Today, Sara Cabot of Little Lettice provides zucchini inspired recipes for the whole family:
Everywhere you look at the farmer’s markets in July you see different forms of zucchini squash in different shapes and sizes. While zucchini squash is extremely palatable for babies, older kids can find it a bit boring. I am convinced that one of the reasons kids don’t like green veggies is that they are bored of the way they are cooked or presented. With a bit of variation, these sweet and tender greens can be delicious to young children.Today, Sara Cabot of Little Lettice provides zucchini inspired recipes for the whole family:
Everywhere you look at the farmer’s markets in July you see different forms of zucchini squash in different shapes and sizes. While zucchini squash is extremely palatable for babies, older kids can find it a bit boring. I am convinced that one of the reasons kids don’t like green veggies is that they are bored of the way they are cooked or presented. With a bit of variation, these sweet and tender greens can be delicious to young children.
Given that kids dig shapes and animals, and modern parents are hungry for stylish simplicity, the designs at Colette Kids give new meaning to the term “family friendly.” With an understated yet playful less is more approach, this unisex collection of modern, geometric critters is individually hand silk screened onto richly colored 100% cotton tees or 100% organic cotton onesies. Laurel’s favorite is Charlotte; sweet, definitively piggy, yet ultra cool because she’s not trying too hard.
Earlier this year, lice ran rampant through Laurel’s preschool class, and while we were spared, some of our good friends were not. As first timers, they faced stress, disgust, copious loads of laundry, and just not really knowing what to look for on their kids’ heads. If you find yourself in a similar situation, check out NitWits. This Cambridge based nitpicking service uses only organic and all natural products during lice checks and nit removal. They also provide advice for at-home treatment and prevention.
My friend Nooshi is amazing at identifying a cool party theme then really running with it. A couple of weekends ago she threw a marvelous Messy Party for her son’s third birthday and the party was unbelievably fun and beautifully creative. Here’s a run down of how she made it all happen:
Pursuant to yesterday’s broadcast of my NECN interview on cool kitchen gadgets for parents, you now can see the video at NECN or on our press page. Meanwhile, here are specifics on the gadgets I chatted about with host Beth Shelburne, including a few we didn’t have time to discuss.
I’m not sure whether it’s coincidence or consequence that June-born Jon loves cherries, but every year he’d rather have cherry pie than cake. The year Laurel was born, in my sleep deprived, frantically trying-to-bake-while-on-a-conference-call state, I dropped my fully assembled pie as I tried to put it in the oven. I thus was too traumatized last year to try again, but when Bon Appétit’s June 2008 issue featured this Classic Sour Cherry Pie With Lattice Crust recipe, I knew it was time to give cherry pie another go. Plus, Laurel was sure to keep reminding me to use both hands when putting the pie in the oven.
Welcome to the 2nd installment of Boston Mamas Rock! – where we’re giving a voice to fabulous local mamas, whether they be entrepreneurs, avid volunteers, stay at home moms, moms who have closet talents (e.g., community theatre, juggling, what have you…), authors, media professionals, politicians, professors, etc. Read on for today’s interview with Janie Katz-Christy, the Director of Green Streets Initiative. Then go ahead and nominate yourself or a friend!
Today, Sara Cabot of Little Lettice offers a primer on “that nitrate thing” - the issue of when it's safe to present vegetables such as spinach and carrots to babies. Sara also includes a spinach, zucchini, and potato recipe for babies and toddlers.
Ready, set, grill! Today, Michelle Stern of What’s Cooking offers a yummy recipe for BBQ Chicken BLT’s - perfectly suited for these sweltering days that make it challenging to cook indoors. And be sure to get your kids involved, with Michelle's "Call the Kids" tips at the end of the recipe.
We talk a lot about tea sets and tea parties in our house (what with all the repeated reads of A Bargain for Frances), and reader Cathleen recently wrote in about a chic eco-friendly toy line that includes a tea set that I plan on getting for Laurel. Cathleen writes: “I recently saw Green Toys products in a store in New Hampshire…They are made from recycled milk jugs, made in the USA, have no Bisphenol-A, and are SO cute to boot!” In addition to the tea set, Green Toys offers cookware and dining, indoor gardening, and sand play sets.
Today, Jules offes a recipe to try over the weekend:
"With the arrival of spring and summer, I can’t get enough seafood. A light seafood entrée is the perfect dinner for me, and this recipe is a lovely, easy diversion from the typical banal salmon dish. The subtle fennel flavors come in the form of a light crunch similar to celery, and contrast surprisingly well with the brininess of the olives and sweetness of the oranges. Enjoy!
Before baking becomes seasonally obsolete, I wanted to share a project that Laurel and I have had tremendous fun with: thumbprint cookies. This project is great for parents because the cookie dough is really easy to make (especially if you have a standing mixer), the thumbprint and jelly filling steps are fun for kids (plus, think manual dexterity practice), and it’s nice that the end result – particularly in our world of super size – is a perfectly petite treat.
Today, Jen reports on a recent eye opening green event in Boston:
"I recently had the pleasure of attending a vegan luncheon and book signing at the Four Seasons's Aujourdui in honor of Deirdre Imus's new book, Growing Up Green. Over a spectacular meal prepared by executive chef Brooke Vosika, Imus spoke passionately about environmental toxins and their effect on our children's health. I must confess that both the food and Imus's message surprised me. The vegan food was surprisingly elegant and Imus's message was surprisingly scary. Although in retrospect, given our host chef and the state of our environment, I should not have been so surprised.
I think people who love hosting parties inherently have a bit of control freak in them. That’s certainly the case for me anyway; I think a lot about assembling a good mix of people, food, and drink, I inevitably fret over the RSVPs, and I want everything to look perfect yet effortless. And last week, at my Method Detox Your Home Boston party, I had the odd and delicious experience of enjoying the benefits of a fabulously assembled party, with all of the hard work done for me.
Whether it’s due to laziness, a desire to not rush the process, or not having a 2nd child waiting for the crib (one of my girlfriends needed to transition her older daughter early to a big girl bed when #2 was on the way, and the older child responded by climbing into the crib, removing her diaper, and leaving an unpleasant surprise…), it occurs to me that we’ve had a tendency to let Laurel’s growth - or, let’s face it, claustrophobia – determine her nest transitions.
Happily, gone are the days where kids and adults with allergies are left out at treat time. Today, Tracy reports on her testing sessions of the allergy-friendly Cherrybrook Kitchen baking mix line. Read on for her review, and also to learn how to win a gift basket of goodies from Cherrybrook Kitchen!
Today, April shares a kickin’ recipe for what I will now forever refer to as “me dough!”
“My daughter calls play dough 'me dough!' She runs to her craft table, sits down, and politely declares that it’s time for her favorite craft of all. She wants it and she wants a lot of it. In great colors, too, like teal and magenta.