It's hard enough to make dinner for your family, but if the kids won't eat it, what do you do? Get them involved, of course! From spaghetti-and-meatball bird's nests to Sneaky Snake sandwiches, these are some easy, fun family dinners to make together.
As May 5 approaches, it's time to start prepping for your festive Cinco de Mayo celebration. Not sure how to make it a kid-friendly affair? Whether your lil ones love hands-on crafts or tasty afternoons spent in the kitchen, we've come up with a variety of activities to get the whole family involved. From DIY maracas to tasty homemade tortillas, here are eight fun ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo as a family.
If you've got veggie-averse kids at home, now's the time to start introducing them to fresh produce. Farmers markets are bursting with fresh fruit and vegetables, and they're sweeter and tastier than any other time of the year. From fresh asparagus and peas to carrots, Spring onions, kale, and more, we've rounded up our favorite kid-friendly springtime recipes. Bon appétit!
As a mom who loves to cook for my baby boy, the biggest kitchen dilemma that I've faced is what to make — and how to transport it — when we're out and about. I usually end up resorting to squeeze pouches, which the little guy loves, and are superconvenient, but I always prefer homemade when given the option. Apparently I'm not the only one out there facing this challenge, as a new cookbook from Kim Laidlaw, Baby & Toddler On the Go, addresses the issue.
San Francisco based Laidlaw is a mom herself, a food writer, and the author of two other cookbooks. Her approach to preparing meals for babies and toddlers on the run is based on a six-tiered philosophy: plan, gather, cook, store, transport, and feed. Sound daunting? It's really not, so long as you're organized and factor in some advance prep time. Give it a shot for yourself by taking it to the kitchen with one of these three recipes from the book.
I'm a purist — I don't like to gunk up my guacamole with a bunch of random ingredients. So here's a supersimple version that is sure to surprise you with its deliciousness. Double it, if you want.
When I'm stuck in a rut with tomato sauces, I turn to veggies. Sautéed in a little olive oil with lemon juice, they make a bowl of pasta look festive and appealing to kids. They're great as a "sauce" on their own, or pour in a little cream if you'd like a richer sauce. Either way, this is a great way to enjoy the flavors of Spring. Keep reading.
We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling! Every other week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle advice from ediTORIal by Tori Spelling, Tori's daily blog about everything from food and fashion to parenting and relationships. This week, Tori shares mini appetizers for your baby shower.
When I think of April showers, rain is the last thing on my mind. We do get a little drizzle here and there in sunny Southern California, but as far as showers go, April tends to be the beginning of wedding and baby shower season. I love spring showers because the weather is just warm enough to throw a backyard brunch or afternoon shindig — full of superyummy hors d'oeuvres!
Related: Behind the Scenes of Hattie's Mad Hatter First Birthday Party
If you’ve read my book CelebraTORI, then you know that I’m all about making everything mini. Taking a classic recipe and shrinking it down into appetizer size is an uber chic way to serve food for any occasion. Appetizers are especially important for showers, as they’ll most likely be sitting out for a long period of time while people rotate between the food table, cocktails and fussing over the expecting mama- or bride-to-be. For this reason, it's important to serve food that can sit out at room temperature yet still maintain its almost-too-cute-to-eat presentation. I also suggest serving foods you know people will like. A fancy shmancy salmon steak atop a bed of spinach may be classy, but who doesn’t love a couple of good, old-fashioned cocktail weenies (which also happen to be much kinder on your wallet)?
Now, in case you’re still stuck on what to make, I thought I'd give you a little #foodspiration and share some of my personal favorites. Here are nine Spring shower appetizers I always keep in my back pocket . . .
More great reads from Tori Spelling:
Tori's most memorable outfits ever
Tori's baby shower gift guide
How to make decorative tulle balls
Tori reveals her postbaby body
Can popsicles and chocolate mousse actually be healthy? If you follow these guilt-free recipes and ideas from foodie mom bloggers, then yes! We've rounded up 10 kid-friendly treats that you can feel good about serving and that your family will completely devour.
If you're lucky, family trips to the farmers market are a year-round affair. No season, however, is as satisfying as the start of Spring. With spinach, strawberries, asparagus, and avocados taking center stage, it's tempting to fill bag after bag with the farm-fresh fruits and veggies. Here, 10 kid-friendly recipes that take advantage of the season's best produce, and the whole family can enjoy together.
I met a great group of moms last week. We spent the evening talking about how to feed our kids well when we all feel short on time. Even though I was the one who was asked to speak, I learned a ton from the other women in the room. (It reaffirmed for me that the best ideas come from moms!) We fell onto the topic of how to stretch one meal into two or three meals.
One very organized mom had a bunch of wonderful suggestions. It got me thinking about my tricks for cooking one recipe and then finding ways to repurpose the leftovers. Call it "carryover cooking," "doubling up," or whatever you'd like, but cooking extra of something in order to speed up cooking on other nights is a wonderful way to save money and time each week. Personally, my family doesn't get very excited about eating the same meal two nights in a row, so my trick is to start with a recipe that's delicious on its own, but then pull out the key ingredient to make something fairly different for the next night. It still speeds up the cooking process, yet keeps the complaints at bay!
Keep reading for some of my favorite foods to transform into second and third meals.
