crunchy parenting

I knew about how you could use lemon juice to keep apples from browning, but I have since learned that you can use Vitamin C powder instead. I love this, since it always seemed like a tragic waste of a lemon for such a cosmetic reason. 

I mix a teaspoon or two in a bowl of water and soak for 15 minutes. Then drain and blot dry and pack as usual for snacks. 

A fast, healthy and fun treat for those purple-loving little ones. I love oatmeal for our breakfasts because it’s gluten-free, a good source of low residue fiber, and can be sweetened with everything from honey and maple syrup to simple fresh fruit. I prefer rolled oats for their speed of cooking, but the patient spouse-unit always goes for the steel-cut oats. Whichever one, this is a toddler and baby favorite for us. Read the rest of this entry »

 I love making these, even if I sometimes find them a lot of work to eat. Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, are super healthy for you, though – somewhere in the top 25 healthiest foods to eat. So I keep on making them and eating them. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently came across a couple that was so confused about what to feed their 3-year-old that they were pouring a commercial brand of stage 3 veggies over his rice and meat. Entirely well-meaning, they also had an ample supply of canned food that they ate as standalone meals. They also were on a tight budget and had concerns about the rising cost of food in the supermarket. The father asked my advice on what we feed Spice and Ginny.

I took a deep breath. Where to start?

I pointed out the grocery mailers sitting on their coffeetable. “Here’s the price of the prepared foods,” I said, showing them the ads for canned and boxed meals. “And here’s a pound of organic carrots for $.88.” Read the rest of this entry »

I have had a no-win situation in the house for months now – the issue of fresh bread. The spouse-unit loves a freshly baked artisan-style loaf of bread, but depending on how manic our weekdays are, it sometimes doesn’t get finished before it turns to stone. I’ve tried to use it up anyway somehow in the past but have been frustrated that there are only so many ways you can use breadcrumbs.

Coming from a vaguely English childhood, I’ve always wondered about how creative I could get with a savory bread pudding and recently tried it out, with simply amazing results.

Savory Italian Bread Pudding

– old dry bread, sliced
– 2-3 tomatoes, sliced 
– 1 small eggplant, either roasted soft, or sliced and pan-roasted 
– 1 zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 
– 2 cloves garlic 
– 1/2 onion, chopped 
– 1 cup vegetable stock, hot 
– 1/2 cup cheese (optional)

Grease a 8×5 baking dish, or even a loaf pan. Add the garlic to the stock. Start by layering the bread, then tomatoes, onions, zucchini and eggplant. Again, a layer of bread and the rest until dish is full, or all layers done. End with a layer of bread on top. Pour stock over. Add cheese if using.

Now, you can cover tightly with foil and freeze. To reheat, put frozen dish in a cold oven and set to 350 degrees for an hour. Check temperature/doneness and heat for another 30-45 minutes, or as needed. (Mine took about 1.5 hours.)

If you’re not freezing it, you can bake it straight for about an hour at 350 degrees. Enjoy!