ML Interest Tag: root-vegetables

Cuddle Up! Find the Best Winter PJs for Your Baby

by Whitney C. Harris

Brrr! Long, cold, wintry nights mean soft, warm, breathable pajamas are a must. It’s time to step up your baby PJ game. If you’re looking for seasonal styles, or options for easy diaper changes and temperature control, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are 15 pairs of pajamas for your sleeping beauty.

Snowman Baby & Toddler Bamboo Viscose Zippy from Little Sleepies

Little Sleepies

This may be the most versatile sleeper we’ve seen. It’s made with soft and stretchy fabric that helps little ones regulate body temperature and is easy on sensitive skin. The PJs are designed with a double zipper for easy diaper changes and fold-over hand and foot cuffs for keeping babes warm and cozy (and free from scratches!). Plus, the sizing is super flexible given extra long arms and legs. A portion of each sale is donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer.

Sizes: Newborn-9T and adult S-XXL

Available at littlesleepies.com, $29.99.

Royal Blue Polka Dot Footie from Pineapple Sunshine

Pineapple Sunshine

Made with 100% Peruvian Pima cotton, this ultra-soft footie by Pineapple Sunshine is like a ray of warm sunshine on any cold winter day. The zip-front styles all come in custom prints, many with a contrast hand crochet trim like the beautiful royal blue polka dot style. And it wouldn’t look out of place at a fancy restaurant or family gathering.

Sizes: Newborn-12M

Available at Little Birdies Boutique, $58.

ergoPouch Sleep Suit Bag

ergoPouch

Here's how your baby can sleep seamlessly from car seat to stroller to crib all winter long. The ergoPouch converts from sleep bag to sleep suit with a smart four-way zipper. Made with 100% organic cotton filling, stretchy side panels, long jersey cotton sleeves with fold-down mitts, and grip pads on the feet, this can be worn in place of traditional jammies until spring thaw!

Available at ergopouch.com, $69.99.

Inverse Parsnip Pajama Set from Lewis

Lewis

A deep, lovely mauve with a winter harvest design, the Inverse Parsnip pajamas epitomize timeless sleep style. The top and bottom pair are made with 100% organic interlocking knit cotton, which is soft for both slumber and play. These PJs are pretty enough to eat, and perhaps you’ll inspire an interest in root veggies!

Sizes: 18-24M

Available at lewisishome.com, $48.

Knotted Gowns from Orchid Babywear

Orchid Babywear

Your baby will look like a holiday gift warmly wrapped up in this knotted gown. It’s made with a rayon-spandex blend so baby can stretch and grow and breathe while the gown design keeps them semi-swaddled. Simply untie the bottom for quick diaper changes and fold over the wrist cuffs to protect baby’s hands when needed. A matching cap and bow are perfect for photo opps too!

Sizes: Newborn-3M; fits approximately 5-15 lbs.

Available at orchidbabywear, $24.99.

Lost in Space Organic Cotton Sleeper from Zutano

Zutano

The brand that makes those amazing fleece baby booties also has some pretty great pajama options. The new Lost in Space sleeper is made with GOTS-certified 100% organic cotton and comes in a great color palette for hiding breakfast spills and stains! Rib cuffs on the arms and legs and a zip up the front mean this style is practical and comfortable too.

Sizes: 12-24M

Available at zutano.com, $32.

Thicket Waffle Set from Lake

Lake

Babies and tots will find comfort in a set of feathery Pima cotton pajamas with tons of color options to choose from. The color "thicket" feels particularly festive and evergreen. Best of all, the PJs come in men’s and women’s sizes too, so you can all cuddle up with coordinating styles.

Sizes: 0M-10Y

Available at lakepajmas.com, $58.

MerinoSilk Infant Loungewear Set from Nui Organics

Nui Organics

Invest in a merino silk sleep set for your baby and you may be paid back in restful nights. This crew and leggings combo helps little ones regulate body temperature while staying breathable against their delicate skin all night long. Throw a sweater, maybe some pants, and some socks on the next morning for ultra-warm layering as winter gets underway!

Sizes: 3-24M

Available at nuiorganics.com, $61.

Ski Memories Onesie + Hat from Petidoux

Petidoux

Can’t you just smell the pine trees and freshly fallen snow? The retro vibe of this ski-inspired PJ is perfect for baby’s first winter. Made with 100% Peruvian Pima cotton, the onesie is pre-washed and pre-shrunk so you can be sure it will last all season.

Sizes: 3-9M

Available at petidoux.com, $65.

Happy Holly Organic Sleep & Play Pajamas from Burt's Bees Baby

Burt's Bees Baby

Not only does Burt’s Bees have the best skincare products, but Burt's Bees Baby makes wonderful pajamas too. The Happy Holly Organic Sleep & Play Pajamas are just roomy enough to take your babe from crib to playroom floor, and for every little wiggle in between! The footie has no-slip grips for safe cruising and convertible mitts with fold-over cuff for the littlest ones. The PJs are made with 100% organic, GOTS-certified cotton.

Sizes: Newborn-9M

Available at burtsbeesbaby.com,  $13.95.

Pajamas from Finn + Emma

Finn Emma

Finn + Emma is known for its heirloom quality clothing, which is why these tree-print pajamas are an easy choice for long winter nights. Made with 100% organic cotton, the PJs have a wide elastic waistband for fitting around growing tummies. And the goods are GOTS-certified and ethically made in India with non-toxic, eco-friendly dyes.

Sizes: 12M-4T

Available in November at finnandemma.com, $34.

Rainbow Star Zip Footie from Primary

Primary

If you shop Primary for basics, then you’ll appreciate this rainbow star pajama that also comes in solids. Zip up your kiddo in this multicolored wonder, sing a few verses of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and send them sweetly to dreamland in 100% combed cotton rib.

Sizes: 0-24M

Available at primary.com, $19.50.

Spiral Loungewear from nununu

nununu

If you’re looking for something beyond traditional baby jammies, look to nununu. The spiral loungewear is utterly unisex and great for families who lean edgy. With a soft waistband and shell fabric cuffs, this long-sleeve-and-leggings combo is made out of 100% cotton and comfortable enough to spend an entire winter vacation lounging around in.

Sizes: 0M-14Y

Available at nununuworld.com, starting at $77.

Footie from Kyte BABY

Kyte BABY

The magic in this footie is the silky, soft bamboo rayon. Babies can sleep soundly because the fabric stretches and breathes as well as comforts all night long. We love the teal hue, along with the coordinating sleep bag for cold nights, but babies will be happy in any of the earthy-bold color options.

Sizes: Newborn-24M

Available at kytebaby.com, $29.99.

Certified Organic 2-Way Zip Sleep & Play from Carter's

Carter's

Didn't think innovation in PJs was possible? Think again. Carter's just released a new two-way, inverted zip sleeper that zips up or down to keep baby's body covered during diaper changes. The 100% organic cotton rib style is simple, cozy and the most affordable option we've seen. Sizes: Preemie-9M Available at carters.com, $12.

Holiday Safari Pajama Set from Sammy + Nat

Sammy Nat

The more your baby wears these PJs, the comfier they get! Made out of 100% Pima cotton, the two-piece pajama set is hypo-allergenic and a solid choice when the weather starts to cool. Each time they go through the wash, they'll further soften, like snow in the morning sunshine!

Sizes: 12M-10Y
 

Available at sammyandnat.com, $49.

—Whitney C. Harris

RELATED STORIES:

Your Ultimate Guide to Winter Skincare for Babies

Why Having a Baby in Winter Is the Best

The Best Winter Activity Guide for New Moms, Babies & Toddlers

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The Best New Activity Books for Summer

by Gabby Cullen

Summer is full of adventures but kids can get tired of creating their own entertainment pretty quickly. You can keep boredom at bay when you keep a stockpile of fun and educational activity books on hand. From art-by-sticker to beautifully designed sketchbooks, we found something for every kid. Scroll through the slideshow below to see them all.

Tinker-iffic

Aligned with Common Core Standards, TinkerActive Workbooks are available for kindergarten through second graders. The fun activity books feature their own friendly characters, the MotMots and help kids to apply what they learn with hands-on tinkering, making, and engineering activities that use items you have around the house.

Available at amazon.com, $9-$11 as of May 14.

Sticky Situations

Stickyscapes at the Museum is a different take on the traditional activity book. Your kids will love the 8-page sticker booklet that is oozing with over 100 stickers and a double-sided fold-out panoramic scene. One side shows the busy museum during the day, and the other depicts a nighttime extravaganza of the museum after dark.

Available at amazon.com, $10

Family Fun

Get in on the action with your little with The Grown-Up's Guide to Making Art with Kids! This book contains more than 25 activities that include drawing, painting, and crafting skills for both adults and kids. Use for family bonding and to inspire creativity for young and old.

Available at amazon.com, $10

Join the Search for Bigfoot

Bigfoot is back in his newest activity book! With 120 pages of exciting activities, this book is great for kids age five to 12, and will keep them busy and learning anywhere! Pull out on road trips, rainy days and vacation and enjoy tons of puzzles, trivia, twisters and stickers.

Available at amazon.com starting June 10, $10.

Big Fun

Learning is fun, and none more so than when your kids are following the weekly activities in Highlights Summer Fun workbook series. Coming in three versions that include bridging from preschool through second grade, each activity is aligned with state standards. Parents and kids will love the puzzles and the bonus pull-out Hidden Pictures progress poster that comes with a set of reward stickers, award certificate and extra activities.

Available at amazon.com, $11.

Riveting Rosie

A perfect follow-up to bestseller Rosie Revere, Engineer, this activity book stars the same bold, bright heroine, and is filled with activities that require problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Kids will work with Rosie as they design and create their own bicycle, a simple catapult, and more. There are real-life inventor profiles, games, and out-of-the-box tidbits scattered throughout the workbook, all perfect for getting kids to ask the big questions and think creatively. We have a feeling there might be a few made-from-trash treasures popping up this summer!

Ages: 5 - 7 years.

Available at amazon.com, $13.

Great Gardens

Peak your little one’s interest in where food comes from with this veggie-based book. With 102 stickers, 30 activities, and one quiz, kids can go step-by-step in the “garden,” from finding the right tools to learning about root vegetables and even different types: orchards, greenhouses, medieval gardens and more. The colorful stickers are beautifully illustrated, and there’s plenty of room for scribbles and drawings.

Ages: 5 - 8 years.

Available at amazon.com, $8.

Bug Out

Little entomologists will love this new pop-out puppet activity book from paper artist Sato Hisao. There are nine bugs ready to go—ranging from jumping grasshoppers to stinging scorpions—plus three blank designs for coloring. Each model comes with easy assembly instructions, and there’s no scissors or glue required!

Ages: 6 - 9 years.

Available at amazon.com, $13.

Awesome Edutainment

Gakken is the maker of Japan’s bestselling activity books for kids. Each one puts the emphasis on fun, so much that kids won’t even know they’re building important skills while they trace lines and shapes, cut and paste objects, solve mazes and tackle other simple projects. Parents, these books even have notes for you to help your kiddo gain important life tools such as improving focus, problem-solving and social skills.

Ages: 2 and up.

Available for pre-order at amazon.com, $6.

Color-by-Sticker

This sticker book combines the mess-free appeal of stickers with the regular appeal of a coloring book. Each one (choose between pets or animals) comes with 500 stickers to use on 14 different geometric mosaics. Kids can also use coloring crayons or markers to give their designs a personal touch.

Ages: 5 - 8 years.

Available at amazon.com, $9.

Space Out

Future astrophysicists will enjoy working in this lovely activity book that’s filled with fun facts about the universe, and exercises such as drawing solar systems, navigating out of a black hole, and calculating their ages in Jupiter years.

Ages: 6 - 8 years.

Available at amazon.com, $5.

All-In-One Fun

Leave it to Crayola to make an all-in-one kit for kids. This new Color Wonder set includes 18 Baby Shark Coloring Pages, 9 Color Wonder Markers, a Storage Case, and 30 Blank Coloring Pages. The case snaps shut with ease, which is perfect for any summer travel you’ve got planned. Available in princess, Toy Story 4 and smaller kits for Paw Patrol, PJ Masks and Shimmer & Shinethemes.

Ages: 3 and up.

Available at crayola.com, $16.

Draw & Discover

A set of three adorable activity books by celebrated children’s author Yasmeen Ismail, the Draw and Discover series includes Inside, Outside, Upside Down, Push, Pull, Empty, Full and Happy, Sad, Feeling Glad. Kids will join Cat, Dog, Donkey, Bear, Duck and Rabbit as the animals discover feelings, emotions, differences, and opposites: outside and inside, up and down, left to right and back again. Then, using the prompts on each page, little artists can add their own drawings and illustrations to add to the fun!

Ages: 4 - 7.

Available at barnesandnoble.com, $9.99.

Color A Classic Book

Looking for something super sweet? Kids (and parents, too!) can relive the classic story of Big and Little Nutbrown Hare in 96 pages of beautifully illustrated images and words inspired by the bestselling book, Guess How Much I Love You. Written and illustrated by the same original team, this activity book comes with intricate scenes of nature (think: full pages of ladybugs, flowers, acorns and more) and of course, the wonderful story about a dad and his son.

Ages: All ages.

Available at amazon.com, $13.

Something for Everyone

Maybe one kid likes outer space, and the other wants to learn about dinosaurs. This new book is filled with over 100 different activities: scenes to color, maps with basic legends, spot-the-difference puzzles and more, which means there’s something for everyone.

Ages: 4 - 7 years.

Available at amazon.com, $6.

The Blockbuster Add-On

In the spirit of summer your kids will be begging for Moana! At least with this newly released 96-page color and activity book, your little wayfinders will be able to use their creativity to add to the story! Expect to see coloring pages, dot-to-dot, mazes, stickers and more.

Ages: 4 and up.

Available at amazon.com, $9.

— Gabby Cullen & Karly Wood

 

RELATED STORIES

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5 Simple Dishes Anyone (Yes We Mean Anyone) Can Pull Off

By The Anti-Cookbook Easy, Thrifty Recipes for Food-Smart Living

With all the gorgeous food blogs, glossy cookbooks and “that looks easy” videos out there, you have every reason to be overwhelmed. It goes without saying that you want to make attractive, appetizing and healthy food for your kids. You’re a positive parent! But the world is bombarding you with beautiful images of perfect-looking food and instead of that feeling like a useful blueprint it leaves you not knowing where to start. Because there will always be somebody who won’t eat something. Don’t panic. Put your apron on—wait, who are we kidding, you already stained your shirt at least once today anyway—and get practical. All you need is a little bit of confidence and some solid ideas for riffing on basics. And here they are:

Unhateable Roasted Vegetables:
Do they have to have those perfect grill marks? No! Does it matter which ones your second child hates and might smear all over the walls? Yes! So, if that means no broccoli, then that’s what it means. Do what you need to do, not exactly what the recipe says or what’s on what’s-her-name’s instagram. It’ll be ok, we promise.

Mix about 6 cups assorted winter/root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussels
sprouts, parsnips, beets, carrots) in a bowl, and toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and
sea salt. Optionally, add sliced onions and garlic, and/or season with fresh rosemary.
Roast in 350-degree oven for 45-60 minutes (depending on how small the pieces are).

Dal for Your Darlings:
The flavor is mild, and the vegetable choices vary, yet you’re making something they don’t have every day. All hail! Now, you do you. And them.

Saute 2 cups yellow or orange lentils, 1 potato, 2 carrots, onions, garlic, and ginger with
olive oil and salt and curry powder in a large pot until onions are soft. Fill the pot about
halfway up with boiling water. Cook 1 hour. Add any other vegetables later, such as broccoli
or zucchini squash.

Can You Cous Cous?:
Um, that was rhetorical. Of course you can. Cous cous is absurdly easy to make and you can put in anything you want. You can’t ruin it.

Just pour hot broth over the cous cous and cover for 15 minutes
(add nuts, fruit, chopped veggies, a protein—do it how you do it). Fluff with a fork.

The Crepe Escape:
Sweet, savory, breakfast, lunch dinner. What’s more flexible and riffable than crepes? Nothing. Nada. Rien.

Whisk together 1 egg, 1 cup of almond milk and ½ cup of flour.
Pour about ½ of this into a crepe pan on low heat, and cook until very solid and easy to flip.
Flip and cook on the other side, adding whatever you wish to the top at that time.
Savory choices: Cheese, tomato, spinach, cooked potatoes, cooked egg, cooked vegetables, ham or turkey deli slices. Sweet ways: Banana and Nutella, strawberries and whipped cream.
These are just options, people!

Be the Master of Your Quiche:
Eighties jokes about who eats quiche aside, this is one make-your-own-mark food item if ever there was one.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay a pie crust in the bottom of a pie pan. Layer grated
cheese (gruyere or parmesan or what you have) in the bottom. Next, put sautéed vegetables
of your choice with salt, celery seed, and thyme or spices you like. Good combinations are asparagus and purple onion, cauliflower and shallots, or spinach and garlic. Pour 6-8 eggs mixed up with some cream or half-and-half on top. Bake about 45 minutes. Easy to make ahead of time and in multiples.

From this basic foundation, let your creativity go wherever it takes you.
You can even deconstruct it like this: Cut 4 small corn tortillas cut into pieces—cook in canola oil until the bottom side turns brown. Pour 4 scrambled eggs on top, let cook until set, then flip.
Add chopped asparagus and cook until egg sets again. Break it up and crisp it up.
It’s deconstructed quiche. It’s a riff on Tortilla Española. It’s a veggie omelet. It’s a healthy, hearty meal.

You want to feed your family well? Learn the ways of riffing and make your family’s own culinary music.

The Anti-Cookbook Easy, Thrifty Recipes for Food-Smart Living
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

We're Shelley Onderdonk and Rebecca Bloom. A veterinarian and a lawyer-turned-writer walk into a kitchen… We aren’t chefs and that’s exactly the point. We have a lot to share about food-smart living with our own young-adult children and other people and their children, too. Together, we wrote The Anti-Cookbook: Easy, Thrifty Recipes for Food-Smart Living.

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The BEST Juicing Recipes for Kids

by Susie Foresman

Forget about trying to coax your kid into eating all his veggies, and give it to him straight—in juice form, that is. The following juicing recipes for kids are big on yummy flavors and vitamins, making them the perfect easy breakfast-on-the-go or afterschool pick-me-up, especially during cold and flu season. Keep reading to discover 14 recipes below that’ll help you get your daily dose.

Carrot, Orange, Pear Juice

For this tasty combo, you can juice the carrots and pear in your regular juicer, but you’ll need a non-electric juicer for the orange unless your juicer can handle citrus. Get more recipes like this one over Inhabitots.

Ingredients
2 carrots
1 pear
1 orange

Divine Dreamsicle

Caitlin Regan via Flickr

This beginner juice from Reboot with Joe is perfect for kids. It looks and tastes just like a creamsicle! Yum.

Ingredients:
1 apple
1/4 pineapple
1 sweet potato
4 – 6 carrots
Yields one serving.

Melon Berry Splash Juice

Skip the sugar-laden store-bought juices in favor of a refreshing homemade mix like this one from Courtney's Sweets. You don't need a juicer for this recipe, and using a blender ensures that you're getting all the vitamins and minerals (rather than losing them in the pulp).

Ingredients:
4 cups watermelon
Juice of 1 lemon
10 frozen strawberries, partially thawed

Method:
In a blender combine the above ingredients. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Serves 3.

Berry Red Beet Juice

Skip the coffee this morning—get your energy boost from a delicious mix of beets, strawberries, and oranges that little ones will love, too. This ruby red recipe comes from Sophia at Love and Lentils.

Ingredients:
2 organic beets
8 organic strawberries
1 organic orange

Method:
1. Wash the beets, strawberries and orange.
2. Cut the greens off the strawberries, and slice the beets and orange into quarters.
3. Place all ingredients through your juicer.
4. Serve and drink right away.

Apple, Carrot, Orange & Ginger Juice

If your tots aren't yet convinced on green juice, this recipe from The Peach Kitchen is a good way to ease them into the world of veggie juices. Sweet carrots paired with yummy fruits make for a kid-approved afternoon pick-me-up.

Ingredients:
2 large carrots
1 orange, peeled
1 apple
a knob of ginger or turmeric

Method:
Let everything pass through your juicer and drink.

Strawberry-Apple Juice

This pretty in pink juice from FoodNetwork.com is the perfect way to wake your littles up on a weekend morning. The chia seeds help thicken the mixture and provide a boost of fiber.

Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries, tops removed
1 medium Red Delicious apple, peeled and cored
1 tablespoon chia seeds, optional

Method:
Juice the strawberries, then the apple, following your juicer's specific settings for each. Stir in the chia seeds if using and let soak for 5 minutes. Serve the juice immediately over ice, if desired.

Green Power Juice

sass_face via Flickr

Our friend Dr. Michael Murray of SPUD (they deliver fresh organic fruits and veggies directly to your doorstep) is their resident natural medicine expert and juicing fanatic. He calls this juice recipe “a great tasting green drink that most kids love.” It’s chock full of fruits to give it a sweet taste, but delivers lots of vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium and fiber.

Ingredients:
1 handful of Swiss chard, kale, spinach or a combination
1 pear
1 cup strawberries
1/2 lemon, unpeeled
1 apple, cut into chunks

Method:
Juice the greens first, followed by the pear, strawberries, lemon, and apple.

Thomas’ “I won’t eat chicken, but I’ll drink kale” Juice

Charina Lumley

This recipe comes to us from Red Tricycle’s own Director of Sales, Charina Lumley. She makes this juice on a daily basis for her son Thomas, who prefers his morning juice from his special snowman sippy cup.

Ingredients:
3 Romaine lettuce leaves
2 kale leaves
1 cup spinach
1 handful of baby carrots
1 Fuji apple (or similar sweeter variety)
1/2 Navel orange (or 1 clementine)

Method:
Wash fruits and vegetables. Juice greens followed by fruits. Immediately serve in your kiddo’s favorite sippy cup and enjoy.

Yields one 8-10oz serving

ABC Juice

freshtopia.net via Flickr

This juice recipe is a classic and a definite must-have in your juicing arsenal. It only has three ingredients, and, you guessed it, each item stands for one of the first three letters of the alphabet. Make a game out this recipe by letting your kiddo switch up the ingredients to spell different words.

Ingredients:
2 apples
1 beet
2 carrots

Yields one 8-12oz serving

Autumn Sunrise Juice

Breville USA via Flickr

Like a Tequila Sunrise minus the alcohol, this fruit/veggie concoction is a good balance between sweet and tart. Plus, adding in a few veggies gives this otherwise fruity drink an extra healthy kick.

Ingredients:
1 apple
1 orange
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1/2 lemon

Morning Nourish Juice

J@YGS via Flickr

This super juice is just what busy parents and their tots need to get their day started. Since pears are less allergenic than other fruits, they are great for infants and the littler set, while still delivering a healthy dose of vitamin C and fiber.

Ingredients:
1 pear
1 handful kale
1 apple
2 stalks celery

Yields one 8-12oz serving

Orange Jubilee Juice

kc7fys via Flickr

No doubt your kid is an expert on identifying colors, so they’ll love the bright orange hue of this hearty beverage. And they’ll hardly notice the carrots through the natural sugars from the orange and apple (try Fujis or a similar sweet variety).

Ingredients:
1 orange
3 carrots
1 apple

Yields one 8-12oz serving

Shrek Juice

Tim Gage via Flickr

Speaking of colorful juices, this one reminds us of the slime they used to dump on celebrities on Nickelodeon. Tell your kiddo that it’s the same slime recipe that gave the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles their powers and he or she might be even more inclined to gulp it down.

Ingredients:
- 2 stalks celery
– 1 handful kale
– 2 apples

Yields one 8-12oz serving

Super Start Detoxing Juice

fo.ol via Flickr

Combine this juice with a regular exercise routine, and you’ll be back to feeling fit before you know it. Think of this as your homespun version of V8 at a fraction of the cost. And when your little ones see you downing this super juice, they’ll want to try some too.

Ingredients:
1 handful kale
1 handful collard greens
2 celery stalks
1/4 cucumber
1 carrot
1 tomato
1/2 lemon
1/2 apple
1 handful blueberries

Yields one 12-16oz serving

Tips for juicing:

– Combinations of ingredients are super important, especially when maximizing the juice’s nutritional value without compromising flavor. While you may be a fan of mixing a whole mess of fruits and veggies together, your kiddos might want something a little less adventurous.

– Certain foods like ginger can overpower or mask other flavors, so use them sparingly.

– You can increase the fiber content by blending the pulp and combining it with your juice for an extra healthy boost without the “no pulp” whine.

–If you don’t have a juicer, try parboiling or partially baking root vegetables like carrots and beets to make them soft enough to whip in a blender.

Have you introduced juicing into your kid’s diet? If so, we want to know your go-to recipeS—leave a comment below!

— Scott Wardell & Susie Foresman

 

RELATED STORIES: 

Cool Down This Summer with 12 Healthy Smoothies

12 Healthy Pregnancy Smoothies That’ll Keep You Cool

Go (Super) Green: 11 Healthy Recipes to Jump-Start Your New Year

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Grab a Date! It’s Sitter Time!

by Maria Chambers

Uninterrupted conversation? Who knew that existed? Family time is swell, but sometimes it’s nice to line up a sitter to spend time in a kid-free zone. Whether you swap stories over a meal or bond while touring some of the city’s most architecturally significant buildings, we’ve rounded up low-key, sitter-worthy ideas for adult fun. Enjoy the sound of silence!

Dine with a view at River Roast

There's so much to love about River Roast . . . where to start? The concept, if you can't guess by the name, is roasts. Not the type smothered in gravy . . . not that we'd turn our shoulder to that. Think more like a roasted chicken. There are six different meat, fish and veggie roasts that live on the menu everyday and one rotating roast a month. For the month of October, that's a Pork Shoulder served with sauerkraut and root veggies. The coolest part? They carve your dinner right at the table.

Some non-roast notables on the menu: Fried Olives stuffed with chorizo (sounds weird, but trust us on this one), charred Curried Cauliflower and the Golden Gobbets, which are seasoned fried chicken strips served with an adorable Smurf-sized jar of honey that would make Pooh weep tears of joy. The incredibly friendly staff managed by Jay Schuster, brunches on Saturday and Sunday with a live jazz backdrop and the sweet view with outdoor seating overlooking the hustle and bustle of the Chicago River round out the reasons why we heart River Roast.

Side notes: For brunch, go with Chilaquiles. But, bring a bus load of people with you as they are uber generous with their portions on this one. And, River Roast just sweetened the deal by adding a S'mores Ice Cream Sandwich that tastes just like the bonfire classic and an Adult Sundae Fundae with Guinness ice cream, whisky cherries, rum pineapple, bourbon butterscotch and potato chips.

Have we convinced you to go yet?

River Roast, 315 N. LaSalle St., River North. Online: riverroastchicago.com

photo: River Roast courtesy of Maria Chambers

Give us some other date night ideas in the Comments below!

— Maria Chambers

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Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos

by writerredtri

Make it a meatless Monday with this recipe that comes to us from Kids Cook Mondays and Alysa of Inspired RD. With winter’s root vegetables in season, grab a few sweet potatoes (roasting gives them a hint of smoky flavor) and pair with black beans. Your kids will have fun customizing their own tacos with their favorite combination of avocado, lettuce and green onions.

Ingredients:
1 15 ounce can black beans
2-3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 fresh or canned, roasted green chilies, diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
10 corn tortillas
1/2 head lettuce or spinach*, chopped
1 avocado*, diced
1/4 cup cilantro*, chopped
2 green onions*, chopped

*Optional.

Method:
Adult: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Open the can of black beans.

Kid: Spread the diced sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in one layer. Pour the black beans into a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Adult: Place the baking sheet in the oven. Roast the sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Together: Add the tomatoes, black beans, green chilies and garlic to the bowl. Mix well and season with the lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano. Taste for seasoning and adjust if desired.

Adult: Place a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Place a tortilla onto the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until that tortilla becomes browned. Flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes more, or until the other side browns. Fold the tortilla in half, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Together: Place 2 or 3 browned tortillas on each person’s plate. Place a few spoonfuls of the sweet potato black bean filling inside each tortilla. Allow each person to top their tacos with their choice of lettuce, avocado, cilantro and green onions and enjoy!

Serves 4

Source: This recipe comes to us from Alysa of Inspired RD.

We’ve teamed up with the Kids Cook Monday initiative to bring you a weekly recipe that encourages families to set aside the first night of every week for cooking and eating together as a family. Be sure to check out their website for more great ideas on how to empower your kids in the kitchen!

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