Category Archives: Food and Drink

A peek Into My Kitchen: Vacation Snacks to Pack for Small Children

Also posted in A Peek Into My Kitchen, Allergies, Baby Food, Food related, Health, meatless monday, Parenting . by jessica on February 27, 2012

I’m typing this post into my phone with one thumb in a hotel room in Israel with intermittent WiFi…
Traveling with kids can be tough, routines get thrown off, familiar stuff is left at home (the favorite stuffed animal or blanket of the moment almost always turns out to be the one you left behind) and, often, changes in time zone wreak havoc on sleeping patterns.
I’m a big believer in traveling with a whole bunch of medication, toys, gear and especially snacks to make the change more palatable. I promise to share my other lists at some other point, but here are some easy to throw in a suitcase foods that can be ready to appease little mouths for your actual traveling time as well as for when you get to your destination and thoughout your stay:
For plane/car/bus/train:
*Refillable water bottle per child (if you’re flying internationally, empty it before you go through security so the TSA doesn’t bug you and have stewardesses refill on the plane)
*Empty milk cup/bottle per child (good to keep your cups for milk and other beverages separate, especially when you may not be able to wash them so well)
*Applesauce or other puréed fruit pouches–some good ones are Happy Baby, Plum Organics, Earth’s Best, Revolution Foods and GoGo Squeeze. These are great for older kids as well! Freeze a couple and pop them in your bag for slushy treats en route! They also make great ice packs for…
*cut up apples, pears, grapes, carrots, clementines, cheese sticks/cubes
*frozen single serving shelled edamame
*raisins, dried apricots or other dried fruit
*fruit leather
*cereal (either in small bags or snack cups)
*crackers, pretzels, rice cakes, cookies, cereal bars, yogurt drops
*For a plane–lollipops, sucking candies gum are essential for kidlets too big to suck on a bottle or to nurse during takeoff and landing. Toddlers under 3 should probably stick to the lollipops to prevent choking scares.
*small sandwiches, mini yogurts or yogurt squeeze sticks if it’ll be meal time
Note: if you are traveling between countries, you may need to leave any leftover produce on the plane so as not to have problems with agricultural authorities (particularly when entering the US)
For the trip itself:
*more of all of the non-perishable items from above
*if your children are avid milk drinkers, you may want to pack a few boxes of shelf stable milk–particularly if you prefer organic, which isn’t always easy to find. Milk tastes different in different places, and, you may not want to jeopardize this source of protein and calcium for a picky child.

A peek Into My Kitchen: Stuffed Acorn Squash with Israeli Couscous, Apples and Cranberries

Also posted in A Peek Into My Kitchen, meatless monday . by jessica on February 20, 2012

I love stuffed vegetables and my kids love eating them because they’re so much fun to dissect on your plate. A lot of recipes take a lot of work, a lot of time or both. This one requires neither! It could be served as a side dish, but we eat as a main dish with some roasted vegetables (like cauliflower) on the side.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Israeli Couscous, Apples and Cranberries

1 acorn squash

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

2 small onions, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 small apple, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Babyccino? No No NO

Also posted in Current Affairs, NY, Parenting . by jessica on February 20, 2012

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that such a thing exists…and that it has a super-annoying cutesy term to go along with it.

It turns out that there are a whole bunch of cool coffee shops in Brooklyn at which the most-hipster-y of hipster parents can order a mini-decaf cappuccino or steamed milk for their little ones…so many, in fact, that the term ‘babyccino‘ was coined and can be used to order such off-the-menu craziness.

Let’s set aside the issue of giving your child actual coffee, which aside from an occasional taste of the milk foam from atop an adult’s drink is a pretty terrible idea. I actually love steamed milk. I love it even more with cinnamon or honey, and I’m sure that my kids would love sipping some in a coffee shop as well, assuming I could get them an ice-cube to go along with it.

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A peek Into My Kitchen: Pink Lemonade Bars (No Dye!)

Also posted in A Peek Into My Kitchen, meatless monday . by jessica on February 7, 2012

Ah, the insanity that is Pinterest.

I am developing a love-hate relationship with this fabulous new time-suck…but, when it comes to finding new food inspiration, the feeling is generally one of love.

When I clicked on the original pin for this recipe, I fully expected the bright pink color to be a result of Jello, cake mix or insanely large amounts of food coloring that would’ve sent me clicking away. Instead, I was amazed to find that freshly pureed strawberries added to the lemon-sugar mixture result in a shade of pink so super girly vibrant that it would Pinkaliscious smile

I actually want to play with this recipe some more, maybe trying a few different types of berries to get different colored bars. And maybe a thicker crust–I’ll keep you posted.

A peek Into My Kitchen: Creamy Carrot Soup (dairy-free, GF)

Also posted in A Peek Into My Kitchen . by jessica on January 30, 2012

The parsnips in this simple to make soup, add creaminess and another layer of flavor to this soup. Even if you’ve never tried parsnips before, don’t be scared of them…and don’t assume that your children won’t like them either!

While you can definitely halve this soup so that you aren’t making so much at once, I prefer to make a big pot. I either give half to a friend (makes a great soup to share with a friend who’s just had a baby!) or stick half in the freezer.

A great way to freeze soup is to wait until it cools and seal individual portions in microwave-safe containers or in ziploc bags. If you have an older baby at home, freeze some in ice cube trays for baby size portions.

A peek Into My Kitchen: Sweet & Salty Caramel Apples (nut-free)

Also posted in A Peek Into My Kitchen, Products, Uncategorized . by jessica on January 20, 2012

To be honest, it has never really occurred to me to cook with pretzels. Every once in a while, I’ve seen a recipe for Pretzel-crusted this or that and I’ve definitely watched an episode or two of Chopped in which pretzels were one of the mystery ingredients…but I don’t generally think of them as more than a snack food staple in my pantry.

That’s actually one of the reasons that I thought it would be fun to do this post–to stretch my culinary imagination a bit.

Trying to figure out what to make, I had a “eureka!” moment. My nut-allergic son rarely gets to eat fun, frivolous carnival food like Caramel Apples because they are generally coated with peanuts. I threw a handful of pretzels in my food processor, dipped some apples in melted caramel and then in the pulverized pretzels. Voila! Nut-free caramel apples which still have the salty-sweet element which is generally provided by roasted peanuts.