Category Archives: Reviews

Babies, Books, Nutrition, Recipes, Reviews

Ice Pop Joy

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I’m so excited, because Anni Daulter sent me a copy of her new book Ice Pop Joy for review.

My son wakes up every morning asking for popsicles, so this week I will be making a variety of ice pops from her book, and then reporting back next week!

It looks fabulous- the photographs are amazing, and the recipes all look delicious.  I can’t wait to try them, especially the breakfast pops (who wouldn’t want to eat a popsicle for breakfast?) and the entire section devoted to CHOCOLATE!

My son will be an active participant in all of the ice pop making, so hopefully I can pass along ideas I learn from this experience.  We’re going strawberry picking today, so we will definitely be making lots of strawberry pops!

Stay tuned!

Ice Pop Joy

Books, Reviews

“Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”

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Have you read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver? If not, it is a book that has something for everyone. Whether you are an avid gardener, care about the environment, aim to shop locally, love to cook, or just like to eat, this book is for you.

It was released last year, and got rave reviews. I’m not sure why it took me so long to read it, considering I bought it for 2 of my sisters last year and the subject matter is right up my alley.

It probably has something to do with my complete lack of free time with which to read, but this past week I was on vacation and had lots of help and the luxury of laying in bed and reading for hours on end. I came upon Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and decided to check it out.

This book chronicles the author and her family’s year of eating local food- only what they grew for themselves, or could purchase at the farmer’s market. Kingsolver gently teaches the reader why it’s important to do so, and lays out exactly how they achieved this goal. She seriously believes in growing your own food- whether you live on a farm or in an urban apartment- and practically walks you through how to do it. She also makes a case for eating meat- as long as it’s pasture grown.

This book is very entertaining, as she weaves her wit and family history into the pages. There are also essays and recipes by her daughter, and lots of facts about factory farming and environmental concerns written by her husband.

Their project was clearly a labor of love and I am so thankful they embarked upon it and shared it with us. It reinvigorated my passion for eating with the seasons and supporting local farmers and my community. It also got me out to a great local nursery today to buy some lettuce, a tangerine tree, and some potted herbs!

What I love best about Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is the reminder that food is the center of almost all celebratory occasions in our lives and it can, and should be enjoyed.

This book would make a great gift for the holidays!

Books, Prevention, Resources, Websites

Eric Carle

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I love when I find a new (to me) author. One that makes me want to research and read biographies, and look for out-of-print books and read everything he or she has ever written.

This doesn’t happen all that often. And these days, it happens to be authors of children’ books that intrigue me most.

My admiration for Eric Carle began last year when my son received Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? for his first birthday. Every book I’ve read since has made me hungry for more.

My sister passed alongThe Very Hungry Caterpillar to us, which I’d seen displayed at the bookstore but had never read. My son prides himself on being able to name every bit of junk food that the caterpillar eats!

At his second birthday party he received two Very Hungry Caterpillar Happy 2nd Birthday cards. They are adorable!

He also received The BePuzzled Wooden Puzzle Set which feature creatures from his books.

Then I found The Very Busy Spider and From Head to Toe at the library. When it was time to return the books, my son was especially sad to see From Head To Toe go, so we went to the local bookstore to buy a copy for our personal collection.

While there we read The Very Quiet Cricket, The Grouchy Ladybug, and The Greedy Python.

I love that they offer all of these titles in board books.

And imagine our excitement when today on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Mr. Rogers paid Eric Carle a visit to his studio! We saw first hand how Mr. Carle creates his beautiful illustrations by painting on tissue paper, and then makes collages out of many different colored pages.

He told us a little about his life, and It was so inspiring hearing the story of how his parents nurtured his natural artistic gifts.

He then read From Head To Toe to the television audience. It was such a treat.

As soon as I could, I went online to see what else I could discover about Eric Carle. And here’s what I found!

He has a great website, with resources like coloring pages and how to make collages, as well as book lists, and other useful links.

He has a blog

There is The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Books in Massachusetts I really look forward to visiting some day.

The more I look, the more I realize there are Eric Carle books/toys/games/puzzles/fabric/food/galore and I’m sure many of you are wondering how on earth I just discovered him. I have no answer for that, I’m only glad I know about him now.

How about you?  Who’s your favorite children’s book author?

Books

Origins:

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If you’re interested in the science behind fetal development and how what you do while you’re pregnant affects your baby’s health, personality, temperament, then I’ve got the book for you!

Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives

If you read it, come back and let me know what you think!

Products, Reviews

Wrap-N-Mat

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Back to school time! Unless your child goes to one of those schools with the amazing school lunch program, he’ll be better off with a homemade lunch from you. There is a lot of waste to be made with all of those plastic baggies, but there is a solution!

I recently received a Wrap-N-Mat sandwich wrap and snack pouch and they are such great products!

My son is not in school yet, but we still have picnics in the park and lunch on-the-go, and these mats are great. They wrap up the food nicely, and also serve as a place mat (with fun designs your child will love!) while you’re eating.

From the website:
“The environmentally-friendly re-usable Wraps and Pouches also serve as a place mat providing a clean eating surface anywhere!

The WRAP-N-MAT® Wraps and Snack Pouches were developed and patented with a plastic liner that cleans up completely without any fabric weave or pores that can harvest bacteria.

Unlike a bag, our WRAP-N-MAT® Wraps and Snack Pouches do not need to be inverted to be cleaned but rather lay flat to clean easily.
Say good-bye to wasteful plastic sandwich bags and hello to saving money and the planet.”

For more information, please visit Wrap-N-Mat.

Think about all of the plastic you can avoid by using these pouches!