Family Favourite smoothies November 11 2019, 0 Comments

These are some of our favourite smoothies to help add a few extra nutrients into our day. These are really tasty and suitable for 9 months to 109.

Feel free to add little extras like Chia seeds, Flax or Hemp seeds to add extra protein and Omega 3's. There's always room to add a little spinach and avocado too even if the ingredients don't list them.

The fun of smoothies is that you can add all sorts so use these as a guide and see what you can develop yourself.....

Smoothie Week November 09 2019, 0 Comments

This week is Smoothie week at Nom Nom HQ!It's easy to get stuck in a smoothie rut, churning out the same smoothies so let's get some delicious inspiration from the amazing women that I follow on Social Media.

Waste Free Weaning October 01 2019, 0 Comments

As Featured on WeaningWeek.co.uk we put together our top 10 tips to help you save waste whilst weaning and beyond.

1. Make your own

The most obvious way to save waste (and money) is to make your own food for your baby, whether you choose to puree, mash, serve simply as finger food or make up elaborate recipes. The packaging waste saved by making your own foods is quite dramatic and you can also choose to store it in a portion size specific to your baby and their stage in weaning leaving less leftovers to waste.

Read more...

Plastic Free July swaps July 30 2019, 0 Comments

So that's it. Plastic Free July ends for another year....but the changes I have made won't be coming to an end. This month has really made me think and made me take steps to making some permanent changes.

Here's a list of all the changes we have made as a family and where we failed too. These changes may seem minuscule to some and just about achievable to others. It's a journey for all of us. This is what I have managed to do in those last couple of weeks of school and the first couple of weeks of the holidays. Not always the ideal time for making changes but when is?!

Cleaning Products

I must admit that I planned to make some cleaning products myself after watching Hugh's war on Waste but this just hasn't happened. What I have done is purchase some of these pods of concentrated cleaning liquids that go straight into your old cleaning bottles. You top up with water and so far it's as good as my old cleaning solutions.

I've been getting refills of my washing detergent from my local natural food store and we've given up using Softener. Our Hand wash is also being refilled at the local Loose Food store.

Reusable Wipes

I am loving my wipes from Cheeky Wipes and Bonnie Pop Makes. We have been using them for hands and faces, wiping surfaces and general spills around the house. I always have a couple of dry ones in a snack bag ready to wet and use.

Cotton Handkerchiefs

This hasn't taken off as well as I hoped. We all get hay fever so our tissue usage can be pretty high during the summer months. I bought some cotton handkerchiefs but after the initial novelty the kids kept leaving them lying around the house and no one knew who's was who's. We have decided to use them in bed only as we also have close friends who are immunocompromised and we can't risk to pass on our germs from a snotty handkerchief.

Sanitary Products

I am testing out some of the period pants from Cheeky Wipes. I did wear them running one day and they did the job of a Tena Lady pretty well but I'm waiting to test them out properly. 

As far as toilet rolls go, we haven't made any changes as yet.

Food Packaging

I have been buying lots of my store cupboard staples from the local Food Loose store in Cheltenham:

Salt, Pepper, baking Powder, cocoa powder, corn kernels, oats, pasta, rice, cous cous, raisins, nuts, seeds, lentils etc are all being purchased in my own jars and reusable bags.

We have switched to a milk delivery service in glass bottles which I am loving from our local Cotteswold Dairy. 

I discovered that my local farmshop Primrose Vale has a new freezer section with various foods without packaging. There are plastic bags provided for taking the foods away but I will go again with my own tubs and reusable bags. Their mini potato Gratins were yummy!

I have stopped buying one of our regular items because it comes in black plastic. We don't buy much in the form of ready made meals anyway but it's still really hard to get anywhere close to #zerowaste. This is definitely work in progress for us.

Skin and Hair

We are now using soaps in the bathroom although the children are still using Childs Farm products as they have sensitive skin. As they get older we will encourage them to use soaps as well.

We all use Bamboo toothbrushes but we haven't yet swapped out toothpaste or deodorants so we definitely have more work to do here.

I am currently alternating between an old bottle of shampoo, some re-filled shampoo and a shampoo soap bar.

Takeaways & eating out

My children are 6 and 8 now and they still love the odd happy meal. We usually only get one if we happen to be travelling over tea time. They have both recently volunteered to refuse the toy, unless it's a book or something else that isn't plastic. 

They have chosen to refuse straws for a good while now as we take out our reusable silicon straws. It's great to see that hardly anywhere has plastic straws now anyway.

On a Friday night my husband and I generally have a Chinese takeaway. We have recently swapped to a more eco-concious restaurant that use a lot less plastic packaging and even give you your order in old boxes.

Snacks

With the help of my reusable snack bags and food pouches we do pretty good at saving a lot of waste when it comes to snacks but 1 change I have made this month is making my own pop corn. The kids love it and have begged to take some camping next week so they can pop it on the camp fire.

Take your own bags, Cups & containers

We have all been taking our own bags to shops for quite some time. I have only accepted a bag when I've absolutely needed to even if it means carrying a big pile of shopping rather awkwardly home. It's also been over 6 months since I accepted or purchased a hot drink in a disposable cup. My local shops know that I will buy the odd bread roll or croissant and take it to the till in one of our reusable sandwich bags.

I would love to hear how you have done and what changes you have made during Plastic Free July. If you didn't take part how about seeing how little single use plastic you can use in this last day of July. Just being mindful of it helps you think about how you can reduce your own consumption.

Thank you for reading!

Suzanne x

PS. I have extended the plastic Free July offer of 15% off until midnight on the 2nd August to help those of you that were waiting for pay day! Usecode REUSE15 at checkout here

Making Changes July 30 2019, 0 Comments

Tomorrow marks the end of Plastic Free July. A whole month where individuals and organisations have been attempting to reduce their plastic consumption.  Overshadowing this somewhat is the fact that yesterday was Earth Overshoot day for 2019

www.overshootday.org describes this day as:

"Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year"

Or as Greta Thunberg described it yesterday:

"we have globally used up the worlds annual resources. The rest of the year we are stealing from future generations and poorer parts of the world"

Each year this date is moving earlier. For 2019 it was 29th July....so this year it's 3 days earlier than last year. If you happen to look at your own country (UK for me) it's an even scarier situation that surely can't continue without a massive crisis.

This is not necessarily about plastic of course although it certainly adds to the issues. It's about how we manufacture, how we make energy, how we live and the overall population of people, animals and fauna. Plastic is just a drop in the ocean (pardon the pun) as far as all this goes but it's still a massive issue in it's own right.

Tomorrow I will be reviewing the changes that I have made through plastic Free July. By taking part in this month I have become more aware of my own plastic usage and more considered about when I use it, why I use and how I use it. I will definitely be keeping up with my swaps and hopefully continuing to make more.

If you would like to know more about Earth Overshoot day and learn more about how it's calculated go take a look at  https://www.overshootday.org/about/ You can find the charts above in much more detail.

Why not try to see what your own personal overshoot day is using this calculator http://www.footprintcalculator.org/

Summer Photo Challenge July 27 2019, 0 Comments

I love seeing what you are all getting up to over the summer whilst fuelled with snacks from our pouches and bags so I'm launching our first ever Summer Photo Challenge.

I love seeing what you are all getting up to over the summer whilst fuelled with snacks from our pouches and bags so I'm launching our first ever Summer Photo Challenge.

I would love to see the places that our pouches end up or the snacks you take out with you to keep those little ones going. Just take a photo featuring one or more of your Nom Nom Kids products in action, being eaten from, packed up ready to go or posing on location and share them with me on Instagram or Facebook.

I have no idea what my criteria is actually going to be for picking a winner in this challenge but I can tell you that it will NOT be based on how beautiful a child is, your photography equipment or holiday budget.  I'm more interested in your snack selection, a happy smile and a day enjoyed! I won't lie, it would be amazing to see my pouches being used all over the world in exotic locations but equally lovely to see them being enjoyed just around the corner in the local park or the back garden!

PRIZE

There will be a prize of £50 PayPal Credit to spend anywhere you like for the lucky winner.

HOW TO ENTER

Instagram

Post a photo with the hashtag #mynomnomsnacks If you have a private account tag me so I can see the post.

Facebook

Post your entry onto the Nom Nom KIds Facebook page or tag the page in your own post.

REPOSTING PHOTO'S

I would love to repost some of your images whilst the challenge is running. IF your photos have NO children's faces in them I may repost without asking for permission although I will tag you in the repost.

If the photos have any children’s’ faces in them I will ALWAYS ask for permission before reposting or sharing anywhere on social media. This will not stop you from being selected as a winner although I would love to be able to share the winning photo at the end of the summer so if you would prefer your children’s’ faces to be kept hidden take photos from behind, from above or crop out their faces before submitting the photos.

CLOSING DATE

The challenge will run until the end of August and a winner picked within 2 days.

T's&C's:

• Competition ends midnight Saturday 31^st August
• Worldwide entry
• Winners will be picked from all submitted entries within  days of the competition end date.
• By participating in this promotion you agree to a complete release of Facebook & Instagram from any claims.
• This prize draw is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
• Promoter: Nom Nom Kids

 Want to know more about our products? check them out HERE

Plastic Free July - Wet Wipes July 12 2019, 0 Comments

It's Plastic Free July and i'm looking at all the things that I have been swapping in order to be less wasteful as a family. Today I'm looking at wet wipes. 

It's been a while since Hugh's war on Waste hi-lighted the problem of wet wipes containing plastic. They discovered how wipe manufacturers are avoiding the subject and just how big a problem it is for our national sewerage systems.

As a family we were using the occasional toilet wipe as a last wipe for bottoms and for taking out wet wipes for mucky hands. When the kids were younger and in nappies we used them so much more and although I never flushed them down the toilet they were still going straight to land fill.

After watching the programme last month we have eliminated wipes from our bathroom completely. When we need to take out wet wipes we now use the brilliant Cheeky Wipes  or these funky baby wipes from local maker Bonnie Pop Makes.

If you want to use them for bottoms too you can buy a kit from Cheeky Wipes that has a clean and dirty box to use or again you could cut down on the bulk box and use a reusable bag. I take them out damp in a sandwich bag and for us this works really well. 

If I'm not sure whether i will need to use them I take them out dry and just squirt a bit of water onto the,m from one of our water bottles. we've always got water with us!

The Green monster fits around 4 or 5 of the Cheeky wipes which measure 15cm squared which is actually a much better size than a flannel.

Our smaller snack bags fit 2 inside so those are a great option for just taking a couple out with you!

Have you switched to a reusable alternative to wet wipes since watching the programme? 

Watch War on Waste: Series 3, Episode 2 here:

Plastic Free July July 01 2019, 0 Comments

Plastic Free July has now become a yearly event that more and more people are taking part in. Unlike the name may suggest you are not expected to avoid all plastics throughout July to take part.

You can opt from 3 levels of participation:

•  Avoid single-use plastic packaging
•  Target takeaway items (the Top 4: bags, bottles, straws and coffee cups)
•  Go completely plastic-free

Even then you can pledge to do it for as little as 1 day, a week, the whole month or from now on.

I try my best to avoid single use plastics but there are so many items that I don't succeed with and some things do just need plastic to work or to stop food from being spoiled. I will be using this July to keep up with the changes that I have made already and also attempt to make buying other items without packaging become more routine and easier to stick to.

I have recently joined a wonderful Facebook Group to help me make a few more swaps. The group is aimed at busy parents so we all have very similar issues. It's created with those of us in mind that are either starting from scratch or already do a bit so we can ask questions without feeling awkward and be inspired by ideas that are within our reach rather than suggesting that we all become Tom & Barbara from The Good Life overnight!

Founder Jen says:

"I'm all about the 'ish' - which means there's no minimalist plastic-free perfection. Which means we focus on progress, not perfection. Start from where you are and know that no step is too small"

Join The Sustainable(ish) with kids Facebook Group:

Join The Plastic Free July Challenge:

Good Luck!!

Air travel with Babies & Toddlers May 22 2019, 3 Comments

Flying with little ones can take some careful planning especially if you have a weaning baby or a fussy toddler to contend with. Our top tips for feeding whilst flying will help you plan the perfect trip and be prepared for anything:

1. Try to fly direct! Stop offs make things a lot more complicated when travelling with tiny ones as it’s an extra security check point to go through and more time hanging around or dashing to another gate. If it’s unavoidable just call up your airline before-hand to check the logistics.
2. Despite restrictions on liquids, this does not apply to milk or other drinks/purees for babies and toddlers ie. cow’s milk, soya milk, formula or expressed breast milk. You can take through airport security any amount that is needed for your baby or toddler to eat or drink on a flight. Consider how long your flight is and how much your baby / toddler will really need and then add a bit extra in case of any delays! you may be asked to try some of the items but many airports now have special machines that scan the food and drink.
3. If you are taking expressed milk in bottles there is no limit on the bottle size or how much you take but of course you will need to keep it cool. You won’t be allowed to take a large ice pack through security. Small ice packs (under 100ml) can be used and placed in the zip lock bag with your toiletries at security checks or you could freeze your milk overnight. As above you may be asked to taste the milk.
4. Breast feeding on a flight is simple. Dress in what you are comfortable feeding in. Despite all your best planning you may find yourself sat next to stranger so take a cover up if you prefer to use one. The lights can be bright at times so this can also help shield your baby’s eyes and stop then getting to distracted. Your little one may feed differently on a flight. Try not to worry too much and keep yourself extra hydrated.
5. If you use formula reserve some of the ready-made bottles from Boots (Air side) stores in UK Airports. Check on Boots.com to find an air side store. Call the store to book what you need at least 24 hours in advance to pick up before you fly.
6. Ensure that you take enough sterilised bottles for your baby’s milk feeds if you plan to buy milk at the airport.
7. Take a Tupperware / icecream container with you that could easily fit the whole bottle inside for sterilising (just in case of accidents or you need another bottle made up) – don’t forget to take a few Milton sterilising tablets in your hand luggage for this. You can use the container to store dry snacks or anything else for the journey (toys, clothes, clean nappies etc). You can also use it during your holiday for sterilising and heating up bottles or pouches.
8. Baby Food Pouches are a great way to feed pureed food or liquid snacks such as smoothies on a flight (they don't need to be under 100ml). Pouches heat up very easily in hot water which is the only option on a flight so they make complete sense. If you prefer to take your own home-made food or your child has allergies then using a reusable food pouch works brilliantly. The one disadvantage of reusable pouches is that they must be kept cool. To get round this you can freeze one of more of the pouches over-night and use this as the Ice-pack in a good quality insulated bag. The longer the flight the more you will need to freeze. You can also use the small ice packs as mentioned in tip #3. As with milk you may be asked to try one or some of the pouches to prove that they are in fact food. If you can’t squeeze any of the frozen ones out just open the side zipper and take a little bit to taste. If you are taking processed baby food pouches make sure that the ones opened at security are kept cool or used within a couple of hours. As with formula you can usually buy Ella’s Kitchen pouches at Boots Airside stores.
9. Just because you book a ticket or even a separate seat for your baby or toddler, don’t assume that your airline will automatically book them a specific meal – call up and check what they serve and book this in advance. Many airlines may also provide commercial baby food meals. Take your own baby/toddler cutlery in your hand luggage to make eating easier.
10. If your toddler is a messy eater make sure you take a large bib/cover up (and lots of wipes). Consider taking a reusable food pouch onto the flight empty so you can put the yogurt from the airline meal into it to reduce mess. There’s always a yogurt! You might be able to get an extra pot from the cabin crew to give your little one if the airline food isn’t to their liking.
11. Take sandwiches, pasta salad or extra snacks for your older baby, toddler or any fussy children in general as these are not restricted to take on board. If flying within Europe you can take them off the plane with you if they don’t get eaten but if travelling beyond Europe you will most likely need to throw them away when you land. Our snack bags are fab for storing these kinds of snacks as they fold flat and can be used to hold any rubbish or for using on holiday too.
12. Take your child’s favourite sippy cup onto the flight and keep this topped up with water to keep them hydrated, particularly on long haul flights.
13. Whilst taking off and landing try to get your baby to feed and toddler to drink or eat something. A pouch is great for this as they’ll be swallowing frequently. This will help with the pressure change and hopefully help avoid any tears.
14. If you feed pureed food and want to keep this up on holiday (assuming you are self catering) invest in a hand blender or mini blender that can be packed into your luggage. You can then store your meals in reusable pouches for easy feeding during your holiday. Check if your accommodation has a freezer so you can store meals for the whole duration. Some restaurants may be happy to blend food for you, don’t be afraid to ask but check if things have been cooked with salt.
15. Overall, try not to worry too much…you’ve done everything you can to make sure that familiar options are available, but your child may just not be as hungry as normal or may be extra hungry! Your baby may feed lots or hardly at all but they will get back to normal once you are settled on holiday or back home.

There are so many things to think about when travelling with babies and toddlers (sleep, clothes, toys, time-zones) especially when travelling long haul. I hope my tips help with the feeding side but for the rest take a look at these tips from Baby Centre UK

Leave me a comment if you have some great tips of your own so we can share them around!

check out our products here we have Animal pouches for babies and younger toddlers, 200ml Monster pouches for older toddlers on wards and our new monster snack bags for solid snacks.

Cheesy Veg rolls May 21 2019, 0 Comments

We all love sausage rolls in our family and the kids especially love the home made veggie packed versions that I make for them (if you haven't tried these, go make them immediately! Recipe is here).

I wanted to make some veggie only versions to help reduce the amount of meat we eat and give me some alternatives for lunchboxes and picnics. This recipe contains loads of veggies, lentils and cheese and it makes delicious veggie puff pastry rolls.

The quantities in this recipe are a bit vague as it was based on my first attempt and was using up whatever I had in my fridge!.

1 tsp oil

handful of cauliflower

handful of Broccoli

1 small to medium potato cut into chunks

half a medium sweet potato cut into chunks

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

30g split red lentils.

150g mature cheddar cheese grated

low salt veg stock

Pinch of dried thyme

Pinch of black pepper

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion and fry until soft.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the vegetable stock, lentils and all the vegetables except for the broccoli.Simmer for 10 minutes and then add the broccoli. Simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Drain the pan. Remove the potato and sweet potato from the pan and mash with the grated cheese and then add the fried onions. 

Use a stick blender to very roughly blend the rest of the vegetables and the lentils. Use short bursts so it doesn't turn into a puree. You can mash the vegetables if you prefer but make sure the stalks are mashed well.

If liquid has separated from the veggies, pour this away and then blend the vegetables roughly with a stick blender if you have visible veggie averse kids. Feel free to leave as they are if you prefer.

Once cooled a little mix the veggie mixture with the sausage meat, sage and pepper. Ensure it's fully mixed through.

Take the sheet of puffed pastry and cut it in half length ways so that you have two rectangle shaped pieces. Divide the veggie mixture into two and spread each piece down the middle of the pastry sheets, leaving a gap of about 1cm either side and add some egg wash to help seal.

If you fancy making large sausage rolls cut the sheet in half the other way and spread a thick layer for a deep filled roll.

Roll the pastry over the veggie mixture so that the two edges meet. Press down with a fork to seal it.

Cut the rolls into whatever size you like. Place the cheesy veggie rolls onto the baking sheet and egg wash over the tops.

Cook in the oven for 25-35 minutes (time will depend on the size of the rolls so be sure to check them often from 20 minutes) until golden brown and cooked through.

Enjoy!!

Don't waste those Leftovers May 08 2019, 0 Comments

By the end of each week my fridge is generally littered with the same leftover bits of vegetables:

• Half or part of a courgette
• ends of a pepper
• mostly broccoli stalk and the odd floret
• a couple of celery sticks

In order to save these items from the compost bin I have started a routine of cooking them all up along with a few other staples such as carrots, frozen sweetcorn and even some lentils to produce a lovely nutritious veggie puree. 

There are 2 ways to make the puree. Either steam chopped veg for the appropriate amount of time or grate the veg and fry in a deep pan with just a little olive oil. I alternate depending on the veg I have.

I keep pouches and also ice cubes of these puree's in the freezer to use for:

1. Adding to tomato pasta sauce
2. Adding to pizza topping
3. Using in pinwheels
4. Mixing with sausage meat to make hidden veg sausage rolls
5. Adding to pesto pasta
6. Making savoury muffins

What veg do you have leftover that you could make into something rather than throwing away?

Take a look at our reusable products here

Baby Food Pouches April 18 2019, 0 Comments

When your baby approaches weaning it’s only natural to turn to the baby food aisle at the supermarket for inspiration. It’s an ever-expanding aisle these days full of pouches upon pouch of purees, snacks and cereals. The majority are organic and convenient, but these things are expensive and wasteful as 95% of finished pouches currently go to landfill.

I’m not going to make anyone feel bad for using them. They are incredibly handy, they keep at room temperature for an age. You can keep one in your change bag for emergencies and avoid a hangry meltdown….something we can all aspire to! But, I’m not a fan for every day feeding and snacks when there are better value, more nutrient rich and more eco friendly options available.

Reusable food pouches have been around for a while but never seem to get much publicity mostly because it's small businesses like mine making them. I started developing Nom Nom Kids in 2013 when I had my own weaning baby and a 2 year old that loved a smoothie pouch. I didn't like the wasteful packaging and really wanted to be able to put my own food inside the magical pouches that made my fussy 2 year old eat fruit.

Making your own baby food & snacks

Baby food and squeezable snacks can be incredibly easy to make yourself and it doesn't have to take up lots of time. There are recipes all over the internet and even some here on my website. If you've made your dinner with no added salt you can also just blend parts of it together along with a little of your baby's milk and store it in a pouch, pot or ice-cube tray. You can freeze the pouches or keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours and you can heat it in hot water if you want before serving.

Check out my first food blog post if you want to know more about the first stages of weaning or take a look at how our pouches can be used at different stages of your baby's development here. The can be used from 6 months to school age .We would love to get all ages using them.

Why choose Nom Nom Kids

I may not have the resources of a large company behind me or a fancy marketing & PR department but I strongly believe (and have been told by my customers) that my side opening pouches are the easiest to use on the market mainly due to the love and attention that I have given them to ensure that they are easy to fill and most importantly, easy to clean.

The benefits of Nom Nom Kids over the others you can buy are:

• No filling stations required to get the food into the pouch, just spoon or pour it in
• Strong double zipper that does NOT leak - I promisse
• Wide opening allows you to get your whole hand in to the pouch
• No hidden corners or crevices, the gusset opens the pouch up.
• Stays open in the dishwasher to get it really clean.
• The gusset allows more food to be packed in without making the pouch oversized.
• Holds 140-150ml of liquid food – others claim to hold the same but don't.