The Cleaner Plate Club

At last, feeding kids well doesn't have to be a battle! Parents are all too familiar with the challenges in serving fresh, healthful food. There are picky eaters, cereal aisle tantrums, and school menus that are more nuggets than nutritious. Complicating matters, the most healthful foods don't come with their own directions.  Finally, there's hope for parents who want to swim against the ever-rising tide of Pop Tarts and potato chips.  The Cleaner Plate Club offers a friendly, non-judgmental, and often humorous guide to feeding kids seasonally, healthfully, and without fuss.  Written by two working moms, The Cleaner Plate Club offers simple solutions, recipes, meal suggestions, and tips to help parents get kids to eat good food that's been grown locally or organically and -- guess what? -- enjoy it. They recognize that cooking real food isn't difficult, but it does require some know-how, which they supply with humor and compassion. Together, the authors show readers how to prepare foods found at the farmers' market, plan ahead and estimate prep time, and get used to cooking food that doesn't come with printed directions. Their fresh advice will help parents eliminate food waste, plan for leftovers, present foods that are appealing to kids, and quit fighting with their children about food.  The Cleaner Plate Club offers kid-tested recipes for every meal, basic vegetable preparations for farmers' market finds, and more healthful recipes for sweets and snacks. Readers will also find shopping strategies, the reasons kids like the foods they do, and vegetable profiles (including nutrition information and tips on selection, storage, and preparation). Expert advice and innovative ideas about feeding kids make this book a must-have for any parent. Fresh, funny, and nonjudgmental, The Cleaner Plate Club is a recipe for healthier kids and happier parents.

Beth Bader has been a photojournalist, writer, and shark wrangler.  As much activist as cook, she is, most of all, a mom determined to make the world a better place for her child, one meal at a time. She is a food blogger and contributes to EatLocalChallenge.com and  EatDrinkBetter.com.

Ali Benjamin is a freelance writer living in Western Massachusetts. She has worked for large corporations and small grassroots organizations, but her proudest accomplishment is watching her daughter dive happily into a bowl of kale. She writes for the Ethicurean.