Food Blogs for Nourishing Inspiration

I’ve been reading food blogs for about a year now and I’m always left with the impression that it’s quite possible I could be enjoying food more than I am now. Specifically buying the ingredients and putting together the food I feed my family with.
I’ve been sick for a couple of days now and got a strep throat diagnosis today at the doctor. The strep throat could be influencing my decision today to write about food blogs related to parents and kids since I’ve eaten two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches total over the last 72 hours. (As an aside, I have a wedding to attend on Saturday, though I don’t recommend this diet method, perhaps I’ll be thinner when I slip into my dress up clothes!)

In ordinary times I like to read cookbooks and think about what I might make, although I mostly don’t make the things I read about. With the food blogs I get to read about what parents are making for their kids and GASP sometimes their kids actually eat the things they make. That alone is incredibly inspirational to me.

I know you’ve heard of Vegan Lunchbox, a blog which is now a book. Jennifer McCann started Vegan Lunchbox to challenge herself in making healthy and appetizing lunches for her son each day and to prove, “….to myself and others that veganism isn’t about deprivation or packing a million peanut butter sandwiches.” We’re not vegans and I think I’ve already packed one million peanut butter sandwiches in my daughter’s lunchbox. The recipes and her dedication are inspiring. Though what’s really awe-inspiring to me is the adventurous tastebuds of ‘Shmoo’ her son.

Family Food is the food blog of CityMama (Stefania Pomponi-Butler). The tag line reads: “who’s got time to measure when you’ve got a baby on your hip”, which is ironically the reason I didn’t cook at all for about 4 years straight, there was a baby on my hip that entire time and I require measuring. From miso soup (her girls eat it!) to the brunch she whipped up for preschool parents it’s realistic inspiration for me. In fact, it’s so realistic that I kind of want to lick my computer so I can taste that miso soup.

Foodmomiac is a mommy blog in the sense that she talks about her kids, but Danielle loves food and cooking. Even in her recipes, she’ll mix in the tale of her son’s hand foot and mouth disease (Horrid! We’ve had it here!) and how she managed to throw a roast chicken into the oven (complete with recipe). I tried to make a roast chicken once and stood at the oven pondering this bird and where I’d be required to stick my hands and ended up begging Logan to do it. I love her Dear Foodmomiac feature with lots of great questions answered and I also think her Weekly Menu plans are great. It really helps me to make a plan at the beginning of the week or else we’re all sitting around eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, seeing other people’s plans helps me form my own.

Finally we have Gastrokid, a food blog from Hugh Garvey and Matthew Yeomans, both dads and writers (Garvey is features editor at BonAppetite). The site is non-pretentious but makes it pretty clear parenting and really good food can go together. Now to get my daughter on board. You’ll find kid friendly restaurant reviews, praise for brussel sprouts (I’ve been trying to convince my family these are a great idea for years) and inspirational Monday Farmer’s Market reports. PS: How did I miss this lunch box when I was hunting earlier this year?

And now, after writing all that, I’m more hungry and still unable to eat. Send popsicles! Or maybe just a shot of Nyquil.