Hi guys! I just wanted to make a quick post to share with you my favorite way to make my house smell amazing when visitors come over. Lets face it, regardless of what Food Network wants us to believe, everyone is not cooking 5 gourmet snacks every time people come over around the holidays that make the house smell perfect.
Here is my quick tip! in a small sauce pot combine:
-1.5 cups of Apple cider -8-10 Cloves -2 Large Cinnamon sticks -1 Orange cut into slices OR 4-6 dried orange slices. -(Optional) 1/4 cup of Red wine (I like Merlot or Pinot Noir, but any red will work.)
I discovered the red wine adds an interesting touch when I used the left over spice mix from Glühwein that I had made one night.
About 30 min before your guests arrive bring the mixture to a simmer on medium-low heat and allow to simmer for the evening. I recommend putting it on a back burner since it will stay on, especially if you have kids! About every hour add a cup of water so the level doesn’t get too low and burn your spices.
Tip: If you are finding that cinnamon sticks are too expensive, look for an Amish market near where you live. I get large bundles of cinnamon sticks for under $10.
As a mom of two boys I am asked all the time for recommendations on my favorite baby items. I have covered the internet for recommendations for “must have” items before having a baby and most of the time the articles talk about which stroller, crib, or car seat you need. I am here to share with you 10 things you may or may not have thought of – or even knew existed!
1. One of my favorite items is the changing pad liner. These make midnight diaper changes SOOOOO much easier! Put your cute changing pad cover on you changing pad, and then lay one of these down. Then when it gets dirty, quick whip it off into the hamper, and throw a new one down. Now you don’t have to worry about changing the full cover in the middle of the night or having to have so many full size covers!
2. The Rubber Ducky Thermometer.
This adorable rubber duck serves a second purpose: it tells you if the bath is too cold, too hot, or just right for baby. I love these for first time parents who are worried about bath time with their new baby. They also come in hippo, sting ray, alligator, seal, and more!
3. Diaper Pail Refills
For the parents that are planning to get a Diaper Genie diaper pail, use Mama Bear Diaper Pail Refills. These are the exact same as the Diaper Genie brand and so much cheaper! (I am almost positive that Diaper Genie makes them.) With all of the diapers we will go through, I will take any savings I can get!!!
I love this skip hop portable changing pad. It holds diapers, a pack of wipes, and a clean onesie, which makes it great for when you need to run and don’t need a full diaper bag.
Please note: This is not a medical recommendation. Please speak with your child’s pediatrician regarding consuming alcohol and breastfeeding. I use these to get an idea of whether any alcohol has come through in the breast milk. They are nice when you have had a night out and had a drink or two and are not sure if you have waited long enough for the alcohol to filter out.
6-8. My next three recommendations are apart of a larger matching set.
The skip hop whale tub spout cover is perfect because it prevents your little one from smacking their heads on the metal spout.
The matching piece is a whale pourer to help rinse off your baby. While you can easily do this with a cup, it has a rounded opening that molds to the curve of your baby’s forehead so when you rinse babies hair, it does not go in their eyes. I found that the $10 was worth the piece of mind for the water pourer.
Plus, the is a matching baby tub (~$30) and whale kneeling pad that can all be purchased for under $70 for the set of 4 items. This makes a perfect cute set for a baby shower gift.
When we first decided to give my 2 year old a pillow, he never used it. It seemed almost as big as he was and put his neck at a funny angle everytime he laid on it. THERE HAD TO BE A BETTER WAY! Then I discovered there was a secret…They make a mini pillow for toddlers!
Pro tip: The photo is from amazon and costs $20 jut so it can have a cute design. If you go to Target, they have a plain one for just $6.
When we travel we take our pack and play along as a travel crib for our babies. Naturally after about 6-12 months baby starts to realize that hard pack and play bottom is just not as comfortable as their crib. We got this for our oldest, and now our babies sleep like a dream on vacation!
Bonus: This one comes with a carrying case and a sheets for these can be found at stores like Amazon and Target.
Hello everyone! Many of you who are parents of infants or toddlers know the pouch/packet all too well. It is a diverse food option for infants starting solids and a quick nutrient packed food for kids on the go. By 9 months old, my infant could kill three full sized packets in a single sitting and still eat a full bottle. Each packet cost $0.79-$1.50. One day he at 5 packets ($3.95). That doesn’t sound like much money, but at the end of the week that comes to $28 for packets at just $0.79 each when he is eating milk too!
That night I said enough!! There had to be a cheaper way. I found cute animal shaped reusable pouches on Amazon and set about trying to make my own pureed food. I wanted it to be as easy as possible so I would not spend all day trying to make a few pouches. Some were a huge success and others…frankly tasted odd. Let me share with you how I make these and a few things I learned along the way.
10 Aldi Baby Food Packets – $7.90 (This could easily double if you get them from other stores.)
10 Homemade Packets – About $4.29 (These were more expensive than normal because I used a whole pint of fresh strawberries.)
When I make these I use an old bullet blender I had that makes small batches. This allows me to easily make several flavors. This is great for babies when you are trying to get them to try new things. I found that one of these 10oz blender cups makes two pouches. It takes me about 20 min to make 10-12 pouches in about 5 flavors. BUT! If you make only 1 flavor in a full size blender you could probably make 12 (or more!) in under 10 min.
I am in love with these cute little animal pouches!!
Tonight’s ingredients (Not pictured: small handful of spinach.)
For this batch I did all fruit based combinations. I recommend only using 2-3 different foods per batch or the flavors become muddled.
I love how using strawberries gives this a beautiful pink color that excites my toddler.
Remember to put the cap on before filling! Then, you can hold the pouch yourself, or prop it up in a wide-mouth mason jar.
When filling leave an 1-1.5in of space below the zipper seal to avoid over flowing or getting puree in the zipper.
The finished product! I will put a few in the fridge and the rest in the freezer to save for later. I just pull a few out of the freezer the night before I will need them so they are ready to go the next day.
Tonight’s Flavors Include:
Strawberry Banana Yogurt
Mixed Berry Banana Yogurt
Strawberry Mandarin Spinach
Peach Black Berry
Peach Strawberry Banana
Peach Strawberry Tomato (I have no idea what I was thinking with this. I made just one hoping to diversify the vitamins. BIG SURPRISE! He loved it!)
Some of the common foods I like to add are: • Apples – Peal, core, and then chop. You can cook them down in a pan with water to make apple sauce, or cook them in the oven to soften. • Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, ALL THE BERRIES! • Canned fruits and veggies – Pears, mandarins, peas, peaches. • Carrots and other root veggies – Toss veggies in olive oil, and cook in the oven at 350F to bring out their natural sweetness. I recommend cooking until they are very soft to make the puree smoother. Don’t microwave…they explode and make a mess… • Butternut squash – Cut in half, place cut side down on a baking sheet, and then roast in the oven at 400F until fork tender. Then you can easily scoop out the butternut squash. • Greek or vanilla yogurt – This adds protein, but if you take them on the go you will need a cooler. • Spinach or kale – These don’t provide tons of flavor, but they provide lots of great vitamins.
Here is what I have learned: • DON’T BUY A BABY BULLET or any other baby food maker. Your blender will be fine I promise! • Feel free to use canned veggies and fruits. They are already cooked and blend easily. If you don’t like the syrup the fruits are packed in, you can either rinse the syrup off or buy fruit packed in water or fruit juice. • Use water to thin out when using foods like carrots. I didn’t want to add any juice due to added sugars, but there are tons of 100% fruit juices out there without additives. I like adding a little bit of water, especially for babies because as they switch to solids the need more liquids, or else you end up with a constipated baby! • Frozen fruits are a great source of unprocessed fruits. I really like buying the fruit medley bag, that has no sugars added, from Aldi. I have even added frozen avocado for extra vitamins. • Save caps from store bought packets. I have found that caps from store bought packets fit these packets too! • Use a bottle brush to clean packets easily.
There are so many combinations of different foods that you can try. Many of the combinations I make for my boys are the same I use for my own smoothies. Chances are, if you like it, your children will too. Think of this as a quick and easy way to get your little one a nutritious meal or snack. Plus, it’s a major bonus that you know what went into it and you kept a little money in your pocket!
If you interested in where I got the animal pouches click HERE. These each hold 5oz of food. If you are looking for something larger, I also have THESE 7oz packets.
LET ME HELP YOU MAKE YOUR GROCERIES CHEAPER! I want to shout it from the roof tops because this store has helped so many people reduce their grocery budgets and I wish everyone knew about it! As a mom I am always looking to save money anywhere I can, and groceries can be a huge expense.
I first fell in love with the grocery store Aldi when I was in college. Living on a tight grocery budget and trying to eat things that are good for me don’t always go hand in hand. This reached a new level when my husband and I moved to the DC area and we were living off just my income because his business was just getting started. Suddenly a cheap grocery bill became a necessity. We lived off of $60 a week for two people for 3 meals a day. We even went as low as $30 a week for two months when things got really tight.
Things are better now but I still don’t want to over pay! Due to the pandemic I typically shop about every 2.5 weeks (or when the cheese sticks run out) and it usually costs us about $230 for a family of 4. So about $23 per person per week.
Here is a random sampling of common groceries people might buy. I have compared Aldi and Giant, and you can see the huge difference!
Grocery Items
Giant
Aldi
Eggs
$ 1.99
$ 1.29
Honey wheat bread
$ 3.49
$ 0.95
1% Milk (Gallon)
$ 3.69
$ 1.89
Mustard
$ 2.19
$ 0.55
Mango (Each)
$ 0.77
$ 0.39
6 pack of Bagels
$ 2.49
$ 2.39
Chicken breast
1.99/lb
1.69/lb
Flavored coffee creamer
$ 3.99
$ 1.69
Asparagus
$ 4.39
$ 2.19
Strawberries 16oz
$ 4.99
$ 2.45
Honey cheerios (Family Size)
$ 3.50
$ 2.45
Coffee (30.6oz)
$ 8.49
$ 4.19
Aldi cuts their prices by doing several things you won’t see at other stores:
They charge you for bags. I believe its 10 cents per bag, but its easier to just bring reusable bags, or use one of the cardboard boxes if your only grabbing a few things.
You have to rent your cart. You put a quarter in to release your cart, and get that quarter back when you return it. Its amazing to watch a person, who clearly can afford to spare 25 cents, march all the way across the parking lot just to get their quarter back!…You know who you are… By doing this Aldi doesn’t have to pay someone to retrieve carts.
All of the food comes in a cardboard box, and they just throw the box on the shelf and rip off the top. No time to stop and stock!
Every Aldi food item has several bar codes for faster ringing. When you check out the cashier is being timed, and they have to keep their times down. This keeps even the longest lines short lived. (Check your items. I have a box of cereal with 6 barcodes!)
There are not a lot of choices! You need mustard? There it is, one option. Sometimes there is an organic or kid friendly option, and if you are lucky you might find two sizes. (Bonus: I don’t have to worry about sending my husband to the store for ketchup and worry he will come home with the wrong kind!)
Most stores only have a few people working at them (usually 7), and everyone seems to do everything.
Most produce is sold either by the bag or each. This makes it easy because you don’t have to guess how much or wait for the checker to weigh everything.
Switching to Aldi does mean having to change your mindset on food a little bit. I promise it will be worth it!!! Very rarely does Aldi carry the name brand unless it is part of their weekly special buys. If you have kids or a husband who is partial to a specific brand, it may take some convincing to give it up. Many people I know squeezed Aldi ketchup into a Heinz ketchup bottle for a few months to prove their point. And guess what?! Their spouse and kids never noticed a difference!
Some other things you need to know:
1. There are different product lines for dietary needs. Aldi has a variety of lines for people who are looking for gluten free (Live G Free), no hormone (Never Any!), organic and Non-GMO (Simply Nature), and vegan or vegetarian (Earth Grown). 2. Aldi has organic produce! This is a common misconception I hear from friends, “I can’t shop at Aldi, I only eat organic produce.” Bonus: Guess what?! It usually is the same price for organic produce at Aldi as it is for regular produce at any other grocery store! 3. You can buy beer and wine. In states that allow beer and wine sales at the grocer, Aldi has their own selection. It varies from low end (think Aldi’s version of Trader Joe’s 2 buck chuck) to mid range in price. But don’t let price fool you! I have paid $6.99 for wines that rivaled $30 wines I have purchased from other places. (In the future I will do a piece just for Aldi wines) 4. National brands are sometimes repacked as Aldi brand. Aldi will never tell you when they do this. Between you and me, I am almost positive that Burmans Ketchup (Aldi brand) is Heintz ketchup repackaged.
5. Aldi releases Aldi finds of unique home goods each week. These are unique finds they don’t stock year round and each store only gets a few of each item. Aldi Nerds refer to the aisle where you find these items as the AOS (Aisle Of Shame). Aldi finds range from clothing, kitchenware, candles, and they even had an exercise bike last month! One my favorite Aldi finds are their candles! I have been know to horde my favorite scents. (Why spend $22 on a Bath and Body Works candle when my Aldi candle was $3.99!) Good luck getting out of the store without finding something in the AOS to take home! 6. They carry baby food and toddler snacks. Aldi has a huge variety of purees and snacks we are used to seeing at other big stores.
My favorite Aldi Find – Candles!Just a few of the Aldi baby food items my little ones love.
Where’s the Ranch?
If all of this sounds like it is too good to be true, don’t just take it from me. They have their own nerd group! Aldi has created it’s own cult following and you can join us on TheAldiNerd.com Community Facebook page. There you can find hundreds of testimonials a day from a group that is 1.4 million members strong. (Hint: You may be asked by a Nerd “Where’s the ranch?” and the answer is “Where the deer and the antelope play.”)
Feel free to drop your favorite thing about shopping at Aldi in the comments section. I would love to know what other nerds think!
Let me take a moment to introduce myself. I am a mom of two beautiful little boys, Hunter, 10 months old, and Bryan, 3 years old. They are an absolute handful, so you can understand why saving time is a must! When I am not living the life of the cheerios fetcher, I work as an analytical chemist. This drives the way I think about the world – always trying to test a hypothesis. My husband, Jeff, loves to remind me that he is not my science experiment.
Jeff and I met the first day of my Sophomore year of college and we started dating 2 months later. I knew within two weeks I would marry him. It has been 11.5 years and I think I might keep him for a few more. He is my rock and always encourages me to pursue my passions, even if they do change weekly.
Some of my passions include brewing (and drinking) beer, crafting, photography, the pursuit of beautiful bourbons, cooking food from all over the world, jewelry making, gardening, winery hopping, and canning. Yes, I know it looks like I probably drink a lot…but I’m a mom, remember? My husband and I are also big DIY-ers…even if I still get really nervous when the saws come out. I am always curios if I could do something myself.
I have been debating creating a blog for a very long time. I have hesitated because I never knew what direction I wanted to take this. I was unfocused, to say the least. Hooray for my ADHD brain!! The more that I think about it, the more I am sure that I am ok with that!
This will likely be a mixture of: -Recipes -Travel hacks -Time and money saving tips from a working mom -How to save money from my favorite stores -Crafting -Kids science experiments -and so much more.
In the end, I hope that someone will read this and walk away with a bit more knowledge and with the realization that this world is crazy, messy, and you are not alone in it! I welcome all of you to my crazy life of science experiments (not on my husband) and tireless kiddos. I hope you enjoy the ride!
A Ginger Chemist 