Recently I attended a luncheon sponsored by Stop and Shop/Giant. It was at Sarabeth’s restaurant in New York City, where my husband and I had eaten brunch several times (and enjoyed her delicious homemade scones and jam). The decision to attend a delicious lunch in one of my favorite cities with the chef/owner of a restaurant I loved was a no-brainer (I posted details about the luncheon on my blog along with a picture of Amanda and me with Chef Sarabeth).
After the Stop and Shop executives talked with us, chef Sarabeth Levine chatted with us while she made us chocolate chip cookies. She wanted to encourage us to cook and bake. She wanted to remove the fear from baking. “It’s not hard, you just have to measure,” she told us.
She also wanted to make sure that we were inviting our children into the kitchen with us. She said that otherwise a whole generation will grow up not knowing how to cook.
Both of my children have been stirring brownies since they were old enough to sit on the kitchen counter. This summer, Amanda (who will be 10 next month) has prepared several meals for us. Throughout the process she beams with pride as her brow furrows in concentration.
I recently received a copy of Real Food for Healthy Kids: 200+ Easy, Wholesome Recipes. I handed it over to Amanda, thinking that I would get the opinion of my “real kid.” I told her to select some recipes that looked good, and she did.
This week she prepared two recipes from this cookbook — “Quick Chick Parm” and “Chicken Enchilada Casserole” — by herself from start to finish. They were both good, and I would make them again. I mean, I would have her make either of them again. It probably tasted better because I didn’t cook it, right?
This is not a children’s cookbook, but the recipes are designed to appeal to adults and children alike. I was impressed that Amanda saw the recipes as accessible, even though there are no pictures. The short ingredient list contributed to this, and she also liked the sidebar that lets the chef know how much prep time and cook time the recipe takes.
If this book lacks pictures, it excels in information. The two recipes my daughter selected came from the “What’s for Dinner” chapter. There are also chapters devoted to breakfast, lunch, and snacks. The sweet stuff is not neglected either. Sweet drinks (hot and cold) get a chapter, as do “divine desserts” and the cookie jar. The final two chapters are devoted to special groups: an introduction to food sensitivities featuring gluten-casein-soy-free recipes, and “first foods,” which features recipes for 6- to 36-month old children.
If you’d like to win one of 2 of these cookbooks, please leave a comment here. I’ll announce the winners on Wednesday, August 27.
Managing Editor Jennifer Donovan is a contributing editor at 5 Minutes for Mom. She has been blogging at Snapshot for over two years. You’ll almost always find her holding either a book, a fork, a child’s hand, her laptop, or some combination therein.
Read all of the other posts in this series on food for your family and grocery shopping featured on our sister sites today:
Save Money (and enter to win) at 5 Minutes for Mom
Save Money and the Earth at 5 Minutes for Going Green
Stay Sane at the Supermarket at 5 Minutes for Parenting
Shop with Special Diets in Mind at 5 Minutes for Special Needs
I need this sooooo bad.
[email protected]
I would love to win this cookbook.
Sounds like a great cookbook! I would love to win it – thanks for the giveaway!
What a great idea to keep those family recipes going.
My wonderful daughter needs this for her 5 and 2 year old sons. She works so hard trying to give them a nutritious and good diet.
My 5 year old is a very picky eater but I find that if she helps to make something she is more likely to try it so this would be a great way to try new recipes and also get her involved.
Great site.
I love to cook and this book sound great! THANKS for entry!!
Would love to win this book!
This looks like a great cookbook! I love cookbooks!
One of my daughter’s is expecting and has a little one and I’m sure she would love this book!!
Thanks so much
I’d really like this. I’m trying to get into cooking more for my family and I need easy suggestions!
we’d love to win this
like to win this
I think this cookbook sounds very interesting, and I’d like to win a copy!!!
Sounds great. I love finding recipes that are healthy that my kids will really like so that the idea of “healthful” never becomes an equivalent to not being as good and delicious as other not so good choices.
I’ve been looking for a book like this….it looks wonderful!!
sounds like it would be good cookbook
This would be sooo helpful. I always try to find recipes like this on the net.
Thanks for the contest!
I would love to win a copy of this book. Being a cookbook collector, on a very lean budget i might add. This would be a perfect addition to the set I’m starting for my grandchildren
I would love to have this, I love cookbooks for one, but I also would like some good ideas to get my children to eat healthier!
legacyofbrutalitysa{AT}gmail.com
Definitely intersted in this one! Thanks.
Would love to win this.
I love cookbooks and am always looking for healthy alternatives to my recipes!
this book is a great idea. With obesity rates growing this is a great way to teach kids to cook healthily for themselves.
I’d love to win!
I’m always looking for good kids recipes. I would really like to have this book.
[email protected]
Thank you for having this contest. I really appreciate it.
I’m always looking for a new cookbook to try things for my 2 year olds! This one looks great! Thanks!
My son, 15, loves to cook, this would be a great book for us to share. thank you
This looks wonderful!
this would be great for my sister she was just thinking about what to make for the kids for Lunch….
Oboy!
Have 5 sons and have a hard time getting them to eat healthy..this would be great!
My son loves to help me cook. This would be a great cookbook for him.
count me in
I love that your daughter was able to make some by herself – these are the types of recipes that I need! I get confused by long recipes so there is no way my son can figure them out! Plus some long recipes call for so many ingredients I never have them all!
autumn398 (at) yahoo.com
This looks like a wonderful cookbook. I’d love to add it to my collection. Thanks!
Great prize! I love cook books!
Count me in!
If I win this book, I promise that I’ll work hard at serving my daughter healthy meals and I’ll start her baby brother on a healthy path. If I do win, please remind me of this promise.
This would be great. My daughter is getting really health concious and started running at school too. She wants to run a 5K this fall, and has ran 1 this summer. She is 10 and loves to cook and now she is actually hounding me to cook healthier. Thanks for the contest.
This book would be perfect for me and my son. He is at the age where I want him to start learning to cook a meal so he becomes self sufficient.
I love cookbooks and this would be perfect to work with the kids too.
Oooh…I’m trying to find ways to get my kids to enjoy healthy food. I’ve already switched to whole grain spaghetti (we have spaghetti at least once a week!) and nobody complained.
This would be great!
I’d like to teach my boys to cook more this year. This book sounds great!
This books sounds great for wonderful family dinners. Cooking together can be so much fun
Enter me, please!
This would be great