30 Before 30: Learn to make baby food

Today I checked #15 off my 30 before 30 list!

We started baby cereal just over a week or so ago. Slim is loving it so onto the next big milestone in our sweet baby's life, baby food!

Here is what I bought at the grocery store:
3 apples (gala)
2 pears
1 avocado
1 bag frozen peas
1 sweet potato

I used a Baeba Babycook which I got used and the lady threw in a set of One Step Ahead storage cups and I had also received a solid food storage kit as baby gift as well (Thanks Shannon F.!). The best thing about the baeba is that I didn't have to separately steam! It is all in one and SUPER easy to use. I rinsed the cooking bowl between each batch and even that wasn't too bad. 

Total prep of dicing all of the fruits and veggies took about 20 minutes. I also received an awesome apple corer and peeler as a baby gift (Thanks Katie W.!) which saved a TON of time with the apples and pears.

I don't think this could have been easier. I got all of the fruits and veggies chopped and ready to go into the baeba. While each batch steamed (which took about 15 minutes) I could fold a load of laundry. The total process from start to finish took just under 2.5 hours and yielded 57 ounces of baby food.

3 apples = 17 oz

2 pears = 9 oz
1 avocado = 6 oz
1 bag frozen peas = 12 oz
1 sweet potato = 13 oz

Slim had an oz of sweet potatoes with his oatmeal at lunch and loved it! The rest of the food I put into the freezer and will pop them out of the trays and store them in a ziplock bag.

Total cost $5.13 which ends up at just 9 cents per oz compared to the ready made Gerber food which comes in just under 60 cents per oz AND I know exactly what is in Slim's food. Sounds like a win-win to me! 

Put your best foot forward...

...and get out of the way.

That is my Dad's way of saying, you are not in control. Let go. Let God. 

People ask me all the time how I do it.

How did you get through a sickly child who stopped breathing and had to be rushed via ambulance to the hospital from his preschool?

How did you get through finding out you had a brain tumor when you were 31 weeks pregnant?

How did you bring your 35 week old baby into this world unsure of what would come after?
How did you stay positive when any other person would crumble?

How do you always turn a negative into a positive?

Today, I was referred to as an eternal optimist. I have always know optimism is a strong suit for me, but hadn't really reflected on how deep that was ingrained in me. Anyone who knows me, knows I went straight to google...

Eternal optimist, noun:

1. A person who never ceases to give up hope in something they believe. 
2. A person who will continue to believe in something or a positive outcome till the end of time.

Yep, that is me. Finding the glass half full. Never giving up hope there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. Always. Each thing in my life prepared me for the next. Each lesson learned has a purpose and a meaning.

People have said a lot of nice things about me over the years. I am very blessed to have many people who think the world of me. But today I realized, that is what I want to be remembered for in my life and hopefully someone will be inspired enough by my eternal optimism to make a change in their own life.

This is my best foot forward. Now I will get out of the way.