Yearly Archives: 2009

Nov 17I'm a Guest Blogger on a Great Adoption Net...

Hi y'all. Just a quick announcement that I'll be doing a bit of guest blogging at Grown In My Heart, a great adoption network. It was an honor to be asked to contribute, particularly since my own son is adopted from Guatemala. My first post is about getting kids to branch out and try new foods. Take a peek!

Nov 12Cooking with Toddlers: E is for Enchiladas

The first session of my Mommy & Me cooking classes is over, and won't resume until after the holidays. In the meantime, though, I thought I'd share our most recent class with you. With the recent swine flu epidemic, most of my students stayed home - but my favorite little guy showed up, and we had loads of fun together! This week's lesson is brought to you by the letter E. Easy Chicken Enchiladas These enchiladas are a great way to use up any leftover chicken or turkey you might have. ...

Nov 9Cookies Make People Happy

Just ask any child about the top 5 things that make them smile. Aside from puppies, I would be willing to bet that Cookies are on that list. Kids aren't unique when it comes to enjoying tasty treats. I bet that many adults would include something sweet or indulgent on their list, too! If eating cookies makes you or your kids happy, imagine how it would feel to receive cookies if you were sick, homeless, or a veteran home from battle. That's what Lydia had in mind when she founded Drop In...

Nov 5Kids Cook to Raise $ for Families in Crisis

As you probably know by now, our SOUP fundraiser with Studio 4 Art is quickly approaching. Hopefully we have inspired you with lots of photos of kids cooking and making soup bowls - but just in case, here are a few more! These were taken with my son's second grade class, as we made a big batch of Minestrone Soup in my rice cooker. If you enjoy the idea of cooking with kids and the concept that these kids are helping local families in crisis, please consider coming to our event. Tickets for...

Oct 31Halloween Cooking Projects with Kids

It came as no surprise when my son's 2nd grade class "party parent" called to ask if I would lead a food project at their Halloween party. Of course I agreed, and set to work to find something healthy that the kids would not only have fun making, but would love to eat as well. I settled on an oldie-but-goodie, Monster Paws (gloves filled with popcorn and candy corn finger nails) but wanted one more simple idea. I decided to try making some Banana Ghosts that my pal Aviva created with her son. ...

Oct 27Cooking With Toddlers: D is for Deviled Eggs

Each week, my mommy & me cooking class has been cooking and eating our way through the alphabet. Last week's class was the letter D. Take a look at these photos and see if you can guess what we made... Makes 2 dozen deviled eggs.

Oct 25Full Belly Farm's Hoes Down Festival: Kids ...

I love watching kids connect with their food... Playing with it... Learning about it... Cooking it... And, of course, eating it...

Oct 23PBS Makes It Fun for Kids To Eat Better

PBS has done it again. They have come up with a creative, funny, and interesting way to bring up a topic that is important to parents: Healthy Eating for Kids. Instead of relying on tactics (like bribery or long-winded lectures) this video is fun and exciting. Oh yeah - it's educational too. Stay tuned. It all starts on November 16 on PBS Go.

Oct 21Loving our Backyard Chickens

Oct 19A Few Pollan-isms and Food Rules

A few weeks ago, a friend and I went to hear Michael Pollan speak at UC Berkeley. Given his passion for eating "real food", the audience was surprised to see him walk on stage with two plastic bags filled with food packaged food-like substances. He pulled each item out of the bag, and mocked the marketing claims that covered their packaging. Gotta love this one: vitamin enhanced water... in powdered form! Before he began his presentation, which was similar to the one I heard last year, he...