Bean Appetit

Hip and Healthy Ways to Happy Tummies

by Shannon Payette Seip, Kelly Parthen

Price: $14.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-8517-7
ISBN-10: 0-7407-8517-6
Format: Hardcover
Size: 6 1/2 x 8 in.
Page Count: 112 pages

“This cookbook for kids by Shannon Payette Seip, Kely Parthen, and Carisa Dixon is all about keeping the young’uns engaged and interested in what they’re eating. It absolutely worked for me, and my daughter keeps begging me to make something else from the book.” ––The Stir http://bit.ly/bfeAfp

“What’s more satisfying than watching fresh, healthy ingredients disappear into the bellies of your little ones? Nothing! The authors of Bean Appetit tackle this endeavor with recipes and creative cooking ideas that encourage two family dining treasures; family time and fresh ingredients. ” ––Mindful Mama http://www.mindful-mama.com/blogs/nourish/archive/2010/03/25/nourished-little-ones.aspx

“Fancy, fussy food isn’t likely to be welcomed at the children’s table. But kid-friendly presentation, from colorful ingredients to playful plates, can ensure that nutritious meals are eaten, not artfully avoided. “If you present food in a playful way, kids are much more likely to try it,” said Shannon Payette Seip. She’s a mom and the co-author of a new cookbook, “Bean Appetit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun With Food”. Seip and business partner Kelly Parthen (a Colorado mom!) drew inspiration for the cookbook from their popular cafe and cooking school in Middleton, Wis. Bean Sprouts is a family- oriented spot that features fresh, healthful food in fun new ways.” ––Mile High Mamas http://www.milehighmamas.com/2010/05/02/let-kids-play-with-their-food-to-get-them-to-chow-down/

“One of the more innovative ways to excite children about healthy eating is to lure them into the family kitchen. This delightful new cookbook should do just that.
With playful recipe steps, whimsical presentations, and food-themed games, crafts, and activities, “Bean Appetit” is an absolute delight.” ––Tuscon Citizen http://bit.ly/amOOVi

“Part activity guide, part cookbook, “Bean Appetit” also includes skill-building challenges, such as how to crack an egg and how to use chopsticks. Tips on table manners are supplemented with conversation-inspiring questions (”If your family were to form a band, what would you name it?”) and fun food facts (a hard boiled egg will spin longer than a raw one). This is a wonderful little volume for creating fun at the table, as well as lifelong habits for healthy eating.” ––Daily Herald http://bit.ly/caOpKL

“Basing their collection on favorites from Bean Sprouts, the acclaimed café and cooking school for kids, these authors have filled 192 pages with irresistible, healthy yet fun recipes plus food-themed games, crafts, and activities. So, Moms and Dads invite the small ones into the kitchen and have a ball! ” ––Lunch.com http://bit.ly/bBGMrM

“Fancy, fussy food isn’t likely to be welcomed at the children’s table. But kid-friendly presentation, from colorful ingredients to playful plates, can ensure that nutritious meals are eaten, not artfully avoided. “If you present food in a playful way, kids are much more likely to try it,” said Shannon Payette Seip. She’s a mom and the co-author of a new cookbook, “Bean Appétit: Hip and Healthy Ways To Have Fun With Your Food“. Seip and business partner Kelly Parthen drew inspiration for the cookbook from their popular cafe and cooking school. Bean Sprouts in is a family-oriented spot that features fresh, healthful food in fun new ways.” –Sacramento Bee http://www.sacbee.com

“Bean Appetit, a new cookbook for kids by Shannon Payette Seip, Kelly Parthen and Carisa Dixon, is chock full of recipes that look more like art projects, fun games to play at the table, and tips to make mealtime fun. These food ideas are co cute, your picky eater might even be convinced to take a bite.” ––Parenting http://www.parenting.com/gallery/Child/7-Fun-Healthy-Recipes-for-Kids?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

“Bean Appétit is packed with creative ways to make healthy foods not only delicious but fun. The dishes are so bright, colorful, and creative, they’re more like art than meals. … The book is bright and appealing with whimsical illustrations and colorful photographs. This would be great for parents of preschoolers and preschool or kindergarten teachers. ” ––Cathe’s Kitchen http://catheolson.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-review-bean-appetit.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

“From the owners of the nation’s leading healthy kids’ cafe and cooking school, Bean Sprouts, comes a new book to tempt taste buds and delight parents with happier mealtimes! Bean Appetit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun with Food is filled with oodles of good-for-you recipes, along with food-themed games and activities that will inspire lifelong healthy eating habits.” ––Fullcirclelit http://fullcirclelit.blogspot.com/2010/03/go-beans-new-book-to-get-kids-excited.html

“There is a cafe in town that caters specifically to children.  From the kid-friendly decor to the unique food options and cooking classes, everything about Bean Sprouts Cafe screams children.  And the owners of the cafe, Shannon Payette Seip and Kelly Parthen have put together a new book, Bean Appetit, which is my new favorite recipe book.  Keep an eye out for it in American Baby and FamilyFun magazines. The book is full of yummy looking recipes, kitchen activities, and random trivia, and my husband, who loves typography, was enthralled simply by the graphic design.  Once you get past the shiny, attractive covers and pictures, there is some helpful information, too. ” ––Life at Home http://juanita-life-at-home.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-review-bean-appetit-hip-and.html

“Shannon Payette Seip and Kelly Parthen are the owners of Bean Sprouts, a nationally recognized kids’ cafe, based in Middleton, Wisconsin. Bean Appetit: Hip and Healthy Ways To Have Fun With Food is their darling cookbook that shares the same fun philospohy as the cafe.  Packed with recipes, food-themed games, crafts, and activities, its aim is to inspire families to embrace healthy habits.” ––Kid Crave http://kidcrave.com/electronics/bean-appetit/

“Bean Appetit elevates food to a true art form … literally. It shows you and Junior how to make a keyboard sculpture sandwich out of bread, honey, chicken, apples and yogurt; a palm tree using chicken, spinach and pineapple; and a dragonfly from whole wheat pita, turkey and fruit. The point of the book is to have fun and celebrate food and nutrition - a departure from recent kids’ cookbooks which advocate “hiding” and blending in the healthy stuff. … A great way to develop healthy eating habits. Playing with food encouraged.” Urban Baby http://blogs.urbanbaby.com/buzz/2010/01/18/bean-there-not-done-that/

Each chef needs the following ingredients:

3–4 green grapes, sliced in half
3–4 red grapes, sliced in half
1 slice cheddar cheese
2–3 medium carrots, finely sliced
6 pretzel sticks, broken into pieces

Clap your hands and rub them together to get them nice and warm. Place the grape halves, cut side down, in a small circle, about the size of a cup.

Use clean scissors or rip the cheddar cheese to look like flames. Gently press the cheese flames together so they stand up. Place them in the center of the grape fire pit. Lay the carrot pieces on the cheese, upright.

Place the pretzel pieces around the flames. Now sing a campfire song!

Serves 4

1 1/4 cups Bean Appétit Flour Blend (page xiii)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted
1 large banana, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Sing the popular camp song “The Ants Go Marching” while combining the flour blend, brown sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the butter and stir until combined. Add the honey, water, and vanilla and mix until the dough is sticky. Press the dough flat on a parchment-lined baking tray. Chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Pack the dough into a ball and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters to make at least 8 graham crackers. Poke holes all around the top of the crackers with a fork.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Roll around like a banana on the floor while chanting “Go bananas!” Remove the graham crackers from the oven and let them cool.

Spread the melted chocolate on a graham cracker. Add a layer of banana slices on top. Top with another graham cracker. Do you want s’more? Make another batch!

Serves 4

A taste of the tropics!

2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of garlic powder
Salt and pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups water
1 pineapple, cut into 4 (1-inch thick) round slices
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup packed spinach leaves
8 dried figs

You will also need:
8 skewers

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Pretend you’re putting on sunscreen before you combine the lime juice, honey, cumin, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Place the chicken in a small baking dish. Pour the lime juice mixture all over the chicken, making sure the chicken is covered, then add the water to the baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. While the chicken is baking, pretend to dip your toes in the ocean!

Slice each chicken breast into 4 long pieces. Push a skewer lengthwise through each chicken piece to form tree trunks. There should be 8 chicken skewers.

Stick 2 chicken skewers into each pineapple slice. The pineapple is your island. Use the cream cheese to stick the spinach leaves onto the chicken tree trunks. Place 2 figs under the trees for coconuts!

Many parents face a tough challenge: they want their kids to eat fresh, healthy foods, but they want a happy mealtime experience, too.  Shannon Seip and Kelly Parthen are here to tell them they can have both, and their new book, Bean Appétit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun with Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $1499), can help. Not just another kids’ cookbook, it’s a family guide that promotes healthy eating in a playful way for the whole family to enjoy.

Unlike recent popular bestsellers that hide nutrition and trick kids into eating healthy foods, Bean Appétit incorporates more of what kids love in delicious, fun-to-make recipes that get kids involved and excited about good food. Interactive, how-to elements include:

•    Delicious, fresh recipes with fun presentations that kids can help make
•    Food-themed games, crafts, and conversation starters to foster family bonding and healthy eating habits
•    Creative ways to learn about different ingredients
•    Tips on how to stay safe in the kitchen

Bean Appétit features recipes inspired by Shannon and Kelly’s hip and healthy organic Bean Sprouts Café in Middleton, Wisconsin. Renowned chef, cookbook author, and Food Network star Gale Gand helped develop the menu, and she supports its mission to involve kids in developing healthy food and family habits.  Start the New Year off right, with new recipes, better eating habits, and more dinnertime fun. Bean appétit!

“A fresh and creative approach to making mealtimes fun, tasty, guilt free, and healthy!” —Gale Gand, renowned chef, television star, and mom

Shannon and Kelly’s nationally syndicated column ran in over 50 regional parenting magazines, capturing a readership of more than three million.  Shannon is also the author of award-winning parenting books, as well as popular books for American Girl.