Update from Mish Mash

Thank you to the many folks who have faithfully followed our little biz.  We have absolutely loved teaching classes to parents who are so dedicated to their wee ones' health, and are still going to keep our blog up and running so that you can reference recipes.  If you have a question, please feel free to go to our Facebook page- we'll still be checking it!

Sarah has started a business which serves similar needs for families' health and wellness- it's called Healthy Balance Living.  She would love to share more with you about the products- they are all about keeping you, your family, and our planet healthy, and truly are amazing and research based.  Especially interesting to our Mish Mash customers will be the kids' vitamins and Omega chews- these are the highest quality you can find, anywhere!   Better yet, it's easy to order any products online.  Find us on Facebook or shop the site.

Again, we are here to answer any questions about your homemade baby and toddler food needs!

Where have we been?

Nicole and I realize the blog has been "on hold", and we're sorry if you've checked and wondered why we're MIA. A new baby for my family, along with a house move for Nicole while she still teaches our classes and is a busy mommy, have kind of slowed things down in the blogging department.

If you do follow our blog, and find it useful, please let us know what you'd like to see, and give us feedback so that we can decide what we add to it in our little bits of free time.

In the meantime, please check www.stirtolearn.com for Mish Mash classes while we regather our rhythm. There are plenty of great summer options to choose from!

The Up & Coming

We have some great classes coming up at Stir over the next two months. We have switched up our menus to focus more on food the whole family and your little ones can all enjoy. We'd love to see the end of mom as short order cook making separate meals for everyone and instead finding recipes that perhaps will please everyone. No guarantees but at least we can try right?

March 15th - Finger Foodies (12 months and beyond) "Cooking for Kids Made Easy" From ways to keep your kids occupied and involved while you cook to finding meals that are quick to prepare and super yummy!

April 5th - Finger Foodies (12 months and beyond) "A little Italy" classic and creative family friendly Italian dishes!

April 19th - Chunky Monkeys (9 to 14 months) "Comfort Foods for Little Foodies" we'll put a spin on everyday comfort foods that the rest of the family can enjoy as well.

May 3rd - The Art of the Party (all ages) - Gourmet Sliders, Fries, and Whoopie Pies as well as adult and kid friendly cocktails will be prepared and mixed! Great way to get some inspiration for those summer backyard get togethers!

You can register for all our classes on www.stirtolearn.com!

Meet N Mingle!

We are co-hosting a great event on March 22nd with Real Baby Denver - Meet n Mingle Happy Hour at Stir Cooking School! It's a way for local kid & family focused businesses, leaders of mom's groups, and fellow family bloggers to get together and share ideas, thoughts, marketing strategies etc.. If you or someone you know owns a business, runs a mom's group, or is a blogger/writer/media person and would like to come shoot me an email at nicole@mishmashhomemade.com and I will forward you the Evite!

Art of the Kid-Friendly Party

Saturday will mark a new class topic for us, and we're so excited about it. This is a mom's night out or parents of kids of all ages. The menu will be focused around easy, fun, delicious food to serve at parties so that both the kids and adults will be wowed!

On the menu are 3 different gourmet sliders with accompanying dips, oven-roasted french fries of different types, and whoopie pies. Plus, we'll have an adult and kiddie version of a cocktail for you to sip on. Come on! You know you want to join us!

Sign up today here!

Snow Days

This last week has had us staying inside, and we're feeling a bit housebound. We even had to cancel our Finger Foodies class for tonight because of the subzero temps predicted tonight along with the 6 inches of snow we got overnight. The good news though: We have rescheduled for the 15th of March, so if you were disappointed to miss this one, you have a second chance to enroll now!

I think we all get antsy when the weather gets like this. I thought I'd share a few ideas to keep you sane (or get you thinking of ways to stay sane) with your little one during the snow.

1. Make a kid-friendly recipe with your little tyke, like this fabulous new favorite for Cherry Granola Bars. These really work; no falling apart, I promise. They're fairly low in sugar, and you can play with ingredients to toss in some of those hidden yummies your toddler may not usually get. If you're feeling crafty or want to send them to school as a snack for your kiddo's preschool or whatever, wrap them in wax paper for a nice touch. Pics of wrapping below are from a recent bday party. They're nut-free, so no worries about allergies. Yum!

My favorite part of this recipe is that a toddler can stir the dry ingredients and help press the bars into the pan.




2. Make Valentines, and give your child a major part of the project. Gluing or coloring hearts are simple jobs that a toddler can get pretty caught up in. We just used some buttons, old scrapping paper, and glue and scissors. Hey, it's not necessarily "Mish+Mashy", but I figured I'd share! Anything to get a toddler occupied without being outside. ;)

Our Next Class!

Our next class is going to be a really fun one for those of you with kids 12 months & up. It's called "Cooking for Kids Made Easy" and we will be giving you lots of great tips on how to involve your child in meal prep as well as great ways to keep them entertained while you are trying to get dinner made. I believe anyone with a toddler can relate to that one! Like all our class menus it is extremely family friendly so it's not just for your toddler to enjoy.

Finger Foodies: "Cooking for Kids Made Easy" February 8th @ 6:30pm

- Apple Amaranth Pancakes

- Wild Rice & Citrus Salad

- Homemade Granola Bars

- Lemony Chicken Fajitas w/ Roasted Veggies & Avocado Relish

You can register via http://www.stirtolearn.com/ OR http://www.mishmashhomemade.com/

Snow Day Craft Ideas!

It's amazing how quickly you can run out of things to do with kids when its just too cold to go outside. I thought I had a well laid plan of painting, baking cookies, and building a fort that would eat up the majority of the morning before it was time for a nap - but at 9:30am I realized I had crossed most of the activities off our list and still had 3 1/2 hrs left! So I got on one of my favorite craft sites The Crafty Crow to find some inspiration. I decided the next time I have a free day to shop without a toddler I am going to Michaels and creating a couple of craft boxes that I can pull out in a pinch that way I won't be scrambling for ideas at the last minute. One of the projects I can't wait to try is the rainbow house village from Frugal Family Fun - the best part is once the project is complete they can spend a whole afternoon playing with it. And it is just so cute and adorable I won't even wait to the next snow day to try it out! How do you entertain your kids when your stuck inside all day?

Super Steal of a Mish+Mash Deal!

We are so excited to be a featured deal on Daily Deals for Denver Moms today! All Mish+Mash classes at Stir Cooking School are $30! To take advantage simply click the link above - we will contact you once the deal has ended to get your registered for an upcoming class. The deal is good for 6 months so you have plenty of time to choose! Tell your friends - great idea for a baby shower gift!!

Yummy Birthday Bruschetta

A's birthday was this weekend, and like Nicole, I had a lot of fun planning out some of the snacks we would serve at the party. I wanted to share one recipe that is a favorite over here, and I love it because it's filled with all sorts of nutritious goodies plus some yummy goat cheese- a perfect comforting appetizer on these cold winter days. Being 29 weeks pregnant, and hungry every few hours, yesterday I noshed on the leftovers of this recipe and still felt good about the fiber, veggies, and yes, the fabulous cheese and bread. We just threw the cheese in with the bruschetta, but you can spread it separately. Yum! Hopefully your toddler gives it a shot, too!

Bruschetta with White Beans and Tomatoes

I'll also share more of our birthday party successes with you as the days go on- these recipes can be used not only for parties but every day.

Teething Soothers

Mom's are alway looking for creative ways to soothe the teething pain and calm a fussy baby or toddler. One thing I always give Sofia is homemade popsicles. She can hold them on the tooth or gum herself and they taste good. Here is a simple recipe:

Frozen Yogurt and Fruit Popsicle

1 cup organic plain whole milk yogurt
1 organic banana
1 organic peach (fresh or frozen depending on time of year)


Puree fruits together in Cuisinart, add yogurt and blend together well.
Pour mixture into popsicle containers and freeze. If you don't have popsicle molds you can simply use small paper dixie cups or ice cube trays and popsicle sticks.

Some other great ideas:

1. Frozen Dried Apricots (depending on child's age) are great for them to suck on

2. Frozen Fruit like bananas or peach slices - again depending on a child's age

3. If your child uses a pacifier stick it in the freezer for a little while - not long enough to freeze completely.

4. Super soft frozen washcloth

5. Frozen Raspberries - this is one of Sofia's favorites.

How to Make a Kids Day!

I was doing some food blog research over the weekend - I am a self confessed blog addict especially food & design blogs - when I came across an adorable site & blog called Funky Lunch out of the UK. They are all about the most adorable sandwiches you have ever seen. They go into schools and get kids to create these little pieces of sandwich art while teaching them the importance of eating healthy. Sofia would have no problem devouring this Hello Kitty sandwich. I love the inspiration and the idea of getting kids involved in their food choices!

Time to Build a Little Independence

Its hard to believe that time can really move as quickly as it does when you have a child. They go from newborn to toddler in what seems like a blink of an eye. One minute you are breastfeeding at 3 am and the next minute your 9 month old begins to grab for the spoon and will no longer let you feed her. Some kids learn how to use utensils and feed themselves without much help at all while others are reluctant to try at all. As parents we want them to learn to become independent yet don't always know how or when. From 9 months to 12 months babies grow into toddlers emotionally, physically, and developmentally they are all over the place and its difficult to sometimes keep up and amazing to see how quickly they seem to change overnight. It's the time when you are transitioning them from baby food to toddler food and allowing them a little freedom when it comes to trying to feed themselves. Our next Chunky Monkey class is all about helping your kiddo find their own feeding time freedom by helping you create recipes that are just perfect for amateur utensil users as well as little fingers to grasp on to. You will leave with lots of information and tips as well as a supply of samples to take home to your own Chunky Monkey! Simply go to Stir Cooking School to sign up!

Eating Well on an Itty Bitty Budget

Did you see? Our own Nicole Dominic was featured in this month's Northwest Daily Tribune. She wrote about feeding your family well on a limited budget.

Check out her article here! Way to go, Nicole.

Eating Meat, Part II

Nicole is so right in her post about getting your little ones to eat meat; soup is a fabulous way to get it in. Another technique I've used lately, especially with the cold weather: Whenever I make chicken or fish, I make a point to make a yummy sauce along with it, and a side that the meat can easily be mixed into so that A. can either dip or stir the whole plate together. It works like a charm, and the grownup meal still tastes gourmet and yummy (and looks pretty too). You could easily cut the chicken very small and mix it in with the sauce for younger babies, too.

An old favorite I'd like to share is this Wolfgang Puck recipe for Paprika Chicken. Sound difficult? It isn't. Just chop the veggies ahead of time, use jarred roasted red peppers instead of roasting them yourself, and premeasure everything ahead of cooking. If you don't want to make dumplings, just make mashed potatoes or rice as a side, and you've got a meal worthy of your toddler and your single professional friend who comes over for a visit (just like mine did Saturday night!). Enjoy!

Whats Cooking at Stir!

I was fortunate enough to partake in a wonderful cooking class at Stir Cooking School on Saturday morning called Crepes and Souffles! It was honestly the best class I've every taken, incredibly well organized, super fun, and very educational! I was so inspired I made my family Crepes for dinner the next night. This made me realize while we are always talking up our classes at Stir we have never mentioned what makes this beautiful little piece of culinary heaven so very special besides the owner who is really the heart and soul of the whole operation. Unlike other recreational cooking schools in Denver, Stir really has a class for EVERYONE and I mean everyone. From their Sticky Fingers classes for kids and teens, to their Friday night date night classes, fabulous mixology classes, family friendly cooking classes, and their beginning cooking series just to mention a few - there is honestly something that can inspire any cook of any age and any skill level. I am already looking forward to my next one and the only issue I have is trying to decide between them all!! Oh and the bar, did I mention the bar - you can relax with a glass of wine and watch the cooking classes going on behind the glass partitions. Yeah its really the coolest new spot in town!

Getting Kids to Eat Meat

One question I get over and over again is how do you get kids to eat meat? First, this was a challenge I have faced with my own daughter. She has never ever eaten red meat - it's totally gross according to her refined 2 year old palate and honestly I am totally okay with that. She does eat turkey and chicken on occasion as well as Salmon. When it comes to protein and iron I really on things like veggies, grains, legumes, beans, etc.. Again, I'm totally okay with that. There was a time she wouldn't eat chicken or turkey either until I found out how to prepare it the way she likes it. Chicken Scallopine with salt and pepper, turkey sandwiches on thin whole grain bread with cheese and a little mayo, and salmon with honey and mustard. Basically the way I would eat it with seasoning and not dry and overcooked. Her new thing is soup she loves soup and I found this recipe the other day that I tried this week and she loved it. I bought a roasted chicken from Costco and shredded it so the pieces where easy for her to get onto her spoon. We all loved this recipe! So if you are having trouble getting your kiddo to eat meat, first step is to let it go and give them plenty of iron and protein rich foods from other sources, second change up how you give it to them one bite at a time with lots of flavor and moist never dry, and if nothing works don't worry simply fill their bellies full of a healthy vegetarian based diet. Just keep presenting it to them allowing them to try new foods from your plate and keep it light and fun. Praise them for tasting even if they spit it out - getting them to try it is just as big of a win as them actually scarfing it down!

Chicken Tortilla Soup


2 cups water
14 ounce can chicken broth (or 1 1/2 c water and two bouillon cubes)
29 ounce can crushed tomatoes
11 ounce can enchilada sauce
4 ounce can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
2-3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (can use more if you like)
2 cups frozen corn (or 2 cans corn, drained)
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 six inch corn tortillas
Toppings: cheese, sour cream, etc for toppings

Dump everything except toppings and corn tortillas in a large pot. Place over medium to medium high heat and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer thirty minutes.
Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut each tortilla into thin strips. Place in soup and cook ten minutes more before serving.

Serve soup with desired toppings such as plain Greek Yogurt, and cheese.

recipe courtesy of www.fullbellies.blogspot.com.

Pureed Goodness at Stir!

It's that time again: We're offering the ever-popular Pureed Goodness class, except this time it will take place at Stir Cooking School this Saturday from 4-5:30. This class is intended for folks who are beginning to make their own solid baby food for their little ones. Not only will participants leave with samples of purees for their little ones to try, they'll more importantly have the know-how to keep making homemade baby food, and it's faster and easier than most people think! We'll give you tips to make it efficient, inexpensive, and fun.

We would love to be able to fill this class up, so please sign up soon or contact us at info@mishmashhomemade.com to receive a special discount code if you sign up by this Thursday! Also included in the class is a super-fun Mish Mash bib, either with our logo or a "Super Tryer" logo. We promise you'll leave inspired to make your own baby food from now on.

Sign up at www.stirtolearn.com .

Teach Kids to Play with Their Food

I just discovered a fantastic new company through my favorite blog Ohdeedoh today. It's called Food Fun and they have developed super cute games to help teach your kids the importance of eating healthy. By learning where their food comes from, what foods are good for them and why you can put your kids on the path to a healthy lifestyle right from the start. This is a great way to engage a picky eater into getting to know those icky green veggies by having fun with their fruits and vegetables. The company was started by moms who are interested in spreading the word on the importance of introducing wholesome food to your child right from the get go. If you'd like to be involved in their mission you can join their Mom Squad and help to get the word out in your community.

Let Them Eat Cake - Party Recap!

The birthday was a success. She was super happy to see all her friends in one place and didn't stop singing happy birthday to herself for two days afterwards. The singing was most definitely her favorite part ...... oh yeah and the big bouquet of balloons she was left with when the party was over.

I love putting together all the details. I put a lot of thought into how I could make it special for her and how to have it really represent her awesome little personality. So I picked things she loves like polka dots,buttons, and her favorite colors pinks and blues. The goody bags included little dinosaurs for the boys, fun little rings for the girls, stickers, organic sugar-free lollipops (best lollipop ever), and super fun sunglasses. All things Sofia would have picked out herself. I also am a sentimental fool and like the idea of something I can incorporate every year which is where the birthday wish jar idea came from - I asked everyone to write down a wish for her. I think this will be a really sweet momento she will always have to remember her birthday every year. And who couldn't use a jar full of wishes!

I made lemon cupcakes and covered them with a lemon curd glaze a dollop of pink vanilla icing and sprinkled with unsweetened coconut which looked like snow.

I need to make it very clear that I am not a baker in fact making the cake was a very big risk and then to decide to make multiple layers was just insanity. It definitely wasn't perfect, but it was really yummy and my daughter who never EVER eats sweets ate an entire piece and that's in fact all that matters. It was a lemon cake with lemon curd and raspberry filling and vanilla icing with coconut. Basically I took all of Sofia's favorite flavors and put them into one cake.