Nutrition and Health

Zucchini Bread Muffins for Baby Led Weaning

When it comes to baby led weaning (learn more about BLW here), it’s fun to try new recipes for your little one. A fantastic place to learn new and healthy recipes is Hello Fresh. Hello Fresh makes it easy to try new recipes because they provide you with everything you need, including step by step instructions (hello, mom brain). Did you know you could add Hello Fresh boxes to your registry? Today we’re sharing a delicious and healthy zucchini bread muffins from Hello Fresh’s blog ideal for baby led weaning, toddlers, kids or yourself.

One of the best ways to get colorful veggies into those tiny tummies is to bake with them. Zucchini, being the high water content food that it is, works wonders to add moisture to breads and muffins alike — which makes it our go-to veggie come dessert.

These treats are slightly sweet and incredibly flavorful thanks to the addition of cinnamon and ginger — two warming autumnal spices. If you’re in a bind, feel free to skip the butterfly decorations and just top with a slather of frosting. But if not, we highly recommend it. Plus, the kids will LOVE it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the batter:

2 Cups Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 Cup Sugar
125 Grams (8 Tablespoons) Butter
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoons Unsweetened Yogurt
3/4 Cup Packed Grated Zucchini

For the frosting:

1 Cup Cream Cheese
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Crushed Pineapple, drained

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with liners.

2. In a large bowl, beat together all cupcake ingredients (except grated zucchini) until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

3. Fold in grated zucchini.

4. Spoon mixture into muffin tin and bake until golden and firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Meanwhile, prepare frosting by beating cream cheese, sugar, and pineapple together until light and fluffy.

6. Once muffins are cool, scoop out a shallow circle from the middle. Chop circle in half — these are your wings!

7. Fill hole with frosting. Stick wings flat side down, pointing out and up.

Healthy Pregnancy Summer Fruit Recipes

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

With the temperatures heating up, it can be tempting to sit poolside with a bucket of ice cream, as it can be tiring to go to the market and pick up food to prep and cook when you’re carrying a pregnant belly, too! Luckily, Hello Fresh makes cooking easy, even for the busiest and most pregnant of mamas. Did you know you could add Hello Fresh boxes to your registry? Today we’re sharing delicious and healthy fruit salad tips from Hello Fresh’s blog for pregnant mamas!

If you’re hanging pool or beachside and you’re looking for a healthy snack, check out some of these tips from Hello Fresh’s blog to up your fruit salad game!

You’ll want to prep each fruit with the perfect tool, but a good rule of thumb is to use as sharp and thin a blade as possible. Typically, you should avoid serrated blades and peelers so that the cutting surfaces are super clean for each slice. Melon ballers and fruit scoopers are great ways to add some new shapes to your fruit salad, and you can’t go wrong with a classic paring knife for small produce.

Elevate a simple strawberry-mango fruit salad by sprinkling coconut flakes throughout to add some nutty, shredded texture to the sweet fruits. Plus, pairing the coconut flakes with foods rich in Vitamin C (we’re looking at you, mangoes) actually helps absorb the iron from the coconut. Try toasting just the coconut flakes for 10 minutes on a baking sheet at 350°F; that’ll give them a delicious, gentle crunch, so mist them with cinnamon to taste, sprinkle over the fruit, and voilà — summery snacktime bliss.
You don’t need to post on social media to make your fruit salad delicious, but there aresome ways to make it the most beautiful dish at the barbecue. Skip the standard bowl and opt for a more enticing vessel — the fruit itself. Watermelons are spacious enough to hold a big fruit salad in style, and when there’s no salad left, use the watermelon rind as a punch bowl. Watermelon mint juleps, anyone?
It may seem obvious, but refrigerating fruit salad does a host of wonders for preserving its flavor. It’ll always taste best when just-made, but popping it in the fridge should help it last for 2-3 days. In an ideal world, fruit salad is the very last dish you craft before guests arrive. Since it’s only natural for best-laid plans to go haywire, clear off your counter space and keep that baby cold for optimal enjoyment when it’s time to eat.

Since fruit inherently packs a lot of bright flavor, a dressing for your fruit salad is by no means necessary. But it does kick things up a notch in a really flavorful way. Most fruit salad dressings can be whipped up in minutes using ingredients you might have around the house anyway, like honey, vanilla yogurt, herbs, and orange juice. Whisking almost any combination of those pillars will land you in taste bud heaven, so feel free to get creative and add some minced jalapeño for a kick. If the choices are a) lime mint dressing, b) honey lime ginger dressing, and c) honey vanilla yogurt sauce, sign us up for all the above. Poppy seeds welcome.

A Full Plate: Convenience Food Hacks

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

In this week’s Convenience Food Hacks episode of A Full Plate, mom and Chef Nikki Dinki brings us ways to make convenience foods (think mac ‘n’ cheese) a lot healthier.

For more fun food hacks, check out Nikki’s Ultimate Healthy Meal Hacks here.

By the way, these awesome food and nutrition tips from Nikki are brought to us by our friends at VeeTee Dine In Rice.

About VeeTee Dine In
Five Star Taste in Just 2 Minutes
VeeTee Dine In rice is delicious, microwaveable rice ready in just 2 minutes. VeeTee uses only real ingredients and contains no artificial flavorings, colors or preservatives. All Veetee Dine In Rice products are gluten-free and suitable for ovo-lacto vegetarians.

(Featured image: Nikki Dinki’s KRAFT-STYLE MAC + CHEESE WITH CAULIFLOWER + SWEET POTATO)

{Sponsored} Video Overview: Baby-Led Feeding

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We are so excited to be sharing Baby-Led Feeding by Jenna Helwig with Gugu Guru’s audience! Baby-Led Feeding is a flexible and practical approach to transitioning your baby to solid foods. Written to empower parents to raise happy, healthy independent feeders, the book is also filled with yummy recipes, gorgeous photography and other helpful guides. Check out Gugu Guru founder Monica’s video overview here:

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for making this video possible.

View more of our video overviews here:

Ultimate Healthy Meal Hacks

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

Don’t forget to eat! In this week’s Ultimate Healthy Meal Hacks episode of A Full Plate, mom and Chef Nikki Dinki brings us delicious and nutritious meal prep short cuts for busy parents. After all, it is national nutrition month and it’s important for time-crunched families to eat healthy – especially you breastfeeding mamas. By the way, these awesome food and nutrition tips from Nikki are brought to us by our friends at VeeTee Dine In Rice.

About VeeTee Dine In

Five Star Taste in Just 2 Minutes
VeeTee Dine In rice is delicious, microwaveable rice ready in just 2 minutes. VeeTee uses only real ingredients and contains no artificial flavorings, colors or preservatives. All Veetee Dine In Rice products are gluten-free and suitable for ovo-lacto vegetarians.

Foodie Find: Baby-Led Feeding

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? It is the perfect timing to talk about the release of a book we have been so excited about here at Gugu Guru: Baby-Led Feeding by Jenna Helwig!

Baby-Led Feeding (also known as baby-led weaning) explores the concept of focusing on feeding your baby a variety of healthy, wholesome solid foods, rather than relying solely on purées or finely blended, mashed food. The Baby-Led Feeding approach is thought to promote motor skills and establish lifelong healthy eating habits. For example, benefits such as easier integration into family dinner since babies can eat modified versions of what the adults are eating, which translates to less stress for parents and caregivers because there are fewer meals to prepare; baby’s recognition of and reliance on his or her own hunger cues and; a more traditional way to feed (the cavemen weren’t opening jars of baby food as far as we know.)

Jenna Helwig is not only the author but she’s also the food editor at Parents magazine, so you could venture to guess that she really knows her stuff when it comes to baby food, infant nutrition and feeding approaches. Jenna’s first book, Real Baby Food is one of our must-have essentials for starting solids, and a favorite of Foodie Mom and chef, Nikki Dinki. (Hint: It is also one of our top gender-neutral baby shower gift ideas.)

With more than 100 ideas and recipes, this book is a must-have for all parents who love to cook. One of the things we love about Jenna’s books is they’re beautifully designed, and Baby-Led Feeding is no exception. This bright, photo-driven book includes chapters on the benefits of this approach, when and how to get started, essential safety and nutrition guidelines, frequently asked questions, basic fruit and vegetable prep, more complex finger foods, and family meals.

All recipes in Baby-Led Feeding have been reviewed by a registered dietitian and include nutrition information to ensure a healthy mealtime.

We’d like to thank our sponsors at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for making this post possible.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links.

Making Strides with Cord Blood Banking

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

Hey everyone – it’s Monica, founder of Gugu Guru. I am here on the blog to talk about cord blood banking. First, I want to call out the elephant in the room: we realize that nobody wants to think about anything less than a best case scenario when it comes to a child. Whether it’s pregnancy, delivery or infancy – the last thing that an expectant or new parent needs is to ruminate on the what if’s in life that will likely never happen. However, at Gugu Guru we do feel it’s our responsibility to inform our community of what’s out there, as well as some of the incredible things being done in the fields of science and medicine to treat or even prevent some of those what if’s that keep us up at night.

In our last post, we covered some common FAQs of cord blood banking including the benefits and the risks. In today’s post, we want to talk about some of the innovations and great strides being made by the medical community through clinical trials.

Did you know that cord blood banking clinical trials are helping to find treatments for diseases and developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy? Scientists, researchers and medical professionals are using the stem cells found in cord blood in studies to see how intravenous infusions might be able to stimulate neuron growth and repair. In lay terms, this means that participants in the study are injected with stem cells and then monitored to see if and how the stem cells are affecting symptoms and if there are improvements.

While these clinical trials are still ongoing and not yet conclusive, imagine the possibility of stem cells being able to treat, improve or eradicate diseases or developmental disorders.

So what does this mean for you? Well, for most parents – especially science geeks – this is just a really cool “nice to know.” However, if you are an expectant parent or a parent with a child that has been diagnosed with autism or cerebral palsy, LifebankUSA Medical Affairs can provide additional information regarding ongoing and planned clinical trials that may benefit you.

Additionally, if you have a child, or know someone who has a child with cerebral palsy or autism and are expecting again, LifebankUSA may be able to offer you a unique opportunity to participate in their family in need program. Certain qualifying conditions apply.

If you’d like to learn more, please fill out the form below and a representative from LifeBankUSA will be in touch.

Advertising Disclosure: Thank you to our friends at LifeBankUSA for making this sponsored post possible. The information contained herein was prepared in collaboration with our sponsor.

Winter Nursery Must Have: Crane Humidifiers

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-Sponsored Post-

With the onset of wintertime, comes the onslaught of colds, viruses, and the flu! While it can seem overwhelming trying to prevent your little ones from catching the latest cold, there are some natural ways to protect your babies, toddlers, and kids – and one of the methods we always recommend taking in any nursery or kid’s room is to have a cool mist humidifier. When it comes to humidifiers, we always turn to Crane USA – especially when it comes to sleep time! The Crane USA Adorables line of humidifiers are not only adorable, but a necessary addition to the bedroom. Stay wise this flu season and set your family up for success with Oscar the Owl, Crane Adorable Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier.

Did you know that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics there is actually no cure for the common cold? Since the cold is a virus, there is nothing you can do except help your little one stay comfortable – and the AAP recommends that a great way to do that is to make sure there is a cool mist humidifier near their sleeping area. As the AAP says, “Set it close to your child (but safely beyond reach) so that he or she gets the full benefit of the additional moisture.” The Oscar the Owl Crane Adorable Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier is a welcome addition to any child’s bedroom and will help soothe any little noses and airways if they do happen to get a cold.

With flu season running rampant this year, it’s imperative to help keep a baby’s and child’s nasal passages clear and clean to help prevent them from catching germs. The whisper quiet Oscar the Owl Humidifier relieves cough, cold, and flu symptoms, as well as nasal congestion, dry cough, sinus irritation, nose bleeds, and dry skin and hair. The ultrasonic cool mist increases moisture in the air for easier breathing and a good night’s sleep, plus it is a perfect size for any bedroom, and effectively humidifies small and medium rooms up to 500 square feet. It is also BPA free and features an auto-off function for when water tank is empty; safe enough to have in a child’s room.

During the winter, full of stuffy noses and congested chests, the AAP recommends using a cool-mist humidifier, so why not choose a humidifier which is both cute and will help your little one breathe a little easier at night? Plus, the Oscar the Owl Crane Adorable Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier is easy for parents to use too; it has a removable 1 gallon tank which easily fits under most bathroom sinks, and it doesn’t need a filter, so you never have to worry about changing filters! If the Owl isn’t your style, head to the Adorables and check out all the animals!

Thank you to Crane for making this sponsored post possible.

New Year, New You with Baby K’tan

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January is a month of new beginnings, and when you’re a new mama, there are oh so many new beginnings! As a new mom, it can often be difficult to find time to focus on yourself in the New Year, so we’ve partnered with our friends at Baby K’tan to show you how easy it is to find time for yourself when it comes to self care, even when you’re the mom of a tiny baby. We’re sharing our top tips with Baby K’tan today for making the most of your self-care in the New Year with #MyBKJourney – all the different ways Baby K’tan can help you find your zen in the New Year!

The Gugu Guru team are huge fans of Baby K’tan for many reasons; one of the main reasons is that it is super easy to use! If you’re looking for the feel of a baby-wrap, without any hassle, Baby K’tan is your answer. Soft and stretchy, like your favorite t-shirt, the Baby K’tan carrier keeps baby close to you without hurting your back or shoulders. For many moms in those newborn hazy days, it can be overwhelming to learn to use a new carrier, but the Baby K’tan literally goes on like your favorite t-shirt!

Baby K’tan has 5 different versions – the Original, Breeze, Active, Organic and Print – all of them are machine washable, can be used from newborn to 35 pounds, and have five different positions for baby. Plus, the Baby K’tan Baby Carrier is approved as hip-healthy by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute. Baby is worn in the natural seated position, with knees bent and hips spread, promoting healthy development.

Work it Out, Mama!

Part of the New Year, New You is taking time to move your body – whether it is hiking, walking, taking a stroll around the block, or even walking around the mall on a cold day. It is so important for new moms to have time to get their circulation moving, as exercise is known to lower stress levels and help a new mama find her center again. If you’re looking to combine a mind-body experience as self-care, Baby K’tan parents love using their K’tan to do yoga while holding baby close. Yoga is a fantastic way to transition from pre-natal movement and meditation to taking time for yourself and working out with baby in tow.

We recommend: the Baby K’tan Active Wrap; The Baby K’tan ACTIVE Baby Carrier is made of a breathable hi-tech performance fabric that wicks away moisture and sweat, blocks over 90% of the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays, is quick-dry, and provides a unique temperature control. This makes it super comfortable for both parent and baby to move, sweat, and take a little time on your #MyBKJourney.

Check out the Baby K’tan on the Ultimate Fitness Baby Registry and Must Haves for Mama Fitness and Wellness

Multitasking Mama:

Maybe your goal for the New Year is to finally write that book, start that company, or begin that podcast? If you’re on a #MyBKjourney to learn how to effectively and efficiently multitask, a Baby K’tan is a must have! Baby K’tan knows that even though you’re a parent, you still have goals and dreams, and when it comes to a New You for the New Year, they’re here to help you achieve all of your dreams. How can they help? Well, new babies want to be held all the time, and especially want to be close to your heartbeat…but, you have to do things like type, plan, draw, paint, and design – how can you do it all? By keeping baby close to your heart in your Baby K’tan! The Baby K’tan is a must have for working from home, as you can get all of your tasks done while baby sleeps comfortably on you.

We recommend: the Baby K’tan Original (pictured above); coming in 5 colors, this super comfortable and washable carrier is ideal for a work at home mom because you can comfortably wear all day long, wash and wear the next day, too! Plus, it’s as lightweight as a t-shirt, so you can easily travel with it in your diaper bag.

Check out the Baby K’tan in our Comfort is King Must Haves and Baby’s First Flight Must Haves

Take a Moment, Mama!

The most valuable gift you can give yourself is the gift of time and being present in the present; of course, this isn’t easy with a new baby, but it can be done on your #MyBKJourney! Finding your moment of zen in the wild word of baby-life can be done when you and baby are both comfortable and relaxed – with the super soft and stretchy material of the Baby K’tan, you can happily wear baby while taking a few moments to breathe during the day. Part of the New Year, New You mindset is making sure you take time for yourself – whether you’re meditating, doing yoga, focusing on your mandala, or simply reading your favorite book, you can (and will!) do it all with your little one in the Baby K’tan.

We recommend: Baby K’tan Print Wrap; why not babywear in style with the Baby K’tan Print Carrier? We love the different designs you can choose from; these gender-neutral designs are modern and fresh. PS. the nautical stripe carrier pictured above is on sale, too.

Want to join in on the #MyBKJourney? Enter below to win a Baby K’tan Active Baby Carrier!

Baby K’tan Active Giveaway

Thank you to Baby K’tan for making this sponsored post possible.

Making the Whole30 Easy for a Busy Mama (+ giveaway)

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Hi mamas! Olivia here and today, I’m excited to share all about my Whole30 tips and tricks for a busy mama. I’ve been doing Whole30s since before I had kids, and found once I had two littles one in the house, I had to really think about preparing for a Whole30! In the last few years, I’ve discovered some Whole30 hacks, as well as some favorite foods – plus, head to the bottom of the post for a fun giveaway with our friends at Whole30 Mamas! Check out my Whole30 post from last year, too.

Are you pregnant or breastfeeding and wondering if a Whole30 is right for you? Head to our friends at Whole30 Healthy Mama Happy Baby to learn more; together with Melissa Hartwig of the Whole30©, Stephanie Greunke created Healthy Mama, Happy Baby, a virtual pregnancy handbook consisting of a series of short videos with comprehensive information meant to guide women throughout their entire pregnancy. You can learn more about Stephanie Greunke from our Mompreneur Spotlight on her.

Make sure you’re following the Whole30 Healthy Mama Happy Baby account on Instagram, as I’ll be taking over their Instagram on January 20th to chat about my Whole30 tips and favorite foods. If you missed the Stephanie from Whole30 Healthy Mama Happy Baby on Gugu Guru’s Instagram, simply go to our Instagram page and click on the highlight “Whole30 Mamas.”

Tips: Doing a Whole30 can seem overwhelming at first, especially when you have little kids in the house, but I’ve discovered some tips which really do help!

Find a support group: whether it’s a real life group of friends doing a Whole30 together, the awesome Whole30 forums, or a Facebook group for Whole30 support, find your tribe and use them! Struggling? Confused? Have a non-scale victory to celebrate? Having a support group to encourage and guide you is seriously half the battle.
Prep, prep, prep: I prep foods literally whenever I can! Are the kids watching a movie for two seconds? Cut some carrots! Is the baby napping? Brown some meat! Use the time when you have it to prep for the time when you don’t. The last thing you want is to be out of time and flummoxed on what to eat.
KISS: Keep it simple, silly! Whenever someone tells me they are starting their first Whole30, I always remind them to just keep it simple. There is no need for gourmet level food at every meal. I’m a big fan of the Paper Plate Paleo concept – it’s okay to have simple meals – it’s still a meal, even though it’s simple!
Pre-packaged is OK: We know how hard it can be to find time to prep everything you need, which is why I’m a huge fan of pre-packaged Whole30 foods – while it can be more expensive to purchase pre-chopped fruit and veggies, think of it like an investment in your health for the 30 days! Plus, Trader Joe’s now has spiralized frozen veggies and cauliflower rice – stock up when you can!
Make it fun: Speaking of spiralizing veggies, why not have fun with your time learning to use all these new foods? We’re fans of the Inspiralizer from Inspiralized (check out Ali’s Gugu Guru registry picks!). Ali, the founder of Inspiralized, makes it so easy to learn all about veggies and how you can make them the star of the meal. She has a bunch of Whole30 compliant recipes on Inspiralized, like these chicken fajita bowls with spiralized sweet potatoes – yum! (head to the bottom of the post to WIN an Inspiralizer Lite!)

Favorite Foods: I’ve developed a love for some favorite Whole30 staples over time – these make life so much easier!

Primal Kitchen Mayo and Dressings: I am not the type of person who will have the patience to make my own mayo, so when it comes to my mayo for Whole30 time, I always stock up on Primal Kitchen’s Mayo. I use it for tuna salad, chicken salad, marinades, and most importantly, making delicious and fun flavored dips that my kids love with veggies and chicken. Primal Kitchen also makes the best salad dressings, I use them all the time, not just when I’m on the Whole30. My favorites are their Greek Dressing and Ranch Dressing, they’re creamy and so healthy! Use code GUGUGURU for 10% off at Primal Kitchen.com
Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausage: I could eat this chicken sausage every day, and I pretty much do on the Whole30. It’s delicious fried up with eggs, or even in a salad; and, my kids love it chopped up for breakfast! It makes a great toddler food.
Safe Catch Tuna: I’ve been a fan of Safe Catch tuna ever since I was pregnant with my oldest son and only wanted tunafish! My grandmother found Safe Catch at our local health food store and there was no turning back for me; what makes Safe Catch Tuna so special? Safe Catch is the only canned tuna company that tests each and every fish (before they purchase them) to ensure that the mercury levels in their Elite Wild Tuna is 10 times lower than the FDA’s limit! Tuna is full of healthy omega-3s and is a great source of lean protein, which is why I want to make sure it’s safe enough to give to my sons; I feel so much better knowing that Safe Catch tests all of their fish. Plus, not only is Safe Catch free of fillers or additives, it’s also non-GMO verified and sustainably caught so we can feel great about eating tuna again. If you’re pregnant and going to enjoy tuna, you definitley want to make sure you’re eating Safe Catch.
Nutpods: If you talk to anyone doing a Whole30, they’re going to start telling you about Nutpods! Nutpods are a life-saver during the Whole30. These non-dairy creamers are made from coconut and almond milk, and come in three flavors: hazelnut, French vanilla, and original. I use Nutpods all the time (we recommend adding them to your registry!), and sometimes even use the original flavor in my curries and soups. I carry one with me wherever I go and it’s so nice to have an additional to my coffee, whether I’m home or out. Use discount code GUGUGURU for 25% off your order at Nutpods.com (until 1/31/18). This is a great deal, so stock up now!
Not Ketchup: If you’re looking for a marinade or dipping sauce on the Whole30, check out Not Ketchup. This line of sauces is sweetened with fruit juice, so it’s Whole30 compliant. My kids love it too, so it makes preparing for meals easy – I just grill some chicken ahead of time and slice it into strips, add some celery strips and snap peas – and a delicious dipping sauce made with Not Ketchup, and everyone’s happy with a simple and healthy meal! Use code WHOLE30FCHUP for 20% off any Fruitchup purchase (single bottle, 2-pack, 4-pack) through Feb 28th at Not Ketchup.com.

Are you doing a Whole30? Let us know – and head below to enter an amazing Whole30 Giveaway – enter to win The Whole30 Fast and Easy Cookbook, a subscription to the Whole30 Healthy Mama Happy Baby Program, 2 Bottles of Not Ketchup, $30 to Safe Catch Tuna, the Inspiralizer Lite, and a Variety Pack of Nutpods!
Whole30 Giveaway

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