A Review by Melinda MacNaughton

Organically Raised by Anni Daulter

Reprinted with permission from www.greenmoms.com; minor revisions courtesy of the author.

Sept. 1, 2010 —  I really like this cookbook; it covers all the areas I need to think about when cooking for my family.

For beginners who don’t know much about nutrition, it starts with the basics of children’s everyday nutritional needs so we can be aware of how to provide a variety of foods. Most of the recipes are very easy to prepare as well.

Every time I open this book, it reminds me that I can add more antioxidants and nutrients to my children’s food. The author helps us by giving us basic ideas and recipes for snacks and meals for babies and toddlers, showing us multicultural recipes that can inspire adventurous eaters, and providing healthy low-sugar dessert recipes. This is all entwined with high-antioxidant vitamin-packed ingredients, a Zen appreciation for relaxing and enjoying the moment, and a slow-food-movement emphasis on cooking with joy and love — and taking time to fully enjoy the food.

I find this cookbook unique in that the recipes incorporate vegetables, fruit, nuts and “healthy mix-ins” (high-antioxidant foods such as acai berries and flax seed) into almost every recipe, including the desserts! My latest favorite breakfast recipe is Jenny’s Easy Cheesy Egg Soufflés. They are individual egg dishes you cook in a muffin pan, creating tiny soufflés of high-antioxidant breadcrumb crust, topped with eggs and cheese. Yum! My family really likes this one. And, when my baby turns 1, I look forward to trying the Baby Turns 1 No-Sugar Cake. It utilizes a variety of puréed fruits, fruit juice, blueberries, ground flax seed, and — believe it or not — spinach! If you are nervous about that one, you could always leave it out, but I believe it will blend in well without being noticed.