Tag Archives: thoughts

Crap My Baby Will Never Eat: Frozen Pizza Bites

05/30/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Are we all so desperate that we have to rely on frozen processed food to feed our kids and ourselves? There are many products I can (and most likely will) speak on for being unhealthy snack options, but today I’m focusing on the ever popular frozen pizza rolls/bites. Mainly, Bagel Bites (H.J. Heinz) and Totino’s (General Mills).

Have you seen the Totino’s commercial with a mom on the phone with her hungry kids? I first saw it about a year and a half ago, but I’m sure there’s still something similar playing now.

The kids are looking for something in the freezer and are saying there’s nothing to eat, but of course Totino’s is right in front of their face. Apparently her kids are too dumb to see the bright yellow packaging until she tell them the exact location. Then they are all happy and the kids go off to make their food-like substance pizza rolls.

Here is the nutrition info for their basic cheese party pizza…

….and that’s the one with the least ingredients!

The seemingly most popular pepperoni pizza rolls look even worse….

….and you know being little bites that it’s easy to go over the standard serving size.

Bagel Bites are the lesser of evils here, but still have no place being called real food. They even pit themselves against Totino’s in an ad trying to make us (the consumer) feel like the are the better (and only) option. No thanks to either.

And really? Are they assuming we’re stupid and only eating cheese? NO! Here are the rest of Bagel Bites’ ingredients:

“Bleached Wheat Flour, Water, Mozzarella Cheese (Milk, Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste, Water)Pepperoni (Pork, Beef, Salt, Spices, Water, Dextrose, Seasonings [Oleoresin of Paprika, Natural Spice Extractives, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid]Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Sodium Nitrate)2% or Less of: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Modified Cornstarch, Salt, Soybean Oil, Yeast, Whey Protein Concentrate (Milk)Nonfat Milk, Flavor Enhancer (Potassium Chloride, Ammonium Chloride, Yeast Extract, Maltodextrin [Corn]Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Calcium Lactate, Natural Flavor)Methylcellulose, Citric Acid, Red Pepper, Natural Flavor, Dough Conditioner (Ascorbic Acid)Enzymes.”

Unfortunately, I am guilty of having these years ago and sure, they tasted good. But, I was also fat and out of shape. Now I make plenty of delicious snacks that taste great and offer wholesome nutrition I feel good about.

Right now we’re just starting to get Avery into eating solids through baby-led weaning, but soon she’ll be helping daddy cook in the kitchen and I can’t wait to teach her the benefits of real food. I will show her the frozen non-food “food” when we shop and explain how and why they are not a good food option.

Some, okay, a lot of people might call me anal when it comes to food, but why shouldn’t I be? You don’t know what you’re getting when someone is preparing food for you and I’m not okay with that. I am more at peace when I make everything myself and know exactly what goes into my meals.

The few times I do go out, it is rare to actually get what I order via special request. I don’t get why, because it’s usually asking to do less than the original menu item. If I get a salad, I ask for no dressing, cheese, croutons, and oils on the side. Sometimes that salad arrives with a seemingly extra amount of each!

I could make a full post over this (maybe I will), but for now my message is that I will not succumb to feeding our beautiful girl any processed junk. I realize many parents face time constraints, but obtaining healthier options is not that difficult.

This is why I’m working to start Avery on healthy veggies now and trying to put off the sweeter foods like bananas and other fruits. I will definitely share the joys of sweet fruits, but it’s veggies first. My mode of thinking is that she will grow up only knowing these nutritious foods and not craving something she can just throw in the microwave and mindless munch on while watching TV.

There will be more of these posts as Avery grows and I hope I am able to help parents strive to offer better, nutritious food for their little ones and themselves! I am already nervous about how I can keep her from having anything containing the worst ingredients in processed food when at a friend’s home or at school, but luckily, I have some time.

Back to the pizza rolls/bites; you can quickly make your own that can be frozen or cooked as needed with simple ingredients. Here are a few easy and healthy recipes to try with whole grain tortillas:

Tortilla Pizza

No-Bake Spinach Pizza Rolls

Another Easy Pizza Roll for the Road

What do you think about these types of foods?

Any tips on how to keep your little ones eating healthy when you aren’t with them?

Am I crazy?

Avery Talk

“My Dad’s Boobs are Worthless” and Other Random Musings from a Baby

05/02/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

Yes, you read that right, babies, my dad’s boobs serve no purpose other than to confuse and annoy me!

Every night after my bath, mommy sits down with me and I have no issues with feeding until I go to sleep. Then, when I wake up and cry for more food, mommy will be there to give me what I want; milk! I can just eat until I’m so full all I want to do is sleep.

But, sometimes daddy comes in, sits in the same chair using the same Boppy as mommy and when I go for “the milk source”, I only end up disappointed!

So babies, if your dad grabs you when you’re hungry, save yourself the trouble and wait for some external feeding source. My mom and dad call it a bottle. Here, look at this mug and remember the word next time you are about to go for your dad’s boobs.

What really wets my diaper is that daddy carries me around with his shirt off as if to tease me with his useless nippies. I remember one time, during the day he did this and I thought I’d go for a snack and wound up with hair instead. I was beyond annoyed and didn’t even want to smile for the camera.

Oh yeah, and your daddy may not be the only guy who holds you, so beware. This other guy, they call him my Uncle Preston, held me a few times and, well, he just looked confused himself. I let him know I was not here just to be held!

Then he found my tickle spot and I couldn’t help but laugh. Crap, I broke!

So now I know better than to try getting milk from any guy unless they have a bottle. If you find yourself in a guy’s arms when hungry, just act uninterested until your mommy gets you. I learned this at Easter; sorry, Papa.

Speaking of Easter, I actually have a few things to reflect on from April. Let’s see, where to begin…

My dad seems to enjoy mowing the lawn with his Fiskars reel mower while wearing me in the Onya. I hear him talk about how I just fall asleep while he goes across the yard, but it would be a whole lot better if he didn’t always stop to take pictures of himself with the mower. It’s annoying and I don’t want other babies to see me with my rattle turtle socks!

Strollers, ugh, stroller; when he’s not wearing me he’s running with me in the stroller. This past month has had some nice weather and we went on several runs, but he always used the annoying weather shield to “protect me from dirt.” How about giving me fresh air, dad?! That would be nice and not leave me so unimpressed at the end.

Luckily, mommy set dad straight and he no longer uses the shield. Ha ha ha, it sure was funny to see mommy prove him wrong!

I’ve really been enjoying my time with G-Ma lately, I’m not sure why I used to cry when she visited. Maybe her big, shiny hair scared me, but now I just see it as something fun to pull.

Apparently there’s more to the world than the same loop around our neighborhood and grocery stores. Daddy took me to what he called trails and we saw a lot of green plants and even a river. But seriously dad, how about not making the sun shoot directly in my eyes next time we do a selfie?

Oh yeah, we also saw a character named Bart Simpson while on the trails. Daddy filled me in on The Simpsons and told me some adult babies were coloring where they weren’t allowed.

I’ve grown tired of the chair to my swing and it took forever for mom and dad to get the hint that I was uncomfortable. I just had to exaggerate a little.

My jumper is okay for a while, but I’d prefer not to have a camera shoved in my face when I’m hard at work! Hear that, dad?!

Again, with the camera, just because I turn another month doesn’t mean I turn into some clay model you can put in different poses.

And the bear, ohhhh the bear. I tried whispering to him to help me escape and he was just like dad’s boobs; useless!

Next time, bear, you’re head is mine!

Speaking of models, mommy took a few photos of me when I was on the bed and I must say, I’m pretty cute. Check out my side profile.

Okay, and one more of my awesome, happy face….

I can move anywhere I want to in my crib now, but I always go to the same corner when sleeping at night. Mom and dad try to face me the other way, but I’m smart, I just turn around and go right to my spot. Hey, it’s just who I am!

Playtime is starting to be more fun, but I wish daddy didn’t look so awkward when tickling me.

Even rings have become appealing to me now. There are several colors but daddy always shows me the blue one.

I’ve really been trying to get to the rings when they are out of reach, but so far, rolling doesn’t help the situation. If only there were some other way to get at things in front of you…hmmm

Daddy always brings me to work out with him, but I’m never impressed. Sometimes, I question if he even does anything when he always stops and takes pictures of me. No smiles for you, dad, until you’re finished!

I do like it better being in my Mamas & Papas chair when he’s in the garage though. Points to dad for finally catching on!

And last but never least, thank you, mommy, for being there for me at night when I’m hungry. We all know dad has nothing good and I just love being held by you more anyway.

So those are my thoughts on April; I learned a few things and can’t wait to learn more. For starters, figuring out these Skwish Stix would be nice.

Well babies of the world, until next time, keep my reflections and warnings in mind as you go about learning how to make the most of life. Oh, and, I think I got the Chinese baby look down. Here, tell me if I’m doing it right!

I linked this post with link parties being hosted by the parenting blogs listed below. Check them out for posts by other wonderful parents who have great info and fun to share!

Life, Monthly List, Parenting

5 Memories from my 5th Month since “Going Dad”

04/15/2014 R.C. Liley 3 Comments

As a parent, there are countless memories we want to love and cherish forever. Sometimes we forget all of the memories as they happen so fast or we get caught up in the next big “first” for baby.

Another Dad Blogger, Jonathan from Dad’s the way I like it, has been making monthly posts to capture a number of thoughts depending on his son’s current age in months. I enjoy reading all of his posts, and here is his current post on 12 thoughts from my 12th month as a parent.

Inspired by this, I am going to start writing a list of memories as if talking to Avery every month. Like Jonathan, the number of memories will be driven by my daughter’s current age in months.

Today, Avery is 5 months old, and although my list of memories could already span across the U.S., I will limit it to 5.

So, Avery, it’s exciting and scary to think of reading these with you years down the road, but here are 5 of my memories since becoming your father.

1. I remember mommy and me sitting in our living room with the lights off while you slept in your swing every night for about the first 2 months. We usually had the swing turned on and it made the most nerve-wracking “click-click-click” that drove us insane.

Mommy would nurse you to sleep and gently lay you in your swing with a tenderness only she can give. This is when I would be eating dinner and I made sure to tip toe every trip to the kitchen and my heart would stop a second if I made even the tiniest of noises.

2. I remember laying mommy’s breast milk soaked shirt in your crib to get you to sleep there at first. I would tightly wrap your arms in a swaddle in order to keep your arms from thrashing all over which kept you from sleeping.

Mommy and I eventually had to upgrade to the Woombie and keep your arms down by wrapping a long strip of t-shirt that I cut around you. We did this every night after bath time and most of your daily naps just before you were 4 months.

3. I remember sleeping in with you in the recliner on several occasions during the day and when you woke at night. Mom would usually be the first to try and calm you, but if you were still restless, I would take you to the front room and eventually get you to fall asleep with me in the recliner.

There was one time during a harsh winter storm in February where I had to wrap you in my jacket to keep you warm when our heater went out. But, we still made the most of it and went for a very cold, white walk in the snow.

4. I remember the first time I brought you in the garage to workout with me; you were just over a month. I was scared and worried you would start screaming when I was in the middle of lifting something heavy, but you were great!

I used to depend on your morning naps to get a workout in, but now you come to the garage with me every day and do fine watching me…..usually.

Sleeping while daddy works out in the garage

5. I remember mommy and I cheering you on as you rolled over for the first time. Our excitement was even captured on video to show just how proud we were! Even you were excited!

Well Avery, like I said, I could keep going forever, but it has to stop at 5 for this post. No worries though, you’ll be 6 months before any of us know it!

Going Mom and I love you so much, may you have another wonderful month of learning and growing!