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: Prunes

Everyone always complains that prunes are too hard to make from scratch and that you’re better off buying them…I disagree. These were simple.

Equipment:
Food Processor OR Blender
Colander
Stove and saucepan

Ingredients:
1 cup prunes
1 cup Water

1. Add prunes and water to the saucepan. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about ten minutes until prunes are tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Let cool.

2. Puree prunes and reserved liquid in the food processor or blender until smooth, adding additional water if needed.

3. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.

If your baby constipates easily, this is a good puree to have on hand in the freezer.

Here’s To Baby Food: Minty Green Beans

I’m starting to think I have a baby that just isn’t a fan of vegetables, because she isn’t a fan of this either. She’ll eat it mixed with stuff, but not on it’s own. I think it was delicious.

Equipment:
Food Processor OR Blender
Steamer OR Steaming basket, Stove, and Saucepan

Ingredients:
1/2 pound frozen cut green beans
1 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves

1. Steam the green beans in a steamer appliance or over boiling water for 14 minutes or so.

2. Add green beans and mint to the blender or food processor.

3. Puree in blender or food processor until smooth, add water as needed to make a smooth puree. I needed about 3 Tbsp.

4. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

It really smells great! This is suitable for babies 7 months and older.

Here’s To Baby Food: Asparagus

Baby Girl doesn’t particularly like this asparagus puree, but mix it with pears, and she’ll eat it.

Equipment:
Food Processor OR Blender
Steamer OR Steaming basket, Stove, and Saucepan

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 lb.)

1. Cut woody, tough ends from the bottom of the asparagus. Steam in steamer appliance (I use an Oster) or in a steamer basket over boiling water until bright green and well cooked, about 10 minutes.

2. Run hot asparagus under cold water to stop the cooking.

3. Puree asparagus in blender or food processor until smooth, you shouldn’t need any additional water.

4. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

If your baby is old enough for spices, you can add a little garlic, basil, dill, or pepper for a little flavor.

Here’s To Baby Food: Apricots

I’ve always been a huge fan of apricots, but Baby Girl is pretty meh about them.

Equipment:
Food Processor OR Blender
Colander
Stove and saucepan

Ingredients:
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup Water

1. Add apricots and water to the saucepan. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about ten minutes until apricots are tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Let cool.

2. Puree apricots and reserved liquid in the food processor or blender until smooth, adding additional water if needed.

3. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.

The puree can turn out a bit bitter. If your baby isn’t a fan, try adding a bit of apple juice or cooking the apricots in juice instead of water.

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: 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!