Whining 'N Dining

Food Blogs for Your Reading Pleasure

This weekend, I attended BlogHer Food '09 in San Francisco. It was a conference all about food blogging. How fabulous is that? Very. Lots of and lots of good stuff. I left feeling full and inspired, yet my head is still spinning from the oodles of information, tips, strategies, advice that were shared. One thing is for sure, I have my work cut out for me!! 

I'd like to share the following links to blogs of the amazing food bloggers that I met during the weekend. You can spend hours on all of these sites. It's easy to get sucked into the blog reading vortex (as I did last night) and then it's suddenly 1:00 AM. Enjoy!

Simply Recipes

Dine and Dish

Good Life Eats

This Week For Dinner

What’s Gaby Cookin’

Food Woolf

SpicySaltySweet

LA Cooking Examiner

Savour Fare

She Wears Many Hats

Black Girl Chefs Whites

The Veggie Queen

Summer Tomato

Supper Starter

Family Fresh Cooking

Round the Table

Umami Girl

Wasabimon

Running With Tweezers

Two Peas and Their Pod

Recipe Girl

Zoe Bakes

 

Bloggers I didn’t meet, but was inspired by:

101 Cookbooks

Steamy Kitchen

Cooking with Amy

David Lebovitz

Vanilla Garlic

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

WOW, now that I look at that list, I'm realizing that's a pretty sweet resource for you. SO SO many delicious ideas for you. FYI - Dine and Dish, Good Life Eats, This Week For Dinner, Family Fresh Cooking, Supper Starter, The Pioneer Woman Cooks all specialize in family dining.

If I met you and didn't mention you, please leave your blog in the comments below.

Try This: Tangy Edamame

When it comes to picky eaters, you just never what is going to work and what is not. Why does it have to be so hard?? Ugh.

Sometimes you need a little persistence in this department. If your picky one doesn't like a vegetable this way, well, try it another way. For example, I sent picky whine 'n dine girl to school with edamame. She didn't even touch it. OK, so I'll give it to her that it was a tad plain. I boiled the Trader Joe's frozen shelled edamame that morning and added a touch of Kosher salt. Mission failed.

That night, I took my chances and decided to try the edamame a different way. She ate every single one of them. Here's what I did:

Tangy Edamame

• Prepare frozen shelled edamame according to instructions or you can use fresh edamame.
• Squeeze a little lime and drizzle with rice wine vinegar.
• Touch of Kosher salt.
• Serve cold.

So, keep at it parents! If it doesn't work one way, try, try it again another way!

Toddler Test Kitchen: Trader Joe's Grilled Chicken Strips

Oh how I love thee Trader Joe's! You always come with the greatest ideas. You must be thinking of us busy parents, too! When I thought you couldn't make me love you more, you did.

The "Just....Grilled Chicken Strips" in the freezer section have been nothing less than a godsend for this working mom of two. Healthy, grilled chicken in a flash. The girls have tested and approved. Picky whine 'n dine girl loves that she can dip her "grilled chicken fingers" in ketchup. Genius, TJ. Genius.

Sandwich Art from Funky Lunch.com

Since we're on a back-to-school lunch kick, check out the oh-so-cool gallery at Funky Lunch. Totally diggin' their silly animal sandwiches and cutesy flowers. Even the not-so-into-sandwiches whine 'n dine girl would be tempted by these funky lunches.

I know, I know, you likely do not have the time to fuss with sandwich art. Just remember this for a rainy day or for when sandwiches start to bore your kids. It would be a fun project for you and your little one.

photo from Funky Lunch.com

School Lunch Inspiration

We're still fairly new to preschool. It's my daughter's second year, and I struggle each day to figure out what the heck to put in her school lunch. From reading my blog, you'll know that I have an incredibly picky daughter (thus, the reason for my blogging). She also gets so distracted by all of the kids at lunchtime. So I not only have to make her food appetizing, I've got to make it interesting. No pressure, right?

If you are like me and need some inspiration, see the below School Lunch Idea List that I put together last year. I try to update this as I think of new items. I've also added some links to great lunch idea sites below.

Sandwiches:

·   Cheese, avocado, and sprouts

·   Grilled cheese with cucumber or sprouts

·   Leftover grilled vegetables (bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini) with sliced cheese, goat cheese, or pesto sauce

·   Cheddar or mozzarella cheese with apple slices

·   Brie cheese with mustard and sprouts

·   Cheese, tomato, sprouts or lettuce, and pesto sauce

·   Leftover turkey loaf with tomatoes, and lettuce or sprouts

·   Sliced leftover chicken or turkey, cranberry sauce, and lettuce

·   Sliced leftover chicken or turkey, honey mustard, tomatoes, and lettuce or sprouts

·   Sliced leftover beef with mayonnaise or horseradish, sliced tomato and cucumbers

·   Chicken salad made with celery, lettuce, and tomato

·   Tuna/cucumber/green pepper salad with tomato

·   Salmon salad with lettuce or sprouts

·   Shrimp salad with lettuce or sprouts

·   Lowfat cream cheese, and smoked salmon (with tomato, and red onion)

·   Almond butter and honey in a whole wheat pita

·   Roll-up sandwich on lavosh with hummus, cucumber, tomato, sprouts

Sandwich Spreads:

·   Almond butter

·   Cashew butter

·   Apple butter

·   Soy butter

·   Fruit spread

·   Mashed avocado

·   Mashed banana

·   Hummus

·   Mashed banana and cream cheese

·   Veggie cream cheese spread (stir in diced veggies / spices in cream cheese)

·   Pesto

·   Honey

·   Goat cheese

·   Pumpkin butter

·   Tomato sauce

      Other Non-Sandwich Ideas:

·   Homemade pizza

·   Turkey slices

·   Ham slices

·   Diced hot dog / turkey dog / veggie dog

·   Mac 'n cheese w/ cauliflower or butternut squash puree folded in

·   Sliced rotisserie chicken / grilled chicken

·   Chickenless Chicken nuggets (from Trader Joe's)

·   Pasta salad

·   Sauteed tofu

·   Cheese tortilleni

·   Pasta with red sauce

·   Pasta with pesto

·   Buttered noodles

·   Polenta with red sauce & mozzarella cheese

·   Chicken salad with whole wheat pita

      Fruit/Veggies:

·   Steamed carrots

·   Sliced apples

·   Veggie sticks (carrots, cucumber, bell peppers) with hummus, ranch dressing, or other dip

·   Fruit salad

·   Dried fruit

·   Box of raisins / Craisins

·   Sliced cucumbers with a splash of rice vinegar or other Asian vinagarette

·   Fruit slices to dip in yogurt

·   Melon slices

·   Steamed yams

·   Roasted new potatoes

·   Edamame

·   Blueberries

·   Grapes

·   Diced strawberries

·   Sliced peaches

·   Sliced pears

·   Sliced plums

·   Banana

·   Sliced mango

·   Steamed asparagus

·   Orange slices

·   Clementines (pre-peeled for preschoolers)

·   Cherries

·   Diced pineapple

·   Dried pineapple

·   Freeze-dried mangos **Trader Joe's

·   Kiwi

·   Steamed broccoli/ cauliflower

·   Leftover grilled / roasted veggies

·   Steamed snap peas

·   Oven-baked fried zucchini

·   Ants on a log - spread celery with cream cheese and top with raisins

Snacks & Treats:

·   Applesauce

·   Banana chips

·   Trail mix

·   Granola bars

·   Snap Pea Crisps

·   Graham crackers

·   Graham crackers with peanut butter or other nut butter

·   Veggie Booty / Pirate’s Booty

·   Fruit roll-up

·   Baked chips

·   Whole wheat pita chips with hummus

·   Whole wheat crackers with cheese

·   Whole wheat crackers with veggie dip

·   Dry cereal

·   Banana muffin / bread

·   Zucchini muffin / bread

·   Strawberry muffin / bread

Resources

iLunchBox.com

Xoxobox.com

TheLunchBox.org

"Back-to-school lunchbox ideas" - LA Times

Vegan Lunchbox

Laptop Lunches Menu Library

Lunch in a Box

Caroline's Lunchbox

"Packing a More Healthful School Lunch" - NY Times.com Well Blog

Labor Day Barbecue Muffins

Just in time for Labor Day....Farmhouse Barbecue Muffins. Since I'm always on the hunt for creative meat recipes for picky whine 'n dine girl, this recipe piqued my interest. Barbecue in a muffin. Genius. She can help me make these, too. Even more genius.

So I'm adding this one to our list of activities for our little girls weekend while the BBQ man of the house is away.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 1 tube (10 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Separate dough into 10 biscuits; flatten into 5-in. circles. Press each onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin cup; set aside.
    In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and chili powder; stir until smooth. Add to meat and mix well.
    Divide the meat mixture among biscuit-lined muffins cups, using about 1/4 cup for each. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 10 servings.