How to use your Kai carrier!
When you first receive your Kai carrier it may be a little stiff. Open the cap, seal the ziplock and blow air into the carrier so it expands.
Open the zip lock and use a spoon to push the gusset at the bottom flat from the inside. You should be able to stand your kai carrier on the bench and then they are ready to fill. Give them a wash in warm soapy water, let them dry and then get filling!
Some things to remember when filling your Kai Carrier…
1. Only fill your Kai Carrier to the bottom of the spout – this means it won’t be overfull when trying to seal it up and allows for expansion if you are freezing you pouch.
2. Consistency of food should be what your child is used to. A little thicker for older children who like to squeeze things and a little thinner (like puree/apple sauce) for smaller children.
3. Mixing foods out of the Kai Carrier is best but you can give the food inside the pouch a stir to ensure you achieve a nice even taste – not yummy fruit at the top and plain water/rice at the bottom.
Use your kai carrier anywhere!
Remember that they aren’t just for babies and children! Use them for sauces, mayonnaise and dips when you are travelling to a BBQ or potluck meal. They can be used at the gym for a quick nutritious snack on the go, in the car while you are hiking or camping and the best part is there is no need for messy spoons or bowls!
Lightweight and easy to pack. Great for kids lunchboxes, after sports, at the park and the zoo a quick and easy snack in the buggy or in the car. Try our spouts (link) to make it even easier!
Cleaning:
Cleaning is a breeze. You can hand wash the pouches in warm soapy water and allow them to dry upside down, use a baby bottle brush to shift any stubborn food or try one of ours here – they even have a nice narrow end to get right to the bottom if needed!
Or simply give them a rinse and pop them in the top rack of your dishwasher. It pays to make sure all food is removed from around the top zip lock so that the seal is good next time you use them.
THREE convenient sizes and now we also sell snack bags sandwich bags and Kai'cicle ice block pouches.
NEW RECIPE IDEAS FOR 2015 IN SEASON FRUITS AND VEGIES!
Carrot Broccoli & Cheese Puree
- 300g potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium carrot (approx 125g), peeled and sliced
- 75g broccoli florets
- 4 tbsp your baby’s usual milk
- 15g unsalted butter
- 40g Cheddar cheese, grated
1. Put the potatoes and carrot into a saucepan, cover with boiling water and cook until tender (about 20 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for about 7 minutes until tender.
3. Alternatively add broccoli to the potatoes and carrot after about 12 minutes.
4. Drain the potato and carrot and mash together with the broccoli, milk, butter and cheese.
5. Let cool and add to your kai carriers. Once completely cool seal Kai Carriers up and use with 3-5 days or freeze.
Carrot Apple and Mango puree
Easy puree with two cheap/homegrown vegies and mango for a great flavor burst.
· Peel 3 carrots.
· Cut 1 mango into chunks.
· Halve and core 2 Granny Smith/Rome or similar cooking apples.
1. Arrange the fruits and vegetables on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast in a 180degree oven until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Let cool, then refrigerate in your kai Carrier or other suitable airtight container for up to 3 days or you can freeze for up to a month J
You can also gently boil the vegetables if you prefer.
Plum recipes
Did you know….. Plums are a good source of calcium, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin B2, Vitamin C, vitamin E and fibre. They contain powerful anti-oxidants, which help protect the body against serious diseases like cancer
Try these ideas…..
Baked cinnamon plums (for 6months +)
· 4 plums
· apple juice
· cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F (200 deg C).
2. Halve the plums, remove the pits and place them in a small, oven-proof dish.
3. Add a few tablespoons of apple juice and sprinkle the cinnamon over the top.
4. Cover, then bake in the oven for around 20-25 mins, until the plums are tender (check halfway through the cooking time to make sure there is enough cooking liquid).
5. Cool, remove the skins (if desired), then puree or mash.
How about these for a cool snack in you kaicicles or defrosted/unfrozen in kai carrier pouches…..
· (1/2 cup) fresh plums, peeled, pitted and chopped
· (1/3 cup) pureed peaches
· (2/3 cup) yoghurt
· drop vanilla essence
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
Spoon into Kaicicles or other iceblock moulds and freeze unitl firm. Or pop into kai carriers and refrigerate.
MORE KAI CARRIER RECIPE IDEAS.....NICE AND EASY!
Here are some Basic recipes for your Kai Carrier pouches. All can be modified to suit your needs dependent on how many pouches you want to fill and which size you are using. Good starter recipes to get you confident enough to try your own recipe out.
Make puree so it is smooth and thick enough for your child's needs. A silicone spout may be of use for smaller children. You can add these to 140ml Kai Carrier Pouch purchases for $14 per 2 pack. They also fit most bought pouches for when you dont have your Kai Carrier with you.
Fruit Combo.
You can cook up your favourite fruits (about 5-6 items) with 1/2 cup of water and blend together. Let cool before filling your Kai Carriers - the more pouches you want to fill the more fruit you can add. This is enough for about two 140ml pouches dependent on the fruits you choose.
We also like to use canned fruit - particularly in winter when fruit is scarce or expensive. No need for cooking. 1 can of fruit or fruit salad and blend it up. You can add water if you want to but it usually isnt needed. Choose cans in natural juices for a healthier choice.
Yoghurt and Fruit mix
We love yoghurt at our house but it is often messy and a lot gets wasted. So we use our Kai carriers!
For one Kai Carrier it works out to be about 1/4cup yoghurt and 1/4c blended up fruit for a 140ml Kai Carrier. Works out fantastically to use a can of fruit blended up and about 1 cup of yoghurt with a splash of water and then you can fill a few carriers ready for the fridge or freezer.
If you have smaller children who aren't ready for dairy yet we choose blended fruits or vegies, some water and use rice cereal/farex or weetbix to thicken it up. Our children love this and it fills them up - a great option when out and about in the buggy or in the car - much cleaner than an icecream or bag of chippies!
Vegetable treat
Cook up in season or favourite vegies with about 1/2-1 Cup of water and blend. If you would like you can add couscous, quinoa or baby cereal to thicken/add nutrition.
Let it cool before filling your Kai Carrier - remember you want a reasonably runny consistency so that your child is able to suck it out of the pouch. Fill to about spout level before closing Kai Carrier. If you make them too full they will have trouble sealing properly and if you are freezing they need room to expand.
Here are some recipies from the Kai Carrier website for you to try too......
Cottage cheese treat
50g cottage cheese
½ steamed pear or 1 tinned apricot
Blend together and serve in Kai Carriers – an easy way to get protein into your child’s diet
Spiced Pumpkin and Kumara
Nutmeg is a spice known to contain health promoting properties. It is traditionally used in Chinese and Indian medicine to treat illnesses relating to the nervous and digestive systems – so if your little one is suffering tummy cramps due to all the new foods they are trying add a little nutmeg to their meal to assist in alleviating their pain
•100g pumpkin
•100g kumara
•Couple of pinches of nutmeg
•Cook pumpkin and kumara on stove top
•Place in food processer and blend until smooth – adding water to get a smooth consistency
•Add a couple of pinches of nutmeg and blend. Fill your Kai Carriers when cooled.
Sunday Roast
- 1-2 slices taken from the family roast – chicken, beef or lamb (make sure you remove the crusty outer pieces and all meat is well cooked)
- ½ cup of roast veges – kumara, parsnip, pumpkin, potato
- Gravy/water to get the right consistency
- Place meat and veges into the food processer and blend until smooth. Add small amounts of the gravy or water to get the consistency right (you want it to be a thick smooth puree)
Peas and Pear and Green beans
- 2 cups chopped green beans
- 1 pear
- 1/2 cup peas
- Steam green beans until tender. Save the steaming water.
- Puree all ingredients using your blender
- Use the reserved steaming water to achieve the desired consistency for your puree
Banana and Tofu treat
- ½ ripe banana
- 120g firm tofu
- Puree the ingredients in a blender until a fluffy texture is achieved
- Place in your Kai Carrier for a tasty protein filled snack
Creamy apple pie
- 1 cup prepared baby cereal or baby porridge
- 100g Greek yoghurt
- 2 Tablespoons of apple sauce (or 1/2 a stewed apple)
- Dash of cinnamon
- Blend cereal, yogurt and applesauce (or stewed apple) together adding a dash of cinnamon
- Place this yummy treat in your Kai Carrier and serve
Have fun trying these recipes and creating your own!!