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 the websites
EatLocalChallenge and EatDrinkBetter.
Ali Benjamin is the co-author of The Cleaner Plate Club and the
author of the YA novel The Thing About Jellyfish. Benjamin has
worked for big companies, grassroots non-profits, and the Peace
Corps. Still, one of her greatest achievements so far is seeing her
children dive into a bowl of kale.
..".thankfully written for Real Parents, meaning we who want the
best for our families, but who are very, very tired...This book is
jammed with info: guidelines, pantry lists, meal-planning
techniques and time-savers--yet the energetic authors make it feel
as fresh as our next family dinner can be, with their
plate-cleaning help."
--Publishers Weekly
"A friendly, balanced mix of real food manifesto, vegetable
encyclopedia, and regular weeknight cookbook."--The Chicago
Tribune
"Authors and bloggers Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin both believe that
having children should not automatically necessitate cooking one
meal for the adults and a separate meal for the little ones. And
their book, The Cleaner Plate Club, proves that they know what
they're talking about. This gem of a cookbook covers all the
bases."--BookPage
"Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin have waded, with great success, into
(picky eating) with the recent publication of The Cleaner Plate
Club: Raising Healthy Eaters One Meal at a Time. The book is a
cookbook, with many easy-to-handle recipes that claim to help kids
develop their palates without frightening them away from new
flavors, but also a good how-to manual for the parent.... The book
also contains lots of helpful information -- generally presented in
a non-preachy way -- about nutrition and the food industry and the
value of farmers' markets and the difference between whole foods
and processed foods. And while I've just begun to explore the
recipes, my early efforts with the fish curry (page 221) suggest
that I will have a long and happy relationship with The Cleaner
Plate Club. Whether your kid eats everything or nothing, this book
will have something for you."--The San Francisco Book Review
"Co-authors Beth Bader and Alison (Ali) Benjamin met through Ali's
food blog, bonded over kale chips, and launched this book out of
shared concern for raising kids on healthy food (wait for it...)
that they'll actually eat! More than a manifesto, it's a personable
modern guide to choosing and cooking tasty, healthful foods for
your kids-and you, too. Cheerful graphics and a chatty tone make
its recipes, strategies for smart grocery shopping, and nutritional
info appealing to the whole family. You'll love this book's
practicality (as well as Marion Nestle's What to Eat) if The
Omnivore's Dilemma caught your eye."--Odyssey Books
"For every parent facing the age old question of how to get kids to
eat better food comes The Cleaner Plate Club. This book is more
than a cookbook: it is a guide to feeding your children vegetables
in a way they will enjoy. The authors, Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin,
are both experienced and successful bloggers with children; they
know what they're talking about...The recipes are simple and
delicious, the information is eye-opening and thoughtfully
arranged, and the overall book design is extremely user-friendly
and just plain fun. This book is a valuable resource for parents
with children of all ages."--Sixty Second Parent
"Keeping your resolution just got easier thanks to The Cleaner
Plate Club, the incredibly engaging book by esteemed food bloggers
Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin." -- --KCUR, Kansas City Public
Media
"This crayon-colored real-food manifesto from mommy bloggers Bader
and Benjamin, gives parents plenty of ammo in the never-ending
battle to get their kids to eat better."
--Library Journal
Besides Nigella Lawson's "How to Be a Domestic Goddess," I can't
think of another cookbook that causes me to laugh out loud. From
page one, I felt like I was sitting at my table with old friends.
This isn't just a cookbook: it's an educational arsenal to wield
your way with grace and dexterity through the carnival that is the
modern American food system...Without increasing my weekly budget,
I increased our vegetable consumption at our evening meals by two
vegetable dishes a night. It was no longer a battle of eat your
veggies, ' but a question of 'which vegetable would you like to eat
tonight?'"--NextReads
In our hectic, fast-paced, busy lives, parents often put healthy
eating on the back burner. The Cleaner Plate Club is full of tips
to help families go "from nuggets to nutritious." Authors Beth
Bader and Ali Benjamin remind us how we can enjoy real food again
and share recipes that both taste good and are good for you. Their
encouraging emphasis on healthy and simple ways to
prepare whole foods is enough to turn even the most resistant
parent into a "kitchen convert." A must have for every family's
kitchen!
--Jennifer Shu, MD, Pediatrician and co-author of Food Fights
Real moms and food bloggers Bader and Benjamin join forces to
educate, inform, and inspire us about feeding the kids. They've
endeavored to create a kind of handbook with guidelines for
family nutrition by providing healthy recipes, supermarket
strategies, and vegetable profiles.
Sprinkled with quotations (from Michael Pollan, among others, of
course!), the book also includes interesting information on
pesticide residues in produce, analyses of oils, and tips for
dealing with sugar fiends and balky eaters. The resource section
lists organizations, publications, and favorite cookbooks.
Presented in a colorful, kid-friendly style, with mom-next-door
chatty text, this guide offers advice on what to choose and how to
cook it in a fast-food age.
VERDICT
The market for books on this subject continues to grow following
Pollan's 2006 best seller, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and this is a
useful addition. Great for public libraries and all readers
interested in healthy cooking/shopping for the family.
--Mother Earth News
"If your offspring don't devour the zucchini-bacon fritters and
pumpkin white-cheddar soup, you most certainly will."
"Check out The Cleaner Plate Club by Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin,
two moms that strive to feed their families fresh vegetables and
whole foods. Before you roll your eyes, these authors do seem to
understand that all children are different--and admit that theirs
are not aliens that would reject fried chicken strips when given
the chance to eat them, so many of their recipes have a bit of a
sweet edge to appeal to the younger palate. One hundred kid tested
recipes and profiles of 25 different veggies that include
nutritional info and tips on selecting and preparing them are
included. There is also a seasonal index of recipes that enables
you to cook freshest items in your market. With all of the above
this book will have you well on your way to improving the
nutritional content of your next delicious meal."
A down-to-earth guide for busy parents trying to raise healthy
kids.
--Jeff McIntire Strasburg "Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes
from a Catastrophe "
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