In today's society more than 50% of married women with children have one major thing in common, we are struggling with the task of getting our families to eat healthier. It doesn't help matters that every time you turn on the television the FDA is warning you against this food or that food. On top of that there are all those sugary and fatty treats that the kids beg you for every time you walk into a grocery store.  When did it become so difficult to get your family to eat three square meals of reasonably healthy food?  Growing up, I don't remember being allowed to be picky or refusing to eat my vegetables; you just ate what was in front of you, no questions asked.  But today is a new day; now we have various experts giving us all sorts of ideas on how to get our families to eat well and we have children that just out and out refuse to eat their vegetables. If you are one of the many who have experienced the difficulties of getting your family to eat something that isn't processed, that isn't loaded with chemicals, or that you can't pronounce then you are going to love Dinner Diaries.  Author Betsy Block tells her story of trying to get her children, Zack and Maya, and husband Andy to eat better.  Combining the information she obtained from a renowned nutritionist and her own research she set out to achieve her goal as quickly as possible to fix the damage that may have already been done to her growing children. 

The best thing about this book is that not only is it informative (she shares all the information that she obtained in her quest) but it's also laugh out loud funny.  I guarantee that you will find yourself nodding your head in agreement with Ms. Block more than once as she shares her story.  I won't tell you how Ms. Block and her family made out with their new found eating habits, you'll have to find that out for yourself. But here are a couple recipes from the book that are definitely winners.  

Even the Kids Love Butternut Squash When It’s in This Pie

From Dinner Diaries by Betsy Block, Algonquin Books 2008.

Just hours after I got an assignment from Wondertime magazine to write about winter squash, Maya, then four, (physically) said,

“I want to eat squash more often.”

“You do?” I asked, eyes wide.

She nodded emphatically and said, “Yes! I do!”

Naturally I was more than a little surprised by this turn of events, but then I thought about it for a minute and decided to seize the moment.

“We can have more squash!” I told her enthusiastically, at which point we both burst out laughing. Winter squash had suddenly brought so much happiness into our lives! She then helped me bake squash pies until we came up with this recipe, which, amazingly, she and Zack both love, so naturally Andy won’t try it.

Serves 8–12

• 1 small (2-pound) butternut squash (about 2 cups mashed)
  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  1 frozen deep-dish pie crust
  ½ cup light cream
  ¾ cup sugar
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  ½ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
  ¼ teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
  1/8 teaspoon salt
  3 large eggs, at room temperature
  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Halve the squash lengthwise, and then scoop out the seeds. Line a baking pan with foil and put the squash in the pan, cut sides up.  Rub the cut sides with oil, and bake until very soft, about 1 hour.

Half an hour after you put the squash in the oven, take the pie crust out of the freezer; defrost until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Have your helper prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork, then bake it next to the squash until the edges just start to turn brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Take the squash and pie crust out of the oven and set them on a rock to cool. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. When the squash has cooled a bit, help your sous chef scoop the flesh into a blender or the bowl of a food processor. Add the cream, sugar, spices, and eggs. Pulse, scraping down the sides as needed, until smooth.

Put the cooled pie shell on a cookie sheet and pour in squash mixture. Bake until the filling is set and crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. (After 20 minutes, check the crust; if it’s getting too brown, tent a large piece of aluminum foil over the pie while it finishes baking.)

Cool pie 15 minutes before serving. If you want to save it for later, cool it to room temperature (about 2 hours) and then store in the fridge. (Bring the pie back to room temperature before serving.)

Celeriac Bisque

From Dinner Diaries by Betsy Block, Algonquin Books 2008. 

(Adapted from Epicurious.com)

We served this bisque on a cold winter’s night; it was smooth, creamy, and a beautiful off-white. The three of us all had second servings (and at least Maya’s plate was whole wheat). After dinner, I said with a smile, “It’s good, right?” Andy nodded, paused, then asked, “But what’s for dinner?”

Serves 6–8

• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped celery
• ½ cup coarsely chopped shallots (about 3 large shallots)
• 2 pounds celery root (celeriac), peeled, woody parts trimmed and discarded, and cut into  
• ½-inch cubes (about 5½ cups)
• 1 10-ounce russet potato, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• ¼ cup light cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the celery, cover, and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the shallots; sauté uncovered 3 minutes. Stir in celery-root cubes, potato, broth, and thyme. Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and puree until smooth. Stir the cream into the soup, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with additional chopped thyme, and serve hot.

About Dinner Diaries

I'd always thought food was pretty straightforward: you're hungry, you eat; you're not, you don't. Then I became a mother." So begins Betsy Block's humorous, life-changing book on the ultimate of all makeovers: improving the family meal. But how is her plan even possible when eleven-year old Zack's favorite food is Halloween candy; little Maya is so picky that she'll only eat cut squares of white bread; and her husband's idea of a gift is an electric fryer?

Determined not to give up the good-food fight, Betsy comes up with a creative ten-step makeover plan. She consults experts, visits farms, and shows how she and her family manage the pitfalls, struggles, and triumphs of eating well when busy schedules, surreptitious lunch trades, snack machines, permissive grandparents, and willful temptations intervene. With helpful charts, food lists, recipes, tips, and suggested culinary and farm programs for kids, The Dinner Diaries chronicles one family's intrepid ten-month challenge to change the way they eat—one forkful at a time.

Available at Amazon.com

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