Sorry. No digest this week (check out yesterday’s post for an explanation!). But fear not—I’ve got something for you. Some political action! C’mon ChowMamas and Papas, let’s rally! Need motivation? More than 31 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program (is your child one?). Many of these children consume as many as HALF of their daily calories at school. Helping schools serve real food may be the most promising way to end child obesity, but it simply can’t happen unless Congress invests in healthier food in the upcoming Child Nutrition Act.

I first posted about the Time for Lunch campaign by Slow Food USA in December. Though lots of progress has been made, more help is needed to help ensure that our kids get the school food they deserve. Don’t think you’ve got what it takes to help? USDA Secretary Vilsack thinks otherwise. He recently said that the most important thing citizens can do to get healthier food into their local schools is to urge Congress to pass a strong Child Nutrition Act. This issue has broad public support, he said, but it isn’t appearing in the news—so we need to make sure Congress gets the message.

Help send congress the message loud and clear. The Time for Lunch campaign is aiming to get 100,000 letters to Congress. Join the effort and send a letter. If you’ve already done that, there are other ways you can help, namely by spreading the word. So please post this on Facebook, Tweet it, send it around. Let’s show our fighting spirit!

I’ve met so many wonderful, thoughtful, food-loving parents since I’ve started blogging, many of whom I’ve come to know through Twitter. One of my lovely Twitter friends is Jenna of Food with Kid Appeal, a self-proclaimed recovering picky eater who inspires parents to grow good eaters. Her recipes are wholesome, fun and thoughtfully take into account limited time, energy and budgets.
Without further ado, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Jenna. If you don’t already, check out her blog, follow her on Twitter (and me, too, while you’re at it!) and enjoy this great post inspired by the book 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life. You know that I’m a huge proponent of spicing up food for even the youngest eaters (offering such adventurous foods was the inspiration behind ChowBaby foods!), so I LOVE this post. Enjoy!
*********************
When I’m asked by friends to give them some pointers on getting baby started on baby food, or the transition to table food, one of the things I like to tell them are about some super foods they might not think of as being good for baby. Most parents know that fruits, veggies and whole grains should be on baby’s spoon, but are herbs and spices front and center in your menu as good eats for baby?
Read more …

I recently had the honor of interviewing renowned “green” pediatrician Dr. Alan Green for Our365.  I was over the moon when asked to do the interview—I’ve been a fan of Dr. Greene for some time now. I first discovered him while researching advisors for my baby food venture, ChowBaby. Though we never got to the point of approaching him, I continued to follow Dr. Greene closely. Not only does he offer a comparable wealth of info on parenting and child rearing as Dr. Sears and the like (with a more modern twist, if you ask me), but he is also one of the only pediatricians dealing head on with issues related to non-toxic living. As part of that, he takes an unprecedented interest in how parents feed their children. So much so that he wrote a book about it, his latest, Feeding Baby Green.

Dr. Greene is widely recognized as a champion for organic eating (as much as you’re able and can afford), but I love him most for his progressive (and non-American) approach to healthy feeding. From his unconventional idea of when to start solids, to his emphasis on feeding even first time eaters whatever the rest of the family is eating, to his ahead-of-his-time attitude about food allergies, Dr. Greene encourages feeding our children in a way that excites the palate and lays the foundation for healthy eating habits for life.

My conversation with Dr. Greene was beyond validating. I was, literally, quivering with excitement as he put into words more eloquent than mine a family food philosophy that I try to live by and share with you every week. Read the interview for more. And, if you’re interested, read his new book, Feeding Baby. I was not asked to promote the book here. I just read it and loved it. I think you might too, especially if you’re pregnant or a first time mom with a wee little one.

6 Questions for Dr. Alan Greene, by Stacie Billis (via Our365)

Follow Dr. Greene on Twitter (And, hey, while you’re at it, follow me, too, if you don’t already!)

Become a fan of Our365 on Facebook!

I haven’t made lentil soup in a long, long time. See, many years back, upon our return from a trip through northern Greece and Turkey, I made a killer red lentil soup that I’d learned to make in a cooking class in Istanbul. It tasted divine. And then wreaked havoc, if you know what I mean. To this day, the ChowPapa and I can’t stop laughing about the red lentil soup aftermath. It was so hard on our systems that we decided we could never do red lentils again. Until…
I recently spotted a recipe on the always inspiring and gorgeous La Tartine Gourmande for white lentil soup with chorizo and a poached egg. Using a fried or poached egg to make soup or salad heartier is a favorite trick of mine, so I was instantly smitten. And white lentils—I’d never cooked them before! I was inspired. But, when I got to my local speciality food shop, all they had were red lentils. The. Dreaded. Red. Lentils. Oh well, we’d have to get over it. I grabbed a bag and never looked back.
Read more …

This week is all about the Best Of ChowMama 2009! To help ensure that you begin 2010 with a recipe box loaded with quick and healthy recipes that your whole family will love, I’ve hand selected my favorites (recipes that I return to over and over again) and the most popular recipes as measured by traffic and comments (ones that worked out well for me and you).
Phew! 2009 was a busy year filled with lots of ChowMama goodness. I hope this week’s picks help kick off a delicious 2010 while we gear up for a new year of recipes, tips and discussions. To end the “best of” extravaganza, I’m highlighting a few posts that fall under the “parenting” header. Instead of highlighting a recipe, these posts focus on a tip that (hopefully) makes cooking for your family easier, a way of thinking that (maybe) sparks a shift towards more inspired eating, or a topic that (with any luck) gets a thoughtful debate started. These are my favorite posts to write. I hope you enjoy them, too. Let me know if you do!
Read more …

I recently wrote a piece on hiding vegetables for Mamapedia. In case you missed it there, here it is.
I’m often asked about how to get kids to eat vegetables. Of course! What parent hasn’t struggled through a kid-imposed ban on veggies? Even the most intrepid little eaters will suddenly decide that vegetables—even ones they happily enjoyed days before—are off the list.
Having spoken to tons of parents and survived toddler picky phases first hand, I appreciate why this is such a common question. Every parent wants to make sure that her kids are eating a well-balanced diet. But, truth be told, I think it’s the wrong question to ask. And so to the inquiries, I offer an unconventional and, for some, uncomfortable answer:
Stop worrying. And, by all means, don’t hide vegetables. Instead, be bold and do just the opposite—serve them frequently and enjoy them openly.
Read more …