10 Years, 10 Best: Spring Salads and Sides 25 Apr 2015 12:18 PM (10 years ago)

Spring and fall are my favorite seasons. Here, in the Midwest, if you blink you miss the beautiful weather. We tend to have very short bursts of spring and fall before it's either hot and humid or stark and cold. No wonder I love it so much. We humans tend to appreciate things most when we don't have them but for a short and wonderful time. Hello, Spring. I'm massively busy. So thank you to

How do you like your apples? 12 Dec 2014 6:56 AM (10 years ago)

Apples, not cooler days or back-to-school time, are my first sign that I know fall is coming. Even while there are tomatoes and peppers and summer bounty at the farmers' market, when I see the first of the apples I know the season is changing. At the end of October and last two markets in early November, I buy all the apples for our Thanksgiving meals, because it's not just apple pie on our

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Cakes with Chipotle Aioli and Micro Greens 5 Oct 2014 7:31 AM (11 years ago)

I pretty much hate "veggie burgers." It's not for a lack of trying. My taste buds have endured one too many "chikn" patties that taste worse than the box they come in. My heart goes out to vegetarians and vegans everywhere. You people have had to endure a lot of lousy stuff for the sake of your choices. These kind of mock versions of meat-type dishes may be the reason why more people

Chilled Spinach with Carrot Ginger Dressing 3 Aug 2014 7:06 AM (11 years ago)

I'm a bit behind. Over on The Cleaner Plate Club and Edible KC, the resolution series is still going. But, I've not posted much for recipes or updates here. Life's busy, I do this for free. Even the book has cost more to promote and create than it has in sales. I do believe in getting kids to eat real food still. My real life is just getting in the way of posting! Here is a recipe from

January Get Real Resolution Questions 3 Jan 2014 11:51 AM (11 years ago)

If you are joining us for the Get Real Resolution, great! If not, you can join the fun any time, even next December! But, you may not want to miss the activities and information during the resolution year. It's designed to be low-stress and family fun time. You can even pick and choose the activities you like and just do those. No judgments here. January's activity is an easy one. It's

Get Real Resolution 1 Jan 2014 9:27 AM (11 years ago)

Happy New Year, everyone! This year, today in fact, marks a 12-month project I am working on with Edible Kansas City and all of you. It's called the "Get Real Resolution." I hope you'll join us in this no-fight, no-diet New Year journey to understand the why behind healthy food. Face it, we nag and our kids shut down. I had to implement a whole point and job card system to establish

Healthy Sides for Thanksgiving 23 Nov 2013 1:25 PM (11 years ago)

I know, it's like sacrilege. But something has to temper my love affair with butter fat for this holiday. The kid will pick and choose her healthy bites, however. Brussels sprouts more loaded with bacon and aged Gouda, YES. Brussels sprouts with quinoa and just enough bacon to taste good? Hmmm, more for me at least. It is a tough sell after a couple weeks of Halloween sugar binge have ignited her

Hail Ceasar: Avocado Ceasar Salad 17 Nov 2013 5:10 PM (11 years ago)

I have a longer-winded post to put here. It has to do with why I've suddenly begun focusing on ingredients that are natural powerhouses of anti-inflammatory goodness. I'll work my way back to that story. I'll get it together, right after I plan a few sides and a dessert for Thanksgiving! Alrighty. This is lighter without the egg, and uses all healthy fats from avocado. Avocado Ceasar

Thanksgiving 2013: Make Ahead Cranberry-Pear Compote 13 Nov 2013 4:10 PM (11 years ago)

And so begins the month of my favorite holiday. I hate that most stores — with the exception of cooking gadget ones — have simply fast-forwarded to commercializing the meaning out of Christmas. So, each November, we toss out the jack-o-lantern and celebrate the season of Gratitude. Now, looking at things historically, I'm going to have to say the pilgrims that followed after were

Wedding Soup: Or, What to Feed an Angry Pancreas 25 Oct 2013 1:33 PM (12 years ago)

Recently, I got to take a field trip to the ER. Now, it takes a fair bit of pain for me to concede defeat and even go to the normal doctor. And, to be honest, I was afraid I would get there and get a lecture on why women my age should not try to do P90X. And get laughed at. But, I have never managed to pull a muscle, not know it, then wake up 12 hours later in pain on the scale of

Chilled Corn Soup with Crab: Goodbye Summer, It's Been Great 21 Oct 2013 7:01 PM (12 years ago)

There's this wonderful few weeks of overlap where the biggest harvest of summer bounty mingles with the first apples and winter squashes of fall. For those of us with a full four seasons, we get a second planting of lettuces and greens, and we get a nice long goodbye to summer favorites with a few tomatoes lingering into October. I love this time of year. When the change of seasons come, I

Tomato and Peach Panzanella 7 Sep 2013 9:29 AM (12 years ago)

Tomatoes pair with a lot of things you would not expect. Mint, for one. Tarragon, too. Watermelon even. And peaches. With summer's heat dragging into September, it's good to embrace these unusual combinations and enjoy. This is a light, fresh salad inspired by a friend of mine who insisted that peaches and mozzarella are a perfect blend, too. The peaches help make it more kid-friendly. Good

What Grows Together, Goes Together: August Salads 31 Aug 2013 11:26 AM (12 years ago)

Cooking this time of year is so easy, it's like cheating. When a friend praised my seasonal cooking efforts, she made it sound like some kind of special feat. The truth is, it's easier. Mother Nature does the food pairing for you. All I have to do is get the tomatoes out of the garden before the squirrels do. I keep hoping one of them bites into a cayenne pepper by mistake. Clearly the dog needs

Beet the Heat: Beet Sorbet and Ginger Beet Apple Smoothie 12 Jul 2013 5:29 PM (12 years ago)

The solstice came and went, it's oddly light outside before six am and blessedly light for enough hours at the end of the work day for me to water the garden and weed a bit. Of course, this also means it's hot. Hot weather and long, extended sessions in the kitchen don't mix, so we've been taking our veggies cold these days. The kiddo gave this recipe a sidelong glance at first. But then

Just Dip It: Kids eat up to twice as much vegetable when served with a flavored dip 9 Jul 2013 2:22 PM (12 years ago)

Researchers just confirmed what every mom armed with a bottle of ranch dressing will tell you: Dips do make kids eat their vegetables. Even though we had already tested this theory over a thousand carrot sticks and red pepper strips ourselves, I do like seeing some validation that kids will try more vegetables, eat more of the vegetables and be twice as likely to enjoy those veggies with a dip.

Pretty in Pink: Floral Beet Salad 21 Jun 2013 7:14 PM (12 years ago)

I had a similar dish at a place called Unforked. But, it was missing a tangy something and just not quite a tasty as it was beautiful. I think I fixed that. You can, of course, swap out microgreens, mache, or tender lettuces if your little diners are not excited about peppery spring arugula. For the big people, I'd advise keeping the peppery greens. The edible flowers are just fun and you can

Pretty in pink: Lemon-mint Beet Hummus 7 Jun 2013 11:38 AM (12 years ago)

I like hummus. But, I concede to a co-worker that the plain old stuff is, well, rather plain. It's like white paint at the hardware store. Great for ceilings, right, but even better as the base for mixing in pigment to make all the different paint colors imaginable. Whether its decorating, cooking or just life in general, everything is a lot more exciting if you see what they could be instead

School Lunch by Democracy Or, when that whole menu-voting thing goes horribly wrong 24 May 2013 6:12 AM (12 years ago)

One last post on school lunches before the bell rings and it's summer!  <!--[if gte

Is a CSA Right for You? 17 May 2013 8:43 AM (12 years ago)

by Beth So, you’re thinking about joining a CSA. It sounds all locavore and romantic, right? But every day you are already getting surprised by some school project that your kid forgot to tell you about, or if you can just get your socks to match. Do you really want to be ambushed weekly by a vegetable, too? Here’s how to tell if a CSA is your best bet — and how to make it work for

Spring Green (and White): Mixed Greens, Herbs and Soba Noodles with Asian Dressing 3 May 2013 11:33 AM (12 years ago)

I always say that spring's first burst of greens is Mother Nature's way of reminding me that I need to get in a swim suit soon. It's a bit hard to tell myself this, however, when there is snow on the ground in May. I'm really going to miss spring this year. It's my favorite season we are skipping. Ironically, this is our first year trying a "spring CSA." While we should be seeing some sexy new

Yes, you can have kids and a CSA, too 1 Apr 2013 1:40 PM (12 years ago)

We moms get a lot of surprises in our lives. Everything from "projectile launch" by a kid with stomach flu on Christmas morning to trying to identify what the dog just ate from the scraps on the floor (a Christmas ornament, really?). Can we handle being ambushed by broccoli, too? You bet! While the CSA, or community supported agriculture, box may hold a few new veggies for everyone, the fact

Sneaky Chefs May Not Need to Sneak So Much 9 Jan 2013 3:08 PM (12 years ago)

Is your dinner menu "Deceptively Delicious?" Do you stash the broccoli in brownies or add pumpkin puree to pasta?  It's not too hard to understand why we moms would be tempted to sneak around. Only 21 percent of our kids are eating their "five a day." Some of our kids can make even a piece of fruit into a battle of wills. Need the good news? You can come out of the pantry now — at least

Thanksgiving: Yes, There Will Be Pie 19 Nov 2012 11:38 AM (12 years ago)

While I mentioned that the sides are, if you love vegetables the way I do, "so good, you could skip the pie," there will be pie (or dessert "outside the crust"). Pie for everyone else at dinner, even if I am too full on salad and veggies. Leftover pie for my traditional Friday after Thanksgiving breakfast. In my jammies and as far from anything resembling a mall on Black Friday, I will have

Root Veggies and Sauces 16 Nov 2012 8:51 AM (12 years ago)

I'm on the fence over the mandatory mashed potatoes for the feast. There will be traditionalists among us who will expect the standard fare right down to giblets and wiggling can-shaped blog of cranberry stuff that no one eats. There will be kids, not mine, who may only eat the mashed potatoes and turkey (not touching, of course). My kid won't eat mashed potatoes. I would prefer a roasted root

Thanksgiving Sides: The Not-Dreaded Green Vegetable 13 Nov 2012 10:06 AM (12 years ago)

It's a tough job for a green vegetable to compete for a place on the plate at Thanksgiving. Mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and the whole carb overload may not leave room for even the smallest Brussels sprout. Plus, its hard enough to get folks to eat these without all the other options. Here's a new recipe and a few green vegetable options (scroll down)  that may convince even the most

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