FamilyEducation Blogs

February 19, 2009

Got Cauliflower?

As I mentioned last month, one of my goals for our kitchen is to waste less food. The recipe below helps me use one of my perennial kitchen waste items, extra cauliflower.

Our family loves Cauliflower au Gratin, but usually we aren’t able to eat a whole head of cauliflower by ourselves, and it isn’t the sort of recipe you want to be eating for three days straight. [more]

January 14, 2009

Drumroll, please...the last 9 for '09: "Eat more greens"

Last summer, while on vacation, I had a parent tell me, "My child’s favorite food is kale. This is a problem, since it is impossible to pack kale for lunch!"

I smiled and shook my head, thinking to myself: I have failed to raise healthy eaters, since R and G would probably rather eat anything BUT kale -OR- perhaps this parent is a bit haughty.

Either way, I do know how healthy greens are, so I tried to give kale a crack because I realized that I had never even made it.

Sweet Pea Chef’s "Give Kale a Chance"

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced [more]

January 13, 2009

9 for '09: Expand My Lunchtime Meal List...and Get the Boys More Involved with the Cooking

Kindergarten registration is lurking around the corner for the Sweet Pea family.  Here in our school district, that means half-day school, so I can punt the school lunch issue for one more year.  Still, I am already aware that my lunchtime repertoire is greatly lacking and soon I will need lots of good, tasty, “please-don’t-throw-me-away” lunch foods for R to take to school. [more]

January 12, 2009

My 9 for '09: "More beans and legumes for protein"

About three years ago SPH came to me and said, "I am thinking of going back to school." Thus began an adventure of GMAT preparation, admissions applications, acceptance letters, a big move and a major lifestyle change.

One of the biggest lifestyle changes for our family was that we would be winnowing our budget down in a major way and living the frugal student lifestyle, albeit this time with two kids in tow. [more]

January 9, 2009

Organics, organics, organics

My 9 for '09:  "Using more organics without breaking the bank"

What *isn’t* organic these days?  I recently was shopping for some bird food to fill our feeder and found “organic bird food.” There is organic clothing, organic pet items, organic shampoo, and yes, organic food. [more]

January 8, 2009

9 for '09: Less Food Waste

 I recently read this article on food waste and was astounded. According to two studies, anywhere from 30-50% of all food that is purchased in the United States is thrown away. At first I was indignant, wondering who would waste so much food, especially in these times of food price increases and economic recession. Then one day, after a particularly ornery lunchtime, I looked in the sink at all the food going down the disposal and felt convicted:  Perhaps [more]

January 7, 2009

Deliberate Snacking

Does this sound familiar?

I finally get R and G to sleep or rest for their nap/quiet time. FINALLY. A minute of peace to: clear the kitchen table from lunch, sweep the floor, unload the dishwasher, do the dishes, change the load of laundry, sort the mail, pay some bills, fold the laundry…and then, in a seeming millisecond, they are awake, and I am still trying to calculate how much the preschool tuition payment is this month (“Will R stay for Lunch Bunch three or four times this month?”).  [more]

January 6, 2009

My 9 for '09 List

Whether you have come up with a list of healthy eating goals for your family or not, I thought I would throw some ideas out there for you. 

Most of these ideas are constant (not just New Year's) goals for our kitchen. Need a little encouragement for your kitchen? Here are nine ways we seek to improve the healthful factor of our kitchen: [more]

January 5, 2009

Resolute against "resolutions," but goals -- well, that's another story.

Ahh, a new year. After the holiday-athon of late November and December, January’s fresh start is a welcome occurrence. As the Sweet Pea family calendar changed, we turned the corner from the triathlon of traveling, gifting and eating to new beginnings, a somewhat slower pace and the return of a more routine existence.

Notice I did not mention New Years’ Resolutions.I stand resolute against “resolutions.”  [more]