Chef Jeffrey Marshall, Chef/Owner of Aquagrill gave us tips and tricks on how to prepare seafood and getting kids to love it. He showed us how to make several dishes, which we got to enjoy after he finished each demo. We sampled the delicious Crostini of Sorrento Fresh Mozzarella with Truffle Spinach and Wild Mushrooms over Rocket Arugula with Aged Balsamic Vinegar,  Sautéed Wild Pacific Shrimp (pictured) with President Feta Cheese Gnocchi, Parisienne Zucchini and Roasted Plum Tomatoes in a Fresh Basil Sauce  – which was divine, recipe at the end of this post) and the super yummy Sorrento Velvety Smooth Ricotta Cheese Sorbet with Warm Local Strawberries in a Strawberry Syrup.

We loved all three recipes, but the one I will be making soon is the Sautéed Wild Pacific Shrimp.

Besides sampling these dishes, we learned that Stop & Shop is committed to selling only Sustainable Seafood — read more about their Sustainable Seafood Policy here. They are also committed to buying local produce and supporting family farms.

Photos courtesy of Kimberly Coleman of Mominthecity.com

For the Sautéed Wild Pacific Shrimp recipe, click more.

Sautéed Wild Pacific Shrimp with President Feta Cheese Gnocchi, Parisienne Zucchini and Roasted Plum Tomatoes in a Fresh Basil Sauce
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

8 Plum Tomatoes, Halved
20 Mellon Balls of Zucchini
20 Large Shrimp, Peeled, Deveined, and Cut in Half
2 Tablespoons Chopped Garlic
6 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Reserve 3 Ounces for Sautéing Shrimp)
1/2 Teaspoon Chopped Thyme
Salt to Taste
Pepper to Taste

Gnocchi Ingredients

1 Pound Potatoes, Peeled
12 Ounces President Feta Cheese
1 Pound Flour
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Egg
Pepper to Taste

Gnocchi Method

Boil Potatoes until tender.  Place Potatoes on a sheet tray in a 400 degree oven and dry for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and pass through food mill.  Place Flour over the Potatoes.  Add in Egg, Egg Yolks, and Feta Cheese.  Slowly mix Potato and Flour until thoroughly combined.  Roll into 1/2 inch balls.

Basil Sauce Ingredients

3 Ounces White Chicken Stock (or Broth)
6 Ounces Butter
1/2 Bunch Basil (Reserve 4 Basil Tops for Garnish)
Salt to Taste
Pepper to Taste

Basil Sauce Method

Boil Chicken Stock and Butter together.  Chop Basil, Stems and Leaves.  Add Basil to boiling Chicken Stock and Butter.  Transfer to blender.  Blend until smooth and bright green.  Strain through fine sieve or chamois.  Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Vegetable Garnish

Season Tomatoes with Salt and Pepper.  Add Garlic and Thyme.  Place on sheet pan in oven at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until soft but not mushy.  Cool, peel skin, then rough chop.  Adjust Seasoning.  Blanch Zucchini balls in boiling Salted water until water begins to boil at the edge of the pot.  Remove to iced Salted water.  Strain and reserve.

Cooking Method and Plating

Season Shrimp with Salt and Pepper.  In medium sauté pan add 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil.  When pan beings to smoke, add Shrimp and sauté for 30 seconds.  Add Tomatoes, Zucchini and Basil Sauce.  Spoon on to plate.  Garnish with Basil Tops and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Aquagrill. Pictures Courtesy of Kimberly Coleman (Mominthecity.com). Writer was gifted with a Stop & Shop gift card and coupon vouchers. If anyone would like all the recipes emailed to them, please leave a comment or ask @Nancy_Horn on twitter.

Safety 1st® Nature Next™ Bio-Plastic Booster Seat is made from 50% bio-plastic, which is developed from renewable plant resources.

I like it because the the booster seat includes adjustable chair straps and non-slip rubber feet to help keep the seat steady. While it’s not adjustable, it is perfect for children who need a smaller boost to reach the table.

You’ll have to thread the chair straps in the back and bottom of the chair, but it was pretty simple. It also has a 3-point harness, which my 2 1/2 year old can use (when she sits in his seat). Add in a low price and this feeding booster seat is a bargain!   Get it on Amazon for $10.99 with free shipping.

Thank you to Safety 1st for providing a sample for review.

About: Healthy Child, Healthy World is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding global awareness and understanding about the environmental hazards that are potentially hazardous to children that unfortunately exist in today’s modern world. They aim to increase awareness one parent at a time – so we can make better choices for our children.

To me, it’s about making small, daily changes.  Global change starts with one family, and over the last few years, I’ve been trying to make subtle changes in my family’s living on a daily basis.  The world isn’t what it was when we were once kids.  There are chemicals everywhere and they are harmful to our children.

My hope is that in being a part of this volunteer position, I can not only help to spread the word but help to learn what changes I can make in my own home to make it a safer environment for my children.  Because I’ll be the first to admit that while I’ve made a lot of changes in the last few years (eating more organically, buying all-natural products when I can), I’m still pretty mainstream and I’m looking forward to educating myself and my family towards living a healthier lifestyle.

Some info for you guys.  First off, watch this video.  If it doesn’t move you to want to make a change, then you weren’t paying attention and need to watch again.

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

I could go on and on but we’ll start with this intro post.  In the coming months, I hope to bring you tons of useful information via Healthy Child, Healthy World that will help to educate Mommies with Style readers on ways to have a cleaner and safer home.

Giveaway: Along with this announcement, I have one prize pack available from Healthy Child, Healthy World.  It includes a copy of Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, and other print materials including a pocket shopping guide (awesome for trips to the store).

To enter, leave a comment below.  Get a second entry but retweeting this post or posting about this giveaway.  Be sure to @mommieswstyle so I know you’ve done it!  One winner will be selected after June 14.

The activity tips were great, but we really loved the 75 + kid-friendly recipes. The Hummus Faces are now a popular way to kick off dinner in my home. Feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand.  Click “More” to see the recipe, posted on the Amazon.com page for this book.

Hummus Heads

Serves: 2
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: None

Ingredients
2 romaine lettuce leaves, cut into very thin strips
1/4 cup drained bottled roasted red pepper strips
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 pitted black olives, sliced
1 Kirby cucumber, sliced
2 whole-wheat English muffins, split in half and toasted
1/2 cup hummus

Instructions
Place the lettuce, red pepper strips, tomatoes, olives, and cucumber slices in piles on a plate. Spread the English muffins with the hummus, then use the vegetables to make funny faces on them: lettuce or pepper strips can be hair, tomatoes or olives can be eyes, cucumber slices can be ears―use your imagination, adding any vegetables you like, and have fun!

Per Serving: (3 decorated English muffin halves): 279 Cal, 9 g Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 0 mg Chol, 819 mg Sod, 42 g Carb, 10 g Fib, 12 g Prot, 218 mg Calc.

Kids Can… In addition to decorating their own sandwiches, kids can use plastic knives to halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the black olives.

Find Weight Watchers Eat! Move! Play! on Amazon.

Reviewer received a sample copy for testing purposes.

Sponsored by Hebrew National, May 22nd’s Better-Than-A-Picnic event is the kick-off to a national tour of picnics that will focus on giving back to the community by focusing on a charity activity while picnic attendees can eat yummy food, ride a mechanical bull, meet a surprise celeb guest and dance to a DJ! Kids are invited!

Here’s a list of the other Mom bloggers who are involved in this event:

Isabel, Alpha Mom
Jen, Next Kid Thing
Suzanne, Mom Confessionals
Amy, Selfish Mom
Anna, Mommy Poppins
Carol, NY City Mama
Amy P., Long Island Parent Source
Kimberly, Mom in the City
Lisa, New York Chica
Kelsey, Naptime Chef
Jo-Lynne, Musings of a Housewife
Melissa, GirlyMama
Cecily K, Uppercase Woman

It should be a great shin-dig!  I’m really excited to ride what I’m dubbing the Philly party bus up to Randall’s Island with some of my favorite Philly Mom bloggers.

Last year, Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife was the fabulous mastermind behind the organization of the 2009 Hebrew National Picnic with a Purpose here in Philadelphia.  It was an awesome event and I’m really looking forward to this year’s picnic up in New York.  If you live nearby at all, you should consider coming!  Visit theMotherhood’s Picnic with a Purpose page for more details or email me at whitney @ mommieswithstyle.com to RSVP.

There’s still room on the bus from Philly for anyone local who is interested.  Email me!

Disclosure: I am being compensated for helping to host this event.

The finished product. There was more but the kids got ahold of it before I could take a picture!

So I don’t know that I’ve ever posted a recipe right here on the Mommies with Style blog. But as I’ve been actively trying to make better food choices and healthier decisions for my family, it’s been on my mind a lot.  Here’s a great recipe I recently made that the kids loved.  Healthy and yummy, what’s not to love?

—

My sister is vegan.  We had Thanksgiving last year with my side of the family and since most of the food the rest of us cook involves either turkey or cheese, she took it upon herself to make her own side dish to share.  It was so good and my kids loved it!  I recently recreated my own version of it – try it!  My kids do like vegetables so we’re lucky – but they wouldn’t touch tofu if it weren’t cooked in a creative fashion:

Abbie’s Tofu & Veggie Mix
evoo
1 container of firm tofu, cubed
3 ample squeezes or scoops from Herb Blend (in tube in produce section)
Assorted vegetables (I used a Vegetable Medley of Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrots from my local grocery store)
salt & pepper to taste
parmesan cheese (optional) to taste

Heat up some evoo in a frying pan at medium heat for a few minutes.  Add cubed tofu. (My store has it prepackaged already cubed, which is great!  But if you can’t find it, just cube it up beforehand.)

Let it cook and heat up 5-7 minutes until it starts to lightly brown.  Add veggies and squeezes of herb tube.

Cover and let cook for another 5 minutes or so, lifting lid to stir occassionally.

That’s it!  Make sure the tofu is browned on a few sides – I think that’s really the key to making sure it’s picked up some of the other flavors around it.  I also added a very light amount of parmesean at the very end but it definitely wasn’t necessary.  The kids are already asking when I can make it again!

On March 11, Hidden Valley^® and actress Jennie Garth hosted Veggie Central – right in the middle of New York City’s Grand Central Station.

I attended with my 2 year old and she loved running around the vegetable forest (which was large cutouts of veggies). I also loved seeing the fountains of Ranch Dressing, and seeing a vegetable gardening demo from Jeanne Pinsof Nolan (The Organic Gardener). Before the event, I spoke to Jeanne and she told me that even though my older child doesn’t eat many vegetables, the raw cucumbers he actually likes, are a good start.

Actress (and mom of 3!) Jennie Garth hosted this event. She’s joined forces with the makers of Hidden Valley^® Salad Dressings for Love Your Veggies™ campaign.  Fourth and fifth grade students from two NYC schools got to meet Jennie, prepare veggie recipes (yum..bagel smiles) and learned about the importance of incorporating vegetables for a well-balanced diet. She talked about how she helps her three daughters develop a love of vegetables– click here to see her fantastic tips!

Jennie Garth is currently starring in the iVillage.com Webisode series “Garden Party” sponsored by Hidden Valley^® Salad Dressings.

The writer attended the event but did not receive any samples or compensation.

We love Revolution Foods (click here to read my review from last year). Our favorite item was the Organic Jammy Sammys - snack-sized sandwich bars . We were psyched to learn they’ve added Blueberries & Oatmeal to their line up. Plus, they’ve also added 3 types of Organic Grammy Sammys — yogurt-filled soft graham sandwich bars.  Choose from Honey Graham & Strawberry Yogurt, Cocoa Graham & Banana Yogurt, and Cinnamon Graham & Vanilla Yogurt. Both of my children loved these snack sized treats.  We will be stocking up on these for lunchboxes. You can’t go wrong with 100% whole grains and organic yogurt!

We love Happy Baby Food in my house! This organic baby food company, recently finalists for NBC’s Shine-a-Light award, has some terrific, healthy products for your children. We swooned over their Happy Bites (the salmon fish sticks were awesome),  but our absolute favorite products were the HappyTots and the HappyPuffs.

We’re crazy about their HappyTots – which are handheld toddler meals. I actually found these at Target and keep a few in the car for quick nutrition when we’re on the go — which is pretty much all te time. The pouch looks like the Trader Joe’s pouch applesauce that we buy, so my kids knew instantly how to eat them. My 4 year old was into them, as much as my 2 year old. He loved the Spinach, Mango and Pear flavor and didn’t realize he was eating a vegetable (which brought a smile to my face).   HappyTots come in flavors such as: Green Beans, Pears & Peas, Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple & Cinnamon, Banana, Peach & Mango, Spinach, Mango & Pear, Butternut Squash & Apple, and Banana, Peach, Coconut & Prunes.

*Reviewer’s note: There was a recent voluntary recall of HAPPYTOT Stage 4 and HAPPYBABY Stage 1 and Stage 2 pouches (not the HappyBites, as mentioned incorrectly) for possible bacteria contamination due to a packing defect. The products were sold at certain Whole Foods and Targets. The company handled themselves admirably, being open and honest about the recall, which made me like them even more. At press time, no child had become sick.

We also loved their Organic HappyPuffs– which are larger and actually puffier than the standard popular non-organic puff. I was pleased to see they have a organic greens version!

Reviewer received vouchers for product samples.

Besides the redesigned Genius^TM pacifier, Nuk is introducing many more products for 2010. They’ve got breastfeeding support products, like a Gentle Moisturizing Balm, breast milk storage bags and containers, and reusable nursing pads (as well as disposable ones).

I liked their EZ-to-Hook Pacifier Carry Case. Just stash your child’s pacifier in it,  hook it onto a diaper bag, purse or stroller. It will hold up to 2 pacifiers and it has ventilation holes to prevent moisture build up. Looking for a great first cup –  NUK’s Learner Cup (between $9.99 and $10.99) is suitable for ages 6 months on. This BPA-free cup features a spill-proof soft spout, easy-grip handles, and an extra wide neck make for easier filling and cleaning.

Gerber’s Graduates line of cups, utensils, and tableware are also made by NUK, as well as the Gerber First Essentials line.

I attended NUK’s 2010 Preview Breakfast in and received a gift bag containing samples.