When you are a parent trying to help your children lead a green and healthy lifestyle, the most important thing you can do is to change the way your family eats. That means choosing whole, natural, organic (and preferably local) foods (see our article on Healthy Eating for Moms and Kids). That also means you will need to do a lot of cooking at home.
I don’t believe in dieting. In fact, not a day goes by that I don’t have some sort of dessert. But my family stays healthy by eating in moderation and only choosing whole, natural, (usually) organic ingredients. We do not have boxed macaroni and cheese or frozen dinners or anything that has been pre-prepared. Everything I make is from scratch. In order to save time, I make things in larger batches and freeze them for easy meals on days I don’t feel like cooking.
Of course, there are plenty of times when we would rather eat out. In most areas, restaurants that use only natural, healthy ingredients are hard to find. And they are usually pretty expensive. Chains like Chipotle and Panera have done a decent job at providing healthy meals. I am fortunate to live in an area with a ton of locally-owned restaurants that focus on the use of natural and local ingredients, so I feel good even when we eat out.
Now that spring is here, the farmers markets are full of tempting produce, and I actually want to cook. Over the years, I have compiled an inspiring list of cooking resources with recipes, instructions and beautiful photography. Admittedly, the ones with amazing desserts call to me the most, but I also love soups, breads and anything with basil.
Websites
- 101 Cookbooks – vegetarian recipes that focus on the use of natural and whole ingredients
- Annie’s Eats – blueberry scones and spring green risotto – need I say more?
- Simple Bites – real food for the family table
- smitten kitchen – recipes and tutorials for made-from-scratch comfort food
- The Pioneer Woman Cooks – homemade country-style food
- Cooking Light – a whole library of healthy recipes from the magazine
Cookbooks
- The New Moosewood Cookbook
- Sunlight Cafe
- The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest
- The Homesteader’s Kitchen
- Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special
- Get Cooking
- Farm to Fork
- Clean Start
- The Farm to Table Cookbook
- Earth to Table
- Canyon Ranch Nourish
- Williams-Sonoma Eat Well
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