How Seasonal Bargains Came Together Quick for a Super-Satisfying, Healthy Meal

Feb 27, 2009 by Anna Migeon

I went to Central Market yesterday with my list. I was planning to make Curly Endive Salad with Poached Pear, Pecans and Blue Cheese (see previous post for the recipe) that night.

Walking in, I was pleased to see some really nice, fresh looking jumbo asparagus for only $1.99 a pound. With some hollandaise sauce,it would make a scrumptious partner to the salad.

Then I saw they had fresh blueberries and lovely strawberries on sale. Like the asparagus, strawberries must be newly in season, and therefore, not only looking better than usual but also cheaper than usual. I rarely buy either one because…

Curly Endive Salad or Frisee with Poached Pear, Pecans and Blue Cheese

Feb 27, 2009 by Anna Migeon

This salad recipe is a definite keeper! Out-of-the-ordinary, highly flavorful, elegant, and good-for-you in every way, yet quick and easy. It’s a huge favorite of mine, one of those winners that never falls off your list. It also includes nuts, a great source of protein and a nice change from meat, along with a little cheese. A full plate of it is a meal in itself, and an excellent option for vegetarian teenagers.

I’ve always served dishes like this to my kids, even when they were toddlers. They’ve always eaten everything because no one ever told them they weren’t supposed to like it.

If you expect resistance from your child, act a little happy-mad-scientist / exuberant chef while fixing it. Then just eat it yourself, act like…

The Nine Worst and Best Things to Say to Kids at the Table

Feb 19, 2009 by Anna Migeon

The Nine Worst Things to Say to Children at Dinner Time

1. “Eat it.” / “You can’t leave the table until you eat your _______. ”

“Human babies, like the young of other species, have wonderful appetites unless they are sick or unless they’ve become disgusted with too much urging or forcing,” said Dr. Benjamin Spock.

We’re born willing to eat the foods our bodies need, and also knowing how much we need to eat. Force feeding results in the opposite of what you want, long-term. Encouraging a child to eat more than she wants not only teaches her to disregard her appetite but also builds resistance to eating what you want her to eat.

2. “Clean your plate.”

More classic force feeding. Why encourage a child to overeat? Perfect…

For Pure Pleasure: Assume the Best

Feb 9, 2009 by Anna Migeon

“Wouldn’t it be great if kids came into the world with the innate desire to eat the right foods?” asks Jessica Seinfeld, author of Deceptively Delicious, one of two recent books filled with techniques to smuggle vegetables into a child’s stomach by way of the foods kids willingly eat.

“Getting a child to enjoy healthy food is next to impossible, but there is no harm in trying,” says a website that advocates “making” kids eat healthy foods by piling them in amusing structures on the plate.

A baby’s inborn appetite leads her through pure pleasure to the nourishment she needs to grow, mentally and physically. How would our…