more Marie Callender’s goodness here:

• Rate and review any Marie Callender’s products: http://clvr.li/YbnAp3
• Check out Marie Callender’s blog for party ideas, how-to’s and more: http://clvr.li/Ye3AlJ

Our grocery store was offering a coupon at the time of my purchase, which made this pie even sweeter. You can snag a $1.50 off through March 31, 2026 coupon by going here: http://clvr.li/WisbJs (link expires March 21, 2013, coupon expires March 31st).

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

We just came back from a delicious meal at Outback Steakhouse. I can’t believe we even attempted to go to Outback on a Friday, that place is always PACKED, but Brett was determined…especially since we had a coupon.

From MorningStar Farms and BzzAgent:

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, BETTER-FOR-YOU BURGERS

The theme of 2013 is options. You don’t have to settle for less-than-healthy beef burgers, and you certainly don’t have to settle for any old veggie burger. With MorningStar Farms®, eating meatless can be fresh and magical, and here’s a sample of how:

MORNINGSTAR FARMS® SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGERS

With black beans, roasted corn, brown rice, and chili peppers, these burgers definitely have a whoa-that-was-good-now-give-me-some-more kick to them.

• 120 calories, 4g fiber, 11g protein and 73% less fat*

*MorningStar Farms® Spicy Black Bean Burger (67g) contains 4g fat per serving, compared with regular ground beef (67g) containing 15g fat per serving.

MORNINGSTAR FARMS® GARDEN VEGGIE PATTIES™

A yummy, hearty blend of mushrooms, water chestnuts, onion, carrots, green and red bell peppers, black olives, brown rice and rolled oats.

• 110 calories, 3g fiber, 10g protein and 74% less fat*

*MorningStar Farms® Garden Veggie Patties™ Veggie Burgers (67g) contain 3.5g fat per serving, compared with regular ground beef (67g) containing 15g fat per serving.

MORNINGSTAR FARMS® TOMATO & BASIL PIZZA BURGERS

Not only is this Italian-inspired veggie burger filled with onion, mushrooms, tomatoes and red peppers, it also has … wait for it … mozzarella and provolone cheese inside.

• 120 calories, 3g fiber, 10g protein, 61% less fat*

*MorningStar Farms® Tomato & Basil Pizza Burgers (67g) contain 6g fat per serving, compared with regular ground beef (67g) containing 15g fat per serving.

MORNINGSTAR FARMS® GRILLERS® ORIGINAL

Every bite of this meatless masterpiece is chock-full of classic burger flavor.

• 130 calories, 15g protein, 57% less fat*

*MorningStar Farms® Grillers® Original (64g) contain 6g fat per serving, compared with regular ground beef (64g) containing 14g fat per serving.

MORNINGSTAR FARMS® GRILLERS PRIME® VEGGIE BURGERS

It’s savory, a little smoky, best grilled and served on a bun, then topped with whatever makes your mouth water.

• 170 calories, 17g protein, 39% less fat*

*MorningStar Farms® Grillers Prime® Veggie Burgers (71g) contain 9g fat per serving, compared with regular ground beef (71g) containing 15g fat per serving.

MORNINGSTAR FARMS® MUSHROOM LOVER’S BURGER

This burger balances button and portabella mushrooms with hints of onion, sweet red pepper and garlic perfectly.

• 110 calories, 7g protein, 59% less fat*

*MorningStar Farms® Mushroom Lover’s Burgers (64g) contain 6g fat per serving, compared with regular ground beef (64g) containing 14g fat per serving.

Trent’s just playing Vanna White and showcasing the burger…no eating!

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Disclaimer: I received this product for free as part of BzzAgent campaign in return for my honest, hype-free opinion. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any other way.