Citrus Lane Review: February 2014

It’s that time of the month again! Time to review another Citrus Lane box and see if it was worth it’s purchase price! See my reviews for previous months here.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with how Citrus Lane works, it is a subscription service that sends you age appropriate items for your child aged 0-5 years every month. The cost of the subscription depends on how long you are willing to commit to. For month to month subscriptions your cost is $29.00 per month, or $24.00 per month for a three month subscription, while it goes down to $21.00 per month if you sign up for a six month or one year subscription. To personalize the box, you choose the child’s age and gender (or neutral) and receive items appropriate to those selections.

In my reviews, I can only review what my daughter receives in her box. I will always tell you what my age and gender selections were, give you a description of the items, what I think of them, pricing, etc.

This month my daughter received a nineteen month old box with a neutral gender selection.

1. Dive Bath Appliques from Boon
Price: $10.99
Status: Interesting
Comments: We are lovers of the Boon brand in this house, and have several of their other products. I wasn’t super excited to see these in the box, as we already have a giant container of letters like this, and Baby Girl really doesn’t play with them too much. That said, they are well made, and a pretty cool bath toy, and if we don’t get around to using them, I know they’ll make an awesome re-gift.

2. Silicone Bowl from Oogaa
Price: $8.99
Status: Awesome!
Comments: We received a silicone placemat by oogaa in one of our boxes last year, and while we haven’t had a chance to use it yet, it is a pretty awesome product. I’m pretty much always excited to get feeding supplies in our boxes, as I am entirely overwhelmed when trying to choose them to purchase, and this way I can try all the best brands and figure out what works for me. I really love this bowl. It is sturdy, microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe, and won’t break when Baby Girl inevitably throws it on the floor.
Want to get one of your own? Use code CITRUS 14 for 25% off your entire order at oogaa.com through 06/01/2014.

3. Starlight Sailor from Barefoot Books
Price: $14.99
Status: Awesome
Comments: Yay Books! Always love to get books in the box! Bonus when they’re board books (Baby Girl loves books, and I just feel better about letting her read them on her own when they’re sturdy), and double bonus for being beautifully illustrated an not an entirely boring read. When you read as many books a day as we do, we’re grateful when we can enjoy them!
Want one of your own? Use code CITRUSSTORY for 15% off at barefootbooks.com through 03/10/2014.

4.Green Apple Age Defy Hand Cream from Juice Beauty
Price: $12.00
Status: Meh
Comments: Yet another “mommy” item that I am at best lukewarm about. I’m not one for expensive cosmetics in general, but especially not hand cream. I have tried all different kinds of hand creams, expensive and inexpensive, and the absolute best stuff I’ve found is the stuff my grandpa used to use on cow udders after milking, and it is super cheap at farm supply and even some dollar stores. Hence I have no real need for a $12 tube of hand cream. Re-gift for sure.
Want some for yourself? Use Code CITRUS14 for $10 off any $40 purchase at juicebeauty.com through 04/30/2014.

Final Thoughts:
Once again we only get four items, but his time I’m much happier about it. While I may not use the bath toys, the book and the bowl are a good value that I’m pretty happy with. That said, would it kill them to put four totally awesome items in one box? I can seriously do without the organic mommy stuff.

By the Numbers:
Total value of the box items: $46.97
Total value of items I will use: $34.97
Is the value greater than the cost? YES
Best box value I’ve had in a long time, which always makes me happy. Just wish they would leave out the basically useless mommy stuff.

Looking for my previous Citrus Lane reviews? CLICK HERE!

CLICK HERE TO SAVE 50% OFF YOUR FIRST BOX!

Here’s to Baby Food: Millet Cereal

Baby Girl hates Millet Cereal almost as much as she hated rice cereal. At this point she has no need of it, so I’m only giving it to her to establish she isn’t allergic, as I plan to give it to her later as an ingredient. Here’s the easy way I made it.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup millet
1 cup water

Equipment:
Food Processor
Pot and Stove

1. Put the millet in a food processor and process until it is ground up to a very fine, uniform powder. It takes about five minutes of continuous processing to reach this point. You’ll need a good food processor too. I use my Cuisinart Mini-Prep because a) it’s awesome and b) it has a grind function that does a better job than the standard chop function on most processors for this. An off brand dinosaur just won’t do the trick.

2. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil.

3. Once the water is boiling, add the millet powder and turn the heat down to low.

4. Cook, whisking constantly, over low heat until all the water is absorbed and the cereal is smooth. This will take about five minutes.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cereal thickens when it is stored, so be prepared to water it down further or mix it with breast milk or formula when using leftovers. It is best served right away, so feel free to only cook up what you’ll use and store the remaining powder in an airtight container for later cooking.

Pretty easy!

Here’s to Baby Food: Zucchini

I’ve been told by several people lately who have witnessed me feeding Baby Girl zucchini puree that they never thought about giving their babies zucchini. Well, I did. It is easy to digest, mild flavored, and good for you. Baby Girl isn’t a huge fan, but she liked them better than peas, so it’s a step in the right direction.

Equipment:
Steamer Appliance OR Stove, Pot, and Steamer Basket
Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
Blender or Food Processor

Ingredients:
2 Zucchini
That’s it!

1. Trim the ends off the zucchini and slice them into one inch slices. Don’t bother to peel them. The peel is easy to digest and blends easy as well.

2. Steam the zucchini. I used an actual steamer appliance (I have an Oster one), because it’s easy and it turns itself off when it’s done (seriously helpful when you have to run and change a baby), but a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water would work just as well if you keep an eye on the kitchen timer. It should take about 7 minutes.

3. Process the zucchini in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water or cooking liquid as needed to make it the right consistency for your baby. I used my basic Hamilton Beach blender, and cooking liquid to thin it. My steamer has a reservoir under the steaming basket that catches all the zucchini flavored water before it ends up in the steam water, so I used that. Normally I would use a food processor because it makes quick work of it, but I don’t have a full size one, only a mini, so all the zucchini pieces wouldn’t have fit.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If your baby is old enough for spices, zucchini can be great when you stir in a little basil, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper.

That’s it! Use the same recipe to make yellow summer squash for baby!

Here’s to Baby Food: Pears

So, pears. They are as easy as apples ( think they were even easier, but that’s just me), and they are delicious. You won’t regret making these babies form scratch.

Equipment:
Steamer OR Stove, Pot, and Steamer Basket
Vegetable Peeler
Blender OR Food Processor

Ingredients:
4 pears
That’s it!

1. Quarter and core the pears. Don’t peel them, we’ll do that later. Cooking with the peel on adds nutrients.

2. Steam the pears. I used an actual steamer appliance (I have an Oster one), because it’s easy and it turns itself off when it’s done (seriously helpful when you have to run and change a baby), but a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water would work just as well if you keep an eye on the kitchen timer. It should take about 7 minutes.

3. Now peel the pears. I used a vegetable peeler. If your knife skills are way better than mine, you can just use a knife. It can be a bit of a pain, and the apples can get a bit slippery, but you’ll get the hang of it, I promise.

4. Process the pears in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water or cooking liquid as needed to make it the right consistency for your baby. I used my basic Hamilton Beach blender, and cooking liquid to thin it. My steamer has a reservoir under the steaming basket that catches all the pear flavored water before it ends up in the steam water, so I used that. Normally I would use a food processor because it makes quick work of it, but I don’t have a full size one, only a mini, so all the pears wouldn’t have fit.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The pears will brown a little while being stored, but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean they’ve gone bad.

That’s it! It doesn’t get much simpler than that (and you thought this was going to be hard)!

Here’s to Baby Food: Barley Cereal

It turns out that Baby Girl really hates rice cereal. She spits it out, even when I mix it with fruit or vegetables. In an attempt to get her to eat cereal, I decided to try barley cereal, because it’s a little sweeter. She still won’t eat it by itself, but she does eat it mixed with apples. I actually had trouble finding barley in my local grocery store, and ended up ordering it from Amazon.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pearl barley
1 cup water

1. Put the barley in a food processor and process until it is ground up to a very fine, uniform powder. It takes about five minutes of continuous processing to reach this point. You’ll need a good food processor too. I use my Cuisinart Mini-Prep because a) it’s awesome and b) it has a grind function that does a better job than the standard chop function on most processors for this. An off brand dinosaur just won’t do the trick.

2. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil.

3. Once the water is boiling, add the barley powder and turn the heat down to low.

4. Cook, whisking constantly, over low heat until all the water is absorbed and the cereal is smooth. This will take about five minutes.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cereal thickens when it is stored, so be prepared to water it down further or mix it with breast milk or formula when using leftovers. It is best served right away, so feel free to only cook up what you’ll use and store the remaining powder in an airtight container for later cooking.

Pretty easy!

Here’s to Baby Food: Peas

Everybody needs green vegetables in their life. That’s my opinion, in any case. So here’s a recipe for pea puree. Mine turned out really great, even if baby isn’t the biggest fan.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
That’s it!

1. Steam the peas. If you are using fresh peas, wash them first. I use frozen because they’re cheaper, and just as good as fresh in this instance. I used my Oster steamer again (just like when I made the Apples), because it’s easy. Once again, a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water will work just as well as long as the basket has small enough holes that the peas won’t fall through. It should take about 5 minutes, and they’ll be a bright beautiful green when they’re done.

2. Run the peas under cold water to stop the cooking.

3. Process the peas in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water or cooking liquid as needed to make it the right consistency. As usual I used my basic Hamilton Beach blender with cooking liquid to thin the puree. In this case the ingredients would have fit in my mini-prep, but I didn’t want it to be a tight fit, so I went with the blender. Plus the pour spout makes putting the puree into containers simple.

4. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simple as can be.

So far the easiest baby food I’ve made (but I haven’t done bananas or avocado yet).

Here’s to Baby Food: Rice Cereal

We had to get to the rice cereal eventually, right? Well, instead of buying the powdered stuff at the grocery store, I decided to make my own. That said, the stuff from the store is iron-fortified, so it’s a good idea to use it anyway. I don’t use store bought because Baby Girl gets a daily multivitamin that includes iron, and she’s still breastfeeding. If you would like to try your hand at making it from scratch, here’s a recipe.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown rice
1 cup water

1. Put the rice in a food processor and process until it is ground up to a very fine, uniform powder. It takes about three minutes of continuous processing to reach this point. You’ll need a good food processor too. I use my Cuisinart Mini-Prep because a) it’s awesome and b) it has a grind function that does a better job than the standard chop function on most processors for this. An off brand dinosaur just won’t do the trick.

2. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil.

3. Once the water is boiling, add the rice powder and turn the heat down to low.

4. Cook, whisking constantly, over low heat until all the water is absorbed and the cereal is smooth. This will take about five minutes.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Rice cereal thickens when it is stored, so be prepared to water it down further or mix it with breast milk or formula when using leftovers. It is best served right away, so feel free to only cook up what you’ll use and store the remaining powder in an airtight container for later cooking.

Pretty easy, huh? It’s a good thing it was easy to mix up, because Baby Girl really hates it. She spits it out even when mixed with things she likes!

Here’s to Baby Food: Apples

So, my first foray into baby food today was an apple puree. Baby Girl is only six months old, and we just started her on solids. I always wanted to make her baby food, but I wasn’t sure how she would like it, so I started out with some jarred organic stuff people had given me at my baby shower. Once it was clear that she wanted solid food on a daily basis, I decided to make some. Apples it is. This is how I made it. There are many variations to this (it is essentially applesauce), so feel free to do it your own way. I do not use any special baby food specific equipment, as the functions they perform are the same as other kitchen appliances I already own.

Ingredients:
6 sweet apples (I used Gala)
That’s it!

1. Quarter and core the apples. Feel free to use an apple corer thingy…I didn’t, because I don’t have one. Why don’t I have one? Seriously. I must be nuts. Don’t peel them, we’ll do that later. Cooking the apples with the peel on adds nutrients.

2. Steam the apples. I used an actual steamer appliance (I have an Oster one), because it’s easy and it turns itself off when it’s done (seriously helpful when you have to run and change a baby), but a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water would work just as well if you keep an eye on the kitchen timer. It should take about 12 minutes.

3. Now peel the apples. I used a vegetable peeler. It can be a bit of a pain, and the apples can get a bit slippery, but you’ll get the hang of it, I promise.

4. Process the apples in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water or cooking liquid as needed to make it the right consistency for your baby. I used my basic Hamilton Beach blender, and cooking liquid to thin it. My steamer has a reservoir under the steaming basket that catches all the apple flavored water before it ends up in the steam water, so I used that. Normally I would use a food processor because it makes quick work of it, but I don’t have a full size one, only a mini, so all the apples wouldn’t have fit.

5. Transfer to containers (I use the OXO Tot baby food containers because they’re airtight, plus freezer and microwave safe). To store, keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can add a little lemon juice to keep it from browning, but a little color change won’t hurt it.

That’s it! It doesn’t get much simpler than that (and you thought this was going to be hard)! I thought about including a photo, but it really does just look like applesauce. I swear it. When baby is old enough for spices, add a little cinnamon!