Many of you who know me know that I am a huge advocate for introducing new foods to kids, not just by offering them the actual food, but through books, games, movies, play, etc. My daughter received a great game for Christmas that definitely qualifies as a unique way to expose kids to different foods. The game is made by eeBoo and is called The Picnic Game. The Picnic Game is played by spinning a wheel and collecting categories of food (main course, drink, vegetable, fruit, dessert). The first person to collect one food from each of the categories on their "plate" is the winner. It's a really fun and simple game and has been enjoyed by both my 6-year-old daughter and my 3-year-old son. We were playing the game the other day in fact and I was very surprised to see that my son chose the snap peas when the spinner landed on the vegetable category. My son, whose favorite thing to say is, "Carrots? Ewww, no my like carrots" (replace the word 'carrots' with almost any other type of food in the entire world and you wouldn't be wrong!), was choosing snap peas? Well, maybe it was just a game, but I can't help but think that those sorts of experiences carry over into real life. Maybe if we play the game enough and I make those same kinds of peas and I associate them with the game, he'll actually give them a try. I like to think that this is the case anyway and I'm not giving up on that theory. So, if you're interested in helping your child on the path to becoming a great, adventurous eater, try out The Picnic Game. eeBoo also makes a similar game called Tea Party Game if tea parties are more your style. And while you're at it, here are some of my other favorite products to help get your picky eater more comfortable with the idea of new foods: Board Books:

• Let's Nosh
• Yum Yum Dim Sum
• Mangia Mangia!
• First Book of Sushi
• Hola Jalapeño
• A Little Bit of Soul Food
• Chaat and Sweets
• Jamberry
• Eating the Alphabet

Books for Toddlers:

• Lunch
• Green Eggs and Ham

Books for Older Kids:

• The Ugly Vegetables (a favorite in my house)
• Dim Sum for Everyone!
• Bread, Bread, Bread
• Pancakes, Pancakes!
• Growing Vegetable Soup
• Everybody Eats Lunch

Other:

• Ratatouille
• Family Fun Time Beginner Dinner Games

Image by Kozumel It's so simple, I can't believe I don't do it more often. I'm sure I say this about a lot of things, especially when it comes to cooking. But it really is true about making popcorn. This past weekend I was at the grocery store, about to buy some pre-made popcorn, when I remembered that I had some popcorn kernels waiting for me at home. I had bought them a while back with the intention of making homemade popcorn with the kids. That never happened. But on Saturday, I had a vision of having a movie night with my kids, and it included popcorn, so I decided that this would be the night that we would make our own. My memories of making popcorn as a kid include shaking the Jiffy Pop popping pan non-stop until all the corn was popped and then very carefully opening the foil in such a way that I would not get totally burned by the steam! I used to do this with my dad on our at-home movie nights in the 70's. Then microwave popcorn came along and pretty much replaced Jiffy Pop in my world. I'm quite sure I ate way too much of that stuff as a teenager. The other night we made our popcorn old-school style - with a big pot on the top of the stove, canola oil and some popcorn kernels. I used three tablespoons of oil to 1/2 cup of kernels. This recipe made about three cereal-sized bowls of popcorn (I would definitely double the recipe next time for a family of four). My three-year-old son was napping but my six-year-old daughter, Lucie, was pretty excited about making the popcorn. She had never made popcorn this way before and really had no idea what she was in for. I myself have always found the anticipation of waiting for those first kernels to pop pretty exciting (maybe that was an early sign of my passion for food!). We set up a little station at the stove with Lucie standing safely nearby on a step stool (The Learning Tower would be perfect for this). I used a 10-quart stockpot with a clear glass cover so that we could see the corn once it started popping. And sure enough, after a few minutes, the newly popped kernels started ricocheting off the sides and top of the pan and Lucie was excited as I remember being as a kid. After most of the kernels had popped, I let Lucie choose the toppings. We separated the popcorn into three small bowls. Lucie chose salt and pepper for one bowl, fennel seed and salt (her idea) for another bowl, and cinnamon for the third bowl. After tasting the bowl with the fennel seed, we decided that we definitely should have ground them up with a mortar and pestle first, but overall it was really tasty. After I tasted the cinnamon popcorn I decided it needed a little sugar - and sure enough, that one ended up being the favorite! Homemade popcorn is sure to become a permanent fixture at our movie nights in Brooklyn. Feel free to leave me a comment about your favorite popcorn toppings. I would love to get some new ideas for next time.

A couple of weeks ago I went to an event for Earth's Best baby food. The event was meant to highlight some of the company's new products and so some bloggers and other press people were invited to come and see what was new in the hopes that they would later write something favorable and help spread the word. I have a been a huge fan of Earth's Best since my now 6-year-old daughter started eating solid foods back in 2004. At the time, all of those lovely organic frozen baby foods that are now on the market didn't really exist and so if you wanted something to feed your child in a super-quick hurry and you didn't want to make it yourself, you went to a jar (I know, it seems so old-school, doesn't it?). My local natural foods store carried Earth's Best products and so I bought a few and quickly started to supplement my homemade baby foods with Earth's Best jars, cereals and snacks. Since Earth's Best has been my go-to organic baby food product for the past 5 1/2 years, you can imagine my surprise when, after asking at the event if the cans for some of their new products contained BPA, I was told that yes, they did. I kind of figured that, in this day and age, any new product that comes in a can and is geared toward children would not contain BPA. But when I asked why this was the case, I was told by Shauna Burke, Director of Public Affairs for The Hain Celestial Group (owner of Earth's Best), that she did not have an answer but would get back to me. Today I received an email from Ms. Burke and I've reprinted below, with her permission, some of what she said: "What I learned is that all canned products that contain foods with any amount of acidity are canned in the traditional format –i.e. a can with a thin interior coating which contains BPA. You had mentioned that a different brand now uses a BPA free method of canning and uses baked on oleoresinous within their steel cans. Baked oleoresinous may only be used when canning non-acidic products such as beans. If you look at the label on canned soups by this other brand, they are not canned using the same method as their beans.  Any food product containing acidity may corrode baked on oleoresinous and thus it is not a viable option. Currently, there are no commercial canning alternatives available on the market. At Earth’s Best we continue to research suitable methods of canning as they become available." I am pleased that Earth's Best got back to me with an answer, and I still think they have great products. But I am not an expert in BPA, nor canning processes. If anyone has information and cares to comment, please do so below.

Image by Muffet The other night I had a craving for cauliflower, which I love, and decided to make it pureed. It was one of the first chilly evenings of the new fall season, so I planned a menu of a whole, roasted chicken, pureed cauliflower and broccoli. The chicken was done very simply, the way we usually do it in my house, with salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and olive oil on top and a lemon and onion stuffed inside. The broccoli was also done simply: boiled until just tender and then tossed in some olive oil and chopped garlic. A little salt thrown on top. The pureed cauliflower, while also very simple, involved a few more steps than the other dishes, so I've included the recipe for you: Pureed Cauliflower

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 Tbsp. of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut cauliflower into florets and steam until florets are easily pierced with a fork. In a blender or food processor, puree cauliflower, 1/4 cup of reserved cooking water, milk and butter until you get the desired texture. Feel free to play around with the amounts of cooking water and milk to get the consistency you like. Serve with salt and pepper. Another option, which I often do, but did not the other night, is to add freshly grated parmesan during the pureeing process. Fresh parmesan makes everything better in my opinion. *This recipe is also great for young babies who are just starting on solid foods. It's probably best to leave out the extra salt for young babies and don't go too heavy on the pepper, but everything else about the recipe can remain the same. My kids (ages 6 and 3) were very happy to be served chicken and gobbled that up no problem. Broccoli happens to be the only green vegetable my son (the 3-year-old) really likes, and so he ate a bunch of that. Broccoli also happens to be just about the only green vegetable that my daughter (the 6-year-old) really doesn't like, so she didn't eat much, if any, of that. When it came to the cauliflower, I think both of the kids each had a little taste, but that was it. This is one of those times where the 'Golden Rule' of feeding, which states that kids need to see a new food 15 - 20 times before they'll try it, applies. I don't serve cauliflower too often, let alone pureed cauliflower, so I'll give them a pass this time (and maybe the next 14 times as well - but no more than that!).

Image by Miskan About two months ago, as we were driving along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, my almost-six-year-old daughter, Lucie, while looking out the window, declared, "I want to eat at that restaurant with the big 'M'." To which I replied, "Why?" She then said, "Because it looks really good." Cut to two days ago. As we are crossing a street in Manhattan, about to go into a doctor appointment, that same almost-six-year old-daughter says, "Oooh, there's a McDonald's. Can we go after the doctor appointment?" It took me a few minutes, but I finally told her that yes, we could go. I've never taken either of my kids (ages six and three) to a McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Popeye's, Subway...you get the picture. Although I am not a food Nazi, I've built a whole business around the idea that it's pretty important to feed children as healthily as possible, whenever possible. I do believe, however, in the concept of "all things in moderation" and so we do definitely eat our fair share of junk food around my house (I try to stick with organic junk food, but hey, it's still junk food). But I consider myself lucky in the sense that I live in a place where I hardly ever have to be in my car (and there are few fast food joints within walking distance); I enjoy cooking and so make my kids dinner almost every night; and when I do need take-out or something pre-prepared, I have tons of small 'mom-and-pop' markets and restaurants nearby to choose from. But again, I am a believer in moderation and I know that one trip to McDonald's isn't going to kill anybody. And of course I knew it would be good material for my blog! So after the doctor appointment, Lucie and I walked into McDonald's. I was surprised to see so much diversity in the place, even though it is Manhattan. I haven't been in a McDonald's in about 15 years so I sort of just assumed that most people had been paying attention to recent news about health, diet, obesity epidemics, sustainability, factory farms, etc. I guess not! There were lots of teenagers at this particular McDonald's, which was to be expected, but there were also old people, middle-aged people, single people, families, people in suits, people in jeans, African Americans, Indians, Asians, Caucasians...you name it. Going up to the counter, I knew that I would order a Happy Meal. It just made sense to me considering that I was there with a six year old child. Lucie had already told me before we went in that she wanted "chicken nuggets," so I searched the menu for the Happy Meal option that included the McNuggets. A Happy Meal comes with either Chicken McNuggets, a hamburger or one other main meal option I can't recall; a choice of small french fries or apple dippers (apple slices with caramel sauce); and one of many beverage options, including: low-fat milk, low-fat chocolate milk, 100% apple juice or a kid-sized "soft drink," all for a total of $4.12 with tax. Lucie chose the "soft drink" option, which was any of the drinks from the drink dispenser. After pondering over things like raspberry iced tea, various carbonated drinks, and overly-sweetened lemonade, she ultimately went with an "orange drink" (I believe it was Hi-C brand). Lucie normally doesn't drink things that aren't either water, milk or 100% juice, but I figured since we were at McDonald's anyway, I might as well do it up! When we got our Happy Meal, it came in a cardboard box shaped like a house that had pictures of Barbie and Hot Wheels all over it. Inside of course was a toy - a clear plastic bag containing a few rubber bracelets with the word "Barbie" on them. My first thought was, 'how can any other restaurant compete with this?' What other place gives a toy with their food, packaged in a cute container, with just the right marketing messages on the outside to get kids hooked? Lucie of course was very pleased with her Happy Meal. Immediately. When we started eating, I took a bite of a McNugget just to see what I would think of it after all these years and I must say, it was not as bad as I expected it to be (taste-wise anyway). The french fries were of course as deliciously salty and greasy as always and the orange drink was way too sweet for my taste. Lucie really liked the McNuggets. She had a few bites of fries, but said she was too full to finish them (I was happy to oblige) and she finished most of the orange drink. We left after she proudly threw out her garbage on her own like a big girl. As we were walking to the subway I asked Lucie what she thought of McDonald's. Her response? A happy: "Good. Really good." I started a semi-boycott (I say "semi" because I wasn't incredibly strict about it) of McDonald's years back when I decided that I wanted to spend my money supporting small, local businesses rather than big chain stores and restaurants. I continued the boycott when I became increasingly more interested in organic, local and sustainable foods and the Slow Food movement. Then when I had my daughter, it was a no-brainer to me that I would I try to avoid things that were bad for her. But as I said earlier, I really am a believer in experiencing most things in moderation, so I think it was inevitable that we would end up at a fast food restaurant someday. I haven't been going out of my way to avoid McDonald's in recent years, I just don't come across it very often in my daily life. It's been easy for me. But alas, the power of marketing has won out and the knowledge that McDonald's even exists has somehow seeped into my daughter's brain, and it's exciting to her. And I don't blame her. Who can resist something called a "Happy Meal?" I don't plan on going back to McDonald's, but I'm sure there'll be a request for it again. Maybe when we're on a road trip somewhere and we pull over for gas. This time I feel like I'm more knowledgeable about what McDonald's has to offer my kids. And hopefully, because they've tried it now, it won't be such a mystery anymore and therefore some of it's allure will have been taken away. I have to admit, I'm a little afraid that the McNuggets, fries, toy and orange drink were so good I'll be fighting a constant battle from now on. But I like to think that my influence over my children is greater than any Marketing Director's. I'll keep you posted.

  Image by VirtualErn My husband was not home for dinner last night and so I wanted to make something quick and easy. Lucie asked for pasta and meatballs, which I did not feel like having, so I settled on pasta and sausage instead. There is a dish I make fairly regularly that basically consists of Farfalle (bowtie) pasta, chicken sausage, peas and mushrooms. When I went to the store for the sausage, they did not have any mushrooms, so I decided (in the interest of time and convenience) I would leave them out. When I got home, I realized that my last onion had gone bad and my neighbor wasn't home to lend me one, so I had to ditch that part of the recipe as well. This was turning into a pretty boring pasta dish! I rummaged through my fridge to see what else I had and found some organic baby carrots. I decided I would add those. What I ended up with was pasta with chicken sausage, peas and carrots...and it was actually pretty tasty. I have to admit though, seeing the peas and carrots mixed together made me feel like I had been transported back to the 1950's. Here's the recipe:

• 1/2 lb. Farfalle pasta
• 3/4 lb. of chicken sausage, cooked and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 bag of frozen peas
• 1 cup of organic baby carrots, cut into small pieces
• 8 oz. of chicken broth*
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Put water on for pasta. While water is beginning to boil, cook the chicken sausage in a little olive oil on the stovetop until cooked through and set aside. Put the carrots in the pan and saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. Put sausage back into the pan with the carrots and add the chicken broth. Keep the sausage, carrots and broth on simmer while pasta is cooking. When pasta has about 5 minutes left, add the frozen peas to the broth mixture and continue to simmer until pasta is cooked. Drain pasta and add all ingredients together. Serve in shallow bowls with freshly grated parmesan and black pepper on top. Very kid-friendly and fast dinner! *I buy Pacific Natural Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth in 8-ounce packages and use one of those when I make a recipe like this.

Image by Another Pint Please On Sunday night, my husband grilled a T-bone steak we had recently bought on sale at Fairway. I had some broccoli rabe in the fridge that I had bought a couple of days earlier and I decided to get some corn on the cob since my son, Ronan (2.5), seems to love it (and he doesn't eat much of anything). I also had been craving a leek-tomato quinoa salad that I made a few times in the past, so I added that to the menu as well. The steak was grilled to about medium-rare with maybe just salt and pepper on it. I boiled the broccoli rabe for about five minutes and then sauteed in some garlic and olive oil for another five minutes or so. Corn on the cob (very good, from Florida) was boiled for ten minutes and then served with butter and salt (is there any other way?). And the quinoa salad was made almost exactly as the recipe calls for minus the scallions (I didn't have any and didn't feel like going to get some). Both kids (ages 5.5 and 2.5) seemed to love the dinner. My daughter, Lucie, mainly ate the meat - she is a huge carnivore. But she did eat about half an ear of corn and maybe a bite each of the broccoli rabe and quinoa salad. Ronan, who normally doesn't eat much dinner, ate a bunch of quinoa, a whole ear of corn, a few pieces of steak and maybe a bite of broccoli rabe. I thought the meal was delicious, but mostly I was happy that my kids ate so well. I practice what I preach with Small Bites - I don't EVER ask my kids to eat something that they don't want to eat. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't bother me when they don't eat. So of course it makes me very happy when they dig in and enjoy good, healthy foods that I've cooked for them. Especially when it's something like quinoa that is very new to them and I don't make very often. I'll call this meal a success!

My good friend Jennifer Perillo at The Mama Chronicles gave me a sample of Home Free cookies to try a while back. Home Free makes a line of allergen-free cookies and cakes so that kids with food allergies won't feel left out at snack time. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical, but I thought the cookies were really good. I particularly liked the chocolate chocolate chip ones (but maybe that's just because I can't ever seem to get enough chocolate). Home Free also has a cookbook and a line of allergen-free baking ingredients so that you can make your own treats for birthdays and other celebrations - or just because - without worrying about an allergic reaction. Boston Mamas is giving away a Home Free organic cookie sampler pack. Visit the giveaway here and enter to win by TOMORROW, June 4, 2009.

Photo by Princessrica Yesterday morning I asked Lucie, my five-and-a-half year old daughter, what she wanted for dinner. Her reply: "spaghetti with a little sauce on the top and two meatballs on the side." Okay so, spaghetti and meatballs. I was fine with that since it was chilly and rainy outside and it's a quick enough meal to make. I made dinner pretty quickly by using half store-bought and half homemade foods. The spaghetti was Barilla Plus, one of my favorite brands of pasta. The marinara sauce was from one of the many local Italian pork stores in my Brooklyn neighborhood, Esposito's. The meatballs were homemade by me using about 90% of my mother-in-law's recipe. And then I made broccoli on the side (steamed with fresh lemon juice and salt on top). When I served Lucie she said, "that's not how I wanted it" and she promptly moved one meatball to one side of her plate and the other meatball to the other side. She clearly had a picture in her mind of exactly what she wanted her dinner to look like when I had asked her that morning. So funny to me, but just goes to show you how particular kids can be about their food...even those who are considered 'great eaters.' Anyway, Lucie ate both of her meatballs, a bunch of spaghetti and a couple of pieces of broccoli. Ronan, my two-and-a-half year old son refused any meatballs and ate a bunch of spaghetti and a bunch of broccoli. I don't really like broccoli. I much prefer broccoli rabe, and cook that often. But one day when I made broccoli I noticed that my son ate it up and particularly liked the tiny florets we dubbed 'baby broccoli.' Many of you know that my son is not a great eater. Do a search for "Ronan" on this blog and you will find numerous posts over the course of the first three months of feeding him solid foods when he literally would not taste a thing. So now that I know he enjoys eating broccoli, I am resigned to making it once a week or so. Here is my "recipe" for meatballs. It may not be exact, but that's the fun of it!:

• About 1.5 lbs. ground beef and pork mixed
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 big handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground fennel seeds (optional)
• Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until well-combined. Form into balls about the size of a golf ball and cook on the stovetop in a little olive oil. Turn the meatballs, browning on approximately three sides before dropping them into your favorite sauce to finish cooking. I used about half the meatball mixture for last night's dinner and froze the other half for another time. For a more exact recipe, I always trust my friend Jennifer Perillo at In Jennie's Kitchen: Mama's Meatballs

A list of some online food-related contests for you to check out...Good luck!

• Mom in the City is giving away $100 worth of Uncle Ben's products. Click here to enter the contest by May 31, 2009.

• Your Mama Reviews is giving away a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. Click here to enter the contest by May 19, 2009.

• Bookie Boo Raves is giving away a bib from DaBib. Click here to enter the contest by May 26, 2009.

• Playground for Parents is giving away three months worth of gourmet cookies from Country Cupboard Cookies. Click here to enter the contest by May 19, 2009.

• Kid Buy Products is giving away a Green Toys tea set. Click here to enter the contest by May 18, 2009.

• Real Simple Saving Methods is giving away a copy of Taste of Home - The Busy Family Cookbook. Click here to enter the contest by May 24, 2009.

• WiseBread.com is giving away JP Monkey reusable grocery bags. Click here to enter the contest by May 19, 2009.