Tips & Recipes for a Perfect Picnic
by Stacie on 6/08/11 | 1 Comment(s)
Picnic season is here! While there’s no need to get fancy, it’s easy to put together a fun—and even sophisticated—spread that the whole family will love. Here are some tips and favorite recipes for packing a laid back, but unforgettable al fresco meal: Plan ahead: I don’t mean slave away. After all, the point of [...]
Deal: SmartyPants all-in-one multi with fish oil
by Karen on 5/26/11 | 3 Comment(s)
Last winter I was sent these new multi-vitamins with fish oil by SmartyPants. Investigation is what I love to do and so on a freezing February day, I hunkered down with the SmartyPants multis, my own vitamin bottles, the internet and some tea (fortification). For four years I have been feeding my children both a [...]
Pier 6: major addition for park goers
by Karen on 5/25/11 | 2 Comment(s)
Pier 6 was one of last year’s most popular and exciting destinations for playtime but everyone lamented the lack of restrooms, shade and food available to park visitors. As of this weekend, some of that will change. This Saturday, May 28th, a new 1.8 acre section of Brooklyn Bridge Park will open. New amenities- actual [...]
Who Needs Las Vegas When Brooklyn’s Got Brighton Beach?
by Paula on 5/24/11 | 1 Comment(s)
It had been a long time since my husband and I had a night out. Sure, we’d had the occasional sitter and gone out to a local restaurant, but I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be reminded that New York City (and Brooklyn especially) is full of possibility – I wanted an [...]
Cooking Class: Parents Need to Eat Too!
by Karen on 5/19/11 | 0 Comment(s)
Now that baby’s here, are you living on takeout and jarred pasta sauce? Learn a new way of cooking, specifically created for new parents. “Parents Need to Eat Too”, the class that inspired the cookbook, focuses on recipes and techniques that are easy enough for beginners and frazzled new parents—delicious, nutritious meals you can make [...]
Family Cookbooks Worth Their Salt + Baked Apple Puff
by Stacie on 5/02/11 | 3 Comment(s)
I’m not big on most kid or family cookbooks. They’re usually filled with cutesy foods or “kid menu” favorites in which I have no interest (or can figure out how to make myself). I mean, can you imagine your Hungry Papa getting excited about “Spaghetti and Eyeballs”? Really. Before you write me off as a [...]
Festivals Galore This Weekend!
by Karen on 4/29/11 | 2 Comment(s)
There’s Cherry Blossom Festival, Greenpoint Earth Day Festival, Tribeca Film Family Festival, Church Street Festival, Bike Fest, World Brooklyn Festival, Kindie Fest….let’s see am I missing any? Probably one or two, so if you know any more please put them down in the comments section! Here are the details: Go Green! Greenpoint Earth Day festival [...]
Reader Review: Moomah Café – A not to be missed playspace in Tribeca
by Karen on 4/13/11 | 1 Comment(s)
One uncharacteristically warm February day, my daughter and I ventured out of Brooklyn in search of new adventure. We desperately needed to get out of our apartment and see something new. Not even the mounting weight of my 14-month-old babe in her carrier could deter us. We decided on Moomah Café for our journey and [...]
Can You Indentify Your Kid’s Eating Style?
by Karen on 4/12/11 | 0 Comment(s)
I think being concerned about what your child eats consumes a lot of us. My friend Rena tells me how her son will barely eat for days and then suddenly will wolf down anything in the fridge. For an eternity, Birch ate only white foods (yogurt, bread, milk). My sister’s children are grazers so they [...]
What are some “true” organic dairy products?
by Karen on 4/08/11 | 9 Comment(s)
Our book club just finished reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. It touched off a lot of debate about what is truly “organic” and what isn’t. I wanted to learn more. One of my favorite “green” sites, A Fresh Squeeze, recommended The Cornucopia Institute for solid information on this topic. The Cornucopia Institute is [...]
Move Over Fry Guys: Polenta “French Fries”
by Stacie on 4/05/11 | 0 Comment(s)
I love french fries. Thick cut, curly, shoestring, seasoned… you name it, I eat it. Here’s the thing, though: they have got to be fried. Believe me when I tell you that I’ve had my shared of delicious baked “fries.” I really have. But, if you ask me, they are a different animal (like how [...]
Quick and Healthy: Quinoa “Fried Rice”
by Stacie on 3/21/11 | 0 Comment(s)
This week is crazy. I know, I know. They all are! Well this week feels even crazier than most. See, I’m hard at work putting together a charity cookbook for Japan (more details coming soon!) and my sitter is gone for the week (her first grandson just arrived!). All great things, but not so great [...]
The Ultimate Snack: Homemade Cheddar Crackers
by Stacie on 3/07/11 | 1 Comment(s)
Friends! It’s been too long since I’ve been here. (Two months and one week, but who’s keeping track?!) After such a long absence, I feel it’s only right to come bearing gifts. And what better gift to a parent than the ultimate snack recipe? There are too many to list all of the reasons why [...]
Finally- a multivitamin with fish oil- all in one
by Karen on 2/27/11 | 11 Comment(s)
I’ve been writing on this blog about multivitamins and fish oil supplements throughout my own quest to find the best ingredients and taste out there. Every morning both my children get an Omega 3 gummy and a multivitamin. They both dread the fish oil and I don’t blame them. Their breath betrays how bad it [...]
Finger Foods Ideas
by Karen on 2/15/11 | 5 Comment(s)
A reader Lea wrote in asking what other good finger foods are out there besides puffs and cheerios. She has an 8 month old. Here is a list of some foods that I have used. Anyone else have some favorites to share? I love cutting up bits of tofu and sauteing them in a pan [...]
Last Minute Holiday Recipes: 5 Quick Dishes to Impress Your Holiday Host
by Stacie on 12/24/10 | 0 Comment(s)
If you’re still looking for holiday recipes, chances are you’re heading to someone’s house and need something to bring. Something quick and easy. I’m also going to guess that you’re not trolling for recipes that also come with a good read. So, I’ll get straight to the point! Here are 5 dishes that take no [...]
Shop local: Brooklyn Holiday Markets and Craft Fairs
by Jill on 12/08/10 | 1 Comment(s)
While occasionally efficient, too much on-line holiday shopping can zap the holiday spirit right out of you. So once you realize you have been staring at your laptop for hours, (yes, I mean you!) just turn it off. Then, grab a friend, pretty up – whether that be by brushing your teeth or a putting [...]
Hanukkah activities to do at home
by Karen on 11/26/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Hanukkah is one of the most kid-friendly Jewish holidays out there. Filled with fire, fried foods, games, and presents, it’s a kid’s dream. Here are some activities with spinning tops and potatoes to get you started on this year’s celebration. (This post was originally published on Kveller.com- a site with “a Jewish twist on parenting” [...]
Hardest person on your shopping list? Have a perfect solution!
by Karen on 11/22/10 | 0 Comment(s)
On your holiday list, who is the hardest person to buy for? I’m going to guess it’s one of these: A) father B) brother-in-law C) tween or D) work colleague. Anyone else I’m missing? I found the perfect gift for both A, B, C and D on my list. The personalized cookie. It was my [...]
Nut-Free Snacks Recipes: A Plan to Get You Through Snack Week
by Stacie on 11/16/10 | 2 Comment(s)
I was recently assigned snack week responsibilities at my Hungry Boy’s school. As you can imagine, I took the call of snack duty very seriously. I made a week long snack plan, making sure that every day’s snack would: * be rich in protein * provide a serving of fruit and/or vegetables * give a [...]
5 hidden gems for family dining in Manhattan
by Karen on 11/09/10 | 1 Comment(s)
MiniMunchers is a new site that has a database of kid friendly restaurants and a rating systems that tells you the best of the bunch (those get 4 crayons!). When I last checked, one of my favorite family-friendly places did get a 4 crayon review, Cowgirl in the west village. The review about my old [...]
New study: peanuts and pregnancy
by Karen on 11/09/10 | 0 Comment(s)
When we found our that our second child, Willow, had a peanut allergy, I wondered “why?”: why did she get it and not my son? Why does my nephew have it and not his siblings? My theories have run from pesticides in the food I consumed while pregnant to my walnut allergy, but I didn’t [...]
American Family ‘Vegan-Style’
by Karen on 11/07/10 | 0 Comment(s)
It started out as a birthday gift to our turning 16 year old daughter Nicole. She has been vegan since August, immediately after having returned from our ‘Month of Meat’ in Africa. Not the easiest place to be a vegetarian, where game is served with every meal. A few books and films on the food [...]
Halloween (tr)Eats- homemade and otherwise
by Stacie on 10/27/10 | 2 Comment(s)
Okay. I’m going to admit something. You’ll likely roll your eyes at me, and that’s okay. I deserve it, but still feel strongly that most Halloween “kids” food is annoying. Case in point: I just spied meatloaf shaped like rats nestled on mashed potatoes and doused with tomato sauce meant to look like blood. Really?! [...]
The Switch Witch- what to do with Halloween candy
by Karen on 10/24/10 | 6 Comment(s)
I have NO WILL when it comes to candy- I can’t eat just a teensy bit, I eat an entire bag. So, when it comes to my children, I have allowed only a small level of sugar in their diet- after all, someone needs to take charge of it and who better than the sugar [...]
