Whining 'N Dining

Traveling for Turkey Day? Healthy Snacks for the Road or Sky

“Are we there yet?” “I’m hungry!” Sound familiar? Traveling with kids can be, well, challenging to say the least. And eating well on the road can be even more so.

Whether you’re going on a road trip or traveling by plane, careful planning for a family trip is an absolute necessity. And you must prepare for the unexpected delays and snafus along the way. After many family trips, I can say that snacks or lack thereof can make or break a long trip. If you forget the all important snacks, you are at the mercy of fast-food chains and airlines who may only serve you peanuts for a cross-country flight. This year, Food & Wine has come up with the Ultimate Airport Dining Survival Guide to help you find the best of airport dining.

Here are some suggestions for you and yours to be snack savvy on your next trip:
•    Make your own sandwiches / pack a picnic if traveling by car.
•    Try to eat balanced meals / snacks. Think complex carbohydrates.

o    Peanut butter and whole wheat crackers
o    Turkey, cheese and spinach wrap in a whole wheat tortilla

•    Pack fruit and veggies that are easy to access and not so messy.

o    Bananas
o    Apple slices
o    Orange slices or easy-to-peel Clementine’s
o    Veggie sticks (bell peppers, carrots, celery)
o    Shelled edamame
o    Grapes
o    Dried fruit / raisins

•    Remember to bring breakfast (which often gets the short end of the stick on a busy travel day).

o    Make nutritious mini-muffins (such as bran or oatmeal).
o    Give everyone a smoothie in the car on the way to the airport.
o    Bring portable yogurts and fruit.
o    Pack cereal, granola and / or protein bars.

•    Use ice packs if traveling by car for longer than 30 minutes with any items that are perishable (such as eggs, milk, meat, salad, cheese).
•    Put all of your snacks in small, reusable containers to facilitate easy access in your bag and refilling for the return trip. Hit Trader Joe's before you get on the road. That place is the healthy snack emporium!
•    Bring napkins and wipes for easy clean up. Don’t forget bibs!

Age-appropriate Snack Ideas

For babies:

Travel with Baby: How We Can Help

Seats & Eats: Some Things To Know Before Traveling With Your Baby

For toddlers:
•    Raisin boxes or bag of dried fruit
•    Cereal bars
•    String cheese  / Laughing Cow  / or other cheese slices with whole wheat crackers
•    Apple slices
•    Rice cakes
•    Graham crackers
•    Individual applesauce or fruit cups
•    Bags of cereal (Cheerios, Wheat Chex)

For preschoolers / elementary school children:
•    All of the above
•    Get them involved in the snack preparation
•    Sandwiches (PB&J or turkey wrap)
•    Trail mix
•    Granola bars
•    Bag of grapes
•    Bag of shelled edamame
•    100-calorie packs of crackers
•    Veggie sticks and white bean dip
•    Whole wheat pita bread with hummus
•    Celery sticks with peanut butter
•    Banana chips
•    100 % fruit leather

Healthiest Chain Restaurants in America

While so many of us are vacationing this month, we're all sure to be eating out a lot more. If you wanted to know how typical chain restaurants stack up when it comes to healthy eating, check out this article from Yahoo Health....

Eating out invariably raises a number of tricky questions: sit-down or drive-thru? Burgers or pizza? Thin or stuffed crust? And if you're dining with your family, add the biggest question of all: Will the food we eat today bring a fatter tomorrow for our kids? And fewer tomorrows for the rest of us? Click here for the rest of the story.

As for me, I'm happy to know that Chick-Fil-A (one of my favorite chains) makes the healthiest chicken nugget. Hoorah!

LA Mill Opened Today in Silver Lake!!

LA Mill Coffee Boutique opened this morning on Silver Lake Blvd. Apparently, everything is FREE all day. This is sure to be a fancy pants coffee house, more like a restaurant. Now will they be a place for mommies and strollers?? Will the coffee be greater than neighboring Intelligensia Coffee?? Who will reign supreme in the Silver Lake roasteries?? Hmmm....we'll see.

Note: They are supposedly not open on Mondays, so play your coffee dates accordingly.

Mill Coffee Boutique

1636 Silver Lake Blvd.

Los Angeles 90026

Whole Foods Paradise

We may have found paradise in the new Whole Foods Pasadena. Fellow foodies, this is your mecca. It's  a department store for gourmet, healthy food.

Pasadena Whole Foods
Originally uploaded by getofab

It is two floors with a fancy escalator for your cart, too. I mean, wow. It is really, really impressive. The prepared foods section is absolutely unreal. You can find just about anything you want from homemade donuts to rice pudding to lasagna. There's an Asian Express counter turning out noodle bowls and sushi. And a Meditteranean "Cucina" serving brick oven pizzas, other Italina favorites and Greek dishes. There's a chocolate bar and a desert bar with a variety of piping hot cobblers, decadent cheesecake and chocolate-covered strawberries. Also, I picked up some roasted cinnamon almonds from the nut "Roaster" bar. The best part, a wine and tapas bar.

Try coming here for breakfast. Not only will you beat the crazy masses, but you'll also be able to sample all of the delicious baked goods. You should see the pastry stand. There is much to choose from! The ham and cheese stuffed croissants were about the best I've had in a long time. Nothing like a buttery croissant! The Allegria coffee bar delivers a rich and bold cup of Joe. And then, there's the breakfast bar with a variety of egg dishes, breakfast potatoes, sausage, bacon and creme brulee French Toast.

For the busy, working parents, check out the "Short-Order Chef" section downstairs by the produce. You can grab veggies pre-cooked, which will speed your dinner prep exponentially.

Go soon, but go early!!!

Whole Foods Market

465 South Arroyo Parkway

Pasadena, CA 91105

Phone: 626.204.2266

Fax: 626.204.2277

Saturday Breakfast Tour: The Brite Spot

The Brite Spot
Originally uploaded by simpletoenchant

My husband has always dreamt of being a regular at a neighborhood diner or bar. You know the place "where everyone knows your name." Or the salty waitress who cracks a pseudo smile as you acknowledge that you'll indeed have "the usual."

The Brite Spot diner in Echo Park is a place where those kind of dreams can come true. It's cool, it's retro, it's got all of the things you love about a diner - plentiful coffee, food served quickly, music playing, slick leather booths. Also reasons why diners are always a good choice when dining with a tot.

You'll find all of your typical diner comfort fare at this establishment that's been open since 1949. The Brite Spot offers lots of vegetarian options if that's your forte. I indulged in the vegetarian chilaquilas, and they rocked. However, I did order the extra jalepenos on the dish, and my mouth was on fire. They have some really, really yummy pancakes, too. I hear the French toast combo and breakfast quesadillas are good, too.

While our food did come quickly, the service was a bit lacking. All in all, it was a good experience. And maybe, just maybe my husband could someday be the "Norm" of The Brite Spot. If only we weren't on the great breakfast tour of LA....

Open daily 6 a.m.-4 a.m.

1918 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90026
(213) 484-9800

Menu Preview

Deciding where to go to dinner is sometimes a bit challenging. Especially those nights when you don't know what you want, and citysearch.com is not quite cutting it. Now, if only you could get your hands on some dinner menus to help you decide and see if there would be something that your munchkin would possibly eat.

Enter http://losangeles.menupages.com/. Visit this link to sift through countless menus to restaurants all around LA. Then, you'll be able to make that informed decision about dinner and know that junior will be able to get his grilled cheese on.

Saturday Breakfast Tour: John O'Groats

The word on the street was that John O'Groats was perhaps the most family-friendly restaurant in all of LA. So, this past Saturday, we headed over to the Westside to sample the goods.

Having heard that lines start early, we arrived promptly at 8:00 am. There were no such lines, and we got seated right away by the v. friendly staff. They gave my daughter some crayons and piece of paper (always a big plus in our book). Happily entertained and caffeinated, we made our breakfast selections - pumpkin pancakes (me), "Huevos O'Groats" (hubby) and the "Original Mini Breakfast" for our daughter that included bacon, eggs, home fries and biscuits.

We promptly received the biscuits (again, a big plus when you have a hungry toddler). The biscuits were served warm and were perfectly baked and tasty with raspberry jam. We enjoyed the Huevos O'Groats, loved the bacon and home fries. And then there were the pumpkin pancakes. They were absolutely amazing!! You have to, have to try these.

Pumpkin pancakes and a cup of coffee. Now that's how to enjoy the holiday season.

John O'Groats 10516 West Pico Blvd. West Los Angeles 90067 310.204.0692

Saturday Breakfast Tour: Square One Dining

There's nothing square about dining at Square One. This past Saturday we ventured there to see what all of the fuss is about.

First off, they seated us promptly and gave our little one a whole box of crayons to color on the table. Major props for that!! Love that the tables are covered with paper so she could not only color all over it, but she also had the freedom to be her messy self.

They also have a lovely patio, which we should try again on another breakfast adventure. Perhaps when the weather is not so frightening. (We went on one of the 5 days of the year when it is actually gross). For the other 360 days in LA, try the patio.

Above is a picture of Bill's baked chorizo egg dish, which was yummy and very spicy. It was even too spicy for our daughter. She had a delicously, moist blueberry muffin with lots of cinnamon (just how I like it) that was still warm from the oven when it came out. They have a nice selection of freshly baked muffins - carrot raisin, apple bran, banana nut. Her muffin was accompanied with a huge fresh fruit bowl of sliced peaches, nectarines, apples and bananas. We ended up taking the rest of it to go. I went the traditional route and ordered pancakes, which weren't that memorable. Next time I'll get a baked egg dish or an egg sandwich.

And then there was the bacon. Ahhhh, the bacon. Worthy of a standing ovation, the bacon was the absolute, very best bacon I have ever eaten in my entire life. I heart Square One bacon. It was a thick cut, but still nice and crispy. I will go back for the bacon. I will go back again and again.

Square One - Breakfast menu

4854 Fountain Ave.

Los Angeles, 90029

323.661.1109

More to Zanzabelle than ice cream & candy

If you are ever driving down Rowena in Silver Lake, you can't miss the rather large giraffe regally stationed in front of Zanzabelle. According to Eating LA, "the giraffe is Zanzabelle, the star of a 1949 French stop-motion animated film."

Known for being a local ice cream, nostalgia candy (think giant lollipops) and old timey toy shop, Zanzabelle has recently made the move to offer more than just scoops and trinkets. They have partnered with Lunchbox Fine Foods to provide delicious sandwiches, pre-packaged lunches for kids and a few breakfast selections. They'll be making the sandwiches fresh onsite each day with a variety of gourmet toppings like goat cheese and red peppers. I stopped by last Friday for a post-music class coffee and pastry (I'll be stopping here for my coffee since Blair's is no longer open for breakfast - whaaaa!). The guy behind the counter not only made me an excellent Americana, but also he went out of his way to help us mommies carry our food to the table. The croissant was nice and buttery, and my daughter loved it, of course.

Thank goodness they will still offer the Dr. Bob's famous cappuccion crunch!

Saturday Breakfast Tour: Auntie Em's Kitchen

the land of cupcakes (auntie em's kitchen)
Originally uploaded by optionthis

Oh Auntie Em, Oh Auntie Em, can we stay in your kitchen all day? With your divine sticky buns and amazing coffee (courtesy of our favorite roaster, Intelligensia), we're just not ready to leave. There are so many things to love....the open-faced breakfast sandwich with gruyere, eggs, apple smoked bacon on buttery ciabatta and the spicy sausage cheese grits. And the ooey goey cinnamon rolls. We'd also like to gobble up some mini red velvet and carrot cupcakes (currently at the top of our "best cupcake" list for LA; the mini ones are perfect for kids!!!) with the most heavenly cream cheese frosting we've ever encountered. OK, I guess we'll settle for getting a box of them to go and another coffee in a to go cup. Once again, we've over stayed our welcome, so we'll leave you in peace. XOXO. Until next time......

Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sat. & Sun. 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Auntie Em's now has table service. On our last visit, they were much more prepared to take on the early customers. They were really sweet to our little one and promptly got us a high chair for her.

They cook according to season, so their menu changes frequently. It also gets really busy there, so there's a chance they could run out of your favorite item, too.

They also have a lovely little store, which sells specialty foods such as Cowgirl Creamery cheese and gifts. We purchased a brightly-colored vinyl mat to go under our daughter's high chair to help protect our dining room floor.