5 Tips for A Local 4th of July Cook-out:

1. Make those burgers local and grassfed — and avoid worry over the latest e.coli beef recall.
2. Buy the buns from a farmers market vendor or local bakery — they’re fresher and most likely made without the high fructose corn syrup and preservatives of most supermarket brands.
3. Stick with seasonal veggies — sweet corn is just beginning to appear here, along with fresh from the field tomatoes, garlic and plenty of herbs for a homemade fresh salsa.
4. Skip the made-in-China, flag-covered disposables — take sheets outside or have the kids decorate a (recycled) kraft paper banner to use as a tablecloth — local and green.
5. Nothing’s more patriotic than domestic beer or wine; just skip the (now Belgian-owned) Bud Light and search for a local craft brewer or vineyard, or stir up a red, white and blue sangria with berries from the farmers market. (And reserve some of those berries for a family-friendly cobbler for dessert!)

Some favorite summer cook-out recipes from the archives, for added inspiration:

• Roasted Tomatillo Peach Salsa
• Patriotic Potato Salad
• Peach Berry Sherbet

My son has requested that we spend the holiday at the Farmers Market and the pool, and I’m happy to oblige — with perhaps a few minutes spent getting a fresh Pennsylvania cherry pie in the oven. What’s on your plate for the holiday?

(Submitting this to Fight Back Friday over at the Food Renegade – go check it out!)

emptying the CSA bag, originally uploaded by dcaCRL.

I talk a good game about healthy eating, but I have to confess that despite my best efforts, there are still nights we just order pizza, or times I can’t help but head for the nearest McDonald’s drive-thru. (Not for the boy, but sometimes a cheeseburger is the easiest way I can think of to get some protein, fast. I have given up the fry addiction, at least.) When I decided to focus on healthier eating, I set three goals:

• Eat more vegetables
• Eat more protein
• Eat more whole grains/fiber

Joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm this year was a key step towards meeting the first goal. Having a steady supply of fresh veggies on hand is enormously helpful, so when we do resort to fast food, we can still add fresh veggies on the side. And for back-up, I always keep a few bags of frozen, organic veggies in the freezer. The boy will always eat succotash, peas & carrots, or edamame. (But not green beans. Yet.)

As for protein and whole grains, I’m trying to look for quick meals that will reduce our dependence on pasta (I’m Italian, it’s always the fall-back option!). I’ve been having a lot of fun with the fabulous selection of grains at Trader Joe’s, many of which will be featured here. And while we only eat meat a couple times a week, I started the boy off on tofu early in hopes of incorporating more non-meat proteins in our diet. So those are the three items I’ll be focusing on here. I’m always looking for new ideas, so please feel free to comment and share.

And if you want to know what the FoodieTot family is really eating every night, check out our Twitter updates.

Making homemade baby food is quick and easy. It tastes better, is fresher and healthier and most importantly, you control what’s in it. Here are ten quick tips to get you started:

1. Start fresh. Organic produce is best, or make sure you use a vegetable wash if you can’t or don’t want to buy organic.

2. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment: a pot with steamer basket & lid, something to puree with (hand blender or food processor), ice cube trays, plastic wrap & plastic baggies or freezable containers.

3. Peel (at first, you can leave some peels on when baby is ready for more texture & fiber) and chop foods into large pieces.

3. Steam. The softest foods (avocado, banana and very ripe pears or plums) don’t need to be steamed. Everything else, steam for 7 minutes and check. Foods should be just soft enough to prick easily with a fork – you can add liquid while pureeing to make softer; you don’t want to cook foods into mush or you’ll lose flavor and nutrition. (Sweet potatoes, potatoes and butternut squash will take as much as 30 minutes to steam. You can also roast these in the oven instead of steaming.)

4. Puree. Add the cooking liquid to get the desired consistency. This restores some of the nutrients that leach out while cooking. You’ll want it soup-like at first, and thicker as baby gets more experienced. If you don’t have enough cooking liquid left over, you can add water – or add breastmilk/formula before serving.

5. Spoon into ice cube trays (I like the silicone ones, easiest to remove sticky foods from). Let cool slightly and then cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. (Plastic wrap is preferred over foil because foil can stick to the food.)

6. Pop the frozen cubes out and into ziploc bags or containers. Label with contents & date – most foods will last up to 3 months in the freezer, though meats and grain blends will dry out over time.

7. To defrost, either place cubes into a covered container and leave in fridge for 8-12 hours to defrost, or pop straight from freezer into microwave (in a non-plastic container).

8. Only defrost enough for the next day/meal – once defrosted, food should be eaten within 24 hours. If you put some straight in the fridge after pureeing, it will last 2-3 days. Only dish up what you plan to use at that meal – once the baby has eaten from it it shouldn’t be re-used.

9. Experiment! Mild seasonings like cinnamon, ginger, basil and cumin can be introduced fairly early. (Note: don’t add salt! Babies’ kidneys can’t handle excess sodium until 3 yrs old.) The advantage of homemade baby food is that you can make any flavor combination you want!

10. Advanced. When your baby has mastered the basic purees (and doctor approves), you can puree cooked barley, quinoa, brown rice, etc. to introduce more whole grains instead of the processed instant baby cereals, & add proteins like ground chicken, beef, tofu etc.

For tons more tips, feeding charts & recipes, visit wholesomebabyfood.com.
I also like the book Petit Appetit by Lisa Barnes. Have fun!