If you think all cookware is the same, then you’ve never used a cast iron Dutch oven. Traditionally loved for long, slow cooking of roasts and stews, Dutch ovens are flexible enough to bake cakes and breads, boil sauces, braise meats and even flash-cook entire meals in record time.

Humans have a long history of cooking in Dutch oven-type vessels as cast metal pots have been used for cooking in Europe since at least as early as the late eighth century. Read the rest »

It seems as if the school year begins earlier and earlier each year. Politicians would have you believe that as long as kids are in the classroom, they are learning. In truth, there is so much more to learning than simply showing up: eating the right foods helps, too.

Studies have shown that malnourished children have a harder time staying focused in the classroom. Many of the foods that make up a Standard American Diet –fast food, packaged snack foods, and refined grains – are low in nutritional value per calorie. They are literally designed simply to fill us up in the least expensive way possible, using the cheapest or even completely synthetic ingredients. The brain just doesn’t function as well without the nutrients it needs. Read the rest »

Believe it or not, today’s mothers spend more hours focused on their children than the mothers of the 1960s did. While we like to hark back to the Leave It To Beaver halcyon days of mothers greeting kids after school with milk and cookies as an ideal for raising happy children, the reality, according to a University of Maryland study, actually looks better these days.

Based on detailed time diaries kept by thousands of Americans, mothers in 1965 spent 10.2 hours a week focused on their children in activities such as reading with them, feeding them or playing games. While the number of hours dropped in the 1970s and 80s, it began rising in the 90s and is now higher than ever at almost 14.1 hours each week.

But ask those same moms how they feel about it, and at least half will say they don’t have enough time with their kids. Read the rest »

Stephanie, a vice president for a venture capital firm in Denver, makes it a priority to get home in time to have a family meal with her husband and 1-year old son.

“I put a lot of energy into my job and then I get into my car at 5pm and realize that I have no idea what I’m going to feed three people for dinner in an hour,” she says. “That’s when a one-pot meal is just perfect.”

One-pot meals can be the solution to quick and easy cooking when no one really has the time to cook. While one-pot meals come in various forms, they all have the common concept of putting a variety of ingredients into a single vessel and cooking them all together. There’s no fretting about getting the timing right so that your broccoli is perfectly steamed at the same time as the pot roast comes out of the oven medium-rare and the rice is ready to fluff, which is a boon for all those who aren’t wizards at culinary planning. And, perhaps best of all, rather than a sink full of dirty pots and pans to scrub after dinner, there is only one pot to clean. Read the rest »

What child doesn’t love pizza? Here’s a healthy way to give them a different snack alternative… mini pizzas!

* use a healthy cracker (like Kashi) or a whole wheat bagel as a base
* add sugar-free jar tomato sauce – we like ‘Garden Style’ Colavita brand
* sprinkle 2% milk shredded mozzarella on top
* optional: add dried oregano
* heat in the broiler or toaster oven

Enjoy!

Chilean Avocado Spread

Ingredients:

* 2 avocados
* lime juice from 2 limes (1/3 cup)
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* ½ teaspoon sugar
* ½ teaspoon tarragon
* salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
* 1 clove of garlic

Puree all ingredients in blender or food processor. Serve with toasted bread, pita or crackers. Read the rest »

When I was in school our lunches consisted of appetizing school-prepared delicious meals including meat dishes, homemade soups, pasta dishes and more. Now school menus look more like something from the fast food front counter. The food is nearly always prepared and frozen prior to any children arriving at school. Many schools actually have fast food restaurants as their food service. (Clever Parents Editors’ Note: This should come as no surprise to any of you who have seen the documentary Super Size Me.) Another major problem is variety. At my childrens’ school we literally have one type of fried chicken product per week: chicken fingers, nuggets, and patties, and the like. As a shocking side note, did you have any idea that ketchup can be considered a vegetable? Read the rest »