BEFORE WE LEFT ROME, I got together with a friend of mine who had just returned from a summer spent in Brooklyn. “Brace yourself,” she told me as we walked up the steps of Villa Borghese. “It’s overwhelming.” She wasn’t talking about her family’s temporary transition back to the States (which can be intense, even…
Firing the Food Police on Christmas and Other Strategies for a Low Stress Family Meal
THERE ARE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT over the holidays–Santa’s gifts arriving on time, icy roads, whether you’ll lose it when your mom tells you to stop worrying because after all, you turned out okay!–but stressing out over what the munchkins eat is definitely not one of them. Not this year.
5 ways to teach toddlers table manners
Around here, my aim is to make healthy, delicious food, both with and for kids so they’ll grow up to cook themselves, and better yet, enjoy sitting around a table full of family and friends for years to come. Here on Foodlets I’ve got tips (let the kids help cook) and tricks (grate vegetables and…
A surprising way to cut dinner stress: simplify the menu
There’s a hilarious cartoon circulating on Pinterest with a woman hunched over the arm of a chair in despair. The caption reads “Why do they want dinner every single night?” It’s funny…because it’s true.
Why I’m still buying organic food for my family
Oh boy. Aren’t the cynics laughing now? This week, USA Today reported on a new study, noting that organic produce may not be more nutritious than conventionally grown vegetables. But just a second. As I’ve often mentioned here on Foodlets, I believe in buying organic. And in my opinion, the story around this four-year study…
How to get kids to try new foods (without begging, bribing or losing your mind)
Every meal with 18-month-old Estelle starts the same way. I lift the fork to her lips, just as she clamps them shut. “No.” There’s twisting, frowning and eyebrows furrowing and it would be maddening if this lasted for more than five seconds, but we’re on to her. At this stage, and there will be many…
Foodlets on Food Network blog, Healthy Eats
AS I SAID ON FACEBOOK LAST WEEK, we’re ONE step closer to the dream with this post–Food Network + Foodlets (in any conceivable way, but preferably involving my Barefoot Contessa)–with many, many more to go! In the meantime, we’re thrilled to be featured and hope to do it again sometime. Read the lovely piece from…
Why French Kids Eat Everything
Here comes another one… but it’s not what you think. French Kids Eat Everything is a surprisingly charming memoir about a family who moved to France with two picky eaters in tow and returned to Canada a year later with a happier, healthier, more educated outlook on food. Make no mistake: This isn’t a U.S.-bashing…
5 celebrity chef recipe makeovers
I love them, deeply I do, but these ladies’ recipes are just too rich. And I mean this in both senses of the word. There’s Paula Deen, whose battle with diabetes has become very public and at least a little controversial when paired with an estimated net worth of $14 million. And also my beloved…
The newest Foodlet has arrived…welcome George!
WE’RE NOT COOKING a lot this week, but we’ll be back in the kitchen soon! Until then, it’s serious snuggle time. For more photos of baby George and his sisters, check out our family blog about life with the little guys in Italy: The Rome Report.
Stop making two dinners: Versatile ideas for the whole family
The other night I made herbed turkey burgers for dinner. Since our two-year-old has always been a die-hard condiments fan, I put neat little dots of ketchup and mustard on her bun, silently congratulating myself on knowing her so well. That’s when the screaming started.
Why are some kids such picky eaters? Simple solutions worth trying
A FRIEND OF MINE relayed a familiar scene with her four-year-old on Facebook. Lucy: “I don’t like these meatballs.” Me, noticing that they are still in big pieces: “Hmm, do you want me to cut them up a little more?” Lucy: “That won’t make them yummy.” So goes the battle that in our house, we…
Why are we feeding our kids so much junk?
HERE’S A NEWS FLASH recently reported by USA Today: kids are eating too much sugar. Your kids, my kids and there are pretty serious consequences. (And let’s not even talk about my own sweet tooth. Except we should, more on that in a minute.) This isn’t a discussion about blame, though. I have two little…
Foodlets on She Knows.com
FAMILIES AROUND THE WORLD, that’s the name of the feature we’re part of on She Knows.com, the website voted #1 for women based in Arizona. Our story is aptly titled, “Raising three kids under three in Italy“, and just about sums it up, right? Thanks Katie Kavulla! READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON SHE KNOWS >>…
New column on Huffington Post: Cooking for Kids (and Other Crazy Ideas)
HERE WE GO! This month I started a column on The Huffington Post called Cooking for Kids (and Other Crazy Ideas). Here I’ll write about, what else, cooking for kids. The ups, the downs, the very dirty floor. Plus I’ll tackle valtrex price trends and news stories as they come up. I’ve written two…
Most Popular Posts of 2011
IT WAS ALL PARTIES AND SWEETS around here in 2011, just a little healthier. Since re-launching Foodlets this fall, these are the top posts according to page views from readers. Both of them.
The Salmon Loaf Standoff
I’m delighted to present a guest post from Barbra Austin who is a freelance writer and co-editor of Paris by Mouth; she blogs at barbraaustin.com. *** The Salmon Loaf Standoff of 1983 was the most heated food-related battle ever to take place on Mars avenue, rivaled only by the Mint Brownie Massacre of the same…
Grilling: The long, slow road to dinner
I DIDN’T THINK I LIKED GRILLING going into tonight’s dinner and now it’s confirmed. I hate it. What’s appealing about spending two hours in front of a smokey mess, poking, coaxing, begging the coals to just light already? Wondering when/if the whole thing will ever, ever be hot enough to cook meat without giving everyone…
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…