Ideal Bite

Oh, the drama. Roxane, my 14-month-old daughter, truly won’t eat anything but apple sauce and yogurt these days. She pushes the spoon away or sweeps the offending stuff off her high chair tray. And it all started out so well. She liked...wait for it...kale just a mere few months ago.

Anyway, this is nothing new for a baby headed into the toddler stage (hello, power struggle), but my own battle is trying not to be frustrated. As a food lover, I can’t wait to introduce her to flavors and tastes. I want to take her to farmers markets and teach her to cook. I imagine the mindful omnivore she’ll become…only to watch her fling bits of plum or brown rice or peas on the floor.

In the meantime, I’ve resorted to, um, trickery. Hiding bits of Read the full post... 

I dragged myself to Trader Joes in WeHo the other day to buy ingredients for "The Soup" (my sister's healing, chicken-less chicken soup). As I chatted up the bagger and told him what I was going to make, he looked at me as if I had lost it and said, "Soup??"

I happen to have a stinking cold during LA's heat wave. And I'm anti-antibiotic (OK, I took them in September '05 because I was under the weather and heading to Bali; and last Christmas when I was sick as a dog and had to be a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding), so I've been trying to heal in a more homeopathic way by eating The Soup, Neti Pot-ing - I know it looks weird, but I'm a huge fan - and drinking a very zippy Throat Tea, Read the full post... 

Last night I got my grub on - something I love to do - at the Farm to Table event at the Broad Street Ballroom in NYC. I love going down to the Wall Street area…it feels like you’re in a totally different city. Anyway, my friend and I got to taste tons of great dishes that were organic and/or sourced from within 100 miles of the city. Our tops picks were:Basil Strawberry Lemonade with LiV Vodka from Long Island

• Country Duck Sausage from the Hudson Valley
  
• Watermelon

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A new restaurant is opening up in the IB SF office 'hood on Monday, and due to its close proximity to our South Beach HQ alone, it's deserving of a mention. Welcome, Ironside, the new outfit from the folks that brought you (us...) wine to be imbibed whilst sitting in a U-shape at District.

Dear Ironside, 

We can't wait to add you to our exhausted (but once great) roster of rotating lunch haunts. Butler and the Chef, South Park Cafe, Mexico Au Park, Brickhouse - smell ya later.

Love, 
IB

Ironside set up shop in the Chronicle Books building, in s space formerly home to the Moore Shipbuilding Co. This new iteration is made of reclaimed materials: barn wood,

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We go through so much granola in our house that I decided to finally make my own. Oh, it’s cheaper, healthier, blah, blah, blah...but I also like the newfound power of satisfying my crunchy cravings when I can’t (um, won’t) leave the house.

Veggie author extraordinaire Nava Atlas shared her granola bar recipe with MamaBite earlier this week, and, as promised, here’s her take on the cereal itself:

Classic Crunchy Granola
Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:
(local and organic whenever possible)

• 4 cups rolled oats (or oatmeal for a finer consistency)
• 1 cup wheat germ or oat bran (or half of each)
• 1/4 cup untoasted sesame or sunflower seeds

Read the full post... 

Sure, we'd rather our kids clamored for "more broccoli, please!" but in the real world, slipping in nutritious foods into stuff they eat isn't such a bad idea. Mama Bite contributor Melissa Goldberg sent us this brownie-style recipe made with beets and sweet potatoes. Her curly-haired 2-year-old, who normally won't touch a vegetable, loves 'em.

Veggie "Brownies"
Makes about 16

Ingredients:
(local and organic when possible)

• 2 cups almond butter
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup honey (raw is best)
• 4 medium carrots, peeled (around 1/2 cup puree)
• 1 large beet, peeled (around 1/2 cup puree)
• 1 apple,

Read the full post... 

When I’ve really got a cold coming on, there’s one clear way I know: I lose my appetite. Yes, that’s true for many peeps, but ordinarily I’m always, always ready to eat (good cheese is my first choice...except maybe cookies...or a grass-fed burger...). And the first sign of getting better? Jonsing for a gooey PB&J.

I was reminded of that this week when picking up a few jars of organic peanut butter at the store (the way I buy the stuff, I swear I’m putting someone’s kids through college).

During my pregnancy, especially that first trimester, it was one of the only foods I’d consume after a bout of nausea. Not a bad choice if you want Read the full post... 

Just got back from a great little vacay visiting my BFF from high school in South Carolina (I'm originally from the ATL). People often ask me what I miss about the South, and the answer remains the same: Chick-fil-A. If you're not familiar with the chicken purveyor, just picture biting into a little piece of fried chicken heaven wrapped in a delightfully fluffy, buttery biscuit. 

However, my rosy memory was slightly smudged when my bestie and I walked in and ordered up a couple of chicken biscuits and a soda for me, only to have said soda delivered in a Styrofoam cup. For reals, CFA? What is this? 1989? Styrofoam went out with teased bangs and giant New Kids on the Block buttons attached en masse to acid-washed denim jackets. I realize I live in quite the green bubble in Seattle, but other spots in the South have definitely made strides in the eco department since I Read the full post... 

Love icy lemonade? Ditto. We’re headed for 90-degree days here in Chicago where I live, so this recipe’ll taste sweet - only a little less so for the agave syrup, which has a lower glycemic index than regular refined sugar. Drink up.

-Mama Bite Editor Alison
From Mama


Back to Nature Lemonade
Adapted with permission from the Kitchen Commando
Makes 8 cups

Ingredients (local and organic whenever possible):

8 lemons for juice, plus 1 sliced for garnish
3/4 cup agave syrup
2 Read the full post... 

Michael Pollan is one hard guy to find. In our aim to bring you the best bleepin' book club ever, I've tried to corner our dear author into a little exclusive Biter time, but to no avail. "Oh, he’s on deadline and off to promote the doc Food, Inc.," said one contact.  "He just left for a farm in Italy," one of his editors told me. (Home of Slow Food, anyone?) That's ok, we're having our own highly stimulating convo sans ridiculously-famous-and-elusive-brilliant-writer. Check it out.

-Mama Bite Editor Alison...off to sleuth a little more...
From Read the full post...