In fact, I answered yes before I figured out the details of how I would manage to steal away for a few days sans kids.

Every time I think about the panel, I smile. I am speaking with two great food-blogging moms: Stefania from CityMama and Danielle from Foodmomiac. We spoke a few weeks ago about our perspectives and ideas about raising kids who eat well. I couldn’t help but feel a connection to these women as our perspectives aligned.

It’s sure to be a great panel. If you are headed to BlogHer, plan to drop in and listen!

In the meantime, I am hard at work preparing for the panel. I’ve been thinking hard about why my kids will try pretty much anything and why their food interests are so ranging. Here are five things I do, that you can too.

5 Tips for Getting Your Kids to Try New Things

1. Let them touch it. Look, we all were taught not to play with our food, but seriously sometimes getting wrist deep in dough or getting all touchy-feely with a veggie can be great for kids. It really helps them open up to foods they haven’t tried before.
2. Let them help you. Like #1, getting kids involved in the cooking process really helps kids to open up to new foods. Sure, a completed loaf of Zucchini Bread might be a little intimidating, but if you see if go from simple ingredients like zucchini, flour, sugar and oil to a loaf, then it’s not so much.
3. Show them where it comes from. If you live near a farm, it’s an awesome adventure for kids to see where their food comes from. Call ahead and the farmer may even let your kids walk through the crops and see peppers still on the plant and tomatoes ripening on the vine. Or, you can also take your kids to local Pick-Your-Own fields to experience harvesting first-hand.
4. Don’t assume they won’t like it. It does kids a great disservice if you just up and assume that they aren’t going to enjoy something. Kids are surprising and if you approach new foods with the belief that the idea that it could be their new favorite food, then they are more likely to want to at least taste it.
5. Don’t expect them to scarf it the first time. All it takes is one bite. Maybe it will be an insta-hit. Maybe they will tolerate it. Either way, eating just one bite of an unfamiliar food is a big step towards being open to trying new things. Plus, but requiring just one bite, you create an eating culture that encourages being adventurous.

And hey, readers, are you going to BlogHer ’10 in New York next month? Let me know in the comments if you will be there. I would love to meet and speak to you in person!

When mustard greens appeared in my CSA box last week, I didn’t even have a chance to groan before my beloved farmer told me to just try them. My farmer knows me well — anything with the word ‘mustard’ in it is sure to send me packing.

However, I do believe in trying everything once, so I immediately ripped a leaf off and took a nibble. Turns out the course green has a pleasant taste with a touch of peppery-ness. Better yet, it doesn’t taste like mustard. At all. Color me a convert.

Immediately, I started planning this salad. Sweet-ish beet greens with the peppery mustard greens and a light but flavorful homemade vinaigrette. Add in a bit of salty feta, sweet raw beets and fresh tomatoes … oh yea. It was destined to be good. And guess what? It was.

When serving this, I did something that I normally don’t do: I didn’t reveal exactly what the salad was made of. Generally, I am a firm believer in disclosure so that everyone knows and willingly eats what’s on the table. But I knew the mention of mustard greens — something that I was hesitant about –  would be a deterrent. So, I kept quiet until everyone — all seven of us — had eaten some. And guess what? I wasn’t the only one to enjoy it. So there.

Maybe sometimes it’s okay to be a little deceptive in the name of trying new things. What do you think?

Mustard Greens and Beet Greens Salad
serves 8

1 bunch mustard greens, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 bunch beet greens, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 medium beet, quartered and sliced (or 6-8 baby beets, quartered)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Herb Vinagrette (recipe follows), to taste

In a large salad bowl, combine the mustard greens, beet greens, beets, tomatoes and feta. Toss. Add Herb Vinaigrette to taste and toss again.

Serve immediately — this is great with grilled chicken or shrimp.

It’s been nearly a decade since I last ate canned tuna (and that was once … the time before that? About five years prior). I don’t eat it. I don’t like it. Usually the smell grosses me out, and honestly I would rather have fresh. But when I recently told you about the Salmon Cakes that my kids and I adore, I discovered that canned fish does have its (awesome) uses. In well-seasoned patties, it’s great.

Ever since those Salmon Cakes, I have been considering being a little more open-minded about seafood in cans. It’s inexpensive, it’s accessible and if I can create something that the kids and I like? Then that’s another serving of fish for us each week. Gotta love those Omega-3s.

So, these Tuna Cakes? Well, I wouldn’t be telling you about them if I didn’t love them. They have a strong rosemary flavor, with a wonderful meaty texture. I ate mine on a slice of French bread (open-face sandwich style). Delish! They would also be great served on a bed of salad greens.

As for my kids? They both ate every last bite without complaint.

Just try ‘em.

If I had a dime for every time that someone in my house requested pasta, I would be a very rich woman. Heck, I would be a woman on a whirlwind trip to Europe … for the rest of the year.

Growing up, pasta salad was one of my very favorite summer dishes. I could eat it and eat it and eat it … but as an adult, I just haven’t made it as often. As a result, my kids haven’t had it too much either … but after tonight, that has to change. I knew they would love the artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and olives in this. But when Will dove in for seconds, it was clear that this was a slam dunk

Pasta salad travels well — so it’s perfect for picnics, barbecues, school lunch, dinners, whatever.

This particular version brings in elements of Antipasti – artichoke hearts (marinated are best!), roasted red peppers, olives. You can also toss in some cubed fresh mozzarella and/or cubed salami, but it’s up to you. Choose an Italian dressing with balsamic vinegar that you love — the flavor of the dressing is an important influencer here. I used one from Trader Joe’s that I adore.

And this is also a fab recipe to make with kids. Simple, tasty, kid-friendly. Perfect!

Looking for more fun pasta salad ideas? Check out my latest post on Tablespoon, Fresh Takes on Pasta Salads.

Antipasti Pasta Salad
serves 10

1 lb. rotini pasta
1 12 oz. jar artichoke hearts, drained
1 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 3.8 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
1 8 oz. bottle Italian dressing with balsamic vinegar

Cook the pasta according to package directions. You want to cook it about a minute past al dente for a softer texture, since it will firm when cooled. Drain well and add to a large bowl.

Chop the artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers.

KID STEP: Add the artichoke hearts, red peppers and olives to the pasta and mix well.

KID STEP: Pour the dressing in and stir to coat. Chill for at least 30 minutes — until ready to serve.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

It’s Tuesday afternoon and I am sitting in my home office, with The Beach Boys’ Sounds Of Summer playing in the background. Outside my open windows is brilliant blue sky, bright sunlight and the sound of laughing children. It’s enough to make you throw open your arms and yell Welcome, springtime. This is weather that just begs for being outside in the fresh newness.

And what comes with warm temperatures? The strong allure of grilling, of course!

We actually started grilling about a month ago, but now that the temperatures seem more firmly planted in the warm category, we’ll be doing it a whole lot more often. Who wants to heat up a kitchen when it’s so beautiful outside, anyway? Not me!

When I was planning our meals for this week, I spotted this recipe for Grilled Island Chicken in Aviva Goldfarb‘s new cookbook, SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families. Grilled pineapple? Marinated Chicken? Sounded perfect. And the fact that the marinade is whipped up in minutes and the whole thing can be cooked in about 10 minutes makes it just perfect for busy nights (and Monday is a notoriously busy night in my house).

So, how was it? Awesome. Will is a really good eater, but typically he stops at one serving (nothing wrong with that!). Last night? He had seconds. So did Shawn and I (and I never ever have seconds of anything!). The flavorful, rich grilled chicken tasted fantastic with the smoky-sweet grilled pineapple … and it all went so well with the rice and salad I served.

Loved it. We’ll be having this again soon. Very soon.

P.S. Looking for some easy chicken dinners? Check out my latest post on Tablespoon for inspiration!

Grilled Island Chicken
serves 4
adapted very slightly from SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families

3 tbsp olive oil
1 20 oz can pineapple slices in pineapple juice, slices and juice separated
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 3 tbsp of the pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and pepper. Set aside.

Rinse the chicken under cool water. Cut the chicken breasts lengthwise into three pieces (think chicken fingers). Place the pieces into a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade in. Seal tightly, removing as much air as you can.

Place the chicken in the fridge and let it marinate for at least two hours (more is better).

Ready to cook? Preheat the grill on its medium setting. Cook the chicken on the grill, flipping once, until cooked through. If desired, brush the chicken with marinade when you flip it. Meanwhile, also grill the pineapple slices until lightly browned, flipping once.

Serve over rice with a big salad.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been three weeks already. As you probably remember, the first week of my spending diet was really hard but the second week was a little easier. So, how did the third week go?

First, a quick recap of what my spending diet is all about:

The Plan: No spending from Saturday until the following Saturday. Cash in wallet can only be used in a true emergency.

What Happened: In a lot of ways, I feel like I hit my stride with controlling spending this week. The urge to shop just wasn’t there, and more importantly the thought of not spending didn’t consume me all week. That was a huge win.

In terms of planning, I’ve come a long way. Pretty much everything was taken care of this week … and there was even enough room for a little flexibility when I decided against a third day of Asian-inspired foods (the turkey burgers had to wait). So, that was good.

Spending: The only spending I did this week was for a magazine subscription that was part of a gift (which I think was A-ok) and a quickie lunch for the kids yesterday (which was paid for by cash that I had on hand). It was a beautiful day and they deserved the treat. Today, I will need to run out for white eggs and milk. The eggs are for dying tomorrow and the milk is because Paige drank way more than expected this week.  Our week’s shopping will happen tomorrow as planned.

About My Saturday Shop: Doing all the shopping for the family for the week in just a few hours isn’t just challenging, it’s really tiring too. Actually, if I am going to be really specific, it’s exhausting. Last week, all I wanted to do after shopping was sleep (which, of course I couldn’t actually do).

But I still prefer the exhaustion of that to having to hit different stores several times a week without ever really getting everything we need. The organization of a one-a-week shop is really, really appealing.

Unfortunately, although I anticipated last week’s shop to cost a lot less than the previous week, that wasn’t what happened. I did spend less — though not by much. That was both shocking and disappointing. And while I understand why that was, I still want my overall weekly spending to decrease a lot.

What’s Next: This week, despite needing to factor in Easter brunch, I am going to start working on cutting our spending. It won’t be easy though since there is only so much you can cut back on necessities. However, the rewards for spending less are really great – who would say no to more money in pocket?

So, how will I save? I am going to consult the sale ads before making my weekly menu to see what I can purchase on sale. Additionally, I am going to try using coupons again. Since I don’t get a weekly paper, I ordered coupons from The Coupon Clippers for items that I know we will need in the next month or so. (That’s key: only order coupons that you know for sure you will use … I have learned that from experience.)

Do you have any tips or tricks for spending less? Share! I really want to hear them

Have a great weekend!

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The Plan: No spending from Saturday until the following Saturday. Cash in wallet can only be used in a true emergency.

What Happened: Planning-wise I did much better this week. At no point did I feel deprived or like we were missing something important.We had plenty of food for all our meals and used a good portion of it. If anything, I may have purchased a little too much.

Now, when it comes to my menu, I totally stuck to it all week — but we did switch up the days. That’s okay though. The important thing about a meal plan is to have the right number of dinners planned. So what if Friday’s dinner was served Thursday and Tuesday’s became Fridays?

As of today, we are running low on toilet paper. I also discovered a few baking ingredients that we’ve been out of for apparently awhile. All in all though, that’s small beans … we ate well this week.

Spending: I planned not to spend this week, but did end up spending a little. Here were my mid-week spends:

• Monday – Will had a field trip that I had to drop him off to and pick him up from and it was only one hour long. So, I took Paige to Five Guys for a special mommy/daughter lunch. $12.69
• Tuesday – It was a challenging day. I wanted dessert. Shawn agreed to run to the diner. I gave him the cash from my wallet.
• Thursday – I’ve decided to rejoin the CSA at our local farm. I paid by check and will get 14 weeks of fresh, organic produce this summer. Totally worth the money.

Not totally according to plan, but I don’t feel bad about these expenditures. I know exactly where all my money went, and that’s really a first for me. Usually, I spend very thoughtlessly.

What that doesn’t tell is the story of how much I could have spent. For instance, yesterday I nearly went to Target – not because we really needed anything but because I wanted a change of scenery. I would have surely spent $50 or more. And then, I probably would have bought lunch on the go too. But I didn’t … We came home and worked in the yard instead, eating the lunch I bought for when I didn’t want to deal with food.

That’s not the only instance, but it is a great example of how making a conscious decision not to spend can really save. Tomorrow, when I do my shopping, I won’t be buying $50 worth of stuff we don’t need — because we have needs that I will address instead.

About My Saturday Shop: I never thought I would see the day when I would say this but doing all of the week’s shopping on Saturday was exhausting. Absolutely, positively exhausting. And to think! I didn’t even have the kids with me.

I spent a lot last week when I did my Saturday shop but it on things we needed: food, supplies and some half-barrels to plant tomatoes in. Those were a splurge, but they are something I’ve wanted for a year — and I found them at a deep discount at Christmas Tree Shop.

Tomorrow, I will do the week’s shopping again. I am expecting the bill to be much lower than last week, since we aren’t out of much.

What’s Next: I am going to keep going. I like the ease and security of having everything we need — and using it. I will try not to do any mid-week spending this week, though if a small expenditure makes sense, I will do it.

P.S. I love that Donna from Fab Frugal Food and Tonia from Tonia Cooks are going to try similar undertakings too.

Readers, do you want me to give a week three report? What do you want to know? Are you interested in my meal plans? Let me know!

Let me run you through a normal week in my eating life:

• Saturday: Glance through cooking magazines, cookbooks and notebooks to try to decide what to make this week. Ignore all of it and make a rudimentary meal plan … write a grocery list, trying to remember everything I need. Go grocery shopping with the kids and fail to buy everything on the list (thought process: “Eh, we don’t really need that.”) Inevitably forget a key ingredient (or two … or three).
• Sunday: Cook 3-4 recipes, mostly testing new recipes for work. Share with family and friends. Things are off to a good start.
• Monday: Defrost appropriate meat per meal plan. Decide at 5:30 that I am too busy to cook dinner and order a pizza instead.
• Tuesday: Don’t feel like cooking dinner, but force myself too so the meat from Monday doesn’t go bad.
• Wednesday: Stick to the meal plan. Feel good about it.
• Thursday: Forget (ok, maybe it’s a semi-conscious decision) to defrost ingredients for dinner. Make a quick pasta in a pinch after going to the grocery store for the ingredients.
• Friday: Decide that I am so stressed out over food and need a pick me up. Buy a sandwich at the deli and feel better. Remember to defrost everything for dinner but realize that I never bought the ingredient I forgot on Saturday. Hit the grocery store too, and am ultimately seduced by things we don’t need. Make the dinner that was supposed to be eaten on Tuesday. Realize that I skipped two days of planned meals.
• Saturday: Feel awful about the fresh ingredients that I didn’t use during the week. Wonder how I can use them. Some end up going to waste. Start the whole process over.

It’s stressful, since I rarely stick to the plan and often change my mind. But those things are unnecessary. I make last minute menu adjustments because I can … That doesn’t mean I should. So, I decided to do something about it. I decided to go on a Spending Diet. As a result, this week was 100 percent different.

The Plan: No spending from Saturday until the following Saturday. Cash in wallet can only be used in a true emergency.

What Happened: In any given week, I go to the grocery store at least three times. By the third run, I hate it and think how absurd it is that I can’t consolidate all the shopping into one trip. But until now I haven’t really done anything to shop the cycle.

This week I did. After several trips into the city last week for work and a dinner party on Saturday, I felt like any more spending this week would be way too much. I needed a spending break … so I took one. I haven’t stepped foot into any stores all week and although I have done some heavily online window browsing, I haven’t bought anything. This week was a $0 output week.

I described it to a friend in an email how this week was turning out to be awful and wonderful all at once. It really was. My house is always pretty well-stocked with food, so we did have everything we needed on hand. Plus, by following the meal plan I wrote, I actually was never left dreading a decision about dinner. Also, since I knew that the grocery store wasn’t an option, I didn’t forget to defrost anything.

Ultimately, we ended up being a lot more efficient and I got a little more creative. It was really a great experience.

Challenges: The biggest trouble came yesterday when hamburgers were planned for dinner. Originally when I planned for this week, I intended to hit the grocery store for the rolls so they would be fresh, but once the spending diet kicked in I couldn’t. That’s how I ended up making rolls. And you know what? It was totally worth the effort — not only did I save $3, but they really tasted great.

There were other spots of imperfection too. Since I didn’t make the plan to stop spending until after my last grocery shopping trip, we did run out of a few things: peanut butter, bread, milk … but Shawn picked up some milk to supplement. Obviously, I need to work on the planning aspect of things, which I have been. I started a running list of all the things we need and I feel like my shop tomorrow will be way more successful than any other one.

Benefits:

1. We used pretty much everything we bought/purchased for the week. Leftovers became lunches. Pantry items supplemented for convenience items.
2. We used up several perishables (like the sundried tomatoes in the pasta above) that would have otherwise gone to waste after being forgotten.
3. We were able to get a clearer picture of what we really need to buy. It’s easy to overlook needs when you make a bunch of mini trips to the store.
4. The money in my wallet has stayed there. My bank account has grown.
5. I, personally, ate fewer calories. Also, instead of losing hours to trips to the store, we spent more time outside this week (which the good weather clearly helped with).

What’s Next?

Tomorrow is Saturday – the day when I can officially shop again. I plan to take my list and meal plan and pick up all the things we need, get some gas (I am down to about a half tank — which is fine, but this is about curbing mid-week spending) and do any other errands that involve money. On Sunday, I will start week two of my Spending Diet.

I am considering this somewhat of a spending detox. Next week, I will take a look at how things went and decide if I want to continue or allow a little more flexibility.

Have you ever gone on a spending diet? Why? How did it work for you?

Recently, I was researching for an article on diabetes in children, and I came across some statistics that really got me thinking.

• Roughly 186,300 people under the age of 17 have diabetes in 2007.
• Type 2 diabetes, traditionally a disease impacting people over the age of 45, is on the rise among young people. Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, may be on the rise as well.
• Diabetes is one of the most common juvenile diseases.
  SOURCE: National Diabetes Education Program, “Overview of Diabetes in Children and Adolescence.”

When I was a little girl, a friend’s grandfather had Type 2 diabetes. He and his wife were kind enough to answer my myriad questions about it. He told me that he hadn’t always had it, but developed it when he was older. It was an adult disease. And as much as he missed pastries and the like, his health was more important.

These days, it’s not just an adult disease anymore. That’s frightening. I cannot imagine what it’s like for a family to address such serious health issues in a child. It just makes my heart ache to think about.

Registered dietitian Jennifer Haas of Nova Medical & Urgent Care Center, Inc. in Ashburn, VA, says that there’s definitely been an increase in young patients coming in with pre-diabetes or diabetes. “It’s kind of scary,” Haas admits, adding that there has also been a shift in puberty age.

Haas says that what parents and kids really need is education on what they should be eating and how to avoid developing diabetes. “It’s really important that everyone is on board,” says Haas.

Want to educate yourself? The National Diabetes Education Program has a great page on diabetes information for children and teens. The American Diabetes Association also has a comprehensive website. Also check out dLife, a great site with recipes and information, tailored to those with diabetes.

Survey 2010

I want to know what you’re thinking! Readers, you are the ones who come back again and again, leaving wonderful comments and ideas. Thank you! Please take a few minutes to share your ideas and impressions of Sarah’s Cucina Bella in my anonymous survey. Your input helps me bring a bigger and better site to you. Thanks! Click here to take survey

There are so many people who are passionate about healthy living, and they all have something valuable to offer. Some share wonderful healthy recipes, others educate about important health issues. Some have credentials in nutrition, some have life experience.

My purpose with Raising a Healthy Family is to gather this valuable information and pass it along to you. But here’s the thing: I want you to learn new things here and absorb these perspectives. At the same time, I also want you to make your own conclusions.

If every single expert was 100 percent right about everything for everyone, then there would be one singular message to pass along. Raising a Healthy Family would be one single post and it would be easy to convey the message and get people to listen. That obviously isn’t the case.

That also doesn’t mean the information isn’t right – it just might not be exactly right for your point of view right now. Different information pertains to different sectors. For instance, the nutritional advice for a pre-diabetic  is not the same as someone who suffers from high cholesterol. Different circumstances mean different needs. Likewise, different professionals come at healthy living from different perspectives.

So, how do you develop your own filter? Learn the facts for your situation. There are certain truths that pertain to whatever your health perspective is. Understand that there are always things you can change and some things are universal. Apply your truths to the information you receive. Make educated decisions. Always keep learning.