Skinnygirl Cocktails: Mix Up Your Celebrations

Drinking beverages of any caloric kind tend to leave me with guilt the moment they hit my lips. The caloric count. The carbohydrate count. Not to mention alcohol and what it might do to lower my guard against other foods going in my mouth.

That's why I was excited to check out Bethenny Frankel's latest book, Skinnygirl Cocktails: 100 Fun & Flirty Guilt-Free Recipes.

I'm loving the everyday and not so everyday ideas for celebrating with your friends.

Here are a couple of ideas for toasting with your friends, particularly as we celebrate the upcoming holidays:

For Halloween parties

White Crampire Blood Martini

Serves 2-3
16 ounces Skinnygirl White Cranberry Cosmo
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 cup frozen backberries
black licorice twists for garnish

Combine the Cosmo, vodka and blackberries in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with black licorice.

For Christmas parties

Peppermint Martini

5 ounces Skinnygirl Bare Naked Vodka or other vodka
splash of peppermint schnapps
splash of club soda
Mini candy cane, finely crushed, plus 1 short peppermint stick for garnish

Combine the vodka and peppermint schnapps with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Rim a martini glass with water and the crushed candy. Strain the drink into the glass and garnish with the peppermint stick.

Recipes copyright © 2014 by Bethenny Frankel.  From the book SKINNYGIRL COCKTAILS by Bethenny Frankel, published by Touchstone, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Photos © 2014 by Lucy Schaeffer. Printed by permission. 

A Year of No Sugar: a Recap

There is something wrong with me reading a book about A Year of No Sugar while munching on frozen yogurt complete with chocolate topping that's left over from my child's party. But Eve Schaub's book shows just how prevalent sucrose and its cousins can be.

I was initially intrigued by the the book, as I had actually attempted a day off no sugar on several months back and I was shocked by the sheer amount of sugar that was an everyday things I didn't think of. But as I'm a working  mom and a diabetic who's working to improve her health, I approached at A Year of No Sugar with the idea was there a lesson that I can learn and take to improve my children's and my family's health for the future. While I'm not certain the level that sugar is linked to other health conditions, other than the strain on your pancreas and increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes is never a good thing.

Lately I've taken more attempts at reducing sugar in my own life, whether it's watching the carbohydrates that I use in my breakfast or simply counting carbohydrates to match my insulin. It's so surprising how quickly the sugar in any form  -- honey, sucrose, etc. -- adds up. Even things that I might otherwise ignore, like ketchup and pasta sauce, have extra added sugar in it.

After my one-day, frustrating experience, the idea of a family with giving it up for an entire year blew me away. It wasn't easy by any course; in fact the family enabled "cheat days," which probably helped their sanity and saved the project. Most interesting to me was when Schaub detailed her family's trip to Italy and how vastly different other countries see the use of sweet treats and sugar within processed foods.

What did I learn from her Year of No Sugar? The book reinforced what I learn time and time again from registered dietitians: Moderation is key. You don't have to completely remove sugar from your diet - but any reduction in it will have a positive impact on your health. I'm encouraged by the fact the kids were healthier during that year-long experiment.

Freezer Cookbook Review: Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead & Freeze Cookbook

Freezer cooking recipes are often a tough find. I might find the occasional blog or a random recipe in a 15-year-old cookbook, but rarely do I find a must-have book on make-ahead meals.

Enter Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook by Jessica Fisher of the popular blogs Life as Mom and Good Cheap Eats. This is a must-have on every working mom's kitchen bookshelf - whether you're working out of the home or working at home 24 hours a day!

I love how Fisher doesn't make freezer cooking An Event. Freezer cooking can be as complicated or quick as your schedule and budget allows. (Personally, I always try the recipe with the family first before I begin freezer cooking a particular dish!) The shopping lists and cooking plans are great for when you do have additional time to invest in a freezer cooking session at home.


Even better, these aren't yesterday's casseroles or tired slow cooker recipes either. Our family loved recipes like sesame chicken with snow peas and mushrooms and easy cheese enchiladas.

And yes, dear library, I will return the book. Someday....

What are your favorite recipes for freezer cooking? Share them below.

Honest: A review of Jessica Alba's "The Honest Life"

Trying to do the right thing for your kids is pressure enough. But sometimes you do the best you can.

That's the overriding theme of Jessica Alba's recent book, The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You Being natural shouldn't come at the expense of insanity. It can come in small steps and simple ways.

Unlike a lot of green living books, "The Honest Life" has a very conversational, non-doomsday approach. I appreciate Alba's honesty in the fact that trying to live a green and organic lifestyle can lead a parent to questioning and requestioning whether they are making the right choices for their child. But that decisions can be made in little ways: from choosing hand-me-down clothes or seasonal foods or making your homemade body scrub.

Alba's book is a quick read and a great starter resource for a number of affordable choices for healthy, organic living - from pregnancy and early motherhood to cooking, clothing and home decor. I appreciated that many of these options were achievable for the everyday person who was concerned about natural living without sacrificing your budget in the process.

Checking out Miessence Hair Care (review)

Dry yet frizzy at the ends. Fine and too often limp. That is where my hair has ended up - a mop of hopelessness.


So I was given an offer to try out Miessence's hair products, and I was skeptical. Sure they were made of mostly organic ingredients. Yes, they were green. But could they actually make a difference on my hair?

Surprisingly, YES. After trying out the Desert Flower shampoo and Shine Herbal Hair Conditioners for two weeks, I've seen more of a difference in my hair. It's less dry at the ends. Has a little more life to it. And I don't feel as resigned to throwing my hair back in a ponytail just because it won't do anything else.


The Dessert Flower shampoo is mild enough for daily use or use for babies and children. Ingredients include Yucca juice, organic avocado oil to hydrate damaged ends, and organic herbs to add sheen and body to your hair.

The Shine Herbal Conditioner includes moringa seed oil from Tanzania, organic herbs and organic apple cider vinegar. I loved that it didn't weigh down my hair like so many conditioners do and yet still did its job!

If you're interested in checking out Miessence, they have a great deal this September. Place a single order of $100 or more through Ely Organics (an independent representative of Miessence) and receive a 20% discount on your $100 order, 20% discount on all future purchases and member specials. 

Natural bug repellents that work

Natural insect repellents have come a long way from the cheap, smelling good but working poorly options of a few years back. In fact, my husband who once groaned that I bought "yet another bottle of crap that doesn't work" is now grabbing my greener options over the bottle of Off.

As the summer has finally started to cool, I've had the opportunity to get outside more, enjoying hiking trips and taking a few greener bug repellent options out for a try. They range from the homemade to off the shelf to household products. Here are just a few:

Buy it and be done:

I'll admit it. I'm the first to stop and help a vendor at the farmers market who's selling a homemade bug repellent blend. But for those needing to shop online here are a few options:

Buzz Free: Miessence's Buzz Free is a certified organic herbal extract and essential oil blend spray. It's light enough that I didn't feel sticky afterward, and works well enough that I didn't get the usual chiggers and bug bites from the early-evening soccer practices. I do appreciate that the ingredients in Miessence's body products are Australian Certified Organic and are low risk for cancer as well, according to the Environmental Working Group.

Terrashield: doTERRA TerraShield essential oil blend is the strangest of concepts. I didn't believe that you could only put a few drops on your body for insect repellent. But I took it for a test drive in an afternoon hike through the woods of Monroe State Forest and came out unscathed.

Vanilla Extract: Not the imitation vanilla, the real deal. Splurge on vanilla extract and dab it on you to deter bugs.

Make your own:

Most homemade insect repellent blends involve a blend of various essential oils (typically eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender are in the mix), with water, witch hazel or apple cider vinegar as a base.

Here are a few links for recipes using essential oils or other kitchen ingredients:
Homemade insect repellent from the Daily Green
How to make bug spray from fresh or dried herbs
Natural flea remedies
Five-ingredient blend of eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary and tea tree oils with witch hazel

Need to order small glass spray bottles? Here is a resource.

What are your favorite options or recipes for natural insect repellents?

Disclosure: This post includes an affiliate link for essential oils. Additionally, I did receive a sample of Buzz Free from Ely Organics, a Miessence independent representative. 

Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too: A Review

My family could be using 400 pounds of plastic a year. A pound per day in our household alone.

It's a statistic that's shocking but not exactly surprising. When you factor in toys and my husband's creamer containers and toothpaste containers and everything else we use on a daily basis, you can see how quickly consumption adds up. Even if you consider yourself on the more environmentally friendlier side of the equation.

I recently read Beth Terry's Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too I've followed Beth's blog for years and was thrilled to get a chance to read her book that was just released.
Admittedly in one of my more lax phases as a parent and environmentalist (hampered by bad work schedules and led astray by back to school and store closure sales), I know I also have a responsibility to my children and to future generations. We've been having family conversations lately about reducing our consumption - from turning down the lights and water to whether we want to buy "things" or "do things" for Christmas. (I'm paving that path now.) But Beth's book gives me great discussion starters and family project ideas that even young gradeschoolers and preschoolers can tackle:

• Tallying up your recyclable and non-recyclable items to see how much you add up in a week's time. It's a natural extension for our kids - who fight over who gets to take out the recycling - and has the added benefit of a quiet lesson about addition and charts.
• Collecting all those plastic bottle lids from prescription bottles, milk jugs and soda bottles - those that I've tossed for years - and send them to Evansville's Caps N Cups. (This may actually end up being a Brownie scout service activity during our Wonders of Water badge journey this year!)
• Choosing fresh, more waste-free ideas for school lunches. (I confess: Though we use reusable bags and containers for school lunches, I'm not perfect on this. My son's spacer and his troubles chewing means I've stocked up on fruit cups and other soft options until this brief phase is over. Then we'll be back to his much-missed apples!)
• Cook a little - whether it's crackers, bread or even nut milk or yogurt. (It's healthier, and a great way to spend the afternoon with your children.) 
• Make your own sugar scrub and other toiletries. I love the variety of recipes and tips in this section, and I'm anxious to try them out once my work project passes!

Wherever you are in the journey towards lighter living, whether you're a young child or have hours to devote to a cause, Beth's book has a new idea for you. Check it out!

Chole's Kitchen: A review

Vegan anything and my husband. Seriously, it's not two things that go in the same sentence easily. But I was surprised to see his willingness to go out of the box recently.

I had the chance to review the vegan cookbook Chloe's Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way . I fully expected to see this be one of those things that mommy does when daddy is working late. After all, I married a good Midwestern, beef-loving boy.

After flipping through the cookbook, I was impressed by his willingness to try out vegan recipes from the book. Truthfully, vegan isn't a large step from meatless, anyway. I loved the idea that we're a few cups of almonds away from mock mac and cheese. (Something I haven't yet tried because of my cutting back starches.) The stray and hay pasta was fabulous - subbing almond milk for a more fat-laden substitute. If I hadn't had the audacity to include the sub-dried tomatoes, it would have been a huge hit.

Chloe's Kitchen got us off the fence into doing what we've been meaning to do anyway: Introduce healthier, more varied options into our diet. It's given us a fresh inspiration as we head into farmer's market season.

A Million Tiny Things Book Review

Today at the Green Phone Booth, I'm reviewing and giving away a copy of A Million Tiny Things: One mother's desperate search for hope in a changing climate. The book comes out on Mother's Day, but here's your chance to check it out early.

Non-Toxic Avenger review

I always figured I lived a fairly green lifestyle given my resources. Reduce, reuse, recycle was ingrained in my practices. I ate locally and organic whenever my budget allowed. I grew my own produce. I eschewed plastic crap in my house whenever I could.

What scares me is it isn't enough.

There's that little bit inside you that tries to dismiss the worries that the things you use every day could kill you. And you try to tune it out.

The reality is chemicals are imbedded in our society, and it's going to take a heck of a lot of effort to get them out. Even if we don't know what the effects of these conveniences are.

A few years ago, I read The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being, and it scared the crap out of me. That book chronicled the history of hidden chemicals, almost as a government conspiracy. (Who knows? Perhaps it is.) There, I learned to fear PVC shower curtains and microwave popcorn. Fun stuff.

The problem is, while there's much you can do to educate yourself on chemicals imbedded in our everyday things and the possible effects, hunting down alternatives is tough business. That's why I looked forward to reading "The Non-Toxic Avenger: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You" by Crunchy Chicken's Deanna Duke. If anyone could find an alternative, I figured, she could.

Duke's book focuses on her attempt to reduce chemicals and toxins in her body from everyday exposure. It's a scary thought - particularly since she too was leading a green lifestyle before this project began. The books chronicles her challenges in reconciling with her husband's cancer and son's autism, and in seeking alternatives to polluting her body - in everything from carpet to cleaning products, from mascara to margaritas. (Hey, you have to have fun.)

No, Duke doesn't find all the answers. She's still on the hunt for mold-cleaning products, for example. But I love the fact she's still looking and willing to share what's she's found as the best possible alternatives.
"It's still an uphill, daily battle trying to determine whether a product I pick up at the store will poison me," she writes.

At least we have a new, consolidated resources to help us in this battle. I came away, whether Duke intended or not, with a guide that could sit on my shelf - one that I could point to in order to help me more quickly find solutions to my quests.

School lunch review: Keeping it together

Maybe it's a virtue of the economy, but lunch bags and supplies are everywhere this year. Full aisles are devoted to lunch boxes, bags, cooling packs, sigg bottles, etc. It seems not that long ago, I lived in the plastic lunch box with thermos days, so it's a bit of a surprise for a shopping mom.


I realize that I have a little higher criteria than just buying cheap supplies. I want something that holds up well, is easy to clean and hopefully BPA free. And I don't want to invest in boxes and boxes of plastic baggies to store my daughters' particular desire to eat fresh fruits and veggies!


Recently, I had the opportunity to test a few lunch supplies. And when I say test, I mean, packing a picnic lunch, stuffing it in my bags for work, leaving the leftover peanut-butter and jelly smudges and leftovers in the car in 95 degree heat and forgetting to wash it all until the next day. After all, that's very likely my life very soon!

I was able to try out products from two companies: Eco Lunch Gear, a Michigan company specializing in cloth wraps and snack bags, and Kids Konserve, a California company whose products include complete BPA-free lunch kits, thermoses, and stainless steel containers.

I love the fact that both companies were driven by mothers' desires to reduce the amount of waste created by their childrens' school lunches, a fact I'm keenly becoming aware of as I'm planning lunch menus.

Here is what I tested:



Kids Konserve Snak Pak: I have to say, while the name says "Snack," it serves well beyond that purpose. I was able to fit in a sandwich, two drink boxes, the stainless steel cup-sized snack container crammed with goldfish crackers, four granola bars and napkins, with plenty of room leftover. The "food cozy" (which at first glance I really thought was just a placemat) would work as a great solution for damp tables. I found everything easy to clean, which is key for those days that the dishes don't get done at a reasonable hour. And my stainless steel container survived my well-meaning husband's attempts to take control of the kitchen by throwing everything into the dishwasher.


Eco Lunch Gear's Sandwich Wrap: These organic cotton/nylon sandwich wraps claimed to hold in the messiest of sandwiches, promising to keep that peanut butter and jelly from inevitably leaking throughout the lunch. I didn't think fabric bags could contain it all. Surprisingly, they were right.

The bags also are machine washable - great for parents who just don't want to mess with scrubbing them at the end of the day.

Family friendly!
The great things about these items, other than they're better on the environment than boxes of baggies, is that they're easy for a young child to use. Frankly, all the environmental goodness is a waste if my kindergartener can't manage the contents. And the rubber tops and velcro closures made these things easy for her to use.

I'll be the first to admit that my samples took a bit more abuse than they might have by other testers, but it's reflective of a sometimes harried night. And I will say, even on a time strapped night, the products were easy to clean and were dry and ready to go for the morning. Makes making lunches a bit easier!

Disclosure: I did not receive any benefits from these companies other than samples of their products to try.

Harvest Eating Cookbook: A review

Practically jumping off the shelves at me at the library, Keith Snow's The Harvest Eating Cookbook: More than 200 Recipes for Cooking with Seasonal Local Ingredients is a delight to read. More than 200 recipes - and even more tempting photographs - provide fodder beyond the usual "tomato and basil salad" thought of seasonal eating. And where many "seasonal" cookbooks begin in late spring and progress through fall, Snow provides ideas to keep us going through the winter months as well.

Granted, I'm always interested in ideas for eating with the seasons, but I was just as intrigued by Snow's story. He quit his career as a hotel chef and moved to a rural area to refocus his entire way of life, following a battle with inflammation. He focuses on a need to re-establish a connection to our land, and provides resources for finding local sources of foods - always something of interest.

I dreaded the day I had to return this book. The recipes are fabulous, and I'm sure this will be a book I'll revisit soon!

Want to check out some of Snow's recipes? Visit http://www.harvesteating.com/ to visit his online library.

FARMfood: Green living with chef Daniel Orr: A review

FARMfood is the type of book that makes me want it to be summer again.

A rainbow of colors and seasons pictured within the pages may be enough for some people. But reading the descriptions of the recipes and his stories of food make all the difference in this cookbook.

A good chef should have a love affair with food. While many cookbook authors, if they provide any background into a recipe at all, mention where they picked up an altered a recipe abroad or offering a substition, renowed chef Daniel Orr details the little things. Like how to get around the fact that "turkey burgers tend to satisfy the soul less." Or how to convert portobello mushrooms into "beer food." Or how to best cook a dish in a particular marinade. Or how a cultural lesson was learned while cooking:

This soup is one that I came up with while at CuisinArt in Anguilla. The
Anguillans eat hot soup all year round. I tried getting them to taste some of my
cold soups, but without success. I thought chilled soup would be a refreshing
tonic for the heat, but I was schooled by one old lady who said the hotter the
soup, the cooler you'll be. In the Carribean, squash and pumpkins are used all
year long, not just during the fall, when we think of using them. So this soup
can be served all year round. And for the record, it's not bad cold either.

The recipes range from curious ingredients (cattails, dandelions, wild garlic and smelts) to exciting dishes that are simple enough for a working mom to recreate. I was able to try several recipes with items on hand and was able to confidently juggle the preparation. I will say, that some very basic cooking skills are required. Orr does not stoop to tell you what temperatures oils should be heated in a pan, for example.

What's great about this book is he not only sells you on the ingredients, he shares his love of them and their secrets: from scavenging and growing to how to prepare according to the time of year. And Midwesterners should not shy away from this: Orr shares tips from mushrooming in Indiana to where to find locally produced foods ranging from White Pekin duck to elk. (Want other tips? Check out his podcast.) It's a welcome addition to any food lover's bookshelf.


In full disclosure, I did receive a review copy from Indiana University Press. But you probably knew that.

Goodbyn: Our Saturday snack solution (a review)

Saturdays on the go are inevitably punctuated by the panic of it being 11:45 and the kids haven't yet been fed. Seeing that they're happily on an 11:15 a.m. lunch schedule at daycare, an early lunch and nap attempts are just part of the routine. But there are weekend days we just need an exception to the rule.

When errands are planned en masse, it typically means racing around the kitchen to grab a few granola bars and sippy cups to hopefully tide them over. I know it doesn't always work, but I can tell you it's tough to pack fresh fruits, accepted vegetables, crackers that won't crumble or other foods into a snack bag.

And then I was approached to review the Goodbyn, a lunchbox made of recycled plastics that's pre-divided into containers for your meal. While the makers promise significant savings from avoiding the heaps of Ziploc bags over the school year, I know that packing lunches are at least a few years away for me. But I'll tell you, it does work for my family's needs.

The Goodbyn is a little challenging to use at first - there's multiple pressure points to snap the lid shut, as opposed to having it hinged - and takes a bit of finessing to get it right. And the amount of food included is huge. I have a hard time seeing that a young elementary-school student, which it's obviously aimed for, could (or should) eat as much as it holds.

To give you a sense on the size, you can hold:

• the 8-oz. bottle that comes with it (or several cheese sticks, for the parents of preschoolers)
• two pints of blueberries from the farmers market or a trial or single-serving size box of cereal
• three or four granola bars
• several handfuls of dried fruit, crackers, etc., in the small spaces
• and still have room for more.

We've happily fed three kids out of the box during an outing this weekend and have made a meal for two as a "picnic" in the park.

Of course, the budding artist would love to customize it in the 200 or so stickers included in the set (and hidden from interested fingers at this point).

The cost seems a bit high on the surface - about $30 retail - but if you offset it by the cost of toss-away containers and baggies accumulated over the course of a year, you'd easily come out ahead. Not to mention have a few less dishes to wash, and you can recycle the whole thing once your kid is too "cool" for it next fall.

Disclaimer: In the name of full disclosure, yes, I received a free sample from the makers of Goodbyn to test. But you probably realized that anyway.

The dirt on diapering in the real world: Review of pocket and all-in-one diapers

Switching to cloth diapers from the predictable plastic can seem a bit overwhelming. Tracking down supplies can seem difficult. There's the diapers, pins, and if desired, diaper covers. (And it's not easy to find if you don't have a baby superstore close by.) There's the additioanl laundry, and managing soiled diapers when you're out and about. Disposable, one may think, could seem easier.

Welcome to the 21st Century. Today's cloth diapers elimiate worries and certainly make things easier for parents and babies on the go. Many brands offer all-in-one diapers, which eliminate those pins, covers and, often, liners. Others do require individual liners that can be inserted.

We recently reviewed several brands of cloth diapers for washability, ease of use and child's comfort.

Our subject? A squiggly 11-month old who is constantly on the move. His assistant? A working mom balancing two kids, a crazy household and a full-time job.

During evening and weekends over a 3- to 4-week period, we tested the following brands : DryBees, Kushies Classic and Ultra, KnickerKnappies and Wahmies.* Here's how they fared:

Overall ease of use: The all-in-one brands (Kushies, Drybees) by their nature were easier to use than the pocket diapers (KnickerKnappies, Wahmies) requiring inserts.

When dealing with a wiggly child at changing time, remembering to insert a cloth insert into the diaper didn't always happen (as my Thanksgiving guests could attest). Inserts also need to be removed from the diapers before washing, as they can bunch up in the diaper during washing and drying and may not completely dry. It may sound basic, but if you're crunched for time, sometimes things slip.

Washability: Despite multiple washings, we did not see problems with shrinking of the fabric or elastic or wear on the fasteners.

Ease of fastening: The majority of brands tested use velcro or snaps to keep the diapers closed. I personally preferred DryBees, which had a wider strip of of velcro, giving me a somewhat greater sense of security. Kushies had significantly thinner velcro strips, which admittedly made me nervous about whether they'd become loosened or undone (they didn't).

The Wahmies clasp closure diaper was the most difficult to manage. (We tested a snaps version as well.) Using three sets of hooks and loops on each side, the diaper was challenging to use when the subject wouldnt' lie still.

Adjustability for child's size: DryBees, Kushies and KnickerKnappies offer multiple sizes. Wahmies was the only brand tested that offered a one-size-fits-all diaper.

KnickerKnappies and Wahmies used snaps to adjust lengthwise. It does create a slight bulkiness up front, but no visible discomfort in the leg bands.

Leakage: Some incidents of leaking did occur with the cloth brands. Much of it was due to user error - failing to put in an insert in a pocket diaper when distracted. (This problem was eliminated by inserting clean, dry inserts into the diaper after removing them from the dryer.)Generally, the diapers held up well during naps and overnight.

Our recommendation: From ther perspective of a busy working mom of two, I preferred the DryBees and Knickerknappies. In our family, child's comfort and ease of use are king.

While each of these diapers held up well, were comfortable for the baby and had no major problems with shrinkage or leakage, having an all-in-one diaper did also make things significantly easier.

* Other companies were invited to participate in the review but declined to participate. These were:

• Bum Genius
• Bumkins
• Cottonbabies
• Happy Heinies
• Kissaluvs
• The Natural Baby
• Rumparooz
• Thirsties
• Urban Fluff
Note: This post does contain affiliate links.

Happy Baby = Happy Kid? A review of Happy Baby and Happy Bites Foods

Frozen foods for kids? It's not much different than many moms' standby of chicken nuggets or fries baked in the oven. Convenience is key on many hectic nights. And in organic's benefits and squeezing in extra vegetables? Now you might be on to something.

So was my mindset as I set out to review Happy Baby and Happy Bites line of frozen foods (in Indianapolis, it's available at Whole Foods). Over a six-week span, we mixed a number of dishes into our diet with mixed results. The baby food was well-received, but the kid line, not so much.

Happy Baby

The Happy Baby frozen baby food line was great as a working mom and not much different than cracking open a jar. I tossed a series of cubes into the fridge in the morning, and it was defrosted by dinner time.

The cost may seem high (about $5 a package, but the cost per serving is comparable to other organic baby foods you'd find on the store shelf.

Our taste-tester gobbled up the Super Salmon and Baby Dhal, made hysterical faces at the quinoa (not sure why; he's enjoyed the grown-up version), and would not have a thing to do with the peaches or plums, which he normally likes. (The texture was a bit strange, kind of flaky, which may be a contributing factor).

But better than the baby food for the 9 month old was the "big kid line," Happy Bites. Our littlest tester enjoyed lapping up the dipping sauce (with "hidden veggies" inside) as well as pincher-sized bites of his sisters' fish.

Happy Bites

At about $5 a frozen dinner (at Whole Foods), the children's meals are more than I'd usually pay for a frozen meal for lunch, which makes it a bit pricy for everyday use. However, it might be a great back-up on crazy evenings or when the grown-ups just want to eat, well, grown-up food.

Reality bites, and the 3 year old didn't. My foodie fought eating these every step of the way.

I'll admit I couldn't sell it. We generally offer healthy meals including plenty of produce and occasional fish, but these meals were often tasteless and had an unusual consistency and texture. The Fish Bites and Salmon Stix had no flavor (and my daughter loves salmon). The Veggie Tots were unpalatable.

The dipping sauces? A mix of strange brews that resemble baby food (and enjoyed heartily by the baby, who lapped the green ones up). The "Orange Cheetah" cheese sauce tasted like out of a blue Kraft box (not necessarily a bad thing for this demographic), and the "Red Monkey" marinara sauce could have definitely been kicked up a notch.

I give the creators of this line credit for trying to increase the produce in children's diets and expose them to (slightly) new flavors. But the reality is, as a parent, hidden foods are still tough to pull off.

Home Grown Indiana: A review

Indiana means corn, and lots of it. But locally produced foods are more more varied. It's just that the state hasn't done a great sales job of it.

Sure there's Purdue's listing of area farmers markets and farm stands, as well as directories (somewhat updated) on localharvest.org. But easily locating producers who are still active has been a challenge.

That's what intrigued me about Home Grown Indiana. Written by Christine Barbour and Scott Hutcheson, the guidebooks keys into more than 400 local producers across the Hoosier state. As a person who's interested in sustainable living and supporting our local economy as much as possibly, the book's concept appealed to me: a geographic guide to local producers, including produce, meats, beer and wine, restaraunts and more. I learned Indiana is home to many food products that might surprise you: caviar, bison and elk, for example.

Home Grown Indiana offers an eclectic mix of listings, local eating tips and recipes. Interesteing stories and anecdotes help you learn the story behind what you're eating. One of the great advantages of locally produced goods is that you can get to know the producer, and this is just one step into the experience.

Vendors are listed by seven geographic regions that are an early attempt to organze but are not always the most intuitive. (For example, Bloomington and Columbus are left out of the "Central" region, which is instead limited to the eight-county Indianapolis metropolitan area.) Four or five regions might have made more sense.

Each chapter includes market and local producers, lists of restaraunts featuring local food, farmers market lists, wineries, breweries and food festivals. However, these topics aren't clearly marked; in some instances, CSAs and some markets are mixed among the producers, for example.


Suggestions for future editions would be to consolidate or make clearer the geographic boundaries, such as "Chicagoland" or "Evansville area." In addition, each chapter could be somewhat better organized.


Despite these small limitations, Home Grown Indiana is a fabulous first attempt at quantifying the bounty that's available within Indiana's borders.