What’s on Your Mind?

I keep a running list of post ideas, attempting to cover a broad range of topics, alternating between recipes, tips, and bigger nutrition issues… throwing in a giveaway here and there for fun.  I suppose I choose the subject matter much the same way I do birthday gifts for friends.  I figure if I’m attracted to a topic, perhaps you will be too.

But sometimes, rather than guessing what’s piquing your interest,  maybe it’s best to come out and ask:

What’s on your mind? What would you like …to see, read about, learn…here?

~How to cook beet greens?

~Is tofu good for you? Bad for you?

~How to get all those recommended fruit and vegetable servings in each day?

~My thoughts on teens and dieting?

~What should I feed the kids for snacks?

~How to roast a chicken?

~Table manners tips?

~A review of Heavy, the new book by the mom who put her seven-year-old on a diet?

~Is it okay to feed my kids popsicles for breakfast?(ok, no, that was me wondering)

What else??

Let me know what’s on your mind by either posting a comment below or emailing me directly at [email protected].

 

 

Comments

01.28.2013 at9:35 AM #

Anne Mullen

The answer for me is: almost all of the above. Go for it. At the end of my – your – list is Tofu, because I never have it, and dieting for a 7 year old, which I don’t have one around. The rest sound really interesting.

01.28.2013 at9:56 AM #

Pam H

Katie,
I love all your topics, but things I’m specifically interested in are:
1) make ahead dinners
2) packed lunch ideas for kids – they’re bored with the routine
3) fast breakfast ideas -with protein! – for kids who claim they don’t want eggs

Looking forward to whatever you bring to us all!

01.28.2013 at10:45 AM #

Emily S.

I am interested in finding more healthy and delicious pressure cooker recipes.

01.28.2013 at10:45 AM #

Katie Morford

Hi Emily, I’m sorry to say I don’t own a pressure cooker, though it seems like something worth having. Cooking Light did a series on healthy pressure cooker recipes, which you can find here: http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/pressure-cooker-recipes-00412000068028/
Also, Lorna Sass is a real authority on the subject of pressure cookers and has published some of her recipes here: http://pressurecookingwithlornasass.wordpress.com/about/

01.28.2013 at10:46 AM #

Alison

Hi Katie, These are all great topics. I am particularly interested in how to get all of the recommended fruits and vegetables and snacking (could they be related??). Also any tips on getting children to chew with their mouths closed would be great. I am horrified to admit that we are still struggling with that!. Thanks.

01.28.2013 at11:20 AM #

Jenny L.

I second Pam H. and Alison (make-ahead dinners, packed lunch ideas, getting all your fruits and vegetables, and the not chewing with mouth open/talking with mouth full tips 🙂 Thanks!

01.28.2013 at11:43 AM #

Erin

I would love to eat more salads and NEED to do so. I find that adding a salad to a meal is a fast and simple way to get those servings of veggies in…the problem is I get SO bored with the regular lettuce, tomato “run of the mill” salad. I totally love your kale salad and colorful cabbage salad and my family does too! It would be great to have more salad ideas like those (with low fat, low sugar dressing recipes) that use veggies other than lettuce as the base. Or maybe you could help us rekindle our love of romaine with some new, interesting twists on salads with lettuce? Thanks Katie!

01.28.2013 at11:43 AM #

Katie Morford

Thanks Erin. We eat a ton of salads around here, and I agree, it’s an easy way to get more veggies into everyone at the table. I will work on a new salad to post here. In the meantime, you might like these two recipes I developed for an SF Chronicle story: A Kale and Apple Caesar and Celery Root Slaw with Manchego cheese, hazelnuts, and dried cherries. My kids love both, maybe yours will too. http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Try-winter-veggies-raw-and-shaved-3271744.php#page-2

01.28.2013 at12:06 PM #

Spring

I love all those topics….I think they sound fascinating!…..and I think a frozen smoothie counts as a popsicle so why not give it to them for breakfast!!! I’d love to hear your thoughts on Revolution Foods (new supplier of school lunches in SF public schools).

01.28.2013 at12:06 PM #

Katie Morford

Hi Spring, I haven’t seen the lunches coming out of Revolution’s kitchens first hand, however, all that I’ve read about what they are doing seems like a leap forward from typical public school lunch. Plus, a friend of mine who is a mom and highly respected food professional is consulting with them … which I think is a very good thing.

01.28.2013 at1:00 PM #

Emily N.

Katie,

I’d love to read more about the following:
1) appropriate portion sizes for adults and children
2) more quick and healthy recipes for families with small children (mine are 5, 3, and 1 – tend to be picky, and we live in a small town without the availability of some of the more “gourmet-ish” ingredients that SF offers)
3) your thoughts on how to handle kids who won’t eat their veggies but ask for dessert

Thanks for a great blog!

01.29.2013 at8:30 AM #

Leslie

Hi Katie — I think I’ve mentioned this to you in person but I’d love tips for dealing with kids who have wildly divergent taste in food. I have one child who is an excellent eater — loves spicy food, trying new things, etc. Interestingly, though, he doesn’t particularly like traditional kids foods (potatoes, mac & cheese). My other child is a vegetarian and a strict pasta-with-butter-and-parmesean kind of kid. It is very hard coming up with dinners that please them both. (I end up serving a lot of prepared lentil soups from the market, bean taquitos from TJs and rice and beans.) I get very frustrated when I summon the energy to try a new recipe and, inevitably, one of them can’t stand it. I’m a tentative cook in the first place so this doesn’t do a lot for my motivation. Any tips for this would be great.

01.29.2013 at8:30 AM #

Katie Morford

Hi Leslie

That’s so frustrating…I do remember our conversation about the varied palates in your household. Here is the post I wrote in response: http://www.momskitchenhandbook.com/manners/when-they-dont-like-dinner/

If my suggestions there don’t help, another thought is to have your kids take turns planning and prepping dinner, with some supervision, of course. I wonder if that might take some of the pressure off of you and bring some fun into the process. Plus, kids who plan and cook tend to be more enthusiastic about what’s on the table. Not an easy fix.

01.29.2013 at11:34 AM #

Erin

Katie those salads look amazing! Thanks so much for the link! I thought of something else that I would love to know more about from you…I’m not sure if you have posted about this before, but I’m confused about oils and what oils are best (healthiest) to cook with. I am trying to educate myself but there is way too much information out there and it seems that everyone has a different opinion. I’d love to know the facts about what is safe to cook with…coconut oil? If so, refined…unrefined? What about canola…good or bad? Olive oil for sauteeing or salad dressings only? I’m super confused…any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks so much!

01.29.2013 at11:34 AM #

Katie Morford

Hi Erin,

It is confusing, especially with regard to coconut oil. I wrote a post a while back called “Five Favorite Fats” which may shed some light: http://www.momskitchenhandbook.com/uncategorized/five-favorite-fats/. I bought a jar of coconut oil several months ago but haven’t cracked it open. I think the indoctrination against it during grad school runs too deep. However, newer research suggests it’s not the threat to heart health we all once thought. This piece in the Chicago Tribune is pretty balanced about coconut oil: http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-73481608/

Katie

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