Get Social!

While we are awaiting the big unveil of our newly revamped website - a work still in progress - I thought we'd let you all in on one of the new workshops Mish+Mash homemade is now offering. We can't wait to add more Mish+Mashers to our community!

Looking for a night out with friends? Need ideas on nutritious & easy meals for your kiddos? Well we figured out a way for you to do both. Invite us into your kitchen for a miSh+mAsh homemade workshop specifically designed for you and your friends.What are you waiting for? Lets get social!

v We will assist you in preparing recipes that will offer a variety of food groups & different mealtimes.

v We will provide you with the information you need to create healthy and tasty food for your child that is nutritious and age appropriate (please try to keep all the kids ages within close proximity). You will also leave with recipes that your whole family can enjoy.

v We will give you tips and tricks on how to save time and money while making cooking for your child simple, fun, and stress free.

v Yummy food for you and your friends will also be provided as well as refreshments such as wine or mimosas.

v We will send you menu options to choose from prior to your workshop. We will be more then happy to accommodate any food allergy, needs, or concerns

v We welcome groups from 3 to 6. We have designed these workshops to be for moms & dads – because cooking and chasing toddlers is never easy we ask that these be kid free events. For those of you with babies in the first stage of feeding (in other words immobile) we will be happy to accommodate them. If you have a larger party in mind please email us to arrange it.

Chunky Monkeys /Finger Foodies/Snack Attack Workshop Pricing:

Happy Hour	Soiree	Shindig
*3 recipes	*4 recipes	*5 recipes
Cost: $30/person 2 hours	Cost: $35/person 2 1/2 hours	Cost: $40/person 3 hours

*Pureed Goodness workshops are $30/person for 2 weeks worth of food.

*Food storage can be provided for an additional cost. You are welcome to bring your own. We will email you list of options prior to the class.

*Private one on one workshops are available simply email us for details.

*We require two weeks notice to set up a workshop and ask for at least 48 hrs should you need to reschedule.

*We accept cash and check only at this time.

*You can add additional recipes onto any of our workshops for $5/person.

*Socials can be booked in the evening or for Saturday Brunch. We will do our best to accommodate.

*Email us at info@mishmashhomemade.com to plan your miSh+mAsh homemade Social!

Got A Question?

We are completely honored to have been contacted by Denver Moms Like Me to participate in a live all day Q & A. Simply click on Moms Like Me and find us under the heading "Ask the Experts". You can begin posting questions now and they will all be answered between 8 am and 8 pm on Wednesday July 21st.

Exposure

When I taught elementary school, it was a known fact that kids who had more exposure to books and print as little tykes excelled more when it came to learning to read. It's one of the rules of learning anything: a person needs lots of exposure and positive chances to experience anything that is worthy of learning. Parents know this too: when a child learns to ride a bike, potty train, etc. it takes lots and lots of practice! Watching my toddler repetitively do the same task reminds me of this.

Children also learn by what they hear, or overhear. It always made me cringe as a teacher to hear a parent comment that their child "just wasn't good at math" repetitively. That's a major learning experience, too, and one that children tend to believe.

What's really interesting is that for some reason, totally well-meaning parents don't always remember these things when it comes to food and eating. Maybe it's because we have to work so hard to prepare nutritious foods that are flung off the high chair, and maybe it's because we believe that taste is ingrained. Maybe it's because we didn't like certain foods, or still don't. Either way, it's important to remember that our attitudes teach our kids. Food, and eating, take many exposures and chances too!

Case in point: A child might reject broccoli the first time, and everyone decides that he just plain doesn't like it. Then, because the child hears his parents talk about Johnny not liking broccoli, he decides from then on, that will be true. Broccoli is never served again, nor are other green veggies for fear that he won't eat them. You can see how this made-up story would end... but it's not all that different from some adults I don't know who just "don't eat vegetables."

Or, the other side: A wise parent tries to incorporate yummy, healthy, colorful foods at every meal. Even when a box of mac and cheese is made, some peas or broccoli are thrown in with the mac the last few minutes. Sometimes it's rejected, sometimes it isn't. But it's always there. And nothing is ever commented on as being something one "doesn't like".... it's just enjoyed by the adults at the table if the child doesn't enjoy it.

Think of the difference in attitudes! I'm amazed in what a difference this makes. Sure, my kid still rejects food, but I'm a believer that parents who keep modeling what they'd like to see have kids who follow suit (well, at least some of the time) :). Expecting a child to love a food the first time is like expecting your baby to be attentive the first time you pull out a book instead of just chewing on it.

Food for thought!

Chunky Monkeys

Yesterday, we had our first Chunky Monkeys workshop- we made some super yummy recipes and talked through the importance of this phase. For those of you with older kids, you remember this age: the one around 9 months when everything was going from hand to mouth, the pediatrician told you to get more protein in the diet, and it sort of felt like an "in between" phase before toddlerhood? There really is more to this stage than just buying puffs and sticking with purees, as I tended to do at first.

Through our research, we've learned a lot about how important it is to build up to table food during this age. This is also the time when you can start making recipes that the whole family can enjoy. Yesterday, we made ricotta with summer cherries, turkey meatloaf with veggies, grits with greens and cheese, fruit bran muffins, and roasted bananas and pluots with Noosa yogurt... yum. The participants left with a boat load of yummy food to try on their little ones and themselves. I only wish I had such a workshop when I needed one.....

Our summer workshops are a great deal; a chance to get a quick overview on your child's stage, make food, and leave with plenty to try PLUS Nicole's awesome little recipe books. Plus, you get to be around other moms and dads. Pass on the word to mamas and daddies you know- they won't be disappointed!

Growing Idea.

"What are you feeding your baby?" "How do you get her to eat veggies/proteins/ fruits...?" "How do you store your food?" "But buying prepackaged is so much more convenient!" These were the questions and thoughts we'd hear from other mamas as we held our usually patient babes on our hips and chatted outside libraries, at playdates, and at parks. Over and over, caring and informed parents were asking for support with the one thing we all do day in and day out with our tots:
feed them!

We (Sarah and Nicole) had all of those same questions. Both of us were spending time in our kitchens figuring out the answers. We still didn't know each other very well at that point. Sure, we'd seen each other at common Highland Moms events or at the library storytime while our babies gurgled and smiled. What we didn't know at the time was that both of us were pretty passionate about feeding our babies with homemade, healthy food from the start. Nicole figured out everything she could about putting her gourmet cooking to the test and exposing little Sofia to as many tastes as she could, while Sarah figured that she should put her love for cooking and baking to work when it came to feeding her Ava. We scoured cookbooks, online baby food sites, and nutrition information to become as informed as we could.

In a chance email conversation, we brought up how much the Highland 'hood needs more businesses that cater to families' needs. The real needs: gathering. getting answers. feeding our kids, and feeding them well.

And the conversation was sparked. We talked with other mamas who were running similar businesses in LA and Denver, and thought through what ours might look like. And a tiny seed of an idea became a seedling.

We'd teach workshops to other moms and dads who were on the same journey; feeding their babies from beginning solids to toddlerhood and beyond. And maybe, just maybe, this would become bigger: a place to socialize. A place to learn about gardening, co-ops, making your own baby goods....

And better yet, we'd incorporate everything we knew to be true: that local organic food not only tastes better, but is kind to our planet. That making your baby food could actually be fun. That every parent out there feels like they could be doing better, and can always use new information in a non-judgemental setting. That toddlers get pickier (at least both of ours are now). That we could give a man a fish, or teach a man to fish, and the latter would pay off more.

And so, Mish Mash Homemade was born. We can't wait to see the journey this new business endeavor will take us on, and even more, how it will positively affect the lives of those around us. We hope to meet you and your little foodies soon! Stay tuned to find out more about our launch, our first workshops, and how you can become part of the Mish Mash community.