Around the Internet: Food

National Punctuation Day Baking Contest - Fun contest!! Not this year, but MetaBoy and I might enjoy participating in future years.

Restaurants Look Beyond Chicken Fingers - After seeing a dip in restaurant visits of groups with kids, some restaurants are changing their approach by offering healthier kids' meals, and making them free. Personally, I'm very excited at the thought of healthier kids' meals because I'm tired of seeing pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, and nuggets. That said, I'm cautious with a healthier option, too, because I'm not sure that restaurants take kids' meals as seriously as they take those of adults. We went to La Grande Orange in Santa Monica, and I was sorely disappointed in the quality of MetaBoy's food: cold fries, mushy berries, and bland fish. Needless to say, he didn't finish it, which speaks volumes, let me tell you.

On that note, if your kid isn't eating his food in a restaurant, give it a taste to make sure it's edible!

Farmers markets fear Los Angeles' fees - Unrealistically high fees for farmers' markets in Los Angeles have historically been waived, but possibly not for much longer. While this will not impact markets held in parks, private property, and outside of LA (e.g., Santa Monica and Culver City), it could force affected markets to move or close. If fees are going to be assessed on these markets, the city should make them fair, which they are not.

"Rodgers called the monthly bill, which would total $80,508 a year, 'infuriating,' and 'an arbitrary number,' adding, 'No one has given any indication what this is really for.' If the market had to pay that and received no relief, she said, it would have to close or find another space."

Is it OK to replace unsalted (sweet cream) butter with salted butter if you reduce the total amount of salt in the recipe? - If you can't log in, here's what it says. You should not use salted butter in recipes because:

• The amount of salt varies from brand to brand
  
• Salt masks flavor nuances found in butter
  
• Salted butter almost always contains more water than unsalted butter.

What I took away from it is that I can use salted butter, but I will have more control over the flavor and texture (due to water content) of the end product if I use an unsalted butter.

Recipe: Pie Dough

This is not my great secret on pie dough. This is simply a collection of information and tips that have helped me gather the courage to make pie dough. If you're intimidated, I hope this helps...because it turns out it's not that bad ;-)

I've always been intimidated at the thought of making pies. Not so much by the filling as by the crust. I've tried some recipes, and as someone who follows a recipe with precision, I was always frustrated when the resulting dough seemed so difficult to work with. I've also been dismayed at the time it takes to get a crust ready for use (i.e., chill in the refrigerator before using). That just requires a lot of patience in my book!

But I've been tempted yet again to try my hand at making pies. In reading various cookbooks, it occurred to me to try making a free form tart because

• it only requires one rolled out circle of pastry
  
• it doesn't require a dish (e.g., pie pan, tart pan)
  
• you can put as much or as little fruit (within reason) as you like into the tart and it holds up pretty well

So, I went with Michael Ruhlman's Ratio for a sweet pie dough: 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, 1 part water, plus sugar. I mixed 12 ounces of flour with 2 tablespoons of sugar, then added 8 ounces of very cold cubes of salted butter (or use unsalted butter, but add 1/2 teaspoon salt). A pastry blender would keep the butter from warming at the touch of my hand, but I don't have one so I use my hands. To offset the warmth of my hands, I put the diced butter in the freezer for about 10 minutes, then toss it into the flour and start rubbing the butter to mix. The butter doesn't have to be completely blended in. The best description I've heard for the look of mixture is that it should look like damp sand, though it should contain plenty of chunks of butter. I then add up to 4 ounces of ice water. Since one of the tricks in getting the pastry right is getting the right amount of water in, Ruhlman points out that the amount of water required will vary from pastry to pastry because of the weather, humidity, the kind of fat used in dough, etc. So I pour out 4 ounces of water, and slowly added it to my pastry until I achieve the right texture: sticks together, but isn't too wet. I then cut the mass in half, shape each into a disc, wrap them in cling film, and put them in the refrigerator. Chill for at least 15 minutes, though some sources say as long as 1 hour. Something to consider if you have the time.

That's the tough part, which I've found that after a few attempts, is no longer as tough as it used to be. I chill the dough for 30 minutes, or I wrap it up well, put in a zip top bag, and freeze. When I need it, I leave the frozen disc in the refrigerator overnight, and it's ready to use. Since the above proportions give me enough pastry for two discs, I can use one now, and freeze one for later.

Now, here are some random tips I've picked up from here and there:

• From Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking: "The secret to flaky pastry is to make the butter believe it is solid. The small pieces of cold butter must be left whole and flattened within the dough. They must not be allowed to combine with the flour but should remain intact."
  
• Ruhlman says that too much water or kneading will result in a tough dough. But Yard tells us that having a slightly wet, tacky dough is better than a dry one. As in life, it's all about balance.
  
• The addition of a bit of acid (e.g., 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar) will help inhibit the gluten proteins, which can make rolling easier.
  
• If you mix the dough by hand, all you need is a bowl and a scale (for precision). Though some recipes suggest using a food processor, that's a lot of extra cleaning up!
  
• You can buy premade dough that can be rolled out at home (e.g., Trader Joe's frozen pastry circles). Since you still have to roll out the dough for your purposes, you're only saving that first step of mixing everything together, about 10 minutes. Yes, you have to chill it. But you would also have to defrost the frozen dough.
  
• If you buy a premixed dough, you can't control flavor (e.g., Ruhlan's savory dough: omit sugar, add 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano).
• Use good butter. We love Kerrygold Irish butter, which we find at a reasonable price at our local Trader Joe's.
  
• If you're intimidated, you'll likely find that after a few attempts, it's actually not that difficult or time consuming. And the end result is lovely. It feels good to make something so basic and versatile.

Some other sources that provide some great tips and insight on technique and recipes for their version of the perfect pie dough:

Cook's Illustrated's Foolproof Pie Dough @ Serious Eats

Pie Crust 102: All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough @ Smitten Kitchen

Perfect Pie Crust @ Simply Recipes

Around the Internet

Are We Farmers Market Failures - Hey, out there! Vote for your favorite farmers' market here. Show how much you love your farmers. And if you live in the Los Angeles area, definitely do this. We're not in the top 20, but we have some spectacular markets! The Santa Monica market on Wednesdays, anyone? Perhaps we're taking for granted how our wonderful weather allows us to have strawberries, tomatoes, avocados, and so many other foods for so many months of the year. But think about how lucky we are, and vote! Now, I'm off to slice up some sweet, juicy watermelon and tuck into some green, yellow, and red tomatoes...mmm...

Starbucks tests new names for stores - A sign of the times: Starbucks is experimenting with avoiding the use of their name in new stores. I never thought I'd see the day...

How to Take Better Baby Photos - Tips on taking better pictures of babies and kids. Some of this is over my head, but I think I still learned something.

Coolio: The Next Julia Child? - LOL...no. Do you even remember Coolio? Well, back when, he got all into food and starred in an online cooking show on My Damn Channel.

Risk of mad cow disease from farmed fish? - There is now concern that eating farmed fish who are fed byproducts rendered from cows might be at risk. So now, who's going to be protecting consumers from this? Because the USDA and the FDA can't handle what they have on their plates so far. And I think we all know how unlikely it is that any corporation or industry will self-regulate.

Around the Internet: Food

Quinoa Recipe - I struggle, occasionally, with the wet, heavy quality of cooked quinoa. This is a clever technique fixed that. Finally, I had light, fluffy quinoa that rivaled the texture of cous cous. It does take longer to make this way, so I find it's worth it if I won't be mixing it with something wet (e.g., a meal with a lot of sauce which will wet the grain again).

Hart High Student to Compete in National Cooking Competition - This 17 year old already has an impressive culinary resume. I'm so impressed to see that kind of dedication to anything, especially at that age.

Yes We Can Food - I'm so jealous. I wish we had something like this in L.A. Depending on the month, they make apricot jam, pickles, or tomatoes. Farm fresh food canned during their peak season. Mmm...so jealous.

A Martha Stewart Cartoon...For Kids - Um...is it a good thing?

An unexpected way to boost the economy - Breastfeeding can help bolster the economy by preventing illnesses in infants. Just doing our part to help ;-)

MetaGirl's Eating Habits

When I first started making baby food for MetaBoy, I was die hard. I followed all of the instructions to a T to assure flavor, food safety, proper tenderness and texture, etc. I wanted to make sure that his first foods served as a gateway to a lifetime of gustatory pleasures. OK, I might have overestimated the seriousness of those first foods, but I stand by my intentions. From 7 to 12 months of age, he was unintentionally vegan because I was so cautious with everything I made for him. He only drank water, and did so happily (my theory: you can't miss what you've never had, eg juice). He ate all sorts of fruit, except apple sauce (odd, but true). And he loved eating. So as long as I was shoveling food into his mouth, he was happy. He never demanded to take the reigns. He was just happy to be eating.

Oh, how I miss that.

MetaGirl could not be more different. She hated having food put into her mouth. She only wanted to use the spoon as a toy. At some point, she settled into a groove where she allowed us to feed her. And then, as suddenly as it started, it was over; the spoon was banned. She refused all food that approached her with a spoon. We tried the obvious spoon, the sneak attack spoon, the stealth spoon...she was too good. She shut us down every time.

So when she was about 9 months old, I changed strategies. I stopped making baby purees and started looking for soft finger foods. It turns out that her refusing the spoon didn't mean she was refusing food. She LOVES finger foods.

I started her out with soft foods cut into tiny pieces, and she gobbled it up. We've done avocado, tofu, bread, peas, peach, apricot, plum, melon, watermelon, banana, cooked vegetables (e.g., eggplant, zucchini, carrot), and any other soft foods I could find in the refrigerator, freezer, or on our plates. One twist I've taken is to make a lentil puree, freeze it in one ounce cubes (these are great!!), and defrost as needed (e.g., one for a meal). When I reheat it in the microwave, it dries out just enough so that I can easily roll it into a ball for baby handling. I've slowly made the pieces of food ever so slightly bigger, but they're still relatively tiny. I did recently give her half of a small apricot without the pit, and she ate the whole thing. It was a hilarious mess to behold. With her newly discovered independence, she now happily eats her meals with the family.

The take home lesson? All kids are different eaters, but that doesn't mean that eating is off the table (har har). If your baby isn't eating, try a different approach. It might take a while, but take cues from your baby, and just be mindful of food size and tenderness for choking hazards.

How to Freeze Everything

I've been reading a lot of random things about food lately. Mark Bittman, NY Times columnist and author of How to Cook Everything, has some tips on saving money in the kitchen. Here's how he puts it:

"If I tried to sell you a new appliance that could help you save money, reduce food waste and get meals on the table faster, the only thing you’d ask would be 'How much?'"

Ah, how we take our freezers for granted. Well, his article has some great tips on what foods to freeze and how. Best tip I took away from this: since food doesn't get "better" in the freezer, it should be used in weeks or months, not years.

Here's an accompanying video of him on the Today Show. It's short, amusing, and informative. But you'll get a lot more information from the article.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Around the Internet

Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes: study - It turns out it's never to late to change habits for the better. Don't just blame genetics. Do something!!

Sugar Content in Packaged Breakfast Foods - A visual aid. And if you want to check other foods like processed snacks, beverages, and more, click at the links on the top of the page.

Our Milk Money - Here's an interesting website where self-employed parents list their products or services. So with your purchase, you can help support a family. And if you're a parent looking to make some money on the side, this might be a good place to list yourself.

News Map - A cool, if overwhelming, news aggregator.

Blame Poverty, Not Pork, for the Swine Flu - So the article is interesting, but a rather nutty comment stuck out.

"IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauri says we should have two or more meat-free days a week. New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman equates the environmental impacts of livestock production to those of nuclear war. On the loopier side is Paul McCartney’s ex-wife, Heather Mills, whose global warming worries led her to recommend that people switch from cow’s milk to milk from dogs and rats."

OMG! If it's between rats milk and no milk, how about no milk, for goodness' sake!?!

I'm just saying.

All Toddlers are Fussy Eaters

MetaBoy is a great eater, all things considered. He has a big appetite, which means he's on the end of the spectrum where I have a hard time finding enough food to feed him.

That said, even he becomes difficult sometimes. His favorite word is "no." Despite being hungry and liking the food in question, he'll reject it flat out if that's the mood he's in. We've found a few tricks to combat the "no" monster, but eh...nothing works 100% of the time.

• Dips - I don't know why, but he loves dipping food. He calls it "dip dip." If we pour a sauce right on top of his meal, he might refuse it. If you put a dollop on his plate, he'll dip everything into it. We've used various sauces, hummus, yogurt, maple syrup (for pancakes), and jam. He might not eat bread, but he will if he can dip it!
  
  
• Delivery - Sometimes, it's about changing up the delivery of a food. A food he might be bored with becomes more exciting if you change how it's eaten. Chicken and vegetables in a sandwich can be a lot more entertaining since MetaBoy doesn't get sandwiches often. A quiche with the same old food is another exciting escape. He also loves the occasional soup, which is loads of fun served in a small bowl with a small spoon. A little messy, but not too bad...especially if he's hungry ;-)
  
  
• Challenging Food - Sometimes, a new food is a great treat, especially when it's a challenge to eat. Artichokes, for example, are easy to cook and delicious, but can be intimidating to eat for novices. To eat it, you tear a leaf from a cooked artichoke and scrape off the fleshy part with your teeth (the part that was attached to the artichoke). If you like, dip it first (e.g., salad dressing). Once you've eaten as many of the leaves as you can, take out the tough choke (should tear right out), and eat the heart. Mmm...so very good. But that's me. Here's someone else's take on it. If you get baby artichokes, which might be a better way to go for kids, the choke should be tender enough to eat in its entirety. Test it out before releasing the kids on it.
  
  
• Seasoning - MetaBoy is much more inclined to eat if he gets to sprinkle even the smallest amount of salt on his food. Other sprinkles that rev up his appetite: paprika (fun color, mild flavor), lemon, and lime.
  
  
• Mini Food - Maybe it's just me, but I love mini food. I've found loads of wonderful mini vegetables at the farmers' market (e.g., mini zucchini, mini potatoes, mini squash, micro carrots...so small they make me wince with delight). I love to saute them all together and serve with something grilled (e.g., chicken, fish). But so many foods can be mini...pasta, sandwiches, cheese. If possible, just cut a larger food down to size and, depending on your kid, say (1) "isn't the food cute!!" or (2) "wow, you're a giant!!"

To be completely honest, these are just a few ideas to shake things up. Meals can get boring sometimes, so it's fun to introduce novelty. I've found the best tool with MetaBoy to be persistence. He may have a healthy appetite, but he's refused food in the past. My standard line is if you don't finish what's on your plate, I will assume you are not hungry, so you will not get anything else. I try to take his degree of hunger and level of cooperation into consideration, though. If he's eaten well at lunch, he doesn't necessarily have to eat that much at dinner to be full. In that case, as long as he eats a reasonable amount, I'm happy. He also has to try everything on his plate, even if he thinks he won't like it. He usually finds that he does like it. (We then stifle an "I told you so.") I might even chime in with "if you eat a bit, I'll eat a bite," which works for a couple of bites.

The biggest thing, in my book, is that I never make him a special meal just because he will not eat what we're eating. Once he started to eat non-mashed food, he ate the same food we ate. My take on it is that once he knows he can get a different meal out of me, he'll play that card every time. And if there's nothing wrong with our food, what's stopping him from eating it other than sheer stubbornness? They learn so fast, after all.

These days, he asks for a treat after every meal. Of course, that could be anything from fruit to a cookie. I think MetaDaddy's trying to convince him that leftover baby potatoes with a sprinkle of salt are just as good as a cookie. To be fair, to MetaDaddy, it is ;-)

Hungry? Easy Recipe

Enjoy!

Easy recipe

Avoid Browning Avocados

I figured something out the hard way. I occasionally only use half of an avocado. The problem with leaving the other half exposed is that it'll turn brown. If left overnight, it'll develop a rather unpleasant, leathery skin. Not so good.

I found that I can avoid this reaction by placing the avocado's cut side onto a flat plate. If you really want a good seal to prevent oxygen from certain avocado demise, a Cook's Illustrated tip suggested putting some oil on the plate before you place the avocado on it. But I find a flat plate is good enough.

How Do You Keep Your Hands Warm?

My hands are so cold these days. I'd hardly care, and occasionally it's fun to shock MetaBoy or MetaDaddy our of their skins. But when I have to touch MetaGirl's warm, tender skin, I feel soooooooooooooo guilty!!

Gloves have never worked for me. I've tried warming up my hands with hot water, but it feels wasteful to let the water run until it's warm. Besides, it doesn't work very well. So I've taken to leaving my hair dryer handy so I can quickly give them a blast of warm air. That's the most use this dryer has ever gotten. It's having loads of fun ;-)

How do you keep your hands warm?

Pretty Up Your Flowers

I picked this tip up at a flower shop, and it doesn't get any easier.

If you have a clear vase to put flowers in, drop some cranberries into the water. They gracefully float to the top and add some beautiful color to your arrangement.

Feeding a Toddler: Subterfuge

It occurred to me today. I've mentioned here that MetaBoy is a good eater. He's always curious to taste new things, especially food he sees us eating. The other day, I heard myself saying "no, you have to finish your pasta first. Then you can have some fish." He definitely didn't get this adventurous streak from me. I can't wait until he learns to cook!

But I digress. The reason for this post is to say that regardless of how well he eats on average, he's not always game for eating a meal. If he's tired, for example, getting him to eat a meal comprised of his favorite foods is nearly impossible. He insists on holding the spoon, but in his tired state, food ends up everywhere except in his mouth. He might start to pick up food with his fingers, or even better, toss said food with his fingers. Once the tossing begins, everything tends to find its way to the floor. Food, his cup, his place mat, his bib, my sanity, my dignity...and so on.

Short of ending the meal, there's little that can remedy such situations. I stumbled upon one thing to help the derailed meal back on track: distractions. I start doing something simple to engage him. Singing a favorite song like "row, row, row your boat" is something he can follow along to and add in a few words here or there (e.g., boat, dream). Or I start asking him questions that he has to think about like "where's your nose?" This tends to help him forget about how awful he feels, he starts to smile, and responds. Once he's smiling, it's almost like he forgets how disinterested he was in eating, so I'll sneak in a spoonful here or there. In a few minutes, dinner's gone.

It's worked well enough to ensure most meals get at least close to finished. I'm not sure of what we'll do once MetaBoy catches on to my little scheme. Then again, I'm hoping I won't have to trick MetaTeenager into eating his dinner by singing "Old McDonald."

Milk Supply Tip

I swear, it's become so hard to find time to post these days. You'd think I have some weird new something in my life consuming all of my mental energy.

But what?

Oh, right.

So, a lactation consultant gave me some great advice that I could really have used the first time when I was breastfeeding MetaBoy. I had so much milk, I was in severe pain every 2-3 hours due to engorgement, which eventually led to a plugged duct, mastitis, and an abscess. Ugly business, folks.

So, for those out there facing breastfeeding challenges, here's what I learned.

Increase your milk supply - start nursing on one side for a couple of minutes, then on the other side for a couple of minutes, and continue switching off. Feed frequently, even if it means waking the baby every couple of hours.

Reduce milk supply - start nursing on one side for a couple of minutes, then finish nursing on the other.

Baby Clothes

Oh, how time flies.

I was digging out some of MetaToddler's old clothes for M2 and I've come to a few conclusions.

1. I can't believe he was ever that small.


2. I can't believe how lucky we've been with his wardrobe. Between gifts and hand-me-downs from his younger cousin (ya, he's way bigger), we've had very little stress in keeping him well clothed. We love the one piece footed outfits from Ireland because they're well-made, soft, cotton, inexpensive, and adorable. I've found similar items here at much higher prices, so we've tried to get him new ones every time we go back to Dublin. That said, he's at that cusp where we can't find footed ones that fit him any more. The footed ones are particularly beneficial in keeping him from climbing out of his crib because he climbs much better in his bare feet. He can't get a proper foothold when he's bound in his jammies.


3. We hardly need anything for M2. We've got clothes, toys, etc. aplenty. Unfortunately, no excuses for shopping. Eh, I'm sure I'll find something. We always need something when it's particularly cute ;-)


4. I'm really excited to revisit some of the things that I really loved seeing MetaToddler wear. The opposite of that sad feeling you get when you admit to yourself that your child no longer fits into that little shirt that you love seeing him in. That's what today did for me. Gave me a big sense of "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....I forgot how much I loved this shirt!!!"

Now, the unpleasant part. Laundry.

Never Buy from BabyAge.com

So, I'm closing in on 37 weeks. About time to start nesting, n'est pas?

The crib we have for MetaToddler converts into a toddler bed, so he'll be keeping that one. We'll need a new bed for our new Wee one, which we'll call M2 (as in Meta 2) for now. Thought about Wee 2, or W2, but that seemed to close to Wii...which might confuse some people (you know who you are).

Anyway, I order the crib online at www.BabyAge.com. I've heard of the site in a few places, they've been around for a while, and I know they sell through Amazon, so I thought "why not." Free shipping, no tax, and the crib retails for the same price everywhere. Once I placed my order, I saw a strange pop up message that requested more information in order to fulfill my order. I click on it, and it requested the last four digits of my social security number and my year of birth. That screams alarm bells, but I'd already placed my order at that point. I decide to ignore it and see what happens.

The next day, I receive an email message asking that I call Baby Age in order to provide some information before they can complete my order.

Grr.

I call, but I'm already annoyed. Sure enough, they ask me for my social and year of birth. I ask them why they need it, and they say that this is risk management because I'm making a large purchase. *Just the other day I stopped a fraudulent order by doing this* blah, blah. I say "I'm not comfortable providing that information. Are you saying that I can either provide my private information or cancel my order?" He said "yes." So, I canceled my order.

Duh.

I then called American Express, and they said:

1) I was right to not provide the vendor with that information.
2) Vendors can ask for things like the security code on the card or your zip code, but not your SSN or year of birth.
3) BabyAge already put a charge through on my card, so keep an eye on the card to make sure they cancel it immediately.

Unfortunately, when I found out that the charge had been put through, it was too late to call Baby Age again. However, I will follow up with them to assure they have canceled my order and refunded my card. I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that the credit will not be a problem. That said, American Express has been great when dealing with shady vendors and/or charges in the past, so I'm expecting them to be just as great this time :-)

Of course, after the fact I search on Google and find they make a practice of asking for credit card holder's social security number. How is this not phishing? Baby Age didn't have this info to verify it against my answers. How is this managing risk? After providing this info, they would have had my name, address, phone, email, credit card, last four of my SSN, and my year of birth. What else would they need to steal my identity? After all, American Express only asks for the last four of my SSN in order to access my account history.

Hopefully you don't have to deal with any vendors like these, but always be on the lookout for people who ask too much information. Never, ever give out any digits of your social or your year of birth, which is harder to get than the day and month of your birth. And never provide any information to people who call you. I once had Aetna call me to verify who I was. I asked them "I need to verify who you are first!"

Duh.

What's for Breakfast?

A Dutch study found that people who skipped breakfast were more than twice as likely to be overweight, even if the breakfast eaters consumed more net calories. Isn't the logic of that frustrating? You think you're reducing your caloric intake, thereby increasing your potential of slimming down, but you're actually just shooting yourself in the foot.

This article goes a step further and points out the good, the bad, and the ugly about what you're having for breakfast. Less sugar and more protein are guidelines in keeping you satisfied longer, thus preventing mid-morning binges. Muffin, anyone?

I tend to wake up hungry these days. Well, I tend to be hungry most of the time these days. But I digress. Regardless of what I eat, I always have a cup of *coffee* made with instant decaf and soy milk (instead of water). MetaDaddy thinks instant and decaf in the same sentence with coffee are vile concepts. But me? I was raised on a pinch of instant coffee mixed with hot (not boiling) milk and a touch of sugar...so this is comfort food. It took a while to get used to the soy milk, but I had to because I had to reduce my dairy consumption while I nursed MetaToddler. Now, besides milk feeling much heavier in my "coffee" than it used to, it doesn't always sit well in my tummy, so I'm back to soy.

As for the food part of my breakfast, cereal tends to last me long enough to get around to making my real breakfast. Hence, it's rare that I even bother. Toast will only do if it's slathered in cream cheese or some nice cheese. Though it's likely accompanied by a small bowl of plain yogurt with my favorite granola. Oatmeal sounds fine, but there isn't enough protein for me and it's very slow to eat, which is tough when I have to run after you know who. Besides, it makes me gag these days. If I'm really hungry, my go to breakfast is quick and easy: two fried eggs and toast (MetaToddler's favorite). And whatever I eat, MetaToddler must eat or he gets cranky. He must get that from his daddy ;-)

MetaToddler tends to have a decent-sized breakfast himself. We still feed him baby cereal, but we mix it with prune juice and water to keep him *moving*. I can count on my hand the number of times he's been constipated, so this has been a great trick taught to us by our pediatrician. He also eats most (or all) of a banana, as well as a mix of other fruits (e.g., strawberry, blueberry, organge, sapote) that are in season at the farmers' market. Then, he moves on to nibbling my breakfast, whatever that may be. Then there's the mid-morning snack, but that's another story.

Overall, though, I agree that the most successful breakfasts are high in protein. The article does point out that some people need more protein than others, which is interesting. Find out what works for you instead of looking to compare your diet to others, pound for pound.

Cell Phone Camera's "Ah-Ha" Uses

Having a good camera on your cell phone is a great way to take an impromptu, if mediocre, shot of a moment. After all, we don't always have our cameras. But there are some other camera uses that are handy. A friend and I were hashing out some these. I think he was inspired by Japanese technology.

Here's what we came up with.

• Take a picture of an item in a store, which includes the price. Go home, research the item and price. Is there a better item on the market? Is that Costco price better than Amazon? Easier and quicker than writing everything down.
  
  
• Take a photo of a specific item you need to get at the store. For example, that bottle of wine you really liked, or that ice cream that you'd better get right this time, or else!!
  
  
• Similarly, if you remember something after your S.O. left for the store, take a picture and send it.
  
  
• If you're going to a busy place with your child, take a picture of him/her before you set out. That way if the unimaginable happens, you not only have a recent picture, but you have a description of what s/he is wearing.
  
  
• Take pictures of your family members (or pets, toys, trains, planes, etc.) so you can show your kid when he's bored. If you're in a line (or on a plane) with your antsy little one, this might really, really, really come in handy. It might also help him get to know family members s/he doesn't get to see often.
  
  
• Take a picture of your rental car so you remember which one is yours.
  
  
• Take a picture of where you parked your car, which includes the floor and/or area number, so you can find it again. For that matter, take a shot of your hotel room number. Though avoid carrying anything that identifies your hotel just in case you lose your card key & phone.
  
  
• Maybe you're out and you want to see if you have spinach in your teeth, or check your hair, but there's no mirror around. Take a picture of yourself and check that gleeming smile beaming back at you.
  
  
• Take a photo of notes (e.g., chalkboard or whiteboard). Great for instant recall on meetings.
  
  
• Similarly, I've taken a picture of a flier on a bulletin board. Easier than any alternatives when toting a toddler.

Time Bandit

Ah, I'm not a fan of Daylight Savings. It's possibly my least liked day of the year. Why? After all, you get the benefit of longer days, brighter evenings, and that "summer" feeling from March thru November. Well, I don't like any day of the year that steals an hour of sleep from me, even if I do get it back in November (incidentally, my favorite day of the year). It's just wrong on so many levels. A lot of people like Daylight Savings. MetaDaddy is one of those people. We'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

Of course, family and friends in other countries (e.g., Ireland) haven't lost that hour yet. Since we moved our Daylight Savings forward, they've got another few weeks of yummy sleep, as do most other countries it seems. Then again, most of MetaDaddy's family is probably looking forward to longer days of daylight.

This is a good time to remember certain things like testing and changing the batteries in smoke alarms.

Enjoy!!

Revision: In addition to changing the time on your clocks, don't forget to change the time on other things set on timers like lamps, front door lighting, sprinklers, etc. You probably don't need the light in the living room on at 5PM any more ;-)

Auto and Driver's Tips

How Car Insurance Works - Baffled at how your auto insurance company determines how much to charge you for your preferred mode of transportation? They combine their loss data with that of the Highway Loss Data Institute. You can view and compare some interesting data on the costs of injury, collision and theft on all sorts of different cars.

New California Law - As of July 1, 2008, California drivers may only use a cell phone "if it has a hands-free listening and speaking system." There are also a few more laws that impact teen drivers here. All good stuff, though the wording that the phone need only have a hands-free option leaves room for loopholes in my opinion. I'm also a bit disappointed at the measly little fees. Per the AAA,

"Drivers ticketed for either offense will be subject to a base fine of $20 (at least $70 after penalties are added) for a first offense and $50 (at least $175 after penalties are added) for subsequent offenses."

Watch your tire pressure! Both of our cars have tire-inflation sensors. My sensor came on recently, and MetaDaddy inflated the tires. It turns out that my tires were at about 20 psi, though they should have been closer to 35. And when he checked his tires, they were even worse, though the car's sensor didn't alert him. I usually watch out for underinflated tires (it's a quirky hobby), and ours looked fine, which really got me to thinking that your tires can be severely underinflated without being visibly obvious. And if it's really obvious, you must be in serious trouble. Per the AAA, the "tire-inflation sensors are designed to give a warning when a tire is 25% underinflated." Perhaps our sensor is on the fritz. Hmm...

Why is an underinflated tire bad? It could cause:

• A blowout
• Increased stopping distance when braking
• Sluggish handling
  
• Poor gas mileage
  

So while the sensors can be handy, don't take your tires for granted. And if you know their underinflated, go fix 'em for goodness' sake!