Articles by Danielle Altshuler Wiley

Confession: I resent kids menus.

I think they demean our children, reducing them to tasteless creatures with no desire for adventure or variety. (The only exceptions to this are the kids menus that are truly exciting. The picture on the right is from one of our local restaurants. Kids have a choice of about five menu items, and they arrive in a retro metal lunch box with a choice of two sides. LOVE this.)

Now, before you get all worked up in defense of standard kids menus, let me clarify. My kids both love chicken nuggets, and we certainly serve mac and cheese at our house. BUT, these are not the only foods they eat. And, if we are at a restaurant, shouldn’t they get something different and exciting just like we do?

My best tip for getting out of the kids menu rut is to order from the appetizer section of the menu. For example, my daughter loves ordering Buffalo Wings (mild). She eats nearly an entire order at one sitting, happily dipping her celery sticks into the bleu cheese dressing. Max’s favorite non-kids’ menu item is chili. Many family-friendly restaurants have chili on their appetizer menu. He likes eating it with tortilla chips as scoops instead of a spoon.

The appetizer tip also works at ethnic restaurants. Empanadas, edamame and chicken satay are all kid-friendly and will all help to expand your child’s repertoire.

What do your kids eat when you take them out to restaurants?

There are a lot of elements to being a great cook. Technique is certainly one of them, and luckily, that can be learned. By reading great blogs, buying key books, or even attending local classes, you can learn knife skills, grilling techniques, and the difference between a saute and a braise. Another element to being a great cook is the ability to improvise. This comes with time and practice. And, you will certainly need the ability to get over the disasters you will create along the way.

The final element to being a great cook (in my opinion) is using top-of-the-line ingredients. Over the next few months, I’ll do my best to highlight some of these. Today, though, to kick this off, I’d like to share my very favorite: smoked paprika.

If you have never tasted smoked paprika, you are in for a real treat. It is not overly smoky, but just enough to let the sweet and sultry flavor of the paprika shine through. I use this ingredient in lots of recipes, but my favorite way to use it is on chicken. In a small bowl, combine about 1 Tb. kosher salt, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 1 Tb. garlic powder and at least 1 tsp. smoked paprika. Mix this together and rub it all over some chicken breasts (skin on, bone in). Cook these on the grill or pop them in a 375 degree oven until they reach 165 degrees. Pure heaven.

Image courtesy of Zingermans.

I feel kind of silly writing this post. I have a concern that someone is going to show up at my house one morning and discover that I am a fake. I have wonderful ideas for inventive and healthy school lunches, but the sad fact is that my daughter could care less. What does she want every day? Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, goldfish crackers, a Sigg bottle of filtered water and dessert (preferably chocolate).

I am not sure where she got inherited this desire to eat the same (boring) thing everyday, but it certainly wasn’t from me. I crave variety! I hate cold sandwiches! Bring on the gourmet salads, the luscious and creamy soups, and the crispy falafel. One day, I am sure, my kid will wise up and welcome my creative lunch overtures. Until then, I must be content to write about these fabulous resources and live vicariously through you, my readers. (It also helps to remember that if your kids don’t want variety, that is OK. The important thing is that they are eating something nutritious. No one ever died from eating PB&J every single day. Well, I might, but that would be an anomaly.)

Vegan Lunch Box: This phenomenon started as a blog, but has now become a book, chock-full of delicious, healthy recipes, all intended to be packed up in re-usable bento box-style containers for an environmentally friendly lunch option.

ParentHacks School Lunch Post: Do you read this site? No? Boy, are you missing out. This is the be-all-end-all site for everything you ever needed to know about raising a child. The school lunch post is nearly 18 months old, but the tips in the comment section are still good.

AskMoxie: This is another fabulous online parenting resource, and her post on school lunches generated some terrific suggestions within the comments.

Laptop Lunches: Want to pack your kids’ lunches in a cool container? This is the place to go for your supplies. Warning: These lunchboxes do not feature licensed characters, so if your kid insists on Disney princess decorations, be prepared to do it yourself with stickers and Sharpie markers.

Lock & Lock: Due to my child’s unique lunch demands and her desire for a PowerPuff Girls lunch box, the laptop lunchbox isn’t the best choice for our household, but we do like avoiding plastic wrap and other non-environmentally friendly lunch wrappers. We are big fans of the Lock & Lock containers, which can be found online via the link provided, or at your local Target. Note: The picture above is of one of our Lock&Lock containers. It shows one of the more creative lunches I sent to school with my daughter. (She didn’t eat it.)

This new question has surpassed “paper or plastic” as the most stressful question at the supermarket (THAT answer, for the record, should be “this tote I brought from home, thanks.”).

Everyone needs to make their own decisions about what food to buy, but I’m going to share my opinion here. One of the most important things to realize is that getting certified organic is a very expensive proposition. What this means is that there are many small farmers who grow everything organically, but they just can’t afford to be certified. How do you find these guys? Go to your local farmers market. Talk to shop and restaurant owners who source from local farms. Who are their favorites? Get to know the local players. If you know the people growing your food, you can talk to them about their growing practices.

If I have a choice of local, non-certified organic food and organic food flown into Chicago from California by a large conglomerate, I’m going to choose local nearly every time. This is made easier for me because I also attempt to eat seasonally. What does this mean? We only have strawberries in our house for a couple of months in the summer. And tomatoes? I never buy them off-season. It’s easy to find local, sustainably-grown strawberries in Chicago in June.

I also keep in mind a 2003 study by the Environmental Working Group (that I read about in the August, 2006 issue of Gourmet Magazine). In that study, they found 192 different pesticides on 46 fresh fruits and vegetables and determined that consumers can lower their risk of pesticide exposure by as much as 90 percent by buying organic varieties of the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. These are:

Fruits
apples
cherries
imported grapes
nectarines
peaches
pears
red raspberries
strawberries

Vegetables
bell peppers
celery
potatoes
spinach

It’s that time of year again. Seems like everyone I know is home with a sick kid (or sick themselves). That is certainly the case in my household. Little Max was throwing up all night Sunday, and now he has a runny nose and a fever. This is the sickness that just keeps on giving!

When I was little, sick days meant Matzoh Ball Soup from Wolfie’s Deli just down the block from my house. My mom would bring home a giant container of it, and it always seemed to do the trick.

When my husband and I moved to the midwest, I discovered that Jews didn’t have a monopoly on healing soups. In Toledo, my sick day soup was the Chicken Soup and Dumplings from Tony Packo’s.

It is also possible to make your own sick day solution (but preferably just as a balm to others - if you are sick yourself, hand off these recipes to a loved one while you rest in bed).

Taking a clue from Queenie, here is a recipe for Vietnamese Pho.

Don’t have a Jewish deli down the block? Make your own Matzoh Ball soup.

Finally, one of my favorite sick day soups is based on one that I found in Real Simple a few years ago. It is ideal for a number of reasons. First, it comes together in just minutes. Second, it has a little bit of spice (which is great for clogged sinuses). Finally, it lends itself to fun garnishes, and that’s always a bonus when you are cooking for kids.

Easy Sick Day Tortilla Soup

1 jar green salsa (use whichever level heat you like - we use medium)
3 cups cooked turkey breast or chicken
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 can white hominy, drained*
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 scallions, chopped
plain yogurt or sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

Heat salsa in a soup pot. Add poultry, broth, hominy and cumin. The soup is done when it is heated through. Serve garnished with scallions, yogurt, cheese and crushed chips.

Serves: 4

* I use hominy because we love it, and I always have it on hand, but a can of white beans can be used as well.

Whether you are a SAHM, a WAHM or a WOHM (or even a dad), you probably have stress about dinner time. Take solace in the fact that you are not alone in this struggle. A client of mine once told me about some research they conducted. I don’t remember the exact statistics, but the gist of it was that as late as 4:30pm, most people still have no clue what they are making for dinner. Sound familiar?

One of the best ways to eliminate dinnertime stress is to start meal planning. This can be as simple as writing dinner ideas on a scrap of paper, or as complicated as paying for a service that helps you create meal plans online. Choose the system that works best for you. I find that I do best when I create a meal plan and then post it online to share with the world. (I work well under pressure!)

Stefania of the ever-popular City Mama blog tries to post her meal plan every week as well. Reading her plans always inspires me, especially because she also has two young children at home. For even more meal planning bloggy goodness, you’ll want to check out the blogs of those participating in Menu Planning Monday.

If you are willing to pay for your inspiration, you might want to subscribe to one of the many meal planning services. For a list and comprehensive reviews, check out this Real Simple article. It clearly lays out the pros and cons of each service, and includes links and screenshots.

Finally, if you want to really branch out, check out this thread on eGullet (my favorite food-related message board). Every time I read it, I am blown away by the amazing meals that people put together for an ordinary weeknight. I don’t often have time to do the same, but what’s life without a little aspiration?

Happy meal planning!

(Oh, and feel free to tell us what you’re cooking this week in the comments, or just post a link to your blog if you’ve already posted it elsewhere.)

As is probably evident by now, I love spending time in the kitchen. That said, when I’ve been at work all day, spent 30 minutes driving home through city traffic, and am standing in my kitchen with two kids screaming, Spongebob blasting and a dog banging her dish for dinner, I’m in no mood to create a gourmet, three-course meal. At times like those, I need something quick, nutritious and easy, and I don’t want to spend hours cleaning it up when we’re done.

In my quest to find more meals like this, I’ve made the investment in some cookbooks that address easy weeknight meals, and when I find successful recipes, I hope to share them with you here. Last night was one such success, and it comes from my latest cookbook, Nigella Express. You can see the original recipie here; however, I can never leave well enough alone, plus I made some substitutions based on the ingredients I had available. Here is my version:

Read the rest of this entry »

New Year’s resolutions are kind of cliche, aren’t they? Everyone promises to exercise more, start a diet, be nicer. I always tell myself that I’m not going to buy into the hype. If I don’t make any resolutions, I won’t be disappointed in myself when I don’t follow through. But, of course, I always do them anyway. And, this year is no different. However, I’m changing things up a bit, in the hopes of having them stick for once! Following in the footsteps of one of my colleagues, here are eight resolutions for 2008, and because I’m a foodie, they are all food-related.

1. Create and follow a weekly menu.

2. Introduce more routine into our weekly dinners (slow cooker night, make-ahead night, stir fry night)

3. Visit my favorite food site every day for inspiration.

4. Try a new recipe every week.

5. Read my food magazines when they arrive, and ear-mark ideas and recipes.

6. Take my kids’ lunches beyond boring. This is going to take a lot of planning, but we are all tired of PB&J every day.

7. Make my kids’ lunches the night before. I am not at my best at 6:30am, and their lunches reflect this. In order to make #6 stick, I need to get better about working ahead.

8. Buy more local, less processed food, and try to avoid meat if I don’t know its origins.

What are your resolutions for ‘08?

I’m writing this post on Christmas Eve, but by the time you all read it, Christmas will be over. I’m actually Jewish, but my husband is Lutheran, so we celebrate both Hanukkah AND Christmas. This is a boon for the kids in terms of gifts, but what I love most about it is the fact that I’ve gotten to adopt a whole new set of traditions into my life.

Christmas at the Wiley’s is a blast. We generally spend it in Toledo (my husband’s hometown), and that’s where we are this year as well. Christmas Eve is very low key. We hang out in the family room, watching A Christmas Story over and over, drinking fun cocktails, and playing games. We also get the kielbasa started. The kielbasa has to be fresh (not smoked) and in our family, it has to be from Stanley’s. Stanley’s is an old-fashioned Polish grocery store with the most amazing kielbasa you’ll ever taste. This stuff is beyond garlicky. Even double-bagged, it will make your entire refrigerator reek of garlic. But, oh man, it is so good. We cut it up into 2 inch chunks and put it in a slow cooker with beer. And we cook it on low overnight. In the morning, we have a feast of kielbasa, rye toast, pierogies and my husband’s special scrambled eggs (with lots of veggies mixed in). The kielbasa is best served with super spicy horseradish.

What do you guys eat for your holiday meals?

I work on the 63rd floor of a high rise building in downtown Chicago. The elevator rides are long and tedious, but I pass the time by watching TV. Sadly, it’s not anything too compelling. The elevator network is called Captivate, and they broadcast weather, stock information and news snippets all day long. Earlier this week, on my way down to the lobby, I caught a news blurb about holiday parties and kids. Apparently “event planners” (not sure which ones) have decided that the making and decorating of holiday cookies is destroying today’s youth. Their suggestion? Instead of sugar cookies, have your kids create cutouts of whole wheat bread. They can then “frost” the bread with fat-free cream cheese and decorate these delicacies with colorful veggies. Say what?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am all for wholesome eating. But this is ridiculous. The making of cookies is a holiday tradition that children will remember for their entire lives. And we are supposed to get rid of it?

I realize that childhood obesity is a growing problem, but this isn’t the solution. Let’s get soda out of our schools, and substitute fresh fruit for junky after-school snacks. I’m all for that! But the once a year traditions? The family memories? Those are sacred.

I wonder what the food police would have had me make in lieu of the pretty Hanukkah cake that my daughter and I created last week.

There has been a ton of controversy lately about some books written to get your kids to eat a more well-rounded diet. I have some very definite opinions about the theories in these books (hint: I don’t like them), but that’s for another post. Today, I’d like to share with you the books that I recommend for encouraging a love of food in your child. These aren’t cookbooks; rather, they are story and picture books that are all about food.

Little Pea This is an adorable book targeted to three- and four-year olds. Little Pea has a great life with his Pea family, but hates eating dinner! Every night, he must eat five pieces of yucky candy in order to get a giant bowl of his favorite dessert; spinach!!My daughter loved this book when she was that age (she is now six) - it made her laugh everytime we read it, and it’s a fun way to get across the message that it’s important to eat healthy foods.

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! If you haven’t experienced the brilliance that is Mo Willems, you are going to love me. His writing is hysterical, and little kids (two- and three-year olds especially) totally take a shine to his prose and characters. In this book, Pigeon finds a hot dog on the street and is subsequently accosted by a very curious (and hungry) little duckling.

My Food / Mi Comida You don’t get much simpler than this little board book, but sometimes simple is all that a little kid needs. This book covers colors, foods, English and Spanish. My daughter loved it when she was two, and now my son is totally digging it. The best page according to both of them? The one with a beautiful chocolate ice cream cone!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar This classic favorite by Eric Carle is a great way to get even the littlest book lovers excited about food. I love the way Carle combines the healthy (plums! apples!) with the decadent (chocolate cake and pickles!)

Two Old Potatoes and Me A girl finds two old potatoes in her kitchen and she and her dad cut them up and plant them in the garden. The book (with great prose and charming illustrations) takes the reader through the entire planting and growing process and finishes with a mashed potato recipe. I love that this is a story about a daughter and her father (there aren’t many out there). It’s also a nice book for kids with divorced parents, as it does a good job of addressing the issues that are faced by kids with two homes.

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato Fans of the Disney Channel will recognize this Charlie and Lola title. Older brother Charlie helps ease his picky little sister Lola into adventurous eating by weaving fantastical tales about all of the food in their refrigerator.

Do YOU have any favorite children’s books about food? Please share them in the comments!

Hello everyone!! I’m so excited to be starting this new blog about healthy eating for you and your family. I promise to provide you with lots of great recipes and tips, but before I officially get started, I thought it would make sense to share with you my background and philosophy.

First and foremost, I am not a trained chef. That said, I do have a lot of food experience under my belt! When I was a kid, I “studied” with my Grandma Ana. She would show me how to prepare her special dishes, and when she thought I was ready, she started letting me actually help. I’ve also been a die-hard cooking show viewer since I was a kid. Believe it or not, my college application essay was all about the Frugal Gourmet!

Now (many years later), I work in PR and social marketing for food clients, but my career has almost always involved food. I worked at the Food Network, I was a food critic for three years and I was even a bread baker and a cheese buyer. I just love blogging and writing about food, and I just wouldn’t feel funny if I weren’t doing so!

I live in Chicago with my two kids and my husband, and we try to eat homecooked meals about 4-5 nights a week. It’s not always easy, but I do my best, because family dinners are just so important to me. And that is really my philosophy on food; the number one thing is to eat with people you love. I also do my best to use fresh ingredients when possible. I try to avoid processed foods, trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. I’m not always able to do so, and I am a big fan of not making myself crazy. Yes, I will take a short-cut if it will save my sanity. But, my kids know where food comes from, and they know that eating together is important. In the end, teaching them that is what is most important to me.