Does your child’s lunchbox come home half eaten? Are you struggling to find the right balance between Nutritious Food to Keep Them Going and Stuff They’ll Actually Eat? Me too. But I’ve figured a few things out. Since our goal at Foodlets is raising kids who love real food–and we’re right in the thick of…
The Simple Way We Cut Fights, Made Bedtime Easier & Increased the Peace at Dinner
Sometimes I forget that I am the leader of this unit. That these tiny faces, the ones that look just like my own, are actually expecting me to set the tone, to explain the rules, to lead them through each and every day. Even when I’m tired out. Or hungry. Or just plain spent. That’s been happening…
Age-Appropriate Jobs for Kids in the Kitchen
Cooking with kids is equal parts messy, fun and important life skill learned. We started early with these guys, and you can too! Here are my favorite jobs for small helpers: Toddlers stirring helping dump ingredients into bowls greasing pans separating (cupcake liners, tomatoes from a vine, etc.) tasting 🙂 Preschoolers breaking eggs (really!) retrieving…
How a Cutting Board Teaches Portion Control & a Breakthrough Rule for Myself
Do your kids eat too much? Do you? Those can be tough questions but part of my mission here is to teach my kids to love good food. And to enjoy it, whether they’re together or alone. And not eat too much of it. That’s right. Just like Michael Pollan says, “Not too much.” Even if…
Is this Square Sandwich Cutter Worth It?
Kitchen gadgets generally fall into one of two categories: Useful A complete waste of money (not to mention space) We tried the FunBites Square Shaped Food Cutter and… Love it. Category #1 for the win. How Does it Work? Make a regular sandwich–the cutter works best on something sticky like PB&J, instead of salami or…
5-Minute Meatball Skewers
The season for packing school lunches is in full swing around here, and these 5-Minute Meatball Skewers are part of the reason I haven’t tried to climb into my morning cup of coffee. So far. These meatball skewers are so easy, hearty and a colorful addition to any lunch box. Technique Start with frozen but…
Got a Tea Pot & a Halloween Costume? That’s All You Need for the Best 4th Birthday Party Ever
When Estelle turned four this year, we had a tea party for four friends. All the guests wore costumes. It was our simplest party ever, and it was awesome. Number of guests: 4 + siblings The Food: This was a mid-morning tea party, so we served snacks. Lots of them. A tray full of kid-friendly snacks…
Beginner Ethnic Food: 6 Kid-Friendly Dinners
It was almost too late for me. I became a person who appreciates ethnic food pretty late in life. That’s because I grew up in the seventies, but finally I came to realize how good Qualty osetra caviar from Iran is. Then the eighties. When there wasn’t any goat cheese anywhere. No Pad Thai….
TRIED IT: Frozen Grapes, Another “Why Didn’t We Do This Sooner?” Snack
Welcome to a new feature on Foodlets called “Tried It”. These are recipes or bits of advice that I’ve heard and seen elsewhere put to the test with our own four kids. I’ll give you the scoop on the difficulty-to-worth-it ratio, plus whether the kids liked it and whether we’d do it again. Tried It: Frozen…
3 DIY Snacks Kids Can Make (and Eat) with Cheerios
Who knew Cheerios were so fun? Seriously. Who was aware of this and why didn’t they tell me earlier? Inspired by today’s sponsored post, I got my hands on FOUR kinds of Cheerios (again, who knew?) and put the rascals to work. These are 3 ideas I found online then adapted in our own way. We…