Monthly Archives: March 2011

Mar 30Our Food System Is Broken - Ted Talk by Robyn O'...

We eat 3 meals a day. Every single day. But our food system is very very very broken...and it is affecting our bodies and the health of our planet. Each of us needs to do something to improve our food system. Please.

Mar 28Community Service Event for Families – SOUP

In case you hadn't noticed, I care a lot about community service. But only because I am selfish. No, really. I like how doing service makes me feel. And I love inspiring kids to do the same. Yep - selfish. Studio 4 Art and I recently held our second annual SOUP event. You might have seen the recent post about the classes where local students and I were up to our elbows in soup.... I thought I'd offer you an update, showing you the incredible bowls that her students made, and the...

Mar 25Gluten Free Layered Choco-Coco-Nut Bars

I'm one of those mommies. You know, the "mean" ones. The ones that won't buy girl scout cookies on principle. I don't like that most of their flavors include funky chemical ingredients. And I'm not a fan of the fact that their pushers don't make much of a profit in the process. I'd rather just make a donation to the troop, go home, and eat cookies whose ingredients I recognize (or bake my own). My daughter is a huge fan of Samoas - the girl scout cookies that are layered with caramel,...

Mar 23Soup for Service – Making Soup with Children

While gearing up for our second annual SOUP fundraiser with Studio 4 Art, I hosted a soup making class in my home for our local 4-H club and taught classes at two elementary schools. Kids worked together to create meals that would ultimately help local families in crisis. It was a beautiful thing... What kind of soup does your family enjoy? We'll pick new varieties for our event next year, and I'd love your thoughts...

Mar 21Virtual Baby Shower (& Hamentashen Recipe)

There are just some days that I feel very lucky. I am sure you can relate. Today, I feel like that - I get to show my love for my special friend Amanda, who is going to have a baby. The big bummer is that I can't congratulate her in person because she lives on the other side of the country. That's okay. I am resourceful - some friends and I have decided that we can show our love for her by hosting a virtual baby shower! Because Amanda is a baker extraordinaire, my kids and I decided we'd...

Mar 18School Lunches: Scratch Cooking IS Possible

I have been working with a tireless group of passionate parents to reform our local school food. Although we are making HUGE progress, we keep hearing about reasons why things aren't even better. We don't have enough money. We don't have enough equipment. Our staff needs more training. Okay. Let's deal with it. Let's see if we can make do with what we have. Chef Bruno visited our central kitchen recently, to show us how to cook Barilla Plus pasta with the resources we already have. Take...

Mar 16Easy & Healthy Do-it-Yourself Granola Bar Recipe...

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new ideas for healthy snacks. I like to carry food with me wherever I go (to feed hungry and grumpy children), and have been known to dive into the stash, myself, in a pinch. When my friends, Liz and Janice (AKA The Meal Makeover Moms) offered to send me a copy of their new book, No Whine with Dinner - 150 healthy, kid-tested recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms, I couldn't wait. Some nutritionists seem to spend more of their energy on the...

Mar 14Portion Distortion – How Much Food To Eat

I know I am not the only one who piles food on my plate, and then wonders if I am eating the "right amount." We all know we are supposed to be eating at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily - but what does that really mean? Here's a valuable resource, using real life examples, that should help you measure your food portions and give you peace of mind. Which of these serving sizes surprised you the most?

Mar 11McDonald's Oatmeal Throwdown (& Steel Cut Oatmea...

McDonald’s Oatmeal Throwdown (& Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe)

I tend to be too trusting. I want people to be good, and I want their intentions to be honorable. But sometimes, companies have ulterior motives, and their goodness isn't meant to be. Take the golden arches, for example. When I read Mark Bittman's piece in the NY Times, I was disappointed (but not surprised) to discover that the oatmeal being offered at McDonald's "contains more sugar than a Snickers bar and only 10 fewer calories than a McDonald’s cheeseburger". Really? I...

Mar 9Lift-Your-Winter-Spirits Mini-Cupcakes

When I saw Jamie's post about mini baked donuts, I KNEW that I had to try them. They looked delicious. And tiny. And so very family friendly. But I'm not a big fan of buying extra kitchen equipment, especially since that means I have to figure out where to put it. As it is, my cabinet for baking trays seems to explode every time I open the door. And a pan has fallen on my big toe on more than one occasion. So, I simply adapted Jamie's recipe by making it in a mini-muffin pan. ...