Were it not for the fact that his papa is a carnivore (he’s from Wisconsin, poor sod) – my impossibly beautiful son (above), would be an ovo-lacto vegetarian like his gorgeous Tia (also above).

Alden has only had organic, grass fed chicken – and never more than 6 oz in a week. But still. I cringe when I see my husband get it out of the fridge – that slimy, limp, dead piece of flesh – warmed up enough to put into my son’s beautiful and perfect body. Quite frankly: I find it revolting. Repugnant. And vile.  (Red meat will not pass through that child’s lips until he’s old enough to drive.)

Now, lest you start shouting about protein and calcium…I do give Alden goats milk, goats yogurt and gorgeous goat, buffalo or sheeps fromage – the latter as a very special treat (as he’s never so much as seen a cookie or sweet) – but that’s only after reading that all bovine milk – save for that from all but two species of cow – expose us to A1 beta casein - which is the pesky protein that gives so many so much trouble (from funny tummy to diabetes.) Anyway. Read Devil in the Milk for more on that.

So.

As I don’t want my child eating putrid offal or cow product, it wouldn’t make much sense for me to have it available at his upcoming birthday party. A vegetarian caterer is needed….

I have yet to choose which caterer I am using, but here is a list of Chicago based vegetarian catering options for other mums who would rather get e-coli than serve conventional pizza, hamburgers or hotdogs at their child’s birthday party.

1) Chicago Vegetarian Cooking: a wee outfit that seems birthday party affordable and specializes in smaller fetes. They make sweet potato homefries. Yes, please.

2) The Chicago Diner: With “wings”, “potstickers” and “mozzarella sticks” on the menu – this Chicago vegetarian favorite makes all the fare that children and adults love – sans the dead creature.

3) Fig Catering: Lovely menus that I’d certainly want at an adult cocktail party. Not as expensive as it looks.

4) Verite Catering: Mouth watering menu. May be expensive.

5) Blind Faith Cafe: Affordable, uncomplicated menu. Been around forever.

What’s good about working with an exclusively vegetarian caterer, rather than asking a traditional caterer to do a veggie menu, is that they share your reverence for “clean” and “healthy” food – and won’t, for example, make a veggie soup with chicken stock. Trust me. It happens.

If you are worried about your guests that aren’t vegetarian – don’t be. I can suck down a rack of ribs faster than a Texan chasing a confirmed bachelor in a Jimmy Carter t-shirt – but a meatless meal never killed me. Your guests can stop and grab a dawg (especially here, in Chicago) on the way home. The important thing is to have booze. And a fast pouring arm. (Aldens fiesta will have both.)

Whatever our personal dreadful eating habits (I’m a study in them. I admit it: I love foie gras. LOVE. Pan seared. Mary had keep her eye on that little lamb when mummy is around.), children deserve a better and healthier example. Just as we can smoke and drink like Janis Joplin on the last day of a six city tour – but not around a child – as we must pretend to be better than we are. Until our children make us so.

Happy Birthday Virgos!

Not my most exciting post.

Basically, I realize that safe glass food containers are perfect for the fridge, but a bit heavy for mamas bag. But these metal – almost Army like lunch boxes, by SIGG, are light and the perfect size.

The size of a makeup bag, they fit nicely in your bag, love the dishwasher, are free of all nasty bits and have just enough room for your fruit and veg.

They also insulate quite well if you leave them in a freezer for a bit.

Bon Appetit!

I loved my Beaba food maker and still use it for compotes and yogurt blends. It was the easiest thing in the world to use – though I agree that it does get a bit grungy at the bottom (on the outside) – which I think they need to sort with a redesign. (Perhaps they can ask the Swedes for help.)

But. Along has come another BPA/Phthalate free baby food maker, for almost $50 less, called the Baby Brezza. The Baby Brezza steams and then, without prompting, blends the food itself. Set it and forget it, and all that.

Something the Brezza seems to do that the Beaba does not – is grains. It has a handy dandy rice basket  that makes fluffy rice and can, if need be, blend it after steaming. Which seems quite a good idea.

The Baby Brezza looks like a great option – though I can’t “vouch” for it, having never used one.

If you have one, please let me know your thoughts! I’m especially interested in how the grain thing works out. Quinoa “rice pudding” would be brilliant.

Happy cooking!

(Preface: I am so much more fun to be around than my posts would suggest.)

For the record: I LOVE barbecue! I agree that it creates the most mouth watering intoxicating smell, second only to babies, in the world and is the absolute best way to eat all meat, (save game or foul). Yes ma’am. The more char the better say I. Slap that Bessie on the grill and lets be (wo)men!

But then I became a mum.

And started reading about heterocyclic amines. Otherwise known as the yummy char that makes barbecue taste good. And about the charcoal, bricks, treated wood and other accoutrements that a griller needs. Which are equally carninogenic. And how even having a child BREATHE the eye crossingly delicious air of the grill is bloody toxic.

And which cancers exactly are we talking about here? Man cancers. Prostate, colon and pancreas.  Just the cancers that mama looks at her beautiful little boy and fears.

From an L.A. Times article:

A 2005 report by researchers at the National Cancer Institute looked at the relationship between meat consumption and prostate cancer in the more than 29,000 men enrolled in the national Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. They found that men who consumed more than 10 grams (about one-third of an ounce) per day of very well-done meats, including steak, bacon, sausage, pork chop and hamburger, had a 40% higher risk of prostate cancer compared with people who never ate well-done meat.

And a 2009 study of more than 175,000 adult men who were followed for nine years found that consuming barbecued and grilled red or processed meats was linked to a roughly 10% increase in the risk of prostate cancer.

Seems that isn’t all.

When you barbecue – you create “Advanced glycation end products” or AGE’s…

In a study appearing in the April issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, Dr. Helen Vlassara and her colleagues tie AGE products to heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. The results are an indicator of a link between high-temperature cooking, AGEs, and activation of the immune system that triggers inflammation.

As though that wasn’t bad enough, some cities are actually banning lighter fluid, for creating such toxic ozone! It seems that children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to the VOC’s created by firing up a slab o’ somethin’ somethin’.

And we all know how bad for you finger licking good barbecue sauce is. Yes ma’am. Carcinogenic meat slathered in high fructose corn syrup is just as American as a Texan named Tres in a Durango.

But even organic meat, charred on a grill is bad for you. So…

No barbecue – for my midwestern boys. And no standing near a non-gas grill. Nope. Sorry. Because mommy said so thats why.

I don’t know how I’ll manage this when they get older – but for now – I just put my son to bed before the guests are served. I have a year or two to work on a story that makes sense to a 4 or 5 year old….

Happy 4th of July!

Glass is heavy. Plastic is toxic rubbish. So how are you supposed to transport he wee ones organic fruit and veg?

Yesterday, at Whole Foods, I bought the lead, BPA, phthalate and PVC free Bento Buddies lunchbox “system”.  It’s the perfect size of 4 mini boxes that fit into a larger, to take a few snacks and hummus to dip. Light and compact, it should slip easily into any mum bag. And for larger trips, just fill one of the boxes with ice – and the rest will stay cool and fresh!

The Bento Buddy website has loads of lunch ideas by season, which is very clever. You can also sign up for weekly menu ideas – which confused cooks like me are desperate for. Here is one ofthe “Spring” ideas…

It really is so much easier to be a green parent these days. Though…my white vinyl Donny & Marie lunchbox WAS the grooviest thing happening in 3rd grade….

I apologize. I shall no longer call them Crap & Barrel.

Crate & Barrel is now the only shop (of which I’m aware) that offers 100% glass food storage containers! It’s finally happened! No plastic, no rubber, no anything dodgy that may/may not be evil and awful to store your food in – even if it was just the tops.

I cannot wait to buy a set or two of these gloriously non-toxic food containers to store our, and our growing boys food in. It’s too wonderful and I haven’t been this excited about storage since…well…EVER!

They did well to feature the containers on the cover of their latest catalogue.

With all the BPA and other initials that we have to worry about – isn’t it nice to know that at least storage can be safe?

Don’t be held over a Barrel – buy them now. And maybe a set for mum for Valentines Day. She gives away all those chocos you give her every year.

Happy Hump Day!

Via Springwise, a wonderful edible “science project”, that will yield yummy mushies, as well as introduce junior to the wonder of food growth and Life.

Back To The Roots Ventures sells an affordable (under $20), self contained mushroom growing kit that will fit nicely next to your kitchen window herb garden. With winter keeping our little ones inside, I think that now is a wonderful time to grow little things that the wee ones can water and somehow “own” – while learning all about food and the cycle of life. Plus, like an advent calendar, it gives them something to look forward to every morning.

Even my 1 year old can spot a mushroom in a book – and what a great way to continue the “images represent (often enough), a real object” lesson than with his very own mushroom garden!

Available at some Whole Foods, this kit is a great gift – as well as a great first “science project”; the first of many that your future winters will hold.

Happy Last Days of 2010!

I confess. I eat mercury laden sushi and love, I mean REALLY love, antibiotic, GMO, pesticide filled, toxin producing ribs. Slathered in high fructose corn syrup BBQ sauce. Yup. Nothing better.

Those are hardly the least of culinary (or other) sins.

However, though an adult may choose to smoke, drink and suck down succulent finger lickin’ good ribs – these are not, obviously, the delicious venom with which we want to fortify our growing childrens immune systems and life long risk of many diseases and conditions. Nope. Foie Gras for mum, kale and pears for you, little one.

I have bought several cookbooks and books on nutrition and have found the following to be the easiest, most instructive and helpful.

In no particular order:

1) The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (Um. Ribs are NOT on the list.)

2) The 100 Top Healing Foods

3) Disease Proof Your Child (Great advice to “treat” sniffles or any other common ailment sans making the drug companies shareholders any happier.)

4) Allergy Proof Recipes for Kids (Great way to make healthy party food without fear of making other children sick.)

5) The Vegetarian 5 Ingredient Gourmet (If you are as lazy as I am – this is the book for you.)

6) Better Than Peanut Butter & Jelly (Easy vegetarian recipes for lunch and snacks.)

Armed with this small library, I hope that you’ll find the task of raising the healthiest baby possible (with its life long benefits that will survive your own life), easier and less daunting. Honestly, if it doesn’t strengthen your child – it weakens him – is as good a golden rule as any. If not on the list of the first book – chances are that junior doesn’t need it. With 150 amazing foods full of healthiness and goodness, why bother with anything else? Your child will do all the damage he needs in college – so don’t worry that you are depriving him of the rubbish that you (guiltily) love. You only have 18 years to feed him, really. Let him discover those dirty burnt ribs himself. They’ll do far less damage after the healthy start that you have lovingly provided.

You may actually raise a child that avoids the Raman Noodles/Hot Pockets/Pizza Bites college diet. Well. Maybe.

Bon Appetit!

As my son is now the Big One, I am expanding my cookbook collection rather quickly. Yesterday I bought three new books that I highly recommend as all three are easy to use, include “medicinal” advice (which foods to avoid around vaccine or antibiotic periods, what do eat for a cold), recipes that a busy mum who has never used her Julia Childs cookbook can manage and include lots of nice photos. Yes, I like my cookbooks with full colour glossy snaps.

Rather than introduce allergenic foods to my sons intestines that reduce healthy enzyme and bacteria balances, or any food that will jar his glycemic balance – I have decided to give him a wheat/gluten/processed sugar/cow dairy free diet with as high a raw fruit/veg/herb mix as possible. Who knew that both watercress and parsley had more vitamin C, by weight, than oranges?!  Both being terribly easy to add to any compote, salad or potato mash. And rather than fill your poor child with genetically modified high fructose corn syrup Gatorade (its poison) – coconut water has the natural electrolytes in ONE 8 ounce glass that a GALLON of that rubbish does! That MOther Nature is a clever, clever girl.

The Top 100 Healing Foods is small enough to carry in your purse, and a great reference when you are at the local Whole Foods. You can easily look up all those strange looking fruits and get an idea how to incorporate them into juniors diet. It’s going to be one of my stocking stuffers this year.

Much larger, but quite well written, is The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. Why would you put anything in your child’s mouth and body that didn’t make him healthier?! Because if it isn’t making him healthier – it’s hurting him. Period. Full stop. Sad truth.

The 150 book gives you all the rationale and research behind the goodness of certain foods that we should include in our children’s diets – as most of us default to the familiar. It also covers oils, herbs, spices (which are magical) and food combinations to increase the bioavailability of what she is eating.

Christmas is right around the corner – and cookbooks are always a welcome gift – so I hope that you consider one or all three!

Happy Reading!

I have been wanting to start my son on a snack that the whole family can enjoy, sans chemicals and toxins – Hummus, to be exact.  Even at Whole foods I have yet to find organic chickpeas or tahini – so I have trolled online looking for both – and both I found.

Eden Organics (sold at Whole Foods), bless them, has garbanzo beans in BPA free cans. Actually, all their cans are BPA free, which means they are my new fave company, and I can buy those products in cans again that I was buying in glass jars or not at all. (Beans in plastic bags make me nervous – which has been awful as beans are so damned healthy.)

I found a whole slew of organic Tahini paste at Amazon, so thats done.

I am now ready to buy an organic lemon, and oil (which is available everywhere), and make my baby hummus, that I hope he loves as much as his parents.

Not only are the beans a great source of good carbs and fiber, and lemon of vitamin C, but paprika – which is perfect in tahini, is a great source of Vitamin A.  You can also add a wee bit of parsley (that contains 3x the vitamin C of oranges).

Though we have yet to introduce the idea of “snacks” yet – our son turns 1 next week – and will need a few “treats” (all organic and veg/fruit) to keep that growing body going. Let’s hope Hummus does the trick.

Happy Halloween!