We've been going through carb withdrawals here. Generally my children eat well, but I was finding that their consumption of crackers and 'Os" was becoming excessive and was probably contributing to their smaller appetites at meal time. As well, every time I turned around they asked, "can I have a snack," or "crackers". I had to cut the cord and instill some definitive eating patterns.
I've decided that cracker time is limited to the afternoon, and once they finish the crackers I give them, that's it. They have to wait for set snack times, and then their choices are yogurt, cheese, or fruit. There has been a lot of whining, but I have seen a definite improvement in the amount they eat during meal time. I'm glad I curbed the carb/snack consumption now, because I'm sure it would have been much harder had I waited any longer. I now see how this can snowball into something much more harmful, creating eating habits that are hard to break.
We keep all cracker and snacks (which is usually only tortilla chips, as we are not a snack/chip family) in a cupboard out of their reach. It is high above a counter so they can't even open the cupboard and see what is inside. This is helpful especially since my oldest has taken to getting himself something when he wants it. The other day he went into the fridge and pulled out four yogurt cups, opened them all, and was sitting at the table eating them all. At least it was yogurt and it wasn't something like ice cream, but it really got me thinking. The foods that you don't want your children to have access to at all hours of the day, need to be kept out of reach - and out of sight.
My grandfather always kept a bottom cupboard in the dining room filled with goodies for the grandchildren. It was a place we knew we could go to find snacks, candy and all that stuff we practically had to beg for at home. I'll bet my parents we glad that we only had the opportunity to raid the cupboard once a week when we visited my grandparents. However, my aunt has always - and still does - had a very accessible cupboard filled with cookies, crackers, snacks and whatever goodies you can imagine. The cupboard was always accessible - not only to us, but to the kids - at any hour off the day. What a temptation!(I do have to say that my cousins don't have a weight problem and are very good about eating their meals)
At this stage, with two little ones, I want to keep ensure that they don't have that temptation. I want them to learn about good eating choices and to understand that a snack - whether a cookie, cracker or chips - is something that is an occasional treat, not something that is for consumption at all times. I can see how children get to a point of no return when it comes to eating these foods - they get used to it as a child, and when they're teenagers the habit is hard to break, and even much harder when they become adults.
I agree, snack are easy. They make my kids happy and they keep them quiet for a period of time, but in the long run, it will be much easier to limit them at this time, than to wait until its too late.
Until next time, enjoy time with Food, Family and Friends.
Laura

Ice Cream Days of Summer
Saturday night's Food Network special, Scoop got me thinking. It was a reality-based show in which contestants competed to have their dream ice cream flavor sold in stores. The finalists' flavors were quite tasty (I know because I served on the judging panel) and some, quite exotic. The great thing about the contest was that consumers were able to take their love for ice cream and create something that was truly their own. As the contestants progressed through the process of making (and tasting) their dream flavors, you could see their eyes light up as the final product was set in front of them. Ice cream is a pleasure for so many of us.
We don't keep ice cream in the freezer on a regular basis - mainly because we would go through way too many cartons in a week. It is also a challenge, when my son knows that there is ice cream in the freezer, he asks for it constantly. I'd rather my children eat ice cream on a limited basis, for special times or certain occasions. And of course, as a great refresher on a hot summer afternoon. To sort of limit the begging for ice cream, I came up with a little disciplinary device that seems to be working.
Being that my 3-year old is working on impulse issues (i.e. being gentle with his sister, sharing and not grabbing toys, listening to us, etc), I created a Grayson's Day board in which each of the issues we want him to work on are listed on it. They include, being gentle with his sister, sharing, sitting down (and staying there) while eating, brushing teeth, among others. As he accomplishes one of these, a little magnetic man moves to the next space. If he doesn't, the man moves backwards. When this little magnetic man (whom Grayson believes is himself), reaches a certain point, Grayson gets some ice cream.
To make it even more special, we are going to make the ice cream that he gets as 'reward.'
This has turned into a great opportunity to get him involved with creating his reward, and I know exactly what ingredients are included, monitoring fat content as well as flavor. The home ice cream maker gives us the opportunity to make an infinite array of flavors, and brings us together in the kitchen.
There are a wide variety of ice cream makers available on the market, most of which are kid friendly and give them a sense of accomplishment in the kitchen. By creating a special "Grayson's Flavor" my son has even more incentive to follow the rules.

I'm off to have some ice cream.
Until next time, enjoy Food, Family and Friends.
Laura

Recently we've been trying to visit the farmer's market on a more regular basis. It does take a bit more planning - getting the kids ready, going during specified hours, and perhaps the biggest challenge - knowing what I'll be preparing for meals in the coming days so that I can purchase accordingly . . . After all, its not like you can run over to the farmers market if you realize in the middle of dinner preparation that you need a certain ingredient.
Despite the challenges, we have found that there are some definite benefits to visiting the market, especially for our kids. They get to experience all the excitement of visiting each stall, looking at the fresh offerings, and even tasting them. By shopping the farmers market we have the opportunity to taste the freshest produce available, much of which has been picked either that morning or the day before. The market provides us with the opportunity to experiment by showing the kids the wider variety of produce than we'll typically see in the supermarket.

Aside from the variety and abundance of great tasting, fresh foods, the market allows us to support our local farmers. By buying direct, they definitely get a better profit for their work. And, as an added benefit, most of the produce found at the market is organically certified (or at least grown using organic methods but not certified).
On a recent visit, Grayson was intrigued by the box of various colored beans that he could run his hands through. He played in the box for a long time, looking at all the different types of beans, observing the different colors and speckles, even asking what each was called. He even chose his favorite 'colors' and placed a couple in his pockets. He pulled them in and out of his pocket for the rest of the day. This offered me a great opportunity to introduce him to different beans for meals.

Beans are a great food for kids and adults alike, and offer lots of opportunities for use, from appetizers to salads to main dishes. They're high in complex carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber; low in fat, calories and sodium; and cholesterol free. (to learn more about beans and find recipes, visit www.americanbean.org).
The wonderful thing about visiting the market is if you have a question, there is always someone on hand to answer it - unlike many of the supermarkets. So, if you are wondering how to prepare a certain vegetable, or even help with a recipe, the vendor will be glad to share information with you.
I find a lot of my bean recipes in my collection of Molly Katzen cookbooks - she even has a great kids cookbook called Pretend Soup, but I find that Vegetable Heaven, The Moosewood Cookbook and the New Enchanted Broccoli Forest give me enough options to keep my kids (and us) happy.

I am confident that the 'bean' experience is just one of the many new experiences to come from visiting the farmer's market with my children. I am hoping that they'll become intrigued with green beans or tomatoes - two vegetables that I have a very hard time getting them to eat.

Until next time, enjoy Food, Family and Friends

Laura

A few weeks ago I traveled to Las Vegas for the Gourmet Housewares Show, where some 200 companies exhibited cookware, kitchen gadgets, tabletop, cookbooks and more. While I only spent a day there, I did unearth a few notable new introductions that will surely make life in the kitchen more convenient, colorful, and/or enjoyable.

I recently asked my husband what his favorite kitchen gadgets/tools were, among those he mentioned were knives - sharp knives. To keep your knives in proper working order (and to ensure safety in the kitchen) Lamson & Goodnow presented a new porcelain BladeCone. This easy to use sharpener was designed so that you can sharpen frequently while cooking. And, its small footprint allows you to keep it on the counter, handy and ready for use whenever needed. A sculpted porcelain cone has a precisely calculated surface angle so the knife is automatically sharpened at the proper angle. It measures 7 1/2 inches tall and 6 inches in diameter and retails for around $120 - a price well worth it. www.lamsonsharp.com


The Clean 'N Stuff waste scoop and sink stopper is a handy gadget that lets you gather sink waste to the disposal's entrance and then stuff it through the rubber splash guard safely. www.cleanstuff.com

The bambu Lacquerware collection has been expanded to included small Mini Me bowls. The line, which is made of bamboo, is colored on the outside in Cantaloupe, Tomato, Blueberry, Lemon Chiffon, Robin Egg Blue, Black and Naked (no color). The bowls are suitable for both hot an cold foods and are a great way to add color to the table. www.bambuhome.com

Lodge Manufacturing highlighted its Signature series of cast-iron cookware that has stay-cool stainless steel handles. The line includes 10-inch and 12-inch skillets, 4.5-Quart Dutch oven and a 12-inch grill pan. In addition to this great line, the company also promoted the Lodge Color cast-iron line which brings color to the classic cookware. www.lodgemfg.com


Perfect for the summertime is the Cuisinart Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream maker. It comes with a double insulated freezer bowl and a unique three-way condiment dispenser that releases toppings as the machine is dispensing ice cream. The ice cream maker produces about 1.5 quarts of ice cream in just 20 minutes. It retails for $185. www.cuisinart.com

Anyone who has tried the Vita-Mix Professional Series blender, or seen it in action, knows how indispensable it is in making anything from great bar drinks to soups. Now available is a smaller 32-ounce container that is ideal for pureeing vegetables for spreads, making baby food, salad dressing or smoothies. www.theprofessionalseries.com

One product you probably don't think you need, but once you have it, you realize how fabulous it is . . . The food mill. OXO introduced a new food mill that makes preparing fresh purees, ,sauces, soups, etc. extremely easy. The mill comes with three stainless steel grinding discs (fine, medium and coarse textures). Three nonslip legs holds the mill securely over the bowl or pot (up to 11 inches in diameter). It retails fro $49.99, and is scheduled to be available in September. www.oxo.com.


Hopefully these up and coming new products will get you back in the kitchen and cooking. Until next time, enjoy Food, Family and Friends.

Laura

Waffles all day long
Recently I received a waffle maker as a gift – one of the few small electrics for the kitchen that I had not acquired, but one I had been meaning to get for quite some time.
Lately, we’ve been purchasing frozen blueberry waffles from Whole Foods, and thought at nearly $3 pop, it would be much more economical – and fun – to make the waffles ourselves. After all, nothing beats the flavor of homemade waffles.
The great thing about making waffles, is that you can make them just like you like them – with blueberries, or without. With whole wheat flour or with a pumpkin spice batter.
The other great thing about waffles is that they can be enjoyed all day long. They can be made ahead of time, and frozen until ready for use. Then, pop them in the toaster to defrost and heat up.
Now that we have our own waffle maker on hand, we’ll be using it for much more than breakfast waffles. We love to experiment, so they’ll be a handy snack for the kids in the afternoon when topped with peanut butter, or for a more indulgent snack, I’ll fill them with ice cream to make ice cream waffle sandwiches.
Experimenting is great too. We’ll add unsweetened chocolate to the batter, or nuts, fruit, spices (such as cinnamon) or even coconut. In addition to whole wheat waffles, try sweet potato waffles, pumpkin spice, or even yogurt and fruit.
There are a wide variety of waffle makers available, so I thought I’d offer up some suggestions on how to choose the right one for your needs.

Features to consider:
Variable Browning Control: allows you to select the desired waffle texture – higher for waffles that are crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.
Indicator Light: tells you when the waffle maker is ready for baking, and one that lets you know when the waffle is ready. Some makers have an audible tone that signals when it is time to fill the waffle iron, and when they are properly baked.
Multifunctional: My VillaWare waffle maker includes three interchangeable plates – one for waffles, another for pizzelles, and a third for making grilled sandwiches. With a cone form, you can even transform the pizzelles into ice cream cones.
Stay cool handles: important especially when kids are around. The Cuisinart Waffle Dippers has stay-cool housing.
Nonstick surface: for preparation of waffles with minimal fat, and for easy removal.
Design: They run the gamut from squares, hearts and circles to Belgian waffles, waffle sticks, Mickey Mouse and more. In addition to the design of the waffles, some makers are designed to catch overflow batter, keeping it from dripping outside the machine and onto the counter. Cord storage is important, and a stand-up design that lets you store it standing on end in small spaces in the cupboard.

It is recommended that a waffle maker have at least 1,000 watts of power to ensure good, fast baking.


Models to consider:
VillaWare - This company has been making waffle irons for years, and currently have around 15 or so models in their repertoire, including the classic Mickey Mouse shape and also a Cinderella version. The one I have is the InterBake 3 which has three sets of plates to make deep pocketed waffles, sandwiches and pizzelles. It is pretty straightforward, not having any bells and whistles, although it does come with nonstick surface, stay-cool handles and easy to remove plates. It retails around $50.
Cuisinart offers a range of waffle makers, including the Traditional Waffle Iron, 6-slice Traditional Waffle Iron, and Waffle Dippers.
Features include a red power on indicator light, locking latch to keep the unit closed while baking and storing, nonstick plates, convenient cord wrap. Cuisinart has a six-setting browning control that allows you to customize your waffle preferences from light to dark. The 6-slice Traditional Waffle Iron and the Traditional Waffle Iron have stay-cool handles, and the Waffle Dippers has stay-cool housing. Six-slice Traditional Waffle Iron ($120), Traditional Waffle Iron ($60) and Waffle Dippers ($80).
KitchenAid ProLine Series Waffle Baker– For those who truly love not only eating, but making them. This powerhouse of a waffle maker is a double-sided baking unit that rotates (upside down) so that both the lower and upper plates are coated for even cooking. The waffle baker makes two, 7 ½ inch diameter by 1 ½” thick Belgian waffles. The machine is truly a professional and comes with a hefty price as well - $349.99.
Chef’s Choice Belgian Waffle Pro (850) – makes four deep-pocket Belgian waffles at once in a quick 1-1/2 – 2 minutes. Features include a ready beep, nonstick surface, automatic countdown timer, sleep mode, hast heat up and quick recovery for continuous preparation. It also features a baking system that lets you adjust the baking time and temperature for customized waffles. It retails around $140. Chef’s Choice also has the WafflePro express (840), Waffle Pro (830) and Pizzelle Pro.


That should be enough to help you enjoy waffles morning, noon and night.
Until next time, enjoy Food, Family and Friends
Laura

This past week was filled with preparations for Grayson's third birthday party. I do have to say that things weren't as hectic as I thought they would be, even with 14 kids RSVP'd -- meaning that with parents, we'd be entertaining about 30 people. We opted for an hour and a half party, and hired someone to sing for a half an hour. That would keep the kids entertained, but they still needed to be fed.
Something simple and delicious was what I sought to create. I didn't want to spend my days before the party, and time during the party making food and serving it. I wanted to add a personal touch with some homemade items, but didn't want to go overboard and offer tons of options. So I decided on making two pizzas, along with an Asian noodle salad. I made the pizza dough the night before, so all I had to do in the morning was bring it to room temperature, then form the crust, put on the toppings so it was ready to plop in the oven when needed. The noodle salad, which took about 15 minutes to make the night before, required only to be placed in a bowl for serving. Bottled water, juice and lemonade for drinks, a simple fruit salad, and I had myself a party.
My son loves fish, so I did an Internet search for fish molds/pans and found easy directions on how to make the fish cake myself - no need to buy a mold that I would use only once or twice. Using a recipe pulled from a Good Housekeeping Cook Book, I made the cake a few days early, wrapped it in plastic wrap and foil to keep it fresh and moist, all I needed to do was to frost and assemble the cake the day before the party. Initially, I was going to make the frosting, but as my mother pointed out, there was no need to add an extra step onto the process. I bought canned frosting and colored it blue. The creation of the fish wasn't as time-consuming as I thought it would be, and after about 45 minutes, the fish was completed frosted and assembled. It was the star of the show for my son. He wanted to look at it all the time. The night before the party, he told his Dad "tomorrow, I can eat the fish cake."

I guess the point of the story is that making a memorable party, one that you remember and your guests do as well, doesn't take a lot of time or money. Simple, straightforward recipes go a long way. Your friends will appreciate the personal touch.
Until next time, enjoy Food, Family and Friends.
Laura

Last Sunday, my husband and I headed north to wine country for a Slow Food event. There, Michael Pollan spoke about his current book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, in addition to espousing his thoughts on the Slow Food movement. (www.slowfoodusa.org)
Pollan spoke of the many lessons he learned while writing the book, including the unsustainable nature of the industrial food chain and how, in its existing state, cannot continue as is. As well, he touched on his belief that the organic food movement has become splintered - to include the small local organic farmers, and the big, mega organic farmers. He admits that natural foods supermarkets, such as Whole Foods, have done a great job at furthering the organic food movement, especially among mainstream America, however, he feels that they are falling short. Citing the San Francisco Chronicle article Green Giants (which ran the same day), Pollan pointed out the 'problems' (in his opinion) of the current state of the organic movement. He is an advocate of eating locally, as opposed to heading to the supermarket - natural food markets included. As more supermarkets offer organic foods, the organic agriculture system is becoming big business, with the size of many organic farms becoming quite large - even industrial in scale. His suggestion was to shun the supermarkets (as much as possible) and purchase at a local farmer's market. As he puts it, "foraging for food is one of the pleasures in life." And to that point, he couldn't stress enough the virtues of the local farmer's markets.
By eating locally, we create important relationships with the community and the natural world - as well as the family. As he spoke, our minds were swirling with thoughts on how we could make this work within our family. On occasion we head to the market, but find the convenience of Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the local Safeway much more conducive to our busy lifestyle.
While it didn't take Pollan to apprise me of the fact that many children are unaware of where their food comes from, or what it looks like in its unprocessed state, but it did bring it to the forefront now that I have children.
It may require a bit of effort in the beginning, but I believe that once the habit of shopping at the farmer's market is established, it can become just as convenient as going to the supermarket. It may take a bit of menu planning - to understand which produce each season brings, but soon it will become a habit. It is a great way to reconnect yourself with the food world - the seasons of produce and the people in your community who produce these wonderful goods. It is also a great way to introduce children to the world of food - where it comes from, what it tastes like. And, it is an ideal opportunity for your children to take part in menu planning, food gathering, preparation, and the joys of eating.

We'll be heading to a market this weekend - exposing our children to the food, the smell and the farmers who work in our community. Yes, we will still frequent the local Whole Foods, but at least it is a start . . .

Until next time, enjoy Food, Family and Friends (and Farmers, too!)
Laura