Reusable Baking Cups

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We have the best cake decorating shop near our house and I love to go there and pick out the cutest paper liners for cupcakes and muffins.  They have something for every party, holiday, or latest whim.  I love polka dots and tonight we had corn muffins in purple polka dot liners. I can’t help myself.

On that note….it’s time to find some reusable liners – not only saving trees but saving money, too.  Sure, there will be occasions that I will still use the adorable paper liners but for cooking at home, it’s make more sense to use reusable baking cups – wash and use again.  These are also great to use to hold snacks or treats.

All of these are made with food-grade silicone and are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe – try putting them in the dishwasher or silverware basket.

REGULAR:

Wilton Ultra-Flex Silicone Non-Stick Reusable Baking Cups – Red, blue and green, set of 12.   $7.99

 

 

 

Crate and Barrel Silicone Baking Cups – Clear, set of 12.  $9.95

  

  

  

  

Wilton Bear Silicone Cups – Light and dark brown bear shaped liners, set of 12. $9.99

  

 

  

 

Wilton Flower Silicone Cups – Pink and yellow flower shaped liners, set of 12. $10.99

  

  

  

  

Williams-Sonoma Silicups – Pastel pink, lavender, yellow and blue liners, set of 12. $24.00

  

  

  

 

Create N Celebrate Silicone Bug Shaped Fun Cups – Set of 4. $9.95

 

 

 

MINI:

Kitchen Collection Mini Silicone Baking Cups – Heart, star, egg, diamond, round and square, set of 24.  $5.99

 

 

 

Wilton Mini Heart Silicone Baking Cups – Red and pink hearts, set of 12. $15.56

 

 

  

Kitchen Supply Mini Muffin Silicone Baking Cups – Assorted colors, set of 12. $15.99

 

 

 

Williams-Sonoma Mini Pastel Silicups – Pastel pink, lavender, yellow and blue liners, set of 12. $24.00

 

 

 

 

JUMBO:

Large Silicone Pans – Assorted colors, set of 6. $12.95

 
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High Protein Greek Yogurt

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My husband recently turned me on to greek yogurt – it has a creamy and thick consistency and I love it!  One of the best things about greek yogurt is that it is high in protein.  Typical yogurt has 2 – 6 grams of protein while greek yogurt has 14 – 24 grams per serving.

Greek yogurt is a little more expensive than traditional varieties so use a coupon to try it out!  When you look for a brand to try, look for one that doesn’t have added sugar ( the only sugar in the yogurt is the lactose naturally occurring in milk ) and the milk used is rBST free (hormone free).  There are also a lot of fat free versions that are made without aspartame – we typically steer clear of fat-free versions because they contain fake sugar, like aspartame, and I’m not convinced it’s good for our bodies (or even safe).  There are organic versions, as well.

Some brands to check out:

If you’re a DIY kind of cook, you can even make your own greek yogurt!

 
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Organic Snacks for Kids

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My daughter is a snacker – we always have to make sure to have them on hand, particularly on the go.  They are a great way to keep her energy up and an occasional great bribe.  Lately, I’ve seen snack-size organic snacks popping up at local coffee shops, like Starbucks, and packaged in multi-package containers at Costco.  While I traditionally like to buy in bulk and then pass them out in reusuable snack bags or containers, sometimes picking up snack-sized packs is what the situation calls for.

Here are several organic snacks my family has tried out and given the thumbs up:

Peeled Snacks– The snack bags are 110 – 150 calories per bag.  They have both an organic or 100% natural line – the organic line contains organic dried fruit ONLY – no added sugars, coloring or preservatives.  There are 5 organic flavors like Mango, Banana or Apricot. You can buy them online or in local Starbucks, Whole Foods or Nordstrom. One thing I don’t like about snack-sized packaging is that it typically cannot be recycled at the curb but Peeled Snacks will take all of their bags back for recycling – you just have to mail them back.

Funky Monkey Snacks – The snack bags have 1 serving of fruit and 50 calories or less per bag.  They contain organic dried fruit ONLY – no added sugars, coloring or preservatives.  I assume these are great because I never got to try them!  My husband and daughter ripped through several bags over a long road trip.   There are 7 flavors like Banana & Cinnamon or Pineapple & Lime Juice. You can buy them online at Amazon.com or in local Targets, Whole Foods or Kroger.

Annie’s Homegrown – Annie’s has a host of organic snacks including BunnyFruit snacks, CheddarBunnies, ClassicsCrackers, and SnackMix. Fruit snacks – the gummy kind – are my daughter’s favorite treat.  Most of them are made with high fructose corn syrup and a lot of other junk.  BunnyFruit still has syrups and sugars (organic cane sugar and organic tapioca syrup) but it also is made with real fruit juice and no artificial colors – so for an occasional fruit snack treat, it’s a better choice than conventional brands.  Organic CheddarBunnies are a great alternative to traditional “fishy crackers”, they are made with organic wheat flour and organic cheese – no sugar added.  Our Costco sells a pack of Annie’s snack-sized treats that is perfect for things like birthday party or classroom snacks.  You can also find them at Starbucks and at over 10,000 other stores.

Peter Rabbit Organics – A reader turned me on to these – thank you Sabrina!  They are fruit pouches made from 100% organic fruit ( no added sugar and preservatives) and use only certified organic suppliers, and local ones, when they can.  I love the pouches these are in, they are ‘drinkable’ and would be great for older infants learning to eat solid foods and drinking from a straw.  My 3 year old sucked this down and told me it tasted like “fruity applesauce”.  They come in 3 flavors like Strawberry & Banana, Apple & Grape, and Mango & Banana & Orange.  I found them at Starbucks but they are also available online, at BuyBuy Baby and other retailers.

 
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Organic Baby Formula

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Occasionally, I have needed to supplement nursing with formula and have been researching organic options.  Surprisingly, there are several manufacturers of organic baby formula and it is not necessarily more expensive than conventional formula.

When picking out any formula – organic or conventional, here are some things to consider:

  • can lining – some infant formula cans are known to be lined with metal that contains BPA
  • sweeteners – does it contain corn syrup or sugar?
  • palm olein oil – studies have shown infants absorb less fat and calcium from a formula containing palm olein oil
  • hexane processed DHA/ARA – there is some concern that the processing of DHA/ARA may cause adverse reactions in infants  – see below for edited comments
  • avoid liquid formula in metal cans – the cans are lined with an epoxy containing BPA and have tested to leach BPA

Nature’s One Baby’s Only Organic – This is what I personally used for my babies. Developed to meet Academy of Pediatrician guidelines for nutrition.  Options for all baby needs such as with DHA/ARA or without,  extra protein, soy, lactose sensitive, vegetarian, dairy free, and kosher. It is labeled as a ‘toddler formula’ but that is because the company wants to encourage breastfeeding as it does meet the FDA nutrition requirements for infant formula.   Baby’s Only does not contain any GMO ingredients, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, palm olein oil or hexane processed DHA.  The canisters and lids are uncoated so they are BPA free.   More info about dairy formula with DHA/ARA vs. without. $12-14 per 12.7 oz can or I highly recommend buying a 6 pack making them less than $10 per can.

Similac Organic – Similac Organic is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA.  It does contain organic sugar and hexane processed DHA but is free of palm olein oil.  Similac has both the traditional can of formula and the SimplePac, a plastic tub made with polypropylene which is BPA Free (although SafeMama reports that Similac couldn’t confirm that ALL parts of the container are BPA free, the powdered formula itself tested BPA free).  $31 per 25.2 oz can.

I’ve confirmed that the following 4 organic infant formulas are all manufactured by PBM products.  According to Joan, a nutritional support specialist with PBM, “Each one is made for a specific retailer and while they are nutritionally comparable, there may be slight differences in there formulations.”  In a separate email, “bisphenol-A (BPA) is a known functional component in the manufacturing process of the current packaging used for PBM infant formula products.”  They added that they are currently researching alternative packaging.

Earth’s Best Organic – In soy or dairy, Earth’s Best is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA.  It does not contain any sweeteners but does contain palm olein oil and hexane processed DHA/ARA. $23 per 23.2 oz can.

Parent’s Choice Organic –  Sold at Wal-Mart, Parent’s Choice is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA.  It does not contain any sweeteners but does contain palm olein oil. $26 per 23.2 oz can.

Vermont Organics – In dairy or soy, Vermont Organics is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA. $23 per 23.2 oz can.

Bright Beginnings Organic – Bright Beginnings Organic is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA.  It does not contain any sweeteners but does contain palm olein oil and hexane processed DHA/ARA.    $27 per 23.4 oz can.

If you use formula several times a week or more regularly, it may be a good idea to buy formula in 6 or 12 packs.  All of these formulas come in bulk and most with some cost savings over purchasing individual cans.

NOTE: All the formulas listed above meet the FDA Nutrition requirements for infant formula.

EDITED 05/18/2010: The government has banned the hexane processed DHA/ARA in organic infant formulas.   As of today, the only organic formula without this type of DHA/ARA is Nature’s One Baby’s Only Organic.

[Read more…]

 
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Alternatives to BPA in Canned Foods

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It’s not new news that the tin cans used for canned food is lined with a resin containing bisphenol-A (BPA).  The only new news is that every week there seems to be new research warning of BPA’s dangerous effects.  Unfortunately, avoiding canned food altogether is just not feasible for every family.  There are ways, however, to minimize your use of canned foods and the effect that BPA may have on you and your family.

1.  Buy tomato based products in glass or TetraPaks. Acidity causes BPA leaching and tomatoes have a lot of it.  You can get glass tomato paste and strained tomatoes from Bionaturae and crushed and diced tomatoes from San Marzano.  Trader Joe’s carries an Italian Tomato Starter Sauce in a TetraPak and Pomi has both chopped and strained tomatoes, along with a marinara sauce in TetraPaks.

2. Buy Eden Foods canned goods. According to their website, “All 33 Eden Organic Beans including Chili, Rice & Beans, Refried, and Flavored, are cooked in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous c-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disrupter chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA). Oleoresin is a non-toxic mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir. Theshttp://mommygoesgreen.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1985&action=edite cans cost 14% more than the industry standard cans that do contain BPA. The Ball Corporation tells us that Eden is the only U.S. food maker to date to use these BPA free cans and we have been since April 1999.”   Buy online.

3. Buy dried goods and cook them. Searching through my pantry, I find that many of my canned food purchases are beans – kidney, white, garbanzo or black.  I can buy dried beans and cook them for my meals, it takes about an hour in a saucepan or just minutes with a pressure cooker.

4. Grow or pick your own.  Spring is around the corner so start thinking about planting a fruit and/or veggie garden.  I promise it’s not a lot of work – start small with a few easy to grow veggies this summer and keep adding year after year.  It feels good to walk outside each day and pick the fruit of your labor (literally).  What you don’t eat can be canned (in glass) for the winter.  If you don’t want to grow your own, go to a farm and pick them.  Last summer, we picked over 30 pounds of blueberries that lasted all winter and enough strawberries to make freezer jam for a year.

5. Buy soups and broths in TetraPaks. You can find a great variety of soups and broths in TetraPaks from brands like Pacific Foods, Imagine Foods, and Trader Joe’s.

6. Buy frozen. Frozen may not be quite as good as fresh, but it’s a better choice than canned. Frozen, organic fruits and veggies are not that more expensive than conventional choices and they are much healthier and contain less pesticides.

What other kinds of canned foods do you buy and can you find an alternative?

 
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