I was a reluctant convert to BLW, or Baby Led Weaning which, for the uninitiated, is a Millennial rebrand of the concept of feeding your baby food that the whole family is eating. It always seemed a bit extra to me, with the precious little silverware and the tiny rod-shaped food cut just so, becuase that was the only way tiny hands could grip it. The rationale is that this a way to cultivate an adventurous eater. After dealing with persistent picky eating with my older kid, for the last 2+ years, I am pretty done making separate meals for everyone at the table. I truly do not believe that yo ..read more

By popular demand (on Instagram), I tested 5 of the most popular non-toxic diapers on my baby to find out which one performs best. Here are the real life results! I’ve posted some out-there stuff on this site before but – I’ll admit – this one takes the cake.  The genesis of this whole thing was definitely a “Me Problem”, as they say. I have been using Huggies for my younger son since shortly after he was born but, with every recent box, I have been more and more skeptical of them. Each subsequent size felt flimsier, they leaked and blew out constantly, and I was paying a premium for the ..read more

Dairy Free Gluten Free Paleo Vegan So, I had a baby. And for all the warnings I got about adjusting from one kid to two, the development I was least prepared for was colic and reflux. But here we are, 8 months later, with a baby who is finally more comfortable – but only because I have eliminated dairy and soy from my diet (he’s also on medication).  While elimination diets are nothing new to me, dairy is the one common allergen I don’t have a lot of experience working around. I cut it out very briefly, around the time I started A Clean Bake, but have been happily cohabitating with che ..read more

When the pandemic started and my (pre-pandemic) article about what you need to know about working remotely got a second life, the number one response I got was: but how do you do it with kids around? Prior to this brave new world we are living in, my answer was: I don’t. You see, although I’ve worked 100% remotely for the last 4 years, and for the better part of the 3 1/2 years before that, I had childcare 99% of the time until 2020. My 3-year-old son was in excellent hands with caregivers who loved and educated him while I was able to focus and work in a quiet, serene house. It was ..read more

As I’m slowly making my way back to blogging, I’ve been trying to get my (literal) house in order before I am ready to commit to posting regularly here again. One of the issues that I want to make sure I have the creative energy for at home is getting back to addressing picky eating with my 5-year-old son.  If you’ve followed me for awhile, especially on Instagram, you already know that I’ve been working hard for years to address my son’s picky eating and help him expand his palette and culinary horizons. He was never a voracious eater but, like many kids, he went from trying most of wha ..read more

After a prolonged silence here, this probably won’t come as a surprise, but I am taking a break from blogging and social media for the foreseeable future. It’s not you, it’s me (really). I love this community so much, and am so proud of all the cooking and baking we’ve done together. But the truth is that I’m just mentally and physically drained, and have been for awhile. Nearly 365 days without time to rest, recharge, see friends in person, eat at a restaurant, sit at a coffee shop, browse a store, travel, or do most of the things that replenish me has completely robbed me of my creativity a ..read more

Dairy Free Gluten Free Paleo These grain- and gluten-free chocolate crinkle cookies are made from almond flour, coconut sugar, and cocoa powder. They’re the perfect chocolatey, chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside holiday cookie. Photos by Quin Liburd December is here, which means the holiday cookie baking extravaganza has officially begun.  Do we know how the holidays of 2020 will go? No. We don’t even know how tomorrow will go. Nothing about this year has been predictable — particularly celebrations, holidays, and family gatherings. In fact, the one thing we can predict for Ch ..read more

Dairy Free Gluten Free Paleo These chewy gluten-free sugar cookies are free from gluten, grains, and refined sugar. Made from a blend of almond and tapioca flour, these gluten-free cutout sugar cookies are a wonderful addition to your holiday table. Have fun cutting them into shapes, serve them frosted with dairy-free icing if you want, and finish with sprinkles to match the season.  What an, ahem, memorable year it’s been. Thanksgiving was small this year, but I’m proud to say I didn’t take a single photo of our Thanksgiving table, proving that we set our phones and computer ..read more

Dairy Free Gluten Free Paleo This paleo and gluten-free pumpkin pie is the perfect finale to Thanksgiving dinner. Dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, and grain-free, it’s a pumpkin pie everyone at your table can enjoy.  I started baking before I was tall enough to reach the counter. And yet, of all the hundreds (thousands!?) of recipes on this site and in my head, there are still plenty of classic desserts I haven’t given the ACB treatment to make it grain free, gluten free, and refined sugar free.  With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I made a stark realization: In the six-plus-years ..read more

Dairy Free Gluten Free Nut Free These gluten-free corn muffins taste just like you remember, this is a cornbread muffin recipe is dairy-free and refined-sugar-free. Try them for yourself, and see how they make a perfect side dish for a backyard BBQ, Thanksgiving feast, or regular Sunday Supper. Allow me to tell you something you already know: This year, Thanksgiving may look a bit different. Finding the right balance between traditions, lasting memories, and safety is no easy feat. In a stream of endless questions I asked since March, the only clear answer I found is that there are no clear ..read more