Taste Test Team

Meet the official Full At Last Taste Test Team.

Eric


He believes pork fat is actually a food group unto itself. If he gives a healthy recipe two thumbs-up, it is probably safe to try on your husband or favorite carnivore. Until recently he was adding vanilla ice cream to his morning "protein" shake and calling it breakfast. He still doesn't understand why that wasn't the most nutritious way to start his day.


Ethan

The "big guy" is almost 13-months old and likes everything … I mean everything … including “ABCA” food (already been chewed by Abby). We are still searching for a food that he does not like.


Abby

Abby is one minute younger than her brother and, so far, likes next to nothing. She is famous for her hunger strikes and pretending to chew her food only to spit it out as soon as you're not looking. We are still searching for foods, other than bananas and french toast, that she actually likes.


Melanie


Mel is sort of an “accidental” vegetarian since she gags on seafood (a result of Catholic school fish-Friday lunches) and is repulsed by chicken after seeing Food Inc. She has been sticking to a mostly vegetarian diet for the past year and is no longer afraid of new foods and combinations; she is the creative genius behind many of our recipes, especially the kid-friendly ones.


Garrett

Garrett likes his food like he likes his women, HOT & SPICY. Of course, he is always hungry due to his triathlon training so he pretty much eats anything Mel puts in front of him. We’re not sure if he slows down long enough to actually taste his food.


The "Super Simons" include Jackson, Harper and Harrison.

Jackson , age 6, is a reformed junk-food junkie. He is the adventurous eater in the group and actually prefers the black bean salsa chili and veggie burgers to his old stand-by of Kraft mac-n-cheese. It’s the darndest thing.

Harper, age 4, is a lover of cuties, smoothies and all things fruity. Harper's Hummus is his favorite savory treat.

Harrison, age 3, consumes 90% of his calories by noon and is the most finicky of the Simon testers. He is partial to foods in fun shapes as well as anything that can be dipped into something.


Berkley

Berkley is our 13-year old lab-mix who is just happy when we remember to feed her these days. Poor girl. So far, she does not seem to have a discerning palate.


As for me, I get excited about healthy recipes that are fast and easy. I repeat, FAST and EASY. For the past 8 months we have been moving towards a more vegetarian diet (we still eat meat and fish but in much smaller portions and only a couple of times a week), and I have noticed that our grocery bill and our waistlines are getting smaller. More on that later.

I still have a sweet-tooth but I no longer crave refined, processed carbohydrates and junk food like I once did and I am actually enjoying the taste of healthier fare now. And that, my friends, is some serious progress.

Tune in tomorrow for two more tasty recipes featuring black beans. The black bean burgers and black bean salsa chili were overwhelming hits across the board!