Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Easy, Organic Snacks, Beverages, and Party Foods for Kids of All Ages [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Lisa Barnes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

Delicious organic recipes from an award-winning organic-foods cookbook author and nutrition expert.

As kids get older, parents get busier, and they all need simple, creative, healthy ideas and recipes for school lunches, snacks, drinks and the seemingly endless round of parties, playdates, and special occasions. This all-new collection of recipes from Petit Appetit is just what they need. These nutritious, organic, and easy-to-prepare snacks, drinks, and celebration foods are the perfect alternative to processed store-bought items laden with high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, additives, and preservatives. Chef and mother Lisa Barnes’ simple, delicious recipes enable parents to think “outside the bag” (of processed chips, crackers, and cookies) and learn how to create new family favorites with healthy, organic ingredients.

Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry features:

• Expert advice, tips, and stories
• Nutritional, dietary, and allergy information Throughout
• Best methods for packing and storage
• More than 150 recipes

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lisa Barnes, a member of the American Personal Chef Association and a Certified Safe Food Handler, is the founder of Petit Appetit, a cooking service devoted to infants and toddlers. She teaches cooking classes throughout Northern California and frequently contributes to online parenting and organic websites.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039953489X
• ASIN: B002PJ4G2C
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,368,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

While living in San Francisco, a city so rich in culinary culture, I wondered why so many children were eating strange colored, mass produced food from a jar. I thought it was a shame that a child's first bite would hardly resemble the real food their parents were enjoying. And that so many children are filling up on processed foods and ingesting harmful chemicals and pesticides. That's why I started Petit Appetit, a culinary service devoted to the palates and health of infants and children. I teach parents to provide fresh, healthy, organic foods to their children through private in-home cooking classes, mothers' groups cooking demonstrations, parent resource workshops and lectures throughout Northern California. I am proud to be the author of The Petit Appetit Cookbook and Petit Appetit Eat, Drink and Be Merry, as I am able to reach many parents beyond my classes and empower them to make and enjoy healthy meals with their families. I authored the recipes to Cooking for Baby by Williams-Sonoma, and also contribute writings, recipes and blogs to various online parenting websites (iVillage, Organic To Be, Chic Blvd) and regional mother's group newsletters. I am on the board of directors of Leah's Pantry, a nonprofit organization that provides interactive, activity-based nutrition workshops to families, kids, and seniors living in transitional housing shelters and affordable housing communities all over California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to use, wonderful resource for moms who want to prepare yummy, healthful foods for their families, March 6, 2009

By 

healthful minded happy mom of two little ones (New Canaan, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Easy, Organic Snacks, Beverages, and Party Foods for Kids of All Ages (Paperback)

What a wealth of information! I highly recommend this book to any parent who wants ideas of healthy (but also delicious) foods to prepare for their family...or for reinforcement of what you may be doing "right". Snap it up at Amazon's bargain price!!

I purchased this book, after searching for books on children's nutrition and kid-pleasing healthy cookbooks this fall. It sounded like Lisa's first book was well received so I preordered this one. When it arrived this week I wanted to read it cover to cover! It has so much information, but is also presented in an attainable, simple way. Lisa is a mom and she clearly "gets it". The book is realistic, not preachy. It covers the seasonal/local/organic issues...gives good ideas for involving your children in the planning/cooking process...and is chock full of interesting recipes.

So far, I have prepared her Mango Chicken Quesadillas (per Lisa's recipe for my kids, then added some spicy mango chutney and made a side of chili spiked sour cream to the second batch for my book club coming over later that night). They were great on both fronts.

Tonight I whipped up "Ellery's Minestrone Soup" in an effort to give my kids a warm, veggie filled entrée. It is colorful, our kitchen smells wonderful, and my two mini taste testers approved. Another hit from her book. It took just a half hour to prepare. I substituted Trader Joe's Alphabet pasta for the macaroni, and added some "excitement" to the meal (if you're six years old!).

Nutrition information is provided on the side bar of each recipe, as are pictorial keys ("perfect for packing"..."gluten free"..."vegetarian", etc.) The only thing that I feel is maybe missing from Lisa's book is an index of the recipes by each recipe by these categorizations. It would have been nice to quickly skim the "perfect for packing" recipes as I'm planning lunches. Still, if that's all that's missing then this is a really fabulous resource.

Tomorrow we look forward to making Lisa's "Oatcake" recipe which sounds like a healthful oatmeal cookie. Something I can whip up on the weekend, and feel good about handing to the backseat on those mornings when we're running a little late!

Lisa has come up with such a great book, one that I look forward to recommending to friends, and that is sure to become one of my go-to baby gifts!! Now I want to check out her first cookbook too, but right now we need to sit down to our delish Minestrone soup!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great starting point for parents/child care providers, July 5, 2009

By 

A. K. Riley "ajkr" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Easy, Organic Snacks, Beverages, and Party Foods for Kids of All Ages (Paperback)

This book is full of great snack ideas, which is what I needed as I ran out of ideas after a year of family child care. Contains basic information regarding buying organics vs. conventional. Great, user friendly format. She provides nice storage tips for the recipes and nice pointers on how to include children in the kitchen as well. I really like this book and will definitely pursue her other cookbooks to add to my collection.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Practical, March 11, 2009

By 

Adrienne T. Markworth "Adrienne M." (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Easy, Organic Snacks, Beverages, and Party Foods for Kids of All Ages (Paperback)

This book is a great follow up to The Petit Appetit Cookbook (one of my favorites)! It has a great layout and plenty of information about storage and variations (two things I consider must-haves in a good cookbook.) Two great recipes so far: French Toast fingers and Curry Chickpeas. The chickpeas are something SO simple, but I NEVER would have thought to do it. Now they've become a staple in our afternoon arsenal. Another thing I love is Lisa's writing style - her intros to the recipes make the book fun to page through even when you're not in a rush to get something on the table.