Ideal Bite

A friend who volunteers at a low-income community garden recently told me a disturbing story about the high school kids who help out there: To fuel a long day at school, most had consumed nothing for lunch but a bag of chips and a soda.

Food for thought is just that - the stuff that powers brain function - so little surprise that kids struggle to get the most out of their school day (and develop into productive adults) when they’re subsisting on junk food or other highly-processed, nutritionally-empty calories. Plus processed food takes a huge toll on the environment between the packaging, shipping, production waste and more.

With that in mind, I’m getting on my soapbox for the Slow Food USA’s Read the full post... 

As if it isn’t bewildering enough to make green choices at the grocery store, Whole Foods is making it worse. In fact, I’m gonna level a pretty damning claim, folks: I think they’re purposely confusing shoppers about organic vs. local products - essentially taking advantage many consumers' tenuous grasp on the definitions and insecurity about which one is the better choice.

Example: This week I walked into one of their stores in Chicago, where I live, and rolled my cart up to a beautiful display of Michigan apples (the produce staff does a mighty fine polishing job) with a sign that announced “Local Apples.” Next to that sign was another titled “Why Organic?” or something similar, that discussed the benefits of eating Read the full post... 

So clearing up the little bumps - molluscum warts - on my daughter Roxie’s arm is not going to be quick. After the first visit I mentioned, we’ve had to return to the doctor a few times for additional cantharidine applications.

It’s not because it’s a nampy-pamby natural solution that doesn’t work - rather it’s the opposite. Cantharidine, so-called beetle juice, is extremely potent and dabbing it on a few warts can rev up the immune system to fight them all off. The treatment isn't painful, we're told, but it's best to carry it out over time, our doc said, so we’re settling in for a process. 

Honestly, aside from my mommy guilt over her tears, the hardest part is holding Roxane Read the full post... 

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... 

Shortly after my daughter Roxie was born, I noticed a couple of raised red bumps on her upper arm. Intruders! Turns out it’s a common condition for little kids: molluscum cantagiosum, a type of harmless wart, but it spreads.

So last week the hubby and I brought our daughter Roxie, now 13 months, into the doctor’s office for treatment with something called beetle juice, a.k.a cantharidine. It’s an ancient medicine derived from the blister beetle, but what surprised me is that it’s modern medicine’s go-to treatment for these warts.

What’s the big deal? Well, usually I’m on guard with the pediatrician for synthetic drugs, but this time it wasn’t necessary. Nor did I have to defend my preference for a plant- or Read the full post... 

Last week, text book publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt recognized 1,000 teachers who plan their curriculums with online book samples, instead of ordering a hard copy. HMH started the program a year ago and I think it’s one of those solutions that makes sense for everyone: teachers get a fast, easy way to evaluate books and the publisher saves money (so maybe - hint, hint - they can lower the price of texts someday?), and it conserves paper and energy.

It’s a similar logic for renting textbooks, which is picking up at colleges around the country, and can save students loads of money.

I wish it had existed when I was an undergrad. I mean, do you know Read the full post... 

Our house has dark wood floors that show every little speck of dust, but that’s not why we made the decision to go shoeless at home. 

No, the real instigator was my daughter Roxie, 1, and the moment she decided to start licking the floor. That’s what babies do, I know (a pretty logical way to figure out the world actually), and kids do need to be exposed to some germs to build their immune systems, but come on. Precautions seemed more than in order.

Consider where you walk each day - sidewalks, lawns, public transit. Would you want you kid to lick the bottom of your shoe? Or wipe it on her face? But that’s essentially what we do to kids when we Read the full post... 

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...