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How to Make Eating at a Restaurant with your Little One Look Easy

Posted in Motherhood,Toddlers on 06/17/2013 at 4:37 pm by Caroline  |  1 Comment

by Jennifer Durbin aka The Clueless Chick

Eating out at a restaurant with your little one is a necessity when you are traveling and a nice perk when you are home.  So how do you avoid having to run out of a restaurant mid-meal with a screaming toddler?  All you need is a little planning, a well-stocked diaper bag and a little luck!  Let’s be honest, all of the planning and perfect parenting in the world can’t prevent the occasional meltdown.

Planning for your next trip to a restaurant does not need to be as complicated as planning for a week at the beach.  When you get down to it, these few simple tips are really all you need:

Logistics:

  • Avoid restaurants with long wait times, or pick a location like the mall where you can walk around and play while you are waiting for your table
  • Face the little one’s highchair or booster seat towards all of the action to keep them entertained by passers by
  • Scope out the menu before you arrive so that you can order quickly Read the rest of this entry »

The Perks of Quinoa (Keen-wah) for Infants

Posted in Uncategorized on 04/11/2013 at 8:36 pm by Caroline  |  Comments Off

As you may have seen, we recently launched an amazing new product that we are super proud of: NurturMeals Protein-packed Quinoa. It’s a healthy alternative to rice cereal and is a great way to get your little ones off on the right nutritional footing when starting solids. Ever since debuting the product exclusively on Diapers.com a mere two weeks ago, we’ve seen an amazing customer response – clearly, you guys love this stuff. And you may already be aware of all the unique, wonderful nutritional benefits that quinoa offers – but for those of you who don’t, we wanted to share this blog post, originally posted by New York Baby Show in collaboration with NurturMe, on the NYBS blog.

The Perks of Quinoa (Keen-wah)

WRITTEN BY NEW YORK BABY SHOW ON MARCH 25TH, 2013.

20130311_trilogy-bowl-powder_quinoa_HR_CMYKIn recent years,  quinoa has become a new hot ingredient, from pies to salads, and now baby food.  We wanted to find out just why it’s so good for mom, dad and baby…

There are several major benefits of quinoa.  While it varies among different samples, quinoa has an average protein content that is twice that of rice and contains all of the essential amino acids needed to support protein synthesis and growth. The amino acid profile of quinoa has been compared to that of milk.  Quinoa has been found to have substantially higher amounts of the essential amino acid lysine than most grains.

Another benefit of quinoa is its higher content of healthy oils, including polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.  Specifically, quinoa is superior in providing mostly linoleic acids and oleic acids, and some alpha-linolenic acid. These fatty acids are important for an infant’s brain development. Read the rest of this entry »

Expo West Press Kit

Posted in Uncategorized on 03/06/2013 at 9:16 pm by Caroline  |  Comments Off

Hey y’all! Long time no talk. We’ve been here all this time, just lots going on. We are very excited to show you a bit of what we’ve been up to when we attend Expo West this weekend.

For those of you in the media who will be attending the show, we wanted to provide the NurturMe Press Kit_2013 for your convenience. Enjoy!

…and for the rest of you, stay tuned. More to come. Very soon. ;)

 

Pumping on the Other Side of the World

Posted in Motherhood on 08/08/2012 at 1:02 pm by Caroline  |  1 Comment

In honor of World Breastfeeding Month this August, we hope you enjoy this guest post, written by our friend Jessica.

My experience breastfeeding my son had its shares of ups and downs. We made it 9 straight months, with me working a full time job that had me traveling (without him) at least once a month within the U.S., and a couple of times internationally over the duration. But of all my experiences during this 9 months, one will always be the story I dine out on, the story I tell girlfriends over too much (aka “just enough”) wine, and the story that I still can hardly believe happened myself.

When my son was born, I already knew I would have to go on a week-long business trip to Nepal before he was five months old. No possibility of freezing and saving milk (I was going somewhere quite rural), and no local clinics that would take donated milk (there are too many health concerns and not a lot of capacity to screen and sanitize donated milk). I wasn’t ready to let this trip end my breastfeeding time, so I had only one option: pump and dump, 6 times a day, for seven days.  While working 14-hour days that did not include a desk, an office, or a private room – let alone an electrical outlet.

At the same time, I was determined to leave behind a full week’s worth of frozen breastmilk. Somehow it hadn’t occurred to me that a few bottles of formula (or a few dozen) would not irreparably damage my son, so I set myself the goal of freezing – wait for it – 350 ounces of breastmilk in less than 5 months. Now, if you haven’t had your first baby yet, this number might be meaningless to you. If you have had, and breastfed, a baby, this number might kind of gross you out. 350 ounces is a LOT of milk. My calculation was that by this age, he’d be on 5-6 feedings a day, at 8 ounces each (he was a milk monster). 8 ounces*6 feedings*7 days = 336. Add in a buffer for husband-spillled-milk, and there you have it.

And by God, I did it. And I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I nearly lost my mind.

But that is not even the best/craziest part of the story – not by a long shot. Read the rest of this entry »

NurturMe Now On Ecomom.com!

Posted in Press,Stores on 08/01/2012 at 3:48 pm by Caroline  |  Comments Off

Read the original post here.

EcoMom.com offers products to new mothers that are innovative and friendly to the environment. If you are looking for the very best environmentally-conscious products for you or your child, visit EcoMom.com.

For those moms out there who are traditionalists when it come to baby food flavors, NurturMe makes baby food with flavors you will recognize. Not only are they nutritious, but they taste delicious. The Plump Peas flavor is made with organic dried peas that can be rehydrated simply by adding water. It comes in 8 lightweight pouches that are easy to carry anywhere for on-the-go meals.

The Hearty Sweet Potatoes are sure to be a smash with your little one. As with all NurturMe flavors, the Hearty Sweet potatoes are made from sweet potatoes that were grown on a certified-organic farm in the United States to provide the most quality nutrients for your growing baby.

The Scrumptious Squash is a flavor that is jam-packed with nutrients to help your baby grow. Since NurturMe baby food is made only from organic fruits and vegetables, your child will be eating the nutrients, colors, and flavors of natural sweet potatoes.

The Crisp Apples flavor will satisfy your baby’s sweet tooth, whether she has teeth or not. Made from real apples, this yummy flavor (like all other NurturMe flavors) was dried from real apples right after they were harvested. Because drying fruit does not damage the nutrients in fruits or vegetables, they are preserved to help fuel your baby healthily. Dried fruits and vegetables also retain the natural flavor and color of the original food better than other methods of preservation.

Crunchy Carrots, though not crunchy when they arrive on your baby’s plate, are made of fresh, crunchy carrots that were pulled from the ground and then dried shortly after. Because NurturMe uses a drying method to preserve fruits and veggies, there are absolutely zero preservatives in their products. This includes salts and sugars. Instead, your baby gets to taste fruits and vegetables in their natural state, free of any alterations.

As with the Sweet Bananas flavor, NurturMe baby food is completely organic, completely free of toxins, and completely cruelty-free. You can count on NurturMe to make amazing baby food that is healthy for your baby and for the environment.

Guest Post: How to Help Your Picky Eater Eat Healthy & Happy

Posted in Nutrition,Toddlers on 06/13/2012 at 7:10 pm by Caroline  |  Comments Off

This is the final post in a five-part series written by students in the University of Texas’ Nutrition Through the Life Cycle class. Current UT public health and nutrition student, Megan Dietz discusses what may affect your child’s food preferences and how you can ensure your picky eater receives proper nutrition during meals.

 

Every parent wants their child to be both healthy and happy, but what can today’s parents do when these two needs conflict?  This is often the case with toddlers and young children deemed “picky eaters.”  For many parents who offer vegetables or fruit to their child, only to be met with a resounding “No!” it is often an arduous task to make sure their child is eating healthy while also eating happy.

A child turning up their noise at vegetables and other healthy foods is not to be taken lightly. Only 22 percent of children aged 2 to 5 meet government recommendations for vegetable consumption according to researchers at Ohio State University. Even for those who do eat their vegetables, fried potatoes constituted an average of 46 percent of the total vegetable intake for children ages 2 to 19.

A variety of fruits and veggies is necessary for healthy growth and development, and a deficiency can bring harmful results. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Post: Fruity Icebergs!

Posted in Recipes,Toddlers on 06/07/2012 at 5:40 pm by Caroline  |  Comments Off

This is the forth post in a five-part series written by students in the University of Texas’ Nutrition Through the Life Cycle class. Mijee Park is currently a UT student entering the Professional Sequence of Nursing next Fall. Park’s article briefly explains toddler development and how NurturMe products can aid parents in turning food battles into food fiestas!

My niece is 3 years old. You know what that means – she wants to walk the walk, talk the talk, and most importantly eat on her terms.  During the toddler stage, children develop extensive motor skills such as walking and pincer grasping of objects.  They begin to create and expand phrases and sentences.  With all the new abilities they are steadily gaining, it is inevitable that they are on an adventure of constant exploration!

Let’s be honest, if you discovered new “powers” and new “talents,” you wouldn’t go prancing into your kitchen to simply sit at the table. Toddlers are the same. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Post: Tactics for Your Finicky Toddlers

Posted in Children's Health,Toddlers on 05/30/2012 at 4:35 pm by Caroline  |  2 Comments

This is the third post in a five-part series written by students in the University of Texas’ Nutrition Through the Life Cycle class. The author of this post, Kayleigh Pippen, is a Nutrition Sciences Pre-med student at UT. This article discusses fun and easy ways to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.

 

It’s widely understood that infants and toddlers have a high nutrient demand for healthy growth and development. These early years can set the trajectory for their overall health and well being for years to come, so it’s vital for them to get ample fruits, whole grains, protein, and vegetables.

Statistics show that many toddlers are not getting ample amounts of nutrient-dense vegetables in their diets.  In a 2008 study of infant and toddler intake of fruits and vegetables, an average of about 20% of toddlers weren’t consuming a single vegetable in a day. Of those that did, 40% of the consumed vegetables were white potatoes and 25% were French fries or other fried potatoes. A mere 7.8% of consumption was from dark green vegetables that provide many essential vitamins.

A huge problem with toddler nutrition is that toddlers often have very sensitive taste preferences, and they can be especially picky when it comes to eating vegetables.  So how should parents get these choosey little ones to consume vitamin-rich vegetables? Get creative!

Tactic 1: “The Sneak Attack”

An advantage parents have is that they prepare the food. During preparation, vegetables can easily be incorporated into kid-friendly foods. This can be done using any kind of vegetables. The key is camouflage. For example, adding pureed cauliflower and/or squash to macaroni and cheese.

NurturMe products make this easy. With options such as Hearty Sweet Potatoes, Plump Peas, Scrumptious Squash, and Crunchy Carrots, all in a convenient, dry powder-like form, incorporating healthy vegetables into your child’s meal is simple and fast. Disguising these ingredients in foods that kids like boosts their vegetable intake while avoiding the creation of a negative attitude towards food.

Tactic 2: Get kids involved Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Post with Chef Alex Forsythe & Coco Frey

Posted in Recipes,Sweet Potatoes on 05/24/2012 at 2:50 pm by Caroline  |  Comments Off

Announcing another recurring blog series with Chef Alex Forsythe & Coco Frey! We first partnered up with Alex & Coco when they attended the Green Festival in Chicago earlier in May.  We are so excited to see what  healthy, delicious and inventive recipes they will create using NM!

Chef Alex Forsythe started his culinary career in 1997 at the Culinary Institute of America, has attended the Cordon Blu in Paris, and the The Apricus in Tuscany…Currently, Chef Forsythe is re-creating the world famous Joy of Cooking author, Irma Rombauer’s 1939 cookbook, Streamlined Cooking.

Coco Frey is on a mission to help people understand how to “eat with an open mind,” by providing consumers real nutrition through real food for real lives. She specializes in nutrition education, natural food representation, speaking engagements, business to business consulting, healthy cooking, and media contributions…Www.eatthetruth.com is the business Coco founded in 2004. She is dedicated to sharing her knowledge with the general public and is truly passionate about her future endeavors as an educator, ambassador, and product endorser.

The Streamlined Hearty Sweet Potato Tarts Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Post: Even College Kids Should Try It!

Posted in Children's Health,Nutrition,Recipes on 05/21/2012 at 3:38 pm by Caroline  |  1 Comment

This is the second post in a five-part series written by students in the University of Texas’ Nutrition Through the Life Cycle class. Denise Forsthuber is a second year International Relations and Global Studies major at UT. She is an avid traveler and interested in international diplomacy. Her article is about a revolutionary new use for NurturMe baby food.

 

Let’s face it: as college students “nutrition” isn’t always a part of our vocabulary, much less our diet.  I know people whose dinners consist of Ramen, Coke and Oreos, and that certainly isn’t the healthiest meal ever. I don’t always eat the most nutritious foods in the world either, but for the most part I do try. So when I heard of recipes for toddlers using NurturMe, the organic quick-dried baby food you just add to liquids to prepare, I was intrigued. It is marketed as baby food, but the company also advertises it as a nutritional booster for toddler’s foods. I could use some extra nutrition in my food, and the company’s suggestion got me thinking… Was NurturMe something I could incorporate into my own diet?

I figured it was. In reality, what was so different between a toddler and me? Other than a lot of age and schooling, somehow our diets remained pretty similar: simple. A toddler wouldn’t appreciate the full quality of Pizza alla napoletana.  To them it’s just a pizza, and on a practically nonexistent budget with a negative amount of free time, I can’t appreciate it either. So when I eat, I stick to no-hassle foods like sandwiches and macaroni and cheese like many busy families with picky eaters. The bread is whole grain, the turkey is low sodium, and the cheese on the sandwich is low fat, but the macaroni… not much I can do to make that healthy. Until now, that is, since I’ve found NurturMe.

Yes, NurturMe is designed for babies and toddlers, but there’s nothing wrong with eating like a toddler when it’s delicious. A packet of Scrumptious Squash mixed into my mac ‘n cheese, or Crunchy Carrots cooked into my chili not only have the ability to blend in and pretend like they’re not actually hiding in my food, but they magically make it more nutritious too. With one packet, I’ve added healthy carbohydrates, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, potassium, dietary fiber, and beneficial phytochemicals to my food while barely even trying.

NurturMe is revolutionary because I no longer have to spend time washing, peeling, cutting, and cooking when I want some vegetables. Read the rest of this entry »

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