Mommy FTW

For those moms out there that know me, you are probably aware that Cameron is a very picky eater.  This is perhaps my greatest frustration with him.  At his 18 month check up his Pediatrician did a blood test on him to check his iron levels.  They were fine, but she wanted to be sure I was getting him to eat some red meat to keep them in good standing.  Cameron has always been a turkey and chicken lover, but red meat is sometimes a challenge.  Aside from the Trader Joe’s mini meatballs I wrote about before, there wasn’t a whole lot of it going on – except when we went to 67 Burger, where he would scarf it down!

Cameron chows down on burger, pickles, and sweet potato fries. Also pictured - Camelbak sippy and Skip Hop Mate Plate

On one visit to 67 burger I took an extra take out box home with me.  The next night I cooked up a small hamburger and placed it in the box.  Cameron was intrigued and excited (67 Burger is by far his favorite place to eat, and he recognizes their carry out packaging.  Yes, I am slightly embarrassed to admit that). I opened up the box, and revealed the home cooked burger.  He gobbled it up!  Now Cameron eats burgers as part of his regular rotation – and since he isn’t skeptical of them any more, I don’t have to deliver them in 67 burger boxes.

So, if your little one needs a little more iron, consider making them some mini burger patties at home.  It’s a quick and easy dinner served with some baked sweet potato fries, usually in Cameron’s case, and some pickles.  And yes, I count both of those as vegetables.  Pickles are cucumbers, you know!  I’ll take my victories where I can get them!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

Every Sunday from 12 -6pm in September Myrtle Ave between Hall and Clermont in Fort Greene / Clinton Hill will be closed to traffic – and open to fun!  It’s called Move About Myrtle – and of course, it’s free.  Here’s a little preview of the events that are scheduled:

September 5th: Back-to-School celebration with activities for the whole family!
September 12th: Brooklyn Food Coalition’s GRUB FEST featuring the biggest potluck ever, a Mac and Cheese contest, and fun for foodies of all ages!
September 19th: “The Case of the Curious Pedestrian” will offer playful public art installations, performances and surprises on all five blocks…and the FDNY Smoke House!
September 26th: It’s Bicycle Day, and our 2nd annual tree giveaway!

And every Sunday: kids activities and games, sidewalk cafes, free yoga and dance classes by Move With Grace studio, music and performances, merchant specials, free tastings, and raffle prizes!

I will add more info as it becomes available – so stay tuned!  And see you on Myrtle Ave in September!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

My go to shopping spot for fresh food in Fort Greene is definitely the Farmer’s Market at Fort Greene Park on Saturday mornings.  But – sometimes my rations run out before Saturday rolls around again.  Now there’s two more options for farm fresh produce on other days of the week:

Fresh fruits and veggies in our neighborhood at the Myrtle Ave Farm Stand

On Thursdays from 4-7pm you can find the Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand located 177 Myrtle btwn Prince and Navy in front of the Ingersoll Community Garden.  You can find beets, carrots, lettuce, collards, potatoes, white onions, basil, broccoli, eggplant, peppers, parsley, corn, peaches and red plums at great prices – nothing costs over $2.50 per bunch or pound!  The Farm Stand is open through October 28th, 2010.

Youthmarket on Lafayette

My Little O recently reported that on Fridays the Lafayette Youthmarket is stationed at the corner of Lafayette and Washington Avenues in Clinton Hill, every Friday from 1pm to 7pm, until October 29, 2010.  The market offers fresh, locally grown produce at reasonable prices. It is a part of GrowNYC, which is a network of youth-run urban farm stands in New York City.

So check out the Farm Stand and the Youthmarket and get some healthy, tasty, and fresh food for your family!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

I had planned to do a lot more posts about what I’ve been cooking for myself – but honestly, I don’t have a lot of time to cook for myself lately!  But, over 4th of July weekend some friends of mine made this super easy eggplant pasta dish for my husband and myself, and I loved it so much I decided to try and make it – FYI, I don’ even really like eggplant. This recipe is adapted from one on Salon.com – basically the changes I made were to add more of everything. Can you really have too much garlic and herbs? I don’t think so.

1 eggplant cut into ½-inch slices (bigger is OK)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 (or more!) cloves garlic, lightly smashed
2 (or more!) springs thyme and / or oregano, chopped
1 cup liquid — stock? Water? A spash of White Wine? Whatever you’ve got on hand.
2 tablespoons (or more!) dried tomatoes, minced — sundried? Oven-dried? Your call.
6 leaves basil (or more!), cut fine
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound long pasta — spaghetti, linguini, whatever floats your boat

Cut the eggplant into slices and salt them.  Put aside for 20 minutes.

Put the olive oil in a pan over low heat.  Put in the garlic and let it hang out in there while the eggplant is sitting with the salt.

Pat the eggplant dry.  Cut it into cubes and put it in the garlic oil mixture.  Sautee over medium heat.  Add the thyme and oregano.  Keep cooking ’till the eggplant turns translucent.  Add the liquid and the tomatoes.  Stir, and cook for as long as you want.

Mushy? Yes. Delicious? YES!

The more you cook it, the more mushy and yummy it gets.  You can’t really over do it – which is why I think this is a perfect recipe for moms.  I actually make the sauce during nap time, then when we go out to the playground in the afternoon I turn off the stove and just let it sit there and hang out.

When you are ready, mash up the eggplant mixture with the back of a spoon or a potato masher.  Add the basil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss with pasta and enjoy!  If you want to make it a little more hearty, you can add some shredded chicken.

The finished product. Eat up!

By the way, if you (or your husband) doesn’t really like eggplant, I would still say give this a try.  Neither myself or my hubby are fans, but we love this pasta.  It just tastes like yummyness!  Enjoy!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

I recently posted about Cameron’s bout with pesky diarrhea.  Part of the solution was reducing his lactose intake, and another part was to get him eating some yogurt (the active cultures are good for the tummy).  Unfortunately, Cameron no longer likes to eat yogurt – but he does like to drink it!  I’ve been giving him Ronnybrook Drinkable Yogurt – his favorite flavor is strawberry.

Lots of flavors to choose from!

Ronnybrook drinkable yogurt is made with whole milk, fresh fruit, and 10 active cultures two of which are pro biotic.  There are 5 flavors -plain, Peach, Strawberry, Blackberry or Mango. You can find all the nutritional information for the Ronnybrook Drinkable Yogurt drinks on this page.

Locally, I’ve been able to find these yogurt drinks at the Fort Greene Farmer’s Market, Elly’s, Mr. Coco, and Fresh Garden.  You can also order it from Fresh Direct.

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

I did a post about Seamless Web in the past – have you tried it yet?!

Seamless Web is an online service which allows you to place food delivery orders via the internet.  I love it because it’s fast and easy – and it allows me to use my credit card to pay (lots of the places around here in Fort Greene only take cash, and sometime I just don’t have it on hand!)  Another useful feature is that Seamless Web keeps track of your orders and allows you to name your favorites, so next time you come back and you want to get the same thing it’s a one click process.  You can also request that a restaurant not include plastic utensils, napkins etc – usually we are eating at home and we don’t need these things.

Use the Seamless Web iPhone app in these areas!

I’m posting about Seamless Web again for two reasons – one in case you didn’t see my first post and haven’t tried it yet, and second (and more exciting!) Seamless Web just launched their iPhone App!  You can get it via the iTunes store.  And for you Blackberry folks out there, there is a version for you as well.  So now you can order your dinner while you are out and about, so by the time you get home with your little one it’s on the way.

Seamless Web serves 26 cities across the US – so check out their website and see what they have in your area.  It’s fast, it’s easy, and you can do it while your toddler is making noise in the background – believe me, it’s a lot easier than a phone call!

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

On a recent trip to Trader Joe’s I picked up some “party size” (mini) meatballs from the freezer section.  They are made with both pork and beef – and they are super tasty!  And most importantly, Cameron likes them.  They are precooked, so all you have to do is heat up a few at a time (I do this in the microwave).

So many choices - but all tasty!

By the way, Trader Joe’s has several kinds of meatballs, if you aren’t into the pork and beef combo.  I found this blog post on Noshtopia with the nutrition breakdown for the party size meatballs, and their other kinds – beef, turkey, italian, and meatless.

Did you plant your garden yet this summer?  I planted my tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, basil, and flowers about a month ago.  So far we’ve got some little tomatoes, and baby jalapenos, lots of basil, and some pretty flowers.

Cameron helps to water the plants (sort of) with a small watering can I bought from the Home and U store on Myrtle (near Vanderbuilt).  It’s the perfect size for him!  We also weed the garden sometimes in the mornings.  I pull the weeds and hand them to Cameron to throw in a small bucket we use for trash.  I think he really likes helping out!  If you have even a small spot for a garden, get one going, and get your little one involved!  Check out my previous post for some gardening and tomato planting tips.

At Cameron’s 18 month check up I was talking to his pediatrician about his picky eating habits.  She suggested that a good way to get him to try some new fruits was by making smoothies.  I didn’t have high hopes, but I bought some grapes and strawberries and decided to give it a try.  I threw a bunch of the fruit in my Cuisinart and pureed it until smooth.  Then I ran the mixture through a strainer to remove some of the seeds and make it easier for Cam to drink.  It was a little thick, so I added some v8 fusion to thin it out (you could also use water).

yummy yummy!

Cameron really liked it!  And now, he’s actually started eating strawberries in their whole form as well.  I think the smoothie really helped him warm up to them.  I’ve also been making smoothies with watermelon and raspberries too.  I think any fruit would be great.  Give it a try!

I’ve given Cameron pancakes before, but one day at the playground one of my mom friends whipped out some mini (silver dollar sized) ones in a container that she had kept for snack time.  What a brilliant idea!  It’s great for the kids because they can hold them in their hands and run around and play while they snack.

Pancakes, not just for breakfast!

I make my pancakes with the Arrowhead Mills Multigrain Pancake & Waffle Mix which is available on Fresh Direct.    The directions for the pancakes don’t call for an egg, but I add one anyways.  I also use melted butter instead of oil, and add a touch of honey for sweetness.  I haven’t gotten too advanced yet, but I am thinking adding strawberries, blueberries, or bananas would be good, or if you want to go the hidden vegetable route, perhaps some pumpkin puree.  So next time you make pancakes for breakfast, make a few extra little guys to tote around as snacks.  Yum!