Meal times are some of the toughest for moms who are always on the move. You want to keep things fresh and interesting.

You want to do it fast.

And you want clean up to be even faster.

I depend on my Internet. Strollerderby’s Kitchenista, All Recipes and Food Gawker.

But where the recipes end, I have to step in. And I’ve found it’s gotten harder with my daughter in the house – because where my husband and I could fend for ourselves on busy nights, a toddler needs to be fed and NOW.

So I’ve found shortcuts to get me through.

When she was a baby, it was the Beaba BabyCook from Williams-Sonoma. It’s expensive, I warn you, but it’s worth it.

This baby steams the veggies, blends them into a perfect puree, warms them up to just the right temperature for right now or defrosts the meal you mixed up earlier (using the recipes in the fantastic Williams-Sonoma Cooking for Baby natch). The only thing it doesn’t do? Feed them for you.

That’s where the Trebimbi cutlery puppets come in hand. Available at Target (isn’t everything these days?), the Italian-made fork, spoon and knife sets are made for little hands and made of stainless steel – no BPA worries here.

But even the surest hand spooning in home-cooked goodness will need a little help now and then. Which is where the folks at Fabkins have stepped in to keep them clean and make your table green.

The pint-sized cloth napkins come in sets that suit every kid – from prima ballerinas to sports stars – and they’ll suit your fast clean-up style too. Just sweep it off the table into the laundry basket and pluck another out of the drawer for the next meal. Machine washable, you’ll save money on disposable paper napkins AND you’ll be helping the environment. And the folks at Fabkins are helping Peekaboo readers – they’ve offered up a 10 percent discount just for you! Enter code PEEKABOO at checkout and save on any purchase through Oct. 31.

So what are you cooking up this Halloween month? Leave your favorite holiday tips in comments.

Jeanne Sager is a freelance writer and mama (on the move) to Jillian. She lives in upstate New York, works as a newspaper reporter and let’s it all hang out all over the Web including the Mother of All Parenting Blogs, Babble’s own Strollerderby, at her site Inside Out, over at Burbia and of course here on PeekabooPicks. With Jillian in tow, she interviews Grammy nominees, big time authors and the farmer up the road – and she shares her juggling secrets every Monday here on Peekaboo Picks. To be featured in Mama on the Move, send an e-mail her way (mailto: jeannesager [at] gmail.com).