Food People, Parent Picks: We ask our favorite chefs, food writers, and industry insiders who we interview in our Order Up! Series to share the products, books, and bites they can’t live without.
Earlier this week we talked with Katie Morford, registered dietitian and writer of Mom’s Kitchen Handbook about the ten years she spent at home with her three daughters, why she never jumped ship with her pickiest eater, and the neighbor whose returned containers are the inspiration behind her upcoming cookbook. If you missed it, read the full Order Up! conversation before diving in to today’s feature. Check it out right here.
Now for the rapid-fire round. Katie wrote the book on packed lunches and the book on breakfast, so she came with specifics: the staples she never runs out of, the fridge trick that got her kids packing their own lunches, and the two appliances she’s kept her whole adult life, plus the cookbooks she opens when she wants to make something new.
Three pantry staples and three fridge staples you always have on hand?
In the pantry, I always have beans and chickpeas. I always have some kind of tinned fish, whether it’s tuna or sardines or anchovies. And I always have a whole grain of some sort. I keep a lot of different kinds.
In the fridge, white miso. Mellow miso. I use that all the time. I always have a Cholula. And good Kerrygold butter.
You wrote the book on lunches. What’s the one thing that makes packing them faster?
A little organization goes a long way, and it helps with getting your kids involved. Pick a zone in the fridge for the lunchbox things. The sliced turkey, the sliced cheese, the cheese sticks, the carrots, the apples, the little yogurts, whatever it is.
Then you go to the zone, or your kid goes to the zone, when it’s time to pack lunches. Do the same thing in the pantry. [Best Lunch Box Ever: Ideas and Recipes for School Lunches Kids Will Love available on Bookshop, Amazon]
You wrote the book on breakfast, too. What’s your go-to when mornings are chaotic?
A quick yogurt parfait. A scoop of yogurt, some frozen raspberries, a handful of nuts or granola. Put it in a jar and they can eat it at home, or take it on the bus, or eat it in the car on the way to school. Or they put the lid on and eat it at morning break. It’s portable. [Rise and Shine: Better Breakfasts for Busy Mornings by Katie Morford available on Bookshop, Amazon]
When all three of your daughters were still at home, was there a dinner nobody argued about?
They were pretty good eaters in general. It’s easier for me to tell you what they didn’t like… But mac and cheese was always a good night. Or enchiladas.
A cookbook that isn’t yours that you go to when you want something new?
Six Seasons, by Joshua McFadden [get it on Bookshop, Amazon]. It’s a beautiful vegetable book. When I want to make something fresh and new, I look in there, and I love everything in it. It’s been around a while.
And I really like the new Alison Roman book, Something from Nothing [Bookshop, Amazon]. It’s very much along the lines of how I think. If you’re learning how to open the fridge and figure out what to cook, it’s a good training manual.
A kitchen appliance that’s worth the splurge?
The real workhorses in my kitchen are my Cuisinart and my KitchenAid. I’ve had them my whole adult life and they’re fantastic. I use them all the time. I do use my Vitamix a lot, but you can get a Ninja for a lot less. Or there’s a newer one, I think it’s called Beast, that’s supposed to be good.
One tip for parents heading into back-to-school lunches and dinners?
Take a beat on the weekend. Even five minutes to think about, okay, what’s this week going to look like and how can we get there? And put your kid in the front pack or the backpack and go to the market, whether that’s the farmers market or the grocery store.
Where should people go for more from you?
There’s a lot on my blog, Mom’s Kitchen Handbook, about feeding kids, back to school, breakfast, and lunches.
I also put out a meal plan every week. I started that because a lot of people were telling me they were out of ideas and didn’t know where to start. So I put together a menu every week with all the recipes, and people can pick whatever jumps out at them.
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