UltimateMama loves cooking one-pot dishes for her family. She tends to serve the dish then freeze the rest for another day!  UltimateMama’s kids enjoy this easy chicken tagine or chicken stew recipe because it is warm and sweet.  UltimateMama loves the fact that it is packed with nutrients.

UltimateMama’s Easy Chicken Tagine or Easy Chicken Stew recipe as follows:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium-sized red onion, finely chopped 

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

• 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes

• 1 Fuji apple without the skin that is diced 
• 1 cup of carrots, diced (save yourself time and used the baby ones)
• 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
• 1 red pepper, remove seeds and cut into cubes or thin strips
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, cubed

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained (15 oz can)
• 2 cups chicken broth 

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons orange juice 
• 2 large figs 

1. Get a heavy pot with a lid and heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, ginger, and garlic cloves for about 4 minutes.

2. Add the chicken breast and cook all sides, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the apple, carrot, parsnip, red pepper, sweet potato, tomato, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), and broth.

4.  With a wooden spoon, stir in the cinnamon, orange juice, and figs. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 35-45 minutes. Make sure chicken and vegetables are tender, especially parsnip and carrot.   

5. Serve some and freeze the rest for another meal! You can serve it with rice, couscous, noodles, or alone!

Spring has almost sprung and once again daylight savings time is upon us.  Daylight savings time is this weekend – 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14th to be exact. 

Some kids go with the flow when it comes to a time change. Others may take a few days.  Whatever the case, your child will quickly adjust to the time change.

UltimateMama has a few tips to help your child adjust to their new schedule:

– Routine, routine, routine!  Keep your nighttime routine the same (dinner, bath, brushing teeth, story, bed).

– When your child wakes up on Sunday morning try to keep to the schedule that you had before (for example, keep breakfast at 8 AM if that is your usual eating time).

– If your child doesn’t completely adjust to their new napping time, do not fret because they will within days.  If they are fifteen minutes or half an hour off their usual time that is completely normal.

– Keep your child busy during the day so they are a little extra tired for bedtime (and thus more cooperative!).

UltimateMama was surprised to find out that a new mother who was a long-time friend of hers did not know that she had to care for her infant baby’s gums.  UltimateMama wants you all to know that you must take care of your baby’s gums right after birth.  Additionally, you need to instill brushing teeth into your baby’s routine right away so that when they do have teeth it won’t be a surprise to them to feel a toothbrush in their mouths.

UltimateMama offers a few tips for caring for your child’s gums and teeth:

– Right after birth start wiping your baby’s gums after feedings with a washcloth, gauze, or .  It is important to get your child used to having their mouth looked at or checked.

– Keep cleaning your child’s mouth after the first tooth appears.  You can use a soft child toothbrush and water.  Non-fluoride toothpaste is also acceptable for the first few teeth that come in as your young child most likely does not know how to properly spit out fluoride toothpaste. 

– When your child can spit out toothpaste then switch to fluoride toothpaste (usually around 3-4 years of age).  Continue to brush your toddler’s teeth to ensure a thorough cleaning.

– Always supervise your child as they brush their teeth, even as they get older.  It is very important to remove all the plaque from your child’s teeth and mouth. 

– Spend time on brushing your child’s teeth.  A thorough brushing may take up to five minutes as opposed to one minute!

– Try to brush your child’s teeth three times a day, preferably after meals. If three times is too hard to do then make sure you help them brush twice a day (morning and night).

– Brush your child’s tongue for good breath!  This helps to remove bacteria as well.  

– Replace your child’s toothbrush when it appears worn or the bristles become frayed.

–  Make your first trip to the dentist after you researched pediatric dentists in your area.  Ask them what age they begin accepting new patients as it does vary by dentist.  Also, ask them for advice on flossing, braces, spacers, etc.

– Alert your child’s dentist to any history of thumb sucking or pacifier habits.

– Treat your child’s baby teeth with as much respect as you would their permanent teeth.  Instill good brushing habits early on.

– If you want your child to have nice teeth then you should promote a healthy diet.  Encourage them to avoid soda.

– Teach your children about the dangers of tobacco on teeth (and their body as well).

UltimateMama, your sneaky chef, has a nice, quick trick for you regarding yogurt…let’s call it UltimateMama’s sneaky yogurt tip.

If your little one only likes flavored yogurt (vanilla, berries, pear, apple, peach, etc.) and you are concerned about the high sugar content there is a way to satisfy both of you.  Just take a small spoonful of the flavored yogurt and mix it with plain yogurt and your little one may not even notice the difference. For added pizazz sprinkle a little cinnamon on top!

UltimateMama wants to introduce you to Chef Daniel Angerer, a NYC father who is the owner and executive chef of Klee Brasserie.  He also makes cheese … from his wife’s breast milk (take a look at his blog).  Of course this special cheese is not a menu item yet. 

Now, that is an interesting use of liquid gold!  UltimateMama will take a pass….

UltimateMama wants you to realize how lucky you are to look down into a baby girl’s eyes and just cuddle her in your arms. You know that you will do your best to mold her to become a strong, educated individual.

Check it out – The Economist (issue March 6th-12th 2010) has a cover story titled “Gendercide – What happened to 100 million baby girls?”

UltimateMama loves the idea of teaching responsibility to young children.  Assigning small tasks or little jobs to your youngster is an easy way for you to teach them to be responsible.  Older children may love the idea of job charts but younger children may just like the independence of completing a spur of the moment task you assign to them.  Many young children are filled with pride when they complete a job that they have seen their mommy, daddy, or older sibling do before! 

Keep in mind that the idea is not to overburden or overwork your youngster but to teach them in a fun manner!

UltimateMama suggests the following little jobs for preschoolers or young children:

– Fish feeder

– Watering the plant

– Napkin helper (at mealtime)

– Table wiper (after meals or snacks)

– Mail helper (carrying it to the home)

– Laundry helper (putting their clothing in their laundry basket or even teaching them to fold a washcloth)

– Weather helper or Meteorologist (look outside with them and discuss how the weather forecast appears)

– Calendar helper (talk about the date, day, month, year, significant events)

– Librarian (putting their books on the bookshelf)

– Prayer leader (saying grace at mealtime)

– Time keeper (teach them how to tell time)

– News reporter (discuss timely events with them)

According to a story in the Telegraph super-mega-technology giant Apple has admitted to using child labor at its factories that produce its iPods, iPhones, and computers.  Just something to think about before making that next purchase…

UltimateMama hates germs.  Whenever her children get a new toy, book, puzzle, or stuffed animal she tries her best to disinfect the item.  After playdates, she has been known to wipe down all of the toys that the kids played with to rid them of germs.  Trust UltimateMama, wiping down toys is a lot more fun than wiping down a sick child's nose! 

Try to keep your child's toys clean. 

UltimateMama offers up few tips on safe ways to disinfect toys (remember, read all labels first!):

– Stuffed animals:  Read the labels first but many can be washed in the washing machine. Skip the dryer though and just air dry the object.

– Teething rings:  Many teething rings can be washed in the dishwasher on the top rack.  Make sure you read the labels first.

– Board books, wooden puzzles, blocks:  Ultimatemama either uses soap and hot water or disinfecting wipes to wash board books, wooden puzzles, blocks, and other plastic toys that of course do not have batteries.

*** Note:  Some parents swear by disinfecting with bleach. Once, UltimateMama tried to bleach a denim skirt and ended up destroying the skirt's material and her bathroom rug. Alas, UltimateMama has never used bleach again and probably never will! But, if it works for you then go for it!

A loyal follower recently sent UltimateMama the following question (summarized below):

"Going through the attic, I discovered an old crib.  It was way in the back, wrapped very nicely and still in good shape, as it was a very expensive one in its day.  It is such a nice piece of furniture, I hate to throw it away. What should I do with it?"

UltimateMama QUICKLY told the loyal follower to THROW it AWAY – DO NOT DONATE IT OR PASS IT DOWN. Antique cribs and other used cribs are dangerous!  There is no market for used cribs because they present hazards. Many infant deaths each year are caused by unsafe cribs, many of which are used cribs.

UltimateMama is all for recycling and reusing "hand me down" clothing, books, and such but when it comes to used cribs UltimateMama says NO WAY.  See the press release from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission  that warns about the dangers and deaths associated with used cribs.

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/PRHTML95/95161.html

UltimateMama does not care if your best friend, your favorite relative, or a celebrity gave you their old crib – DO NOT USE IT!   No exceptions! 

If you have a baby budget, allocate a chunk of money for buying a NEW CRIB.  Do this for your child's safety!  If you want to "cheap out" or save a few bucks go to flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales for books and selected, safe attire — DO NOT EVEN LOOK AT USED CRIBS!!