The Petit Appetit Cookbook: Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler [Paperback]

Lisa Barnes (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 1, 2005

In The Petit Appetit Cookbook, mother and professional cook Lisa Barnes offers a healthy all-organic alternative to commercially processed, preservative-filled foods to help create delicious menus, nurture adventurous palates, and begin a lifetime of positive eating habits for children.

Includes:

• 150+ easy, fast, child-tested recipes for ages 4 months to 4 years
• Mealtime solutions for even the most finicky eaters
• Nutritional information for each recipe
• Time-saving cooking techniques
• The right age- and stage-appropriate food choices
• How and when to introduce solids to baby's diet
• Adapting family recipes for young children
• Recognizing signs of food allergies and intolerances

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lisa Barnes is the founder of Petit Appetit, a cooking service devoted to infants and toddlers. She is a member of the American Personal Chef Association and a Certified Safe Food Handler. She teaches in-home private cooking classes throughout Northern California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HP Trade; 8th ptg edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557884536
• ISBN-13: 978-1557884534
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Organic Cooking

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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 84 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy and informative April 29, 2006

By Colleen S.

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book along with Baby Blender Food, and I really like this one the best. It has practical information RE: safe food handling, the meaning behind nutritional and organic terms on product packaging, suggestions for stocking your pantry, and ideas about how to incorporate meals for the family from the recipes for the baby. It's not rocket science, but sometimes I get caught up in the baby food process and don't think about how to modify some of the ingredients for my own meal. She also has a helpful key that lists vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free recipe options. The recipes are pretty simple, and I've found that it's easy and fun to make food for my son. It also feels really good to know exactly what's going into his food. I like the layout of the book, and I appreciate the information in it. Another review mentioned that she doesn't outline food hazards like nitrates in the body of the recipes, but if you read the book from the beginning, she has pretty comprehensive explanations of what is safe to prepare and when it's safe to prepare it.

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have! May 7, 2006

By Gabriel's mom

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I borrowed this book from my local library, to test a few of the recipes. I am very impressed! Every recipe that I've tried has turned out absolutely delicious! The book begins with an informative section about the meanings behind the buzz word "organic," and the recipes are neatly organized according to age (in case one needs a guideline). The author has even included little labels that point out which recipes are vegan, vegetarian, and allergy friendly.

As a very picky mom with little patience for recipes that take too long/don't turn out, I highly recommend this book and have purchased my own copy. The recipes are not only delicious, they are easy and pretty foolproof! And nothing can top the feeling I get when watching my little boy hungrily gulp down a meal I prepared just for him....eager for each spoonfull. The recipes aren't just yummy for babies either......I made some of the recipes for my teenage sisters, and they ate every last bite! If you purchase this book, you won't be disappointed!

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Raising a future "foodie" March 5, 2006

By K. Smith

Format:Paperback

I've had a chance to make zucchini and butternut squash purees for my 6 month-old and so far so good! I like that the recipies give you an option for how to cook each recipie, for example, you can either steam or microwave zucchini. Also, you can use a blender or food processer for most dishes. The book also gives really clear instructions for saving food for later. I put the squash in ice cube trays; it is so easy to pop a "cube" into the microwave. If you have an automatic ice maker and don't have any ice cube trays on hand, I highly recommend buying silicone trays. You can even buy pink ones from Sur La Table (www.surlatable.com). Cubes come out cleanly with no fragments left in the tray. Get this cookbook if you want a little work on the weekend with the rest of the week as easy as opening a jar! The only down side I can think of is she is not as explicit about foods to avoid because of allergies or nitrates (spinach, carrots, etc.) on the recipe pages.