I BLAME INCISORS. Phoebe hasn’t eaten dinner two nights in a row now. She’s also been a whiny mess all day, cute but whiny. So it came as no surprise when she declined dinner tonight, save for picking out a few diced tomatoes. She actually likes eggs and she likes cheese; she’s also a fan…
Beyond rice cereal: Top 10 grains to try
Quinoa Brown rice Millet Whole oats Steel cut oats Bulgur Whole wheat pasta Barley Polenta Whole wheat cereal
Barefoot Contessa Makeover: Corn muffins with jam filling
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER PLAYGROUP, ANOTHER BAKED GOOD. This time we tried something even more healthy…but it didn’t start that way. Barefoot’s corn muffins promise to be moist and delicious, which is easy to believe when you consider the half pound of butter called for in the original recipe. That won’t work for us so we…
Ina Garten’s Roasted tomato basil soup
I’VE MADE IT BEFORE BUT THIS TIME, I ADDED A LITTLE MORE OOMPH. By now you know that I love my Barefoot Contessa. But you also might be aware of her delicious yet wildly fattening food, a dilemma for someone who is already 14 pounds heavier than usual, also trying to keep a 17-month old…
Barefoot Contessa Makeover: Oatmeal raisin scones
WE’RE ON AN OATMEAL KICK HERE IN ROME. The temperatures are cooling off and Phoebe has recently discovered dried cranberries which means oatmeal every morning, naturally. We’re just doing the quick oats which cook in one minute…except they don’t. It takes several minutes to boil the water, then another couple to cook the oats. I’m…
Barefoot Contessa Makeover: Cranberry wheat germ muffins
THEY’RE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEY SOUND, REALLY. And Phoebe loves them. Every morning this week I’d ask, “do you want a muffin?” She’d nod as emphatically as someone can without being hauled off to an institution, start saying “mmm, mmm, mmm” and jamming her finger into her empty plate so hard I thought it…
Carrot and raisin cookies
THESE DIDN’T WORK OUT. Not really anyway and it’s my fault. I made them for a friend who’s just had a new baby plus the playgroup. I know from experience that when you’ve recently given birth, you’re a. tired b. hungry and c. usually packing a few extra lbs, which calls for smart eating. That’s…
Surprisingly successful toddler lunch blend: baby eggs Florentine
hard-boiled egg (yolk only) + steamed and pureed spinach + whole wheat cereal + freshly grated Parmesan cheese = Baby Eggs Florentine What’s your most surprisingly successful lunch recipe?
Apple cream cheese mini-muffins
FINALLY, A BAKED GOOD that Phoebe likes! And not a moment too soon. We started a play group this week and I’d been told ahead of time to bring a “healthy snack”. I wasn’t sure how the group would go but I knew this for sure: the last thing we needed was a lousy snack…
Ina Garten’s white bean and rosemary soup
I LOVE THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA. I just do. I always have, I hope I always will. Her recipes are always delicious, they inspire me to try new things and she just seems fun, doesn’t she? With that husky laugh and a button down shirt, there she is making all manner of soups, roasted chicken and…
Anatomy of a failed dinner
NINE. THIS IS THE NUMBER of items I prepared for Phoebe’s dinner tonight. Nine. This includes entrees, side dishes, snacks and even desserts. What it shouldn’t be however, is confused with the number of things that she actually ate–and let’s not even talk about what she finished. I used to be curious about why parents…
Top 10 foods (nearly) every baby likes
PACKED WITH NUTRITION, you never have to feel bad about giving these to baby as often as you both want. 1 >>Sweet potatoes Roasting in the oven is easiest. Just rub the skin with a little olive oil, poke a few times with a fork and roast at 350 for about 45 minutes, depending on…