Raising Foodie Kids

Tips and Advice

Raising Foodie Kids

There's no need to raise kids on frozen chicken nuggets and processed "kid-friendly" foods. Kids can be little foodies in training, from learning the importance of preparing their own meals to developing a desire to try new foods to simply appreciating great meals.

Foodie Kids get a taste of the world around them without boarding a plane. They develop taste buds that expand their horizons and enrich their lives. Foodie Kids learn about other cultures, ways of life, and even languages through their taste buds.

Peruse the articles below for suggestions and advice in raising your own foodie kids.

Raising Foodie Kids editor: Ilina Ewen

My Vegetarian Spin on Paella

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Sunday, 07 March 2010 16:35 Written by Ilina Ewen Sunday, 28 February 2010 17:28

I like to take my time and prepare something especially tasty on Sundays. It's the one day that's truly lazy and affords me the time to cook something more complicated or simply something that demands more attention than I can give on homework nights. The boys seems to be more chilled out on Sundays, and I have an extra set of hands since Mac Daddy is home. I don't use him as my sous chef, but he makes a great playmate for the kids and dog to keep them occupied while I whisk away in the kitchen. My only "down" time is in the kitchen. This Sunday's creation was my spin on paella.

I remember making paella for the first time in college with my friends Michael and Cathy. We enjoyed a few too many High Lifes and lost track of who was adding what spice to the dish. I think we ended up with a ridiculously spicy creation that no amount of beer was going to remedy.

I never made that mistake again.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi: Family Pleaser with No Leftovers for Mom

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Thursday, 28 January 2010 11:15 Written by Ilina Ewen Monday, 25 January 2010 21:59

Roasted butternut squash is like candy. Trust me, this is no hyperbole, and it says a lot from a girl with a wicked sweet tooth like mine. Butternut squash is a rare combination of healthy and tasty. You might call it the "tastes great, less filling" Miller Lite of food.

We've been trying to eat more vegetarian dishes (nevermind Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon I made over the weekend). At first I worried that we'd turn into rabbits and tire of lettuce. Little did I know that vegetarian cuisine could be so filling, diverse, tasty, and healthy. I have two boys whose appetites are more fitting for children twice their age. Every time I plan on having leftovers they boys dupe me and eat every bite.

Keen on Quinoa

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 January 2010 10:28 Written by Ilina Ewen Wednesday, 30 December 2009 19:10

We are honest to goodness museum quality carbivores in my house. Bread. Pasta. Rice. We devour them all. We are particularly partial to breads from all over the world: naan, pita, paratha, Nan-e Afghani, injera. If there's a carb to be had, we're having it. I don't much like South Beach, the Miami hot spot or the diet. I'm Indian so there's no way this girl's gonna live without rice. I've been dabbling in new grains to expand our stand by repertoire. Couscous is an easy crowd pleaser, though it's a veritable mess under the table after that meal. Thankfully our new dog, Lark, does help suck that up with his drooling oral vacuum that now. I also add barley to soups and have some Israeli couscous on hand to try out.

NeoGreene Makes It Easy to be Green

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 December 2009 21:29 Written by Ilina Ewen Monday, 30 November 2009 23:05

Part of being a "foodie" is demonstrating a certain level of respect to our food and where it comes from. The farm, the soil, the earth, the planet.

I'm no Kermit the Frog, but I can totally relate to his whole "It's not easy being green" schtick. I try to be a responsible denizen of the planet. I turn off the lights. I wash and reuse sandwich and zipper lock bags. I use LED bulbs and phosphate-free detergent. I'm a stickler for natural cleansers and buy mostly local, organic food for my family. And all those natural ingredients are naturally toted around in bags I bring myself. No plastic for me. No sirree!

Cannellini Bean Dip: Guilt Free Snacking for Party Season

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Thursday, 12 November 2009 16:37 Written by Ilina Ewen Monday, 09 November 2009 20:29

With the entertaining season upon us, I have been busy trying out new finger food recipes. I am trying my darndest to stay away from the cheese platter or antipasto tray that I normally serve up. And last year I over did it on the baked brie. At one point last Christmas, someone who had been to multiple parties with me asked, "Oh, is this your signature dish?" when she saw me yet again unveil a platter of baked brie with bread and apple slices. I wasn't sure if she was being earnest or snarky. In any case, I am hell bent on not serving baked brie one single time this holiday season. Come January 1 all bets are off.

Baba Ghanouj: No Passport Needed

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 November 2009 19:32 Written by Ilina Ewen Sunday, 01 November 2009 11:45

I'm from the kind of family who travels for food. We talk about what we ate 12 years ago at a mom n' pop place in Palm Springs, the extraordinary apple strudel we had in Heidelberg, the ostrich we enjoyed in Walnut Springs, the eisbein we shared at a neighborhood pub in Berlin. We talk about food. A lot. Chances are our dinner conversation revolves around what we ate once upon a time or what we're going to eat next. In my family food is the great equalizer among us.

Fall Into A Batch of Squash Soup

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Saturday, 10 October 2009 18:48 Written by Ilina Ewen Sunday, 04 October 2009 20:24

Fall is finally upon us. While this season means ghouls, goblins, and giblets to some, it means root vegetables to me. Parsnips. Turnips. Beets. Sweet potatoes. Oh, and the glorious varieties of winter squash are simply intoxicating! Those variegated, striped, oblong, twisted gourds are more than tablescape fodder for the season's dinner parties and cornucopia. Roasted, the squash turn sweet and buttery. I have yet to scoop a spoonful on the dinner plates without stealing and savoring a bite for myself first. The cool evenings of autumn stir up a longing for soup. Warm soup, crunchy bread, and a salad of arugula, craisins, and walnuts round out the perfect fall supper. A glass of red wine for the grown ups at the table round it nicely, with a glass of grape juice for the kids.

Foodie Kid Approved Lemon Chicken

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 September 2009 20:17 Written by Ilina Ewen Tuesday, 15 September 2009 11:42

People don't believe me when I tell them what my kids eat. The truth is that they A) actually like and appreciate food and B) don't have a choice. While I am a mere 60 inches tall, you could say I am a short cook, but short order? No way. We raise our kids to value food - where it came from, how it tastes, the traditions that accompany it. We are foodie people in this family. My sons, ages six and four, are little connoisseurs of capers, goat cheese, clams, pine nuts and the like. They can eat pitted oil cured olives and know the difference between pepperoni and pancetta.

RIP Sheila Lukins: Gild Your Kids' Palates

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Monday, 31 August 2009 20:04 Written by Ilina Ewen Monday, 31 August 2009 19:19

When I was a kid, I cherished my time to watch Julia Child on TV. It was the only time I got in front of the TV alone, without my older brother badgering and bullying me into watching sports or other such nonsense. I got lost in Julia's kitchen and swear I could smell the butter browning on her gas stove. Julia Child introduced me to cooking and made me realize that eating is more for pleasure than sustenance. Though it was years before I got any good at much in the kitchen, I hailed Julia Child my hero.

Pack a Healthy Punch with Pizza

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Sunday, 09 August 2009 21:10 Written by Ilina Ewen Tuesday, 28 July 2009 22:05

Pizza need not be laden with cheese, pepperoni, and sausage. And by all means, cheese alone does not a pizza make. I am amazed at how many children eat plain ole cheese pizza and nothing else, nary a side salad, cup of fruit, or steamed green beans on the side. Pizza by its lonesome is not wholesome.

Roast Chicken, Sunday Dinner Style

Tips and Advice - Raising Foodie Kids

Last Updated on Monday, 06 July 2009 22:56 Written by Ilina Ewen Monday, 29 June 2009 21:40

Do your children know what chicken tastes like when it's not formed into a nugget? (The dinosaur shaped nuggets really skeeve me out!) I think breading and frying chicken is a shame akin to frying up plump fresh shrimp. The flavor and savory goodness is in the bird, not the breading. The breading is a mask, and you know as well as I do that it's completely and utterly bad for you.

I'll sit back while all you Bojangles fans out there lay into me.

Raising Foodie Kids

My Vegetarian Spin on Paella

Butternut Squash Gnocchi: Family Pleaser with No Leftovers for Mom

Keen on Quinoa

NeoGreene Makes It Easy to be Green

Cannellini Bean Dip: Guilt Free Snacking for Party Season

Baba Ghanouj: No Passport Needed

Fall Into A Batch of Squash Soup

Foodie Kid Approved Lemon Chicken

RIP Sheila Lukins: Gild Your Kids' Palates

Pack a Healthy Punch with Pizza

Roast Chicken, Sunday Dinner Style

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