Budget-Bottom Easy Fried Rice

This easy fried rice is part of a series of articles on cheap dinners made from pantry staples. When you’re at the end of your food budget, you’ve to work with what’s available. Enter the budget-bottom meal. Got an idea for this series? Contact me.

easy fried rice

It’s the end of the month. Your fridge pickings are sparse. But, before you bust the budget back at the store, consider this: if you’ve got carrots, an onion, an egg and leftover rice, you’ve already got the makings of a good, cheap meal. Read More

11 Kids’ Books about Food to Inspire You to the Kitchen

This roundup of 11 kids’ books about food is part of a series of articles on cooking with kids. Reading kids’ books about food with a child you love is a great way to inspire cooking projects and provide a roadmap for spending time in the kitchen together. With that in mind, here are 11 books worth exploring. If you have your own story or experience to share on the topic of cooking with kids, contact me here.

kids' books about food

As recently explored in the post, “5 Reasons to Bake Pretzels with Walter the Baker,” there are so many reasons to cook with kids, from growing life skills to educating about healthy choices. But pair this activity with books about food relating to your cooking projects, and it’s doubly valuable.

That’s because, according to Casey Byrne, Reading Recovery teacher at Glenview Elementary School in Nashville, when it comes to literacy, the more exposure you give a child to books, the better. Read More

5 Thrive Market Benefits Or, Why Try the Healthy Online Membership Grocery

This post on Thrive Market benefits is part of a series of posts examining grocery sources. Described as an online Costco meets Whole Foods, Thrive Market is a membership site that offers lower prices on recognized healthy and organic products, as well as its own Thrive Market branded line. Why try it? Here’s a look.

thrive market benefits

If Brandless is the site that does $3 product pricing by cutting out the brand name, Thrive Market is the site that gives you the brand name, but at a better cost. For those organic or healthy products you’re loyal to and can’t replace with off-brand alternatives–a particular supplement, a favorite paleo tortilla, a non-GMO candy bar–Thrive Market typically beats the costs you’ll find at your local grocer, while also giving you the convenience of online shopping.

The only catch? Like Costco, Thrive Market is a membership grocery. While it does provide a free 30-day trial, after that you pay $59.95 a year to buy at its lower costs. Are the savings worth it?Read More

5 Reasons to Bake Pretzels with Walter the Baker

This post on five reasons to bake pretzels with Walter the Baker is part of a series of articles on cooking with kids. Cooking with kids forges bonds, grows skills and makes the world of food more fun–but, for many busy parents, knowing how and when to include kids in the kitchen isn’t obvious. // Do you have a story or suggestion from your own experience to share? Contact me here.

baking pretzels from Walter the Baker

Cooking with kids is a hot topic today. It discourages picky palates, according to registered dietician and freelance nutrition journalist Janet Helm, who says “children are much more likely to try something new if they’ve had a hand at preparing it.” Getting kids in the kitchen can grow math and vocabulary skills, according to children’s health and development site KidsHealth. Even British celebrity chef and restaurateur Jaime Oliver, advocated for it, in his 2010-11 ABC TV series, Food Revolution, while he tried to reform American school lunch programs and change kids’ eating habits.

But, as with many good ideas, the biggest challenge is knowing where to start. So here’s a suggestion: Bake pretzels with Walter the Baker.Read More

How to Bake Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Everybody knows there’s more to fries than white potatoes–but, swap in sweet potatoes, and achieving a solid crisp factor at home is a challenge. Is starch the secret? A good, long soak pre-bake? If you’ve ever wondered how to bake crispy sweet potato fries at home, this post is for you.

how to bake crispy sweet potatoes at home

It starts with an Instagram message. My blog friend Katie wants to know how to bake crispy sweet potato fries and wonders if I have any tips. Making sweet potato fries, yes. Making crispy sweet potato fries? Read More