Archive for the ‘
Food ’ Category
Thursday, October 11th, 2012
To continue our parade of giveaways tied to our American Baby Bests Awards, I’d like to present this year’s totally new category…the babyfood maker! We know that making purees for new eaters is hugely popular right now. Though there are some fancy, much-loved appliances that can both steam and smash food, our readers say their favorite tool is the more affordable Baby Bullet, which is ready to turn anything you’ve already cooked to mush. 
Why use this instead of your home blender? It’s sized right for baby portions, for one thing, and also comes with babyfood-storage containers plus a refrigerator tray and freezer tray. When you order the Baby Bullet you also get a guide to feeding your baby and some ideas of what to puree. (We also list some fairly sophisticated and fun to try babyfood recipes on Parents.com.)
In short, our readers say it’s worth the $60 investment. But hold tight! Leave a comment here and you could be one of two people to win a Baby Bullet, courtesy of the Baby Bullet team. If your baby is already on solids, tell us what he or she likes best. If babyfood-making is in your future, tell us what you’re eager to try. (I for one had a disaster trying to feed my daughter home-pureed carrots and never went back, but now I regret not experimenting with some other recipes before I abandoned hope!) You can leave up to one comment a day between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, October 17th. The official rules are here. Goody luck! 
Monday, October 8th, 2012
Calling all bakers! Dream up your own cupcake creation for a chance to win drool-worthy goodies including a high-end stand mixer. Visit Reynolds Wrap on Facebook to design your own cupcake liner, and pair it with the virtual cake and icing of your choice. (And next time you’re in the kitchen, try the foil-lined StayBrite Baking Cups, which help prevent your batter from seeping out into a goopy mess.)
Submit your masterpiece by October 19, 2012, then check back on October 22 to vote for your fave. The winner will be selected by cupcake wizards Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, authors of the book Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My! (This duo really can make baking magic–just check out the wild cake Karen designed for our zoo-themed birthday bash.) Good luck!
Image: Many cupcakes via Shutterstock
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
By Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN
Move over juice—rice and rice products are now garnering considerable attention for being a source of arsenic, thanks to a recent Consumer Reports article. Following a report they published last January about concerning levels of arsenic in both apple and grape juices, the popular magazine now reveals surprising findings about rice and its many forms in 60 products commonly found in grocery stores. Turns out there’s arsenic—and sometimes, “worrisome amounts,” according to the report—in a range of rice products, including organic rice baby cereal, rice breakfast cereal, brown rice, and rice milk.
The report itself—and no doubt the media frenzy surrounding it—has led many of us to scratch our heads, and wonder if we unknowingly exposed our families to a potentially dangerous chemical. You may have even thrown out all the rice and rice products in your cupboard. But are we overreacting?
Before you jump on what’s sure to be an anti-rice bandwagon, it’s important to understand what arsenic is, and to know that it’s not all created equally.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, arsenic is a chemical element naturally found in water, air, food, and soil. It also occurs as a result of contamination from human activity (such as burning coal, oil, or using pesticides that contain arsenic). Although found in both organic and inorganic forms, inorganic arsenic is the form that has been linked with higher rates of skin, bladder, and lung cancers; and heart disease. Some studies have also suggested that chronic exposure to arsenic can contribute to cognitive and other developmental disabilities.
Although arsenic works its way through soil and water into many healthful foods, including grains, fruits, and vegetables, the FDA, which has monitored arsenic levels in foods since 1991, says rice may be more susceptible to absorbing arsenic than other grains.
Despite the findings by Consumer Reports and its own, just-released preliminary study findings on an analysis of 200 grocery store items (with another 1,000 to go),the FDA won’t, at this time, tell Americans to forego rice and rice products. Instead, it urges them to consume a variety of grains as part of a well-balanced diet.
Consumer Reports, however, suggests limiting infants to no more than 1 serving a day of infant rice cereal. They also encourage diets with lower arsenic grain options, including wheat cereals, oatmeal, and corn grits. Daily rice drinks for children under age 5 are not recommended.
Until more information is known, it’s probably wise to heed the advice of both the FDA and Consumer Reports. Continue to feed your child—and yourself—a varied diet with foods from all the basic food groups. Also, mix up the foods you choose from each food group—that way you’ll consume different combinations of nutrients, and at the same time, limit your exposure to chemicals that may prove to be harmful.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says additional research is needed before recommendations can be made on the possible risks involved in consuming rice and rice products, including baby cereal.
If you’re concerned about arsenic in your favorite rice product, contact the manufacturer or the FDA. And if you decide to remove rice and rice products from your diet, be sure to fill the gap with other healthful whole grain foods to get complex carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, and other valuable nutrients.
Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN, is a Parents advisor. You can follow her on Twitter at @elisazied.
Image: Rice via Shutterstock
Thursday, September 13th, 2012
We’ve all seen the heartbreaking images of children in third world countries who are barely surviving due to a lack of food. We all know that this tragic reality exists, but did you know that there are 16 million children living here in America who are battling hunger?
We at Parents take this issue very seriously. We recently ran a report on what hunger looks like in America and interviewed a mom who experienced it firsthand.
Romano’s Macaroni Grill is teaming up with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to bring 1 million meals to children in need. They invited us and other bloggers to write about their favorite Italian recipe and for every post they will donate $50 to No Kid Hungry, which will provide up to 500 meals for children in need.
Here’s what you can do to help.
Give
Throughout the entire month of September, Macaroni Grill diners can donate $2 to No Kid Hungry and receive $5 off their next visit. A $2 donation could provide up to 20 meals.
Share
Every time a fan shares a photo from the Mac Grill Facebook Gallery, Macaroni Grill will help No Kid Hungry provide a child with a meal.
Tag
Tweet or Instagram a photo of your Macaroni Grill experience with the tag #macgrillgive and Macaroni Grill will provide a child with a meal.
Here’s one of our favorite Italian dishes, the mega-simple Crockpot Lasagna:
Ingredients: 
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 26 ounce jar pasta sauce
- ¾ cup water
- 1 15 ounce carton light ricotta cheese
- 6 lasagna noodles
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6oz.)
Make It
1. Coat a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In a large microwave-safe bowl stir together pasta sauce and water. Cover bowl with waxed paper and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together ricotta cheese and carrot; set aside.
2. Spoon 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture in the bottom of prepared slow cooker. Break half of the noodles to fit the bottom of the slow cooker and arrange over the sauce in the slow cooker. Spoon mounds of half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the layers. Top with remaining noodles, breaking to fit, remaining ricotta mixture, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon remaining sauce over and top with remaining mozzarella.
3. Cover; cook on low heat setting for 3 hours (noodles should be tender). Remove crockpot from liner and let stand covered for 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.
Tip
Stovetop Method: Prepare as above, except increase noodles to 8 and layer ingredients in a large deep skillet. Bring to boiling over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes.
Categories: Food, GoodyBlog, Solutions | Tags: childhood hunger, childhood poverty, hunger, lasagna, Macaroni Grill, No Kid Hungry, poverty, recipe, recipes
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
We know that it’s sometimes a struggle to find time (and energy!) to prepare nutritious food. We’ve got your back with lightning-fast recipes and our series of helpful kitchen hints and tricks. Disney hears you, too–that’s why they’re launching a new series called “That’s Fresh,” hosted by chef Helen Cavallo. The show premieres tonight during the new Disney Junior Night Light programming block on the 24-hour Disney Junior channel. Each episode of this mom-friendly show focuses on taking one simple main ingredient to create healthy recipes that both kids and adults will enjoy.
Helen also shared her top tips for whipping up nutritious meals and snacks for your family:
- Plan ahead. Get your food shopping out of the way over the weekend, so you’re not scrambling to buy groceries during the week. Make lunches at the same time that you’re making dinner (that way, you’ll only have to clean up the kitchen once!). It’s easy to store sandwiches or whole fruits, and you can even stash some dinner leftovers to pack for lunch.
- Master quick-and-easy shortcuts. For a healthy side in a snap, roast vegetables in a pan with olive oil and a pinch of salt. It’s also simple to steam veggies: you can make a whole meal’s worth at once, and cleanup is a cinch.
- Scissor solution: Instead of cutting your kid’s food with a knife and fork, snip it into bite-sized chunks using kitchen scissors. This can save a lot of time!
Thursday, August 2nd, 2012
Every baby looks like he or she could be the Gerber Baby, no? But the sketch is of a woman named Ann Turner Cook, who was 5 months old in 1929 when her neighbor drew her for what would become the iconic baby face. She visited our offices a few years ago, and we loved it! 
Gerber is running a nationwide baby-photo search on Facebook right now. The winner will appear in an ad campaign but even better, get $50,000! You have until August 26th to upload your little one’s photo. Best of luck, maybe your own kid will be the 2012 Gerber Baby!
As for Gerber’s baby food, my own daughter was an infant when they debuted their first organics. Now, the organic recipes come in pouches that are easy to throw in your diaper bag and less heavy in your grocery bag than the traditional glass jars. (Though the jars can be recycled, so they have that going for them.) I have such fond memories of planning out baby Grace’s meals. She loved prunes and apricots most of all, so we’d often do one of those for breakfast, but always got a green vegetable in at lunch or dinner. It’s still pretty much the same for her at age 10; fruit with breakfast and broccoli or peas or salad with dinner!
I’m happy to say that Gerber is going to give one lucky family almost $110 worth of free baby food just for leaving a comment at this post. Tell me your baby’s favorite puree flavor, perhaps? You have from now through the end of the day on Wednesday, August 8th, to leave a comment. We’ll randomly pick one person to win 15 Gerber Graduate Puffs, 15 Gerber Graduate Lil’ Entrees, and 25 Gerber Organic 2nd Food Pouches, a $108.95 value. You can read the official rules here. Good luck! 
Friday, May 11th, 2012
Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and if you’re still stuck on what do to for the special mom in your life, look no further than this week’s top pins! Check out our ideas for everything from delicious weekend dishes to sweet and simple gifts you can make with your kids.
Trying to find a way to sneak more vegetables into your children’s meals? The two cups of zucchini in this Blueberry Zucchini Bread make this a healthier alternative to regular muffins or breakfast pastries, and the 20-minute prep time means it’s easy to make ahead and enjoy all week long.
Whether you find an old-school photo booth at the local mall or use some family snapshots, this handmade bookmark is a great gift for the reader in your life. Simply glue the pictures to a piece of card stock and personalize the other side. We used the word “mother” in different languages, but you could try a handwritten note or a favorite memory from the previous year.
Have a complete gourmet lunch at home when you try this Chicken, Mozzarella and Basil Panini with a side of Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Chips. To save time, make the sandwich with leftovers from earlier in the week or pick up a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. The chips are a great alternative to fried ones, and since they aren’t prepackaged you can season them however you want—we tried a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon.
Creating custom-made art can be as easy as 1-2-3. First, cut out several equal-sized rectangles and write a single letter on each, making sure they’re easy enough to read in a photo. Next, pose your kids—or yourself!—holding each sign up for the camera. Finally, print out the pictures in black and white and arrange them in a frame so they spell out your message of love.
Any kid will tell you that everything tastes better when it’s on a stick. For this twist on the classic Root-Beer Float, just freeze a layer of soda in plastic molds or cups before topping it with softened vanilla ice cream. For a fancier popsicle, tilt the cups so the soda freezes at an angle before adding the final layer. Hide a maraschino cherry at the bottom for an extra surprise.
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
If you’re looking for inspiration for fun crafts to try out this weekend or ideas for some simple, kid-friendly recipes to cook next week, you’ve come to the right place. This is the first installment of our new weekly Pinterest roundup, where we’ll feature the most popular pins from all the Parents pinboards. Check them out below, and leave a comment telling us what you like to see most on Pinterest!
Bring the kid’s menu home with these low-fat chicken strips. They only take ten minutes to prep, and you can make them even more fun by serving it with your kid’s favorite dipping sauces. The best part? Since they’re baked instead of fried, each serving only has 6 grams of fat!
To make this adorable ladybug, have your child dip yarn into a blend of equal parts water and glue before wrapping the sticky strands around two different-sized balloons. Let them dry completely before popping the balloons and adding antennae made from chenille stems and black felt dots to the body.
These healthy Blueberry-Banana Stacks are guaranteed to make snack time more enjoyable. Get the little ones to help pile each treat up, and watch them disappear as fast as they can make them.
Looking for custom invitations for your kid’s next birthday extravaganza? This cupcake invite is only one of the many free templates you can choose from, and we’ve made it easy to make them your own. Just download each pattern, fill in your information, and print them out!
Sign up for our free birthday newsletter! Get personalized party tips and ideas specific to your kid’s age delivered to your inbox each week leading up to the big day.
Categories: Birthdays, Crafts, Entertainment, Food, GoodyBlog, Time for Fun, Your Life | Tags: birthday invitations, crafts, Food, Food and Drink, invitations, Pinterest, snacks
