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!
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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?
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Check out this week’s Food News, Things I Crave, Green Your Eats, Tips, Tools & Techniques, and Weekly Roundtable. Plus, for a little while, I’ll follow the Weekly Roundtable with a quick update on my non-resolutions to, you know, keep me honest!
Just so you know, I’ll be in NEW ORLEANS (!!) all of next week visiting family, walking around, EATING! I’m hoping to post while gone, but I have no idea what’s in store for me, traveling with both kiddos for the first time. Check in with me, but forgive if I can’t keep up. No matter what, I’ll be back by the 1st. With lots of inspiration from gorgeous NOLA.
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Photo: Martha Stewart

I love risotto. (Who doesn’t?) Rich, creamy and endlessly versatile, it can be made to suit most any occasion, winter, spring, summer or fall. But despite this, risotto has a reputation for being a special occasion dish. Even I fall victim to this, sometimes thinking that it’ll take too much time or is unnecessarily fussy for a quick weeknight meal. I was recently reminded, though, that risotto is as basic as it comes. The most simple version is made entirely of pantry staples including olive oil, onion, rice and broth. And, as a 2-pot dish that has about an 18 minute cooking time and can be fed to kids as young as 8+ months, I’d say it’s a PERFECT family meal.
There are many classic risottos: milanese made with beef stock and flavored simply with saffron; risotto al Barolo made with red wine; seafood risotto, sometimes made black by the ink of squid or cuttlefish; and mushroom risotto rich in umami flavor from rehydrated porcini mushrooms. But these are far from the whole of your options. In fact, since risotto can hold (and make delicious) a huge variety of added ingredients, I’ve come to think of my weeknight versions as kitchen sink meals. I start by checking the fridge for unused veggies and build from there, adding stock (chicken, beef or veggie), cheese (traditional parmesan and pecorino, or any cheese that melts easily like feta or fontina), and herbs and flavorings (anything from leftover chives to lemon zest to dried mint). Simple as that.
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Photo: Martha Stewart

The ChowPapa and I love this comforting weeknight pasta which comes together in about 35 minutes. It’s super simple and gets most of its flavor from garlic toasted breadcrumbs that I could, if left to my own devices, eat by the spoonful. The radicchio flavor is mild to us but, truth be told, isn’t a favorite of our ChowBaby—it’s a little bitter for him. If you think the same may be true for your baby, I offer two easy variations so that you don’t have to miss out. Check ‘em out after the jump.
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10-Minute Lemon Thyme Scallops

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).
Today is all about main dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tomorrow I’ll hit ya with veggie sides. Wednesday has snacks and apps covered. I’ll serve up healthy sweets and desserts on Thursday. And, on Friday, I’ll list the best parenting posts of 2009—because how we feed our families is most definitely a parenting issue.
Enjoy. Try a new recipe. Chime in with your favorite 2009 ChowMama posts or what you’d like to see more of in 2010.
And, of course, THANKS for a great year. Cheers!
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Photo: LDHNY

We’re definitely coming out of the woods as far as the infancy craziness. Not only is our new ChowBaby dreamy and laid back, but he’s also already 2-months-old! He’s sleeping for longer chunks of time and even allowing me to get a decent night’s sleep most evenings. While I’m excited to be able to make dinner every night again (at least for now), I always like to make one dish a week that will last a few meals and/or freeze well. It’s a trick that every family cook should add to their repertoire. It takes hardly any extra time or effort and affords you a night off from cooking, not to mention great packed lunches. The best is when your freezer start to fill up with such meals. It takes the pressure off, especially useful during busy times like the holidays.
This Spinach Lasagna is made with my Deliciously Simple, Rich (Turkey) Meat Sauce. The combo of vegetable, lean meat, pasta and cheese makes this a healthy, complete meal. Once you make the sauce, which takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours largely unattended (and can be made a day or two ahead of making lasagna), putting the lasagna together is a snap. It requires no more than 15 minutes prep time.
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