Up until the middle of first grade, A. took fruit or an occasional prepackaged treat like a granola bar for snack at school, along with an unflavored milk box. He never complained about missing out on cookies or cheese crackers or whatever everyone else was eating around him, so I kept sending that type of snack. Until one day, when he came home upset, wanting a “cool” snack like everyone else’s. My feeling is that for kids, navigating a day at school has enough social and academic challenges without being distraught about your snack. We were able to settle on a list of items that met my approval (no partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, etc.) and his (mostly, “cool” packaging… but homemade treats such as muffins were also OK). Packing a fruit or vegetable with his lunch remained non-negotiable, even though more often than not it still comes home uneaten (see, Packing Lunch for Kindergarten).
I am thankful for the wide range of healthier processed foods available to me at my regular grocery store and specialty shops like Mrs. Green’s. These new SpongeBob Berry Squeezers from Nature’s Child are a perfect example of a food my son and I can agree on. He is thrilled that SpongeBob is dancing around on the package, and I am happy it contains no artificial colors, is calorie-limited (60 calories per pouch) and is at least based on real fruit and fruit juice. Obviously this type of processed fruit isn’t as good as munching on an apple, but it in my book it tops many other snack options out there.
I bought this product with my own money. Nature’s Child has no idea who I am.
I was thrilled to see the Briarcliff Indoor Farmers’ Market back this year. Last Saturday I stopped by and bought ingredients for lunch: pea shoots, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts. I’d never had pea shoots before, but they’re the delicate stalks and tendrils from pea plants. You can eat them raw, like a salad, and they taste like young, fresh peas. We used the pea shoots as a salad base, and then put a mix of wild mushrooms, sauteed in olive oil, on top. Roasted Brussels sprouts went on the side. You can’t help but feel good when you eat a meal like this. Each bite is like a bit of vegetable essence, exactly as that vegetable is supposed to taste on its best day. I am looking forward to many more meals like this this winter.
It’s amazing how much easier access to local produce has become in the past few years. I feel lucky to have so many great local options when my CSA is out of season.
I first tried BuddhaPesto, made in small batches in Woodstock, NY, at Merrie’s New Moon party. I was immediately hooked — it is the absolute perfect balance of fruity olive oil, Romano cheese, pine nuts, and basil. Not too finely pureed, either, which I like.
We stopped by the Pleasantville Farmer’s Market last Saturday, and I had to buy a container for J. to try. It’s an indulgence at $9 for 8 oz., but it is the pesto I aspire to make myself at home. It’s great over pasta or on French bread. And as you can see from the photo above, we have unfortunately already finished the small container.
Last weekend we put in a small garden. Before we belonged to a CSA, we would grow lots of lettuce and tomatoes, plus some peppers and sugar snap peas. With the farm share, though, we get more lettuce than we can eat, so we held off on planting any this year.
We did plant several varieties of tomatoes, a black bean plant A. started growing in school, sugar snaps, and a couple of hot peppers. We filled in the rest of our squares with some flowers A. chose. I’ve never had flowers in a vegetable garden before, but we had the room and I like seeing them as I pull into our driveway.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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Moroccan Chicken Tajine: I recently had a chicken tajine dish at Fig & Olive in Scarsdale, and wanted to recreate something similar at home. This is an Ina Garten recipe, and she never fails me.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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