What to Prepare for Baby's First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the best time of the year to bring family and friends together. It can be a little difficult figuring out what to feed your baby, when you want them to try everything. I discovered these great recipes from the blog, Wholesome Baby Food, where you can create traditional dishes that are baby friendly. I have even included a tofu recipe for those vegetarians out there. I do want to stress how important it is to buy local and organic - we need to support our small, local farms who help provide us with the best produce, pesticide-free!

Enjoy and have an amazing Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Baby Food
*For babies 4 to 6 months old and for babies 6 to 8 months old

Mix ingredients only once your baby has had them separately and you have checked for allergies.

Squishy Squashy Sweet Potatoes
Take a small scoop of that baked acorn or butternut squash and mash in some sweet potatoes.

Orange and White Potatoes
Take a small scoop of (pre-seasoned) white mashed potatoes and blend in some sweet potatoes.

Baby's Apple Pie
If you will be offering your baby cereal at Thanksgiving, make him a Baby Apple Pie - mix some applesauce together with oatmeal or rice cereal.

Baby's Sweet Potato Apple Pie
Mix in some sweet potatoes and applesauce with oatmeal or rice cereal.

Pumpkin Pie
Baby Pumpkin Pie is easy, simply blend pumpkin puree together with oatmeal or rice *

*For babies 8 to 10 months

Spicy Squash
Dish up some of the Thanksgiving squash and add some cinnamon and/or nutmeg to baby's squash.

Green & White Potatoes
Green beans and mashed potatoes are a staple of many Thanksgiving meals, for your baby, make a blend of white potatoes and green beans.

Baby's Turkey Dinner
Serve your baby a yummy Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner mélange.

1 slice of Turkey
applesauce
sweet potato
squash

Blend all of the above Thanksgiving food together for a yummy meal.

If your baby is eating finger foods, simply cut the turkey into small pieces and arrange in baby's dish with the squash, sweet potato and applesauce.

Tofu Dinner
If you will be offering your baby tofu at the Thanksgiving Dinner table, you can make your baby's tofu meal fitting and festive too. Blend or dice the tofu into manageable bites and blend with squash or sweet potato for a yummy meal; add some applesauce to extra yum.

You can also arrange the tofu bites in baby's dish with squash, white potato and another veggie like carrots or green beans.

Sweet Potato Pie
Mix sweet potato, yogurt, cereal and a dash of cinnamon then top with powdered Cheerios or Oatie O's and mix well.

For additional fun and enjoyment, let your baby do the blending of her own Sweet Potato Pie.

Apple Pie
Combine cereal, yogurt and applesauce together adding a dash of cinnamon, top with powdered Cheerios or Oatie O's and mix well. For additional fun and enjoyment, let your baby do the blending of her own Apple Pie.

Pumpkin Pie
Combine pumpkin puree together with cereal and yogurt and then add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg. Top this yummy mix with powdered Cheerios or Oatie O's and mix well.

For additional fun and enjoyment, let your baby do the blending of her own Pumpkin Pie.

Top Gifts for Holidays

The best fur for the season is faux fur and nothing is cuter than your little bundle wrapped up in fluff!! Check out our Minimink faux fur hats!

Add a scarf to keep baby deliciously warm!

Also comes in milk and honey!!

Hugh Jackman - please adopt me

I read about Hugh Jackman's new company this morning and realised....he is PERFECT! Deborah Lee Furness you are one lucky woman (and I am guessing given your own work on advocating for adoption - an incredible woman as well!).

Hugh Jackman Gives Back With New Coffee Company

By Jenny Depper
Hugh Jackman may be best known for his big muscles, but the biggest one is definitely his heart. In between grabbing box office gold with "Real Steel" and his starring role on the Great White Way with "Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway," the Aussie entertainer managed to find time to launch Laughing Man Coffee & Tea, a beverage company with a charitable mission.

"At Laughing Man, we have a very simple policy -- we want to make money then we want to give it away," Jackman noted at the company's launch at ABC Kitchen in NYC.

So how did an actor end up brewing coffee? The World Vision Ambassador was inspired after he planted coffee trees alongside an Ethiopian coffee farmer named Dukale. According to Jackman, Dukale has five children and is working hard to climb out of the cycle of poverty and give back to the rest of the community. Their meeting prompted the "Wolverine" star to make a big gesture. "I made a promise to him [Dukale] right there [that] I would do everything I could to use my voice to actually get his message out about how people can help growers like that."

A little over a year later, he made good on his promise and created Laughing Man Coffee & Tea. "It excites me to be part of a company that is providing firstly a great product, supporting the growers and their families, providing employment here in the states, and giving back," he said. "I feel blessed to be a part of it. But mostly … and selfishly, I love the coffee."

The 43-year-old says giving back runs in the family. "My dad taught all of us … giving back is really another word for 'community.' We all need help at some point, and it is important to step up and do whatever we can."

And as dad to Oscar, 11, and Ava, 6, Jackman is teaching his kids the same values. "Both of them at this age have a natural desire to help out."

Despite his hectic schedule (he met the Queen of England the day after his company's launch!), Hugh still makes plenty of time for his family. "Sunday is the most joyous. We all cook pancakes together," he shared. "But right now with me doing theater for the next 10 weeks, let's just say it is more like brunch!"

Check out Laughing Man's website for more info, or as Hugh joked, "Coffee makes a great gift! Let me remind you, it is only [one month] till Christmas. [Log on to] Livelaughingman.com and all your problems are solved!"