Ruth's Blog

Finger Foods For Baby and Toddler: Everything you ever wanted to know

By: Ruth | January 28, 2012 | Comment

Dr Greene.com recently asked Ruth to be a special guest perspectives blogger on their informational website.  Ruth was more than happy to provide 5 terrific blog posts sharing all kinds of great, detailed information on finger foods and tips for getting started with finger foods for babies and toddlers. In case you missed it, here is a description and a link to each fantastic blog post.

Finger Foods: What They Are And Why They Are Important To Your Baby’s Diet

Getting Started With Finger Foods

Finger Food Ideas For Baby and Toddler: Fruits, Whole Grains, and Vegetables

Baby and Toddler Finger Food Ideas Galore: Proteins, Dairy, Omega 3 Healthy Fats

Baby and Toddler Finger Food Ideas Galore: Seeds and Dips

Super Baby Food is happy to be a part of the Dr. Greene team! Be sure to check out some of the other terrific information on Dr. Greene’s website.

What You Did Not Know About Martha Stewart

By: Ruth | November 29, 2011 | Comment

Ruth Yaron’s appearance on the Martha Stewart Show, as we have been proudly mentioning, was aired Monday, at 10 am and 2pm on the Hallmark Channel.

Martha introduced Ruth and prepared a recipe for baby “pink applesauce” that is now featured on her website.  We thought it would be fun to ask Ruth a couple of questions about her visit with Martha.  Her answers may surprise you. The answers are also a great conversation starter for those holiday dinners when you need something witty to contribute to the conversation.

You can visit the Martha Stewart Website for more information on the episode that featured Super Baby Food here.

Question for Ruth:

Can you tell us one thing about Martha Stewart that you didn’t know before you met her?

Ruth says:

I never knew she was a professional model.  She has photos on the walls in the hallway behind the stage.  She is as beautiful in person as she is on TV and in the pictures of her in the media and in her books.  She is a natural beauty.

Question for Ruth:

What was your favorite part of meeting Martha Stewart?

Ruth says:

Meeting THE Martha Stewart.   I loved watching all the activity behind the scenes while the show was being taped.  Every one of her staff was professional, very kind, and organized and they all worked together perfectly, like a well-oiled machine.  They were all very capable and extremely efficient without rushing anyone, and they had a great sense of humor and an easiness about them.   They enjoyed me kidding around saying stuff like, “What do you say when you meet Martha Stewart?  ‘Hello, your majesty!’ with a curtsy? (which I did NOT say to her, by the way).”  It was really an all-around fabulous experience and I had fun being a part of it.

How is that for some Martha Stewart Trivia? Martha was, indeed, a model for Chanel. Check out this link which shows the proof!

Thanks to all the Super Baby Food fans who tuned into the show and told all their friends.  You are the best!

Moms Want To Know: Suggested Baking Alternative to Gluten Free Flour?

By: Ruth | July 23, 2011 | Comment(1)

Mom asks:

You have many terrific recipes in your book, Super Baby Food. Can you suggest a Gluten Free alternative to Super Flour?

Ruth says:

Hi!
Flour for baking regular yeast breads pretty much has to be flour with gluten because the it’s the gluten (the protein in the flour) that raises breads.  The gluten has to be developed by kneading.  Bread rises when yeast eat starch and produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct and form tiny bubbles in the bread.  The developed stretchable gluten stretches to accommodate the bubbles, blow up a bit, and cause the bread to rise. So gluten is necessary for yeast breads that rise.

Wheat is the grain that has the most gluten.  Wheat flour used in yeast breads can be processed white flour or whole wheat flour–whole wheat flour is more nutritious but doesn’t rise as well as white flour.  Many recipes for homemade whole wheat bread or breadmaker recipes usually contain only some whole wheat flour, the majority being white flour.  White flour makes a light loaf.  Whole wheat flour doesn’t rise as well because of it’s course bran.

Quick breads, on the other hand, don’t really need the gluten as a leavening agent (an ingredient which makes dough rise).  The baking powder or baking soda reacts and bubbles up and causes the quick bread to rise a bit.  No gluten is needed because the powder/soda instead causes the bread to rise..  So you can use a GF flour to bake quick breads but not yeast breads.  You can use just about any flour–rice flour, garbanzo bean flour (the Spice Goddess on the cooking channel is big into garbanzo bean flour), quinoa flour, millet flour, and any flour that does not contain gluten.  Your natural foods store will have a nice variety and there will probably be an employee who can help you.

Good luck in your baking!  Thanks for writing.

Ruth

If you have your own question for Ruth, share it in our Superbabyfood.com contact form.

Freezing Ground Grains for Super Baby Porridge?

By: Ruth | June 15, 2011 | Comment

One of our fabulous Super Baby Food parents asked about saving time by grounding up the grains for Super Baby Porridge and Freezing for use later.  we thought it was such a great question that we would share Ruth’s answer.

Regarding the freezing of Ground grains for use later, Ruth says:

I’m not really sure how long (ground grains) will keep in the deep freeze after grinding.  I know that I put in my book, Super Baby Food, that they will keep for two months at refrigerator temperatures, so in the deep freeze, figure about six months or more.

Please note that in the next edition of my book (due out soon), also entitled Super Baby Food,  that I will be recommending that you do NOT grind in advance.  I will be recommending that you grind them immediately before cooking.  The reason for this is the fresher the grain and the more recently that it has been broken open by grinding, the more nutrients it has and the less nutrient loss to air, light, and heat.  So if you have a blender/grinder, I would suggest you use it daily.  If you do not have a blender/grinder and borrow someone else’s to do batch grinding, then it might be more convenient if you store in the fridge up to 2 months or in the deep freezer in good-quality freezer containers for about 6 months.

Thanks for writing!

Ruth

What To Do When Your Baby Won’t Eat a Certain Food?

By: Ruth | May 19, 2011 | Comment(1)

What to do when your baby won’t eat a certain food?

It’s a worry for parents.  The first thing to remember is not to push it.  Put the food away and try again in a few weeks. Sometimes your baby will not eat something that is sweet and tastes good to you.  With my baby, it was applesauce.  I was surprised (but not upset!) that he simply would not eat it. A few months later, he began eating it with gusto and has loved it ever since.

If you’re afraid a toddler will not like a particularly healthy new food, such as kale, use a little reverse psychology to get her interested.  Don’t give her any and eat it in front of her.  She will want some.  Be hesitant, but agree to give her some. If you’re lucky, she will love to eat it because it makes her feel like a big girl who fits in with the rest of the adults in the family.

Remember, too, babies will almost always make a face when offered a new food, especially if it has a strong flavor.  Do not go by her facial expression.  Offer her another spoonful and if her little mouth opens to accept a refill, continue feeding!

For more baby food tips check out Super Baby Food or right back her at the Super Baby Food blog!