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Whining & Dining BookMy sons aren’t what you would call “picky eaters”, but that doesn’t mean they’ll eat anything I put in front of them. I have been known to finish off a child’s plateful of food or two, begrudgingly agree to macaroni and cheese for the third meal in a row, and I am also guilty of offering more than one meal option in my nine years of parenting. I would love for my sons to share the same passion for food as I do, so as much as possible I strive to offer meals that are healthy, fun and creative. For the healthy part, I think I am OK, but for the creative part, I call upon the help of professionals. One of my favourite family cookbooks is Whining & Dining – Mealtime Survival for Picky Eaters and the Families Who Love Them by Emma Waverman and Eshun Mott, food professionals and moms to three children each. The first couple of chapters focus on nutritional information, the importance of eating together as a family, and practical advice and tips for managing picky (or not) eaters, while the rest of the book is made up of over 100 kid-tested recipes for every meal (including birthday and dinner party recipes) and age group. I particularly like the tips and nutrition facts that are printed alongside each of the recipes. A few of my kids’ favourite recipes include their Multigrain Buttermilk Waffles, Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins, Turkey and Bean Chili, and Meat Loaf. If I were to choose one family-friendly cookbook to have in my kitchen it would be this one. Available to purchase online at www.randomhouse.ca.

What’s your favourite cookbook?

Comments (1) | Tagged under family, recipes, cookbook
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  1. Posted by Mixing Bowl Mama on April 28, 2009 at 12:20 AM

    I’m a fan of this cookbook as well and I also love a book called Apples for Jam…a GREAT family cookbook with dead simple recipes that taste amazing.  The book is very pretty as well.

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The Good Food Book for FamiliesBack in my pre-kid days, when most of my meals were eaten in hotels, airports and client cafeterias, I didn’t have to worry about getting dinner on the table every night. That allowed me to devote all my cooking efforts to planning lovely dinner parties for our friends, on the weekends when I was home. A week or two before a dinner was planned, I would take my favourite cookbooks to bed with me and idly flip through them picking and choosing perfect combinations of dishes (with no ingredient repeats) to make for our friends. It was my hobby and a great way to relax.

Fast-forward to today and our three-soccer-practice, four-ballet-class weeks, getting dinner on the table is a seven-night a week affair and needs to be done as efficiently as possible—no relaxing allowed. But my current obsession with sodium means that I really try to stay away from prepared foods and store-bought frozen foods…which means even more cooking. So I am finding that having a copy of The Good Food Book for Families by Brenda Bradshaw and Cheryl Mutch, MD in my kitchen is like having my own nutrition consultant and executive chef all rolled into one. The cookbook is full of delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinners, snacks and desserts, and also includes menu planning tools and a host of nutritional tips and help on interpreting Canada’s Food Guide for family eating. All the basics are covered (meatball, tuna melts and more) but the recipes I like the most are for the little things like make-your-own ice cream and peanut butter hummus. Off to make dinner now!

Comments (1) | Tagged under family, meals, cookbook
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  1. Posted by Mixing Bowl Mama on July 10, 2009 at 01:29 PM

    I love this book too!  A great addition to any family kitchen I think.

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No matter how busy our family schedule gets, I make it my mission to ensure that we eat as many home-cooked meals during the week as possible. As we move into cold and flu season, I’m also looking for ways to boost the children’s immunity and ward off seasonal viruses. Vitamin supplements and flu shots are fine, but I think one of the easiest and most practical solutions is eating homemade soup. Canned soup is quick and inexpensive, but it can be high in sodium and fat and quite modest in nutritional value. A steaming bowl of homemade soup, when you can control the sodium, fat, and nutritional value, is an ideal food for any healthy family eating plan.

While on a recent media tour of Williams-Sonoma on Bloor Street, we received a copy of Maria Helm Sinskey’s Williams-Sonoma Family Meals – Creating Traditions in the Kitchen cookbook. Always searching for new family-friendly recipes, I was excited to give it a try. Family Meals is full of delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes, and is organized by ingredients. Each chapter begins with a fun cooking project that teaches you and your children about ingredients, seasonal availability, and nutrition. Based on what I had in the crisper and the number of sick children in our school, I chose to make the Veggie Minestrone. This soup features a variety of seasonal, vitamin and nutrient-enriched vegetables. I was a little apprehensive about including the “green bits”, otherwise known as kale, but thought I should stick to the recipe the first time. Kale is low in saturated fat and a very good source of fibre and Vitamins A and C. Much to my surprise and delight both of my children devoured their first bowl and asked for a second. The leftovers got packed into their thermos’ for school the next day. With this soup, you can substitute with other favourite vegetables or throw in whatever is left in your crisper—a different soup every time. Create your own family-favourite version.

Veggie Minestrone
Serves 8 – 10
You’ll Need

  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup (6 oz/185 g) diced fresh or canned tomatoes with their juice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 large fresh sage leaves
  • 2 cups (15 oz/425 g) drained canned or cooked cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
  • 2 cups (6 0z/185 g) packed shredded kale or chard
  • 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) tubettini or other small dried pasta shape
  • Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Preparation

  • Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
  • Add 1 Tbsp oil and the garlic and sauté until the garlic is toasted and the oil is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add the carrot, onion, and celery and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and brown, 3-4 minutes.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Add the tomatoes, bay, sage, a 2-inch (5 cm) Parmesan cheese rind (optional), and enough water (or vegetable broth) to cover the vegetables by 2-inches (5 cm) and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
  • Add the beans and kale and continue to simmer for 20–30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Just before the soup is ready, bring a saucepan ¾ full of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, stir well, and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain well and divide among warmed soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the pasta, drizzle with oil, sprinkle generously with the grated cheese, and serve.

What is your favourite soup recipe?

Comments (6) | Tagged under family, soup
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Comments

  1. Posted by minakshi on November 26, 2009 at 03:49 PM

    Tomato soup - give me anyday! i prefer to prepare it the indian way. You can find the full recipe here: http://www.fivetastes.com/microwave-recipes/soups/tomato-soup.html

  2. Posted by Ready Meals on November 24, 2009 at 12:18 PM

    thanks for ready meals recipes article post , this article i gain some cooking tips and i improve our cooking method.

    please post other related post . thanks in advance

Meatball Minestrone Soup
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The food team at SavvyMom are pleased as punch with the new and improved version of EatSavvy this month. We’re delivering the same great tried and tested savvy recipes for busy families but we have improved the look and feel of the site. We love the bigger food shots done by our very own Holly Sisson. They look almost as delicious as they are in real life. We also worked on making the site a bit easier for you to navigate and find what you need.

We’re always looking for ways to improve and make your experience better at SavvyMom so feel free to share your thoughts with us anytime.

What improvements do you like on EatSavvy or what else would you like us to change?

Comments (2) | Tagged under family, food, meat, eatsavvy
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Comments

  1. Posted by Shelley on November 25, 2009 at 04:30 PM

    It would be nice if we could e-mail the actual recipe instead of a link, I often read the blog at work (shhh) and then send it to myself at home, I would like to be able to see the recipe title in the subject line so I know which one I am looking at.  Great recipes!!!

  2. Posted by Alanna on November 24, 2009 at 11:06 PM

    I look forward to seeing more eat savvy in the new format.  I love the ideas.  Keep them coming ladies.

Minnow Hamilton
January 17, 2011
Minnow Hamilton
The Family Dinner, Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time
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My mom was obsessed with having family dinners. It became clear to me the night before my older sister left home for university and my mom burst into tears at the dinner table crying “We’ll never have another family dinner again”. Sure enough, we were all back at the table two months later for Thanksgiving. And we didn’t let my mom live that one down.

But now that I can’t deny I’m turning into my mother, I will admit that I know exactly where she is coming from. I, too, am obsessed with family dinners. Every Sunday night, I chart out the calendar for the nights when we will all be home to eat together that week then begin planning the menus. It’s not about the cooking and eating—it’s about the sitting together and sharing. It’s the rituals that evolve over time from sitting down together day after day. Let’s be honest, it’s not all smiles and laughter all the time. There’s still a lot of correcting of manners and checking in on what happened during the day—sometimes not always good news. But when else are you going to hear that information and learn to handle it as a team?

Needless to say, I was excited when a new book came to our attention at SavvyMom called The Family Dinner, Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time by Laurie David and Kirstin Uhrenholdt. The foreward by Dr. Harvey Karp MD lured me in on the first page with a few interesting and alarming stats:

  • Only half of modern families eat together more than three to five times per week
  • Most family meals last twenty minutes…or less
  • Families often watch TV while they eat

These practices are apparently a result of what he calls the fast-paced, no-frills society that has pushed us toward an assembly line view of life. The book is clearly not just a collection of recipes (although it is filled with many good ones). It also delivers inspirational quotes and stories from people who appreciate the family dinner and it’s organized in a very unique way. Some chapter titles include: “Cook Together at the Table”, “Table Talk”, “Kids in the Kitchen” and “Why Family Dinners Matter”, among others.

In a society that can find an extra two hours a day to spend online, it’s amazing that families can’t find the time to sit and enjoy a meal together. I give this book a huge savvy stamp of approval and hope you will enjoy it as much as I have been.

Do you sit down as a family to eat your meals? I would love to know.

 

Comments (0) | Tagged under family, recipes, cookbook
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Denise Smith
February 08, 2011
Denise Smith
Enter for the chance to win tickets to the Winter Apple Ball
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When you think Apple, do you think fresh and tasty or bits and bytes? It’s time to get back to basics and celebrate Family Day with your family by taking them to the ball. In celebration of the McIntosh Apple’s 200th anniversary—one of Canada’s native and most popular varieties—the Ontario Apple Growers are hosting an exciting Winter Apple Ball on Monday, February 21st (Family Day) at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.

SavvyMom is giving away 8 family passes of 4 tickets to the upcoming event. Attractions at the ball include:

  • An attempt at a Guinness World Record™ for the most kids (18 years or under) bobbing for apples
  • Delicious apple treats
  • Fun inflatables for all ages, arts and crafts and face painting
  • Trivia competitions (fun prizes to be won)
  • Dancing, entertainment and a birthday celebration

And we have our winners:
Pamela Braithwaite, Natalie Hedderson, Melissa Erskine, Kari Lockett, Tracy Travers, Danielle Smith, Mary Tong and C. Smith.

Faye Clack Communications, the PR firm representing Ontario Apple Growers, will be contacting you all directly by email with your e-ticket. Congratulations to all of our winners and thank you to everyone who submitted a comment.

Comments (8) | Tagged under family, contest, apples
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Comments

  1. Posted by Mary Tong on February 12, 2011 at 07:13 AM

    We love Macintosh apples. Fuji apples
    are also great too!

  2. Posted by C Smith on February 11, 2011 at 03:08 PM

    mcintosh or gala, the sweeter the better

Jan Scott
August 15, 2011
Jan Scott
Terrific Taco Salad
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I love getting my kids in the kitchen with me whenever I can and taco salad is one dish that I love to have them help me prepare.

For starters, there are so many jobs for this dinner that kids from ages three onwards can easily be assigned something to do.  Whether it’s crushing the nacho chips, grating the cheese or rinsing the beans, little hands can help with almost anything in this recipe.

Most kids like the flavour profile of a taco, so even if they’re a little skeptical of eating the salad, they’re more likely to want to eat it if they’re involved in the process of putting it all together (and choosing what goes inside).

What are your favourite meals to cook with your kids?

Terrific Taco Salad Wraps
You’ll Need:

  • 1 lb taco meat (see below for recipe) * chicken is a good substitute
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh corn
  • 1 cup salsa (homemade or jarred)
  • 1 head iceberg or romaine lettuce
  • ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 4–6 large tortilla wraps

Prep and Cook:

  1. Have everyone wash his or her hands.
  2. Ask a child to clean the lettuce by rinsing it under the water.  Have them dry it with a paper/dish towel or salad spinner, and set aside.
  3. Next, have a child place the nacho chips in a large, zip-top bag, and crush them by massaging a rolling pin over the bag until small pieces remain.
  4. Ask your child to open the container of taco meat, and place it in a microwave-proof bowl.  Add the corn and the beans and mix well.
  5. Warm the meat mixture in the microwave for 2–4 minutes on medium-high, until warmed throughout (an adult job).
  6. Ask the child to place a few lettuce leaves on each tortilla.  Top with the taco meat mixture, and have the child add a scoop of salsa, a sprinkle of cheese and a handful of nacho chips to each plate.

Taco Meat Recipe:
This is an adult job, which can be done in advance.
You’ll Need:

  • 1 lb ground turkey or beef
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 Tbsps tomato paste
  • ¼ cup water

Prep and Cook:

  • Place the beef in a skillet set over medium-high heat and break it up into small chunks with the back of a wooden spoon, cooking for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, tomato paste and water, and stir together, cooking, until the beef is golden brown and fragrant.

Terrific Taco Salad

Comments (0) | Tagged under kids, family, kitchen, dinner
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French Kids Eat Everything
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Last week, my family ate like the French for five days. We used the rules laid out in Karen Le Billon’s new book French Kids Eat Everything and combined them with my own personal experiences of living in the south of France, to come up with some guidelines for the what, when and how much we should consume.

I’m happy to report that we fared quite well, and only two complaints arose during the five-day trial. The first was from my husband, Rob. He confessed to feeling hungry every single night of this experiment, and found he was always craving a snack around 10 pm. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think that’s any different from any other night, but I believe he was more aware of it because he didn’t have the option of getting something to eat (one of Karen’s rules is ‘no snacking’—she believes it’s okay to feel hungry sometimes).

The second complaint came from the kids, and was related to… snacking! While they wanted to eat a little more frequently than I would let them, by the fourth day they stopped asking for something before bed, which ultimately felt like a really good thing. 

Here’s a brief breakdown of what we ate last week:

Breakfast: This was the same every day. Warm baguettes (fortunately we live around the corner from a patisserie) topped with creamy butter, local honey and/or Nutella.

Lunch: This was the hardest meal to make, mostly because I was packing lunches for everyone. I included roast chicken, vegetables, leftover soups/stews, fresh fruit, cheeses, cured meats, dips, and crackers in the lunch boxes (Rob brown bags his lunch, too).

Snack (Gouter): This is an important part of the French diet and we indulged in this mini-meal every day. No one complained about the slices of cake, chocolate croissants and homemade cookies eaten after school. 

Dinner: This was easy and often very simple. I made vegetable soups and served them yogurt, cheese and meats. Other dinners were made up of stew, lentils and sausages, roasted vegetables, and omelettes.

A few of Karen’s other rules include:

  • Eat family meals together.
  • The kids should always eat what the adults eat.
  • You don’t have to like it but you do have to taste it.
  • Avoid emotional eating (no food rewards, no bribing).

Could you eat this way for a week? A month? Do you agree with Karen’s rules?

Comments (7) | Tagged under family, food, snacks, meals
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Comments

  1. Posted by Jan on May 01, 2012 at 08:49 AM

    Hi Karen! I love a late dinner, and so does my husband, but hockey season typically doesn’t allow for that. We can be gone from the house from 5:30 - 8:30 or 9:00 depending on the location of the games, etc. On weekends we always eat around 6:30 or 7:00, but my boys are older now and aren’t going to bed quite so early, so the late dinners are easy to do. I agree about the snacking though…the later the dinner the easier it is to eliminate the bedtime snack!

  2. Posted by Sarah on April 30, 2012 at 11:37 AM

    I have very little children and love *most* of what this book has to say. (despite the sweeping generalizations which are…annoying…). The late dinner time does not work for my family as both kids would be asleep by the time she suggested serving dinner…
    However, I think the very basic idea of not depriving of sweets/carbs but rather serving them in smaller amounts and earlier in the day is key for kids and adults.

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