Cookbook Review: Petit Appetit-Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

You want to eat right. You want your family to eat right. And maybe you'd like to eat with more organic ingredients too. But you also have picky eater and you're just trying to get by with anything your child will eat! And all of those things can seem so overwhelming that you just fall back on to your old standbys. And imagine trying to do all that and celebrate a special occasion too!

Enter Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Easy, Organic Snacks, Beverages, and Party Foods for Kids of All Ages! The author focuses on the special celebrations in a child's life AND keeping them healthy and delicious.

The first several chapters provide a basic introduction to learning more about what's in our foods with Do You Know What They're Eating? or Choosing Organic: Why, When and How. Also included are chapters on Instilling Good Eating Habits at Home and Away and Having Fun with Food and Family. The author provides practical tips for making these goals a reality in a realistic way that makes it really do-able.

The recipe section is divided into three main categories--Eat, Drink & Be Merry, you can find recipes for Chicken-Mango Quesadillas, Baked "Zuke" Sticks or Cheese and Egg Roll as things to "Eat". Or Mango-Carrot Smoothie, Almond Milk or Pear White Tea are sure to quench anyone's thirst in the "Drink" section! "Be Merry" offers not only recipes but party ideas for birthdays like Baby Bundt Cakes, Pizza Parties with Pesto Pizza Dough, and Holidays like an early New Year's Eve or St. Patrick's Day with Spinach Hummus or even "any day" celebrations like a Picnic in the Park or First Day of Snow Chocolatey Cookies

But what makes this book especially good is that the recipes are really do-able! You don't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen to provide healthy and tasty treats for those special celebrations (or just whenever!) The author makes choosing a recipe extra easy too with the symbols for each recipe--things like Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegetarian, Wheat-Free, Group Pleasers, Perfect for Packing and more will tell you at a glance if the recipe that sounds good to you is just right.

If you have little ones in your life and you're looking for ways to make healthy meals that taste good, Petit Appetit is a great place to start!