By Katy Killilea

Do you eat exclusively organic food? Have you been thinking and reading about eating only foods originating within a hundred-mile radius of your home? This is not about that. This is about getting beautiful produce for less money in these last few weeks before our farmers’ markets and CSA shares get into full swing. I’m talking about Price Rite.

I had never been to a Price Rite until this spring, when I was stranded at a Monster Mini Golf birthday party and needed to get some oranges. (The Price Rite in Seekonk is adjacent to Monster Mini Golf.) My expectations were low. I thought it would be dirty, and that I’d have to hunt through a heap of squalid oranges to find a few edible ones.

As usual, I was wrong. The produce at Price Rite is beautiful! The broccoli rabe stands at attention (not whimpering and weary like the rabe at my Shaw’s); the cauliflower is free of those icky gray spots; and there are heaps and heaps of melons, bright bell peppers, and hot peppers, more varieties than I could name. And everything costs less than at a Shaw’s or Stop & Shop.

The produce is what attracts me to Price Rite, but there are other good bargains: pints of Italian Ice for $1.49 (”also perfect for blender drinks”) that are free of high fructose corn syrup—just fruit, sugar, and coldness. There is a large area filled with yummy Portuguese baked goods made in Fall River. A living encyclopedia of dry chiles, an imported Italian foods section, tons of cheeses (not an artisinal one in the lot!) and meats, Spongebob yogurt, and juice boxes galore (Juicy Juice, $1.99 for eight).

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By Katy Killilea

Have you seen the shiny blue coffee bags of Bristol Harbor Homemade baking mixes? These mixes for cookies, scones, and breads are the ingenious creation of local area parent Cindy Elder. After she assembled baking mixes in Mason jars for a fundraiser at her daughter’s elementary school, people kept requesting more, more, and more. Now the mixes are sold in hundreds of stores nationwide. Yum!

Even if you don’t usually bake from mixes, these are irresistible, even for the mix snobs in your life. The ingredients contain all the baking basics: oats, sugar, flour, and the like. You add your own beer/rum/water/melted butter/canola oil as directed. The company will soon be entirely nut free, with the mixes packaged in an entirely nut-free facility in Maine. As it is now, any nuts are separated from the rest of the mix in a sealed foil packet.

My four-year-old son and I recently made Chocolate Chip Bakery Cookies. Dump, measure water, melt butter, pour, stir, bake. The house filled with the wonderful scent, and the cookies were delicious. My boy chose to leave out the walnuts, which I munched on all morning. Could we have made the cookies from scratch? Sure, but this was awfully convenient. We made the whole shebang before 9:30 a.m. so we could pack the cookies in a picnic and hit the road.

Available in nine varieties online at bristolharborhomemade.com and locally all over the place: Belmont’s in Wakefield, Clements’ Market in Portsmouth, Coastal Roasters in Tiverton, Eastside Marketplace and Whole Foods on the East Side, the Market at Cutler Mills in Warren, Wickford Gourmet, Teapots & Tassles in Barrington, and many other locations in Rhode Island, the United States, and Bermuda.

Read about the owner Cindy Elder of Bristol Harbor Homemade in the Kidoinfo interview series - Home Work.

Photography by Katy Killilea

When my kids were babies and just starting to eat solids, I wanted to be sure that what they ate was good for them (giving them the proper fuel to grow) and hopefully tasted yummy as well. Healthy, organic baby food was becoming more available in the grocery store six years ago, but choices were limited and usually came in a jar. Now parents have a wider variety of baby foods to choose from but the choices don’t measure up the same in terms of health and nutrition. Since there are no babies in our house anymore, I asked one of our readers to sample Happy Baby food. The company claims their frozen organic baby meals are as healthy and delicious as homemade. Dad, Fritz Lanz tells us what he and Ezra (age - 10 months) think of the food:

Hold on to your re-usable hemp shopping bags! The world of baby food has changed with the arrival of Happy Baby.

The carrots are carrot orange, they smell like carrots, look like carrots, and, yes, taste like carrots. Same goes for the peas, pears, squash, sweet potatoes, and apples. Big deal, some might say? Not so for those of you who have dared to taste the jarred brownish stuff that stands in for baby food (even if a former co-worker of mine used to eat the stuff with raw hotdogs – I’m serious).

The makers of Happy Baby seem to have a high level of respect for their clientele. So much so that there is a good chance that if your little one eats Happy Baby, he or she may eat better than you. Check out the ingredients included in my household’s favorite, Baby Dahl:

organic red lentils, organic potatoes, organic carrots, organic olive oil, organic cinnamon and organic coriander, DHA algal oil

Come on, when’s the last time you cooked with coriander? And don’t even get me started on DHA (even though I have no idea what that is).

I have always preferred to make my own baby food, freezing pureed veggies and fruit in ice cube trays. I still do this for my third child, but I was in need of some inspiration after making applesauce for the twelfth night in a row. My first words upon opening Happy Baby for the first time were, “Oh, it looks just like what I make.” Exactly! Good, healthy, “homemade” food without me having to make it.

Does our baby like it? Yes, indeed! He gobbles it up fast enough so his five-year-old sister doesn’t eat it first.

By Katy Killilea

Is it just some frothy, popular misconception that GPs used to freely give mothers (or as I imagine we were called in those days, “wives”) prescriptions for Valium? I think about that a lot; it seems always to be on weekdays at 4:52 PM when I start thinking about it, and then usually one child will whine that the other pinched him, and my husband will call to say he’s stuck in traffic. I do not mean to make light of drug dependency or anxiety disorders–in fact, I consider myself to be suffering from both. It’s just that my drugs are not from a pharmacy. My drugs are not from the street. My drugs are from the grocery store and I am not sure they are working at all. But I do not stop using them. For what it’s worth, these are the Mother’s Little Helpers that might work–sort of–for me.

Bach’s Rescue Remedy ($10 per bottle; available in the homeopathy section of Whole Foods and CVS) This is a blend of flower essences, in a bottle a wee bit smaller than a 1983 Bonnie Bell Lipsmacker. You carry it with you and squirt some on your tongue (like Binaca!) whenever you start to feel tense. Sometimes it works, but this may be because the flowers are marinating in what tastes suspiciously like grain alcohol.

Diet Coke Plus ($2.50 for 12 cans at every grocery store and gas station.) Diet Coke is my afternoon pick-me-up of choice. Diet Coke Plus promises the same gentle caffeine lift, with the “plus” of niacin, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins B6 and B12. It tastes only a little bit less good than Diet Coke, and it provides some sort of reassuring illusion that, at the very least, even if the rest of your afternoon is a wipeout, you will get 15% of the USRDA of those few nutrients. Unfortunately, Diet Coke Plus is not yet available in the cuter (8-ounce) size can hat all of the cool people seem to be using these days.

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By Katy Killilea

My good intentions come and go, but I know that I am – at least theoretically – committed to not single handedly destroying the earth or feeding my children with pesticides and other scary things. (Except for when I’m not committed.) To help me move toward this grocery ideal, I am grateful to the conscientious people who produce wallet guides. Having a little card reminding me what’s most earth-friendly and kid-healthy in terms of berries or fish or tissues can be very reassuring. And frankly, by the time February rolls around, I don’t consult the wallet guides any more. I just buy the same safe-seeming things over and over. But of course, research continues and the recommendations keep changing, so with every new year, revised versions of the wallet guides are available to download.

There are many to choose from – I’ve included the ones I think of as reliable.

• Regarding fish (download pdf)
• Regarding produce (download pdf)
• Regarding household paper products (download pdf)

Grocery News is occasional posts about food items. Sharing great discoveries, tips and ideas helps make parenting a little easier. Share your food thoughts with us by clicking comments below or contact us with your story ideas.

By Katy Killilea

I love cooking and I love eating, and I love takeout and I love going out to eat, but sometimes I love nothing more that serving my kids some questionable food from a can. It has been happening at our house with some regularity, so we try to make the most of it. And it can be faster and cheaper than a large cheese pizza special in Barrington on a Tuesday night (Trendy’s $5 Tuesday night pizza deal on Maple Avenue.)

This list includes only those dinners neither of my children whined or cried over. They are all slightly nutritious – and by nutritious I mean hotter than a bowl of cereal. They are all foods that can be kept in the pantry or freezer to have handy when the need strikes. If you have others to recommend, please do so by adding a comment!

1. Annie Chun’s Pad Thai
All of us enjoy the pad thai from this “meal kit.” As with any pad thai noodles, you prepare them by soaking them and then stir-frying the whole shebang together. So even though this is a convenience food, it brings you pretty close to actual cooking. You can add whatever vegetables, tofu, chicken, etc., you like and happen to have on hand. The sauce tastes authentic and contains only what you would put in your own pad thai sauce—that is, if you had time to get out the soy sauce, fish sauce, pepper sauce…oh, it is too exhausting to list the number of bottles you won’t have to haul out if you use the Annie Chun’s kit. (Annie Chun’s noodle kits can be purchased at Whole Foods, Shaw’s, and Eastside Marketplace.)

2. Nate’s Zesty Italian Meatless Meatballs
Heat these tasty ping-pong balls in some Buddy Cianci “Mayor’s Own” marinara and serve with spaghetti, if you have time to boil water. My children love these. And they are not meat-deprived children: They have had regular exposure to real meatballs made by real Italians. If you can’t boil the water for pasta, I’ve found that kids will enjoy these with bread as a sandwich. My husband and I don’t especially care for them – Luckily we are fully grown and can survive on peanut M&Ms. (Nate’s Meatless Meatballs can be found at the University Heights Whole Foods.)

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by Katy Killilea

Ocean State Job Lot has many adherents. My husband’s family (they are native Rhode Islanders) considers it the intelligent shopper’s choice for sunglasses, gardening supplies, and anniversary gifts. I have long thought of it as an admittedly good place to buy cans of Polar seltzer, but overall it’s a hit-or-miss, tape’s-not-sticky, weird-brand, ugly toy, better-off-without-it kind of place. That is, until this afternoon, when I found myself in Job Lot with time to kill, and guess what? I hit the jackpot.

Here are my finds, proudly photographed in case you can’t believe it. And consider that I found them all in under 20 minutes!

1. Borlotti beans from Bob’s Red Mill (27-ounce bag for $3.29). I will use these to make thick soup for the chilly nights ahead. They are the prettiest, most luscious beans, and I have not been able to find them elsewhere. All the Ocean State Job Lots are now well stocked with every esoteric flour, grain, bean, and cereal Bob’s makes. I do not think the prices are especially low, but the selection is great. And unlike some foodstuffs at Job Lot, these are not on the verge of expiration: none of the packages I saw expired until 2009.

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by Katy Killilea

Our school principal recently sent a letter to parents encouraging us to celebrate kids’ birthdays in school by bringing in low-fat string cheese or a fresh fruit platter instead of cupcakes. The reason? Childhood obesity. I thought this was pretty ridiculous. Not childhood obesity, of course, because that’s a real and serious problem. But no birthday cupcakes in elementary school? Impossible!

So I was happy to see an Op-Ed piece in the town paper making fun of the principal’s letter. And I was even happier to see a recent New York Times article about the cupcake situation. Apparently, school banning of cupcakes is a nationwide trend that didn’t originate in Barrington, R.I. Imagine that.

Let’s agree not to let a birthday go by without a batch of cupcakes. Whether you risk bringing them in to school or you enjoy them in the privacy of your home, bake them well and often. You can make great cupcakes from scratch fast, with no special ingredients or hauling out of electrical appliances. Chocolate or vanilla, your choice – these come from ingredients you have on hand.

Fast Chocolate Cupcakes
(makes one dozen)
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by Katy Killilea

Yes, you’re busy. And no, you’re not a self-righteous environmentalist freak (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But you can still pack a trash-free lunch for your child. And you might even have to if your child’s school has “trash-free” lunch days.

I know how I feel about this: EVERY day should include a trash-free lunch, and my son should eat every morsel and come home raving about how tasty it was. The reality, however, is that I’m afraid much of his food winds up in the trash. And I use more milk boxes and pre-packaged yogurts and popcorns than I’d ever admit on my application to the Green Mommies League. However, I usually try to pack a less trashy lunch.

This is what I’m glad to have on hand:

1. A reusable water bottle. There are so many choices: From Spiderman to skate-punk, and mermaids to cartoony Swiss animals (Little Siggs). It’s best to have a reusable container dedicated to your child’s drinking water so it won’t pick up other flavors. Write your child’s name on it with a Sharpie and don’t let your spouse leave it to rot under the passenger seat.

2. A reusable juice or milk container. We use the cylindrical 7-ounce bottles from Rubbermaid (I attached a picture). This is both a huge cost and trash savings! You can mix your own juice-water blend or your own chocolate milk with as much or as little syrup as you deem fit. Very satisfying for the sugar-control lunch packer in the family. I have been using the same ones for ages–they really last. Rubbermaid containers seem to be available everywhere: Target, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop. They are even available in the shape of chubby little bears. (see photo above)

3. Some way to contain and keep sandwichs fresh. If you are not ready to give up disposable bags, try the middle path: use Ziplocs when you cannot bear another thing to wash but have reusable options handy. I have already come clean as a Tupperware fetishist. (Tupperware makes the classic sandwich box, pictured.) Wrap-n-mat.com makes an oilcloth and velcro number that wraps the sandwich and opens up to a placemat. (see photo above) I do not yet own any, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

4. Lots of four-ounce containers. Again, these are available everywhere and in many iterations. I got mine from Tupperware. They don’t wear out so I never get to shop for more, natch. Four-ounce containers are perfect for yogurt (to which you can add as much or as little fruit/sugar/honey as you think your child should consume), crackers, cheese cubes, pasta, sliced fruit, cookies, popcorn, Pringles, chocolate truffles, marshmallows. Remember, you don’t have to fill them with granola or hummus and support Ralph Nader’s candidacy (although you well might!)–junk foods fit too!

More usefel ideas at Reusablebags.com, Swissknifeshop.com (free shipping on a Sigg water bottles!), and Veganlunchbox.com (I almost hope this one is a joke. Lunches too perfect to achieve.)

by Katy Killilea

I love soft ice cream. I love it more than any boutique, homemade, small-batch, green tea ice cream. For a long time the only soft ice cream I could find in our area was at the Dairy Queen in the mall. How foolish! I’ve long wished that someone would present me with a list of recommendations. And so, as a service to Kidoinfo readers, my sons and I devoted a portion of our summer researching this topic.

Keep in mind, this list is not comprehensive. There are many, many more places that I have yet to investigate. I am not including prices, because, as you’ll find, it’s fairly cheap compared to the fancy stuff. And although I often like my vanilla soft serve with crushed Heath Bars added in, for scientific purposes, we decided to focus solely on vanilla soft serve cones in our survey.

Please add your own favorites by posting a comment.

ESKIMO KING - 29 Market Street, Swansea, MA. (508) 379-0202
Yay: This place rocks! A giant statue of a Bob’s Big Boyish-looking guy adorns their sign. Delicious, perfect vanilla soft serve. Swings, benches, picnic tables, a big shady lawn with a curious giant rock to clamber upon.
Boo: It might be a bit remote for some people.

SUNDAES - 259 Taunton Avenue, Seekonk, MA. (508) 336-5584
Yay: Delicious. Wonderful flavor and consistency. Generous portions–even the “kiddie” size is big. Happy staff. Behind the shack kids can ride a teeny-tiny carousel with three maniacally grinning animals for 50 cents. Plenty of picnic tables.
Boo: Not much room for kids to run around. Views of car dealerships.

RIVERSIDE CREAMERY - 447 Willet Avenue, Riverside, RI. (401) 437-3078
Yay: Solid vanilla flavor. Convenient to Bullock’s Park and the carousel. Plenty of picnic tables.
Boo: Right on an unattractive piece of (busy) road.

DARI B - 240 Bullocks Point Avenue, Riverside, RI. (401) 433-1931
Yay: Good-enough tasting. Great location right on the bike path.
Boo: Although the ice cream is good enough to pull your bike over, this is not soft vanilla nirvana. Grouchy personnel. And the kiddie size is, true to its name, rather small.

DEL’S LEMONADE - Warren (on the East Bay Bike Path), RI
Yay: Great location
Boo: Gross vanilla. Tastes stale and sour. Stick to the lemonade.

LINCOLN CREAMERY - 276 Front Street, Lincoln, RI. (401) 724-1050
Yay: The real deal here is the yogurt soft serve blended from real fruit. It comes in a variety of flavors that you can have singly or mixed (strawberry-banana is popular), and it tastes much better than their bland regular vanilla soft serve (plus, you’ll feel more virtuous having something with “yogurt” in the name).
Boo: It looks a little old and beat-up, and seating on a hot day is only out front in full sun. To beat the heat, try sitting on the ground around the side where the cars park.

DAIRY QUEEN & MCDONALDS
I wish I could say I don’t like these, but both DQ & McDonalds have scrumptious, perfect tasting vanilla soft serve cones. ($3.50 and 59 cents, respectively.)

Grocery News is occasional posts about food items. Sharing great discoveries, tips and ideas helps make parenting a little easier. Share your food thoughts with us by clicking comments below or contact us with your story ideas.