2010 New Year's Resolution and purpose of this blog

My 2010 New Year's resolution may prove to be an insurmountable challenge as it involves not just changes to myself but also major changes in my children!! I pledge to try a new recipe each week (not frozen or out of a box) in an effort to expose my 3 children to new foods and expand their palate. The goal is that by the end of the year they will be eating what we eat (more or less) and I'll no longer be a stressed out short-order cook on the fast-track to the Betty Ford Clinic!

I tried to convince my kids that trying new foods would be a good resolution for them this year but they weren't biting! (pun intended)

This is also an experiment to determine what causes a picky eater? Is it genetic? Are some kids just not as adventurous as others when it comes to trying new foods? (Perhaps the frequent gagging at my dinner table is a sign that may be my answer!) Or is it that I've been lazy and haven't really forced the issue or exposed them to enough new foods on a consistent basis? Maybe it's karma because I was a picky eater myself as a child??

Getting my kids to eat new meals at dinnertime has been the greatest source of my parental frustrations. I LOVE food and trying new recipes but cooking is a lot of effort when you're doing 2 separate meals every night and you have a toddler clinging to your legs! I'm hoping this little experiment might put an end to the insanity, chaos, gagging, whining and wine consumption that ensues in our household every night! Isn't mealtime supposed to be a time of family happiness? Please tell me there is light at the end of this 52 week tunnel??? I'll keep you posted.....

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Saturday, January 9, 2010

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

This is not a meal for picky eaters but a no-brainer cheap, easy & healthy snack when your kids are hungry and cupboards are bare. Never knew it could be this easy to make microwave popcorn!

You will need:

Brown paper lunch bag
1/4 cup Orville Redenbacher's popping corn

Instructions:

- Dump popcorn into bag & fold top down about 1".
- Continue to fold 3-4 more times & crease the folds to tighten seal.
- Place bag in microwave on it's side and cook on high for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 mins. depending on microwave strength. My cooking time is 2 min. 20 secs.
- Bag will slowly unfold as popcorn pops & expands. Keep an eye on it and listen for pops to be 5 secs. apart & it's done.
- Remove from microwave & pour melted butter, salt & other seasonings right into the bag.

Each bag is 1-2 servings. Bag will get greasy with the butter so you can dump it into the bowl but why create more dishes to clean up!

(I researched this on the internet & some people add oil with the corn kernels but it's not necessary and just makes a mess.)

Caveat: Some people are worried the bag can catch on fire so if your microwave doesn't have a tray that turns around you want to watch it closely the first few times and be ready with a fire extinguisher!! (I've made this 5-6 times without incident.)

My mother (an avid environmentalist) will be happy with this snack choice as I'm avoiding exposing my kids (and myself) to the carcinogens in many microwave popcorn bags. According to the EPA, the chemical (PFOA) that coats the inside of the popcorn bags to prevent oils from seaping through & making the bag greasy are known carcinogens. When heated these chemicals leach into the popcorn that we consume. So, although your homemade bag may be a greasy mess you're avoiding exposure to carcinogens so why take the risk when you can make your own so easily!!
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