My Story

Hi Everyone! I’m thrilled to share that our baby boy, Ayan Ellison Shah, was born on Tuesday, August 1st at 5:45am. He weighed in at 6lbs 11oz, is 20.5 inches long, and has a head full of black hair, just like his sister when she was born! 🙂 Ayan’s birth was dramatically different from Layla’s […]

There are so many articles out there about potty training: the different methods (3 day vs. baby-led), different tools to use (book recommendations, a separate potty chair vs. the kid seat for the big potty), and opinions — that when I started getting asked questions about how we potty trained Layla, I wasn’t sure I had […]

It was literally just yesterday that I was sharing photos of Layla’s 2nd birthday (I know, one year late! 🙂 ) So to change the trend of late birthday posts, here are some photos from Layla’s 3rd birthday party. Winter birthdays can be challenging in Ann Arbor, because there are only so many indoor spaces […]

You know you’re a parent when your child turns 3 and you still haven’t posted about their 2nd birthday yet! Better late than never right? 🙂 When I was planning Layla’s 2nd birthday, I couldn’t believe one whole year had flown by since her 1st Birthday Party. And now we’re at bday #3! It’s crazy. For […]

At the end of last year, during the holidays, the husband and I were lucky enough to spend a week in Chile! We left Layla with family and flew to Santiago on the evening of Christmas Day. It was the first international trip we had taken since before Layla was born (since July of 2013!) […]

It’s no secret that the husband is a huge fan of Star Wars. When Layla was born, the husband was so excited to share his love of Star Wars with her that he talked to her about it all the time. And now, I can honestly say that Layla has become a Star Wars fan in […]

As you all know, a few weeks ago I took a trip to the General Mills’ headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. It was a jam-packed two-day visit, where I spent most of my time chatting with their team and the President of their cereal division (Jim Murphy) about the steps they’re taking to make their cereals healthier. Before the trip, […]

Hi Everyone! I know you’ve probably all been wondering where I’ve been the past couple weeks. In case you haven’t guessed from the picture – this Bay Area girl is making a big move to… Ann Arbor, Michigan! That’s right: after living my entire life in the Bay Area, I’m off to start a new […]

Hi Everyone! I have some very exciting news to share! I’d like to introduce all of you to my daughter, Layla Aria Shah. She was born on January 12th at 12:54pm, and came in at 6lbs, 5oz and 20 inches long. I’m sure all of you have been wondering where I’ve been for the past […]

There have been some strange things happening in The Picky Eater’s kitchen lately… Like when I went to the grocery store, and came back with this And for weeks, all I wanted was this Or this, which also sounded delicious And why did my breakfasts go from fruit-filled-oatmeal-bowls to this? And when did this become […]

This was basically the view we got to wake up to for 7 days straight during our time in Salina. Can anything be more peaceful and relaxing? 🙂 This was the last destination on our month-long Italian vacation. It was almost like our trip went from the most city-like (Rome), to the most remote (Salina). […]

One of the things I love about being in the Bay Area is that there are tons of vacation spots within just a couple hours of home. Monterey is one of those hidden gems that is just south of the Bay Area, but feels like you’re in a destination far away. It’s a sleepy little […]

I love the Ferry Building. I love the artisan food producers, the great coffee, the organic products, the unique variety of treats you can find there, the wonderful wine, the list could go on and on. I could wander around there and get lost for hours – and I have! But one thing I love […]

A few weeks ago, I was invited to the Safeway Open Nature Picnic event – where they were going to attempt to break the record for the world’s longest picnic table. I was pretty excited about being asked to attend, and I was curious to learn more about Safeway’s new Open Nature line – which […]

Hi Everyone! In celebration of my new blog design and a couple of other fun features (like my Picky Eater Foodie Shop!), I decided to switch things up a bit and write a more reflective post about my blog, my food philosophy, and how The Picky Eater came about. I wanted to share a little […]

Hi Everyone! Last week, my husband and I got back from an amazing trip to New Zealand. For those of you who haven’t been – it’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world and has some of the coolest adventure activities I’ve ever done in my life! We also had some great meals […]

Last night, we went to one of our good friends’ houses for a holiday party! I love holiday parties – they’re so warm and cozy and it’s just a great excuse to get together with friends 🙂 And this one was especially warm and cozy because our friends have a real fireplace (with real firewood) […]

Recently, one of my girlfriends was visiting SF, and she immediately asked me to recommend a few of my favorite restaurants for her to visit while she was here. I LOVE the food in San Francisco – every ethnicity, every flavor, every style (casual to super upscale) is available within a 2-5 mile radius for […]