Watermelon Martinis

Fresh watermelon makes these martinis a perfect summer cocktail! Enjoy them at your next back yard party but be careful drink too many!! **wink wink**

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Grilled Pineapple

Grilled pineapple with honey, lime juice and cinnamon. Pineapple is delicious on it's own, but if you want something quick and easy to make for dessert this summer, try grilling it and serving it with some ice cream on the side. Fun for backyard parties!
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

A Thai inspired stir fry dish with a wonderful savory, sweet and spicy flavor combination made with colorful bell peppers, fresh pineapple and chicken.

A few months ago I was invited to a Thai Kitchen event where their chef demonstrated a few recipes using their new Thai Kitchen sauces and this was one of the dishes they made. They kindly shared the recipe with me which I slightly modified to give it more kick. If you don't like your food too spicy you can leave out the chili pepper. Serve this over jasmine rice for a complete meal, also great with shrimp!
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Grilled Tuna over Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette

A few fresh and simple ingredients make this the perfect light summer meal! Ready in less than 10 minutes.

Tuna is one of the easiest fish to grill because it almost never sticks if your grill rack is squeaky clean; spray your grill rack with oil before cooking for perfect results every time.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Saucy Mamma! Hawaiian Grilled Chicken-Pineapple Sandwiches with Home Made Terryaki Sauce

It's only a few weeks into Summer and already unbearably hot outside here in Phoenix. I have officially sworn off cooking or baking until October.... at least. Might as well unplug my stove. I'm done. I am however, o.k. with sending my dear husband outside to BBQ something wonderful for dinner. Hey, I'll put everything all together, all he has to do is stand there by the fire and look manly with a large pick fork and cold beer in hand. We have a nice pool that he can jump into any time he starts to scorch and feel a heat stroke coming on. Cush job right?


4th of July is coming up very soon. This Hawaiian Pineapple BBQ sandwich is my idea of a perfect backyard celebration. When paired with Grilled Corn on the cob, Watermelon Boats, Coconut-Berry Cake and Cherry Lime Aid Slushies next to the pool I'm in heaven!




Believe it or not, when asked what the fam would like to BBQ for special occasions the majority vote is always for these Hawaiian Chicken sandwiches. Maybe it's due in part to the fact that grilling steaks scares me. They never turn out good, let alone to die for. When you splurge and spend the money for high end steaks you expect them to be perfect, not fatty and grisly and either under or over cooked. I can see the raised, confused eyebrows now. Don't judge. We just don't eat read meat very often... at all. So we are far from being savvy on the grilling technique used to master a perfect steak. Not that my husband and teenage son wouldn't like engorge themselves in humongous carnivorous slabs of meat on a daily basis but I'm more than fine without.

 I'm all about the grilled veggies and home made sauces and the sides that go along with the barbecuing experience.

When at the grocery store, it's all that I can do to refrain from stopping people who have jarred marinades and sauces in their cart and shaking some sense into them. That stuff is just gross, full of sugar, preservatives and additives not to mention expensive. I don't get it. Why do people insist that making their own salad dressing and marinades is a difficult thing.  It's just not I tell you. You can make a very quick and delicious marinade for chicken, fish or veggies with just 3-4 ingredients that most people have in their pantry anyway. 

Any combination of ketchup, brown mustard, soy sauce, terryaki, brown sugar, onion, garlic, cornstarch, horse radish, juice, ginger or grill seasoning can be cooked down into a fabulously simple grill sauce. Think of how many batches of sauce you can get out of these pantry staples for the price of one pre-made jar of BBQ sauce. Experiment and use whatever you have on hand. Even just a simple mixture of ketchup, brown mustard, a pinch of brown sugar and soy sauce would be delicious.

Freshly grated ginger really adds a zingy punch to the sauce.

YIELDS  2 1/2 CUPS       TIME   20 MINUTES

Terryaki Sauce:

1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1/4 cup peanut, avocado, coconut or vegetable oil

1/3 cup soy sauce (preferably *Organic Tamari)

1/2 cup molasses 

1 teaspoon ground ginger (use 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger if you have some) 

1 tablespoons cornstarch

1-2 tablespoon Raw (turbinado) sugar or brown sugar
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

Sesame seeds for garnish

Optional: Thai Chili Pepper Sauce to bring some heat. Bring it.



Putting it all together:

In a small bowl whisk together corn starch with pineapple juice, set aside. Combine all remaining ingredients except Tamari soy sauce. Bring to a gentle boil while whisking. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes whisking occasionally. Remove from heat, add Tamari and let cool slightly then pour into a large plastic bag to coat chicken. Reserve 1 1/2 cups for spooning over done chicken. Lay the bag of marinated chicken on a large plate so sauce covers it and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 2-3 hours.

*Tip:  

I pound my thawed chicken breasts with a rolling pin while they are in the zip lock bag to make

them large enough to fit a bun and to cook faster and evenly.

Other simple sides to make this 4th of July

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chile Butter

Watermelon Boats with Blueberries and Fresh Coconut

Cherry Lime Aide Slushies

GF Coconut-Berry Patriotic Cake recipe here

Berry Yogurt Popsicles

Frozen yogurt popsicles made with fresh berries don't just taste great, they are good for you too! Fresh berries are some of the most powerful disease fighting foods, they are high in vitamin C and antioxidants.

I love freezing my smoothies in popsicle molds to make healthy summer snacks. I normally do just one flavor at a time but I thought it would be fun to make them into stripes. My original intention was to make these red, white and blue hoping the color of the fruit would achieve this naturally but the colors turned out more of a purple, white and pink. Still pretty and a great way to make colorful popsicles without adding food coloring.

Although the berries have a natural sweetness to them, I suggest you adjust the sugar or agave to your taste before freezing them. I bought my freezer pop maker from Progressive last year on Amazon, I am linking to it here for all of you who asked where I bought it.
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Lobster Rolls

Lobster rolls scream summer to me and when you want an extra special lunch, this is it! Chunks of fresh chilled lobster tossed with celery, shallots, chives, light mayonnaise and a little lemon zest served on a hot dog bun.

Today I had my cousin Nina over for lunch which gave me the excuse to make these lobster rolls; something I've been craving for weeks! I live just a few miles from the ocean so I am fortunate to have lots of fresh seafood stores nearby. I picked up some pre-steamed lobster tails for convenience but if you can't find cooked lobster you can buy the tails and steam them yourself. Mayonnaise haters can replace the mayo with Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Red, White and Blueberry Trifle

A heavenly mixed berry trifle made with summer fresh blueberries, strawberries, white chocolate pudding, angle foods cake and cream. A beautiful guiltless dessert that would make your July 4th table proud.

I gave some of this to my dessert-loving brother and he raved about it and told me to make sure I let you all know how fabulous this is. He's right, this exceeded my expectations and I probably ate more than I should have, oops!

Using store bought angel foods cake makes this quick and easy to prepare and no need to heat up the kitchen, but you can use a box mix or make it from scratch if you prefer, whatever you decide this will still be fabulous!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Frozen Fruit Pops

Fresh fruit with a splash of juice makes a fresh and healthy snack. Use whatever fruit you're heart desires. A perfect summer treat!

These are so simple and so darn cute, my one year old probably had just as much fun playing with them as she did eating them. Super easy to make and no fancy gadgets required, you'll need small 5 oz disposable cups and some craft sticks.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Crock Pot Pasta Sauce with Sausage

Lazy pasta sauce would have been a better name for this recipe, this is such an easy recipe and only uses 5 ingredients! On those hot summer days when you don't want to heat up the kitchen and you don't feel like going outside to grill, using your crock pot is a lifesaver.

The best tip I can give you when you make this is to use the best chicken or turkey Italian sausage you can find and a can of Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes, green label. I'm very loyal to Tuttorosso if I am using canned tomatoes, I just can't make a bad sauce whenever I them. Other brands I have to keep adding things to help the taste, but never with Tuttorosso. Of course you may have a favorite brand of crushed tomatoes you are loyal to, if so feel free to use that instead.

I love the sausage I get from my Organic market, it's made with fresh wholesome ingredients and very little fat. But since their is no nutritional info, I am using the nutritional info from Isernio turkey Italian sausage. You could add more stuff to this sauce if you wish, some roasted red pepper would be wonderful, some crushed red pepper if you want more heat or some fresh herbs right before serving would be wonderful too.

Serve this over your favorite pasta (5 points extra for 1 serving pasta) or even over guiltless spaghetti squash and top it with a dallop of reduced fat ricotta for a complete meal. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

BLT Macaroni Salad

Dads like bacon so I thought a bacon, lettuce and tomato summer pasta salad would be a perfect side dish for your Father's Day picnic. The L in this BLT salad should really be an S but I didn't like the sound of a BST.

I am really trying to like whole wheat pasta and used it today to give it another chance, but next time I am sticking with what I like for the same amount of points, either Ronzoni Smart Taste or Dreamfields as a lower carb option. You decide which pasta you prefer, you know your family and what they would eat, the points are the same. If you are on a gluten-free diet, the brown rice pasta is pretty good! To avoid having to add too much mayonnaise I think it's best to make this right before serving as macaroni salads with mayo tend to get dry out if they sit too long therefore requiring more.

As I mentioned on my BLT lettuce wrap recipe, center cut bacon has less fat than regular bacon if you like the taste of real pork bacon, you can use turkey or chicken bacon instead if you don't eat pork.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Tea Trea Oil: My Favorite Natural Cure All. and a note on MRSA

First, the disclaimer. The information in this post is meant as a guideline and to be informative only. I am not a doctor and this is not meant to be used as medical advice. I am in the health care profession and believe that there is a time and place for medicinal cures and for surgery. Please use your best judgment when treating yourself and your family with any product, man made or natural. Tea Tree Oil has been a true God send for me and my family. I have been using it for many years now and keep finding different uses for it. I am writing this post simply because it really and truly works for so many conditions and ailments and I just wanted to share the information with whoever might find it useful.

I haven't bought OTC antibacterial ointments in at least 10 years. Partly because 2 very respected hand surgeons that treat an enormous amount of infections surgically, adamantly protested the use of these ointments and in fact said they were worse than using nothing at all. According to him and his (physician) partner, these ointments actually prolonged the healing of minor and major (surgical) wounds. Wounds are supposed to be kept clean and dry in order to heal, not gunked up with goop and smothered with a band aid. Also, I have found this wonderful, all natural treatment from a plant in Australia that is used to treat infections and beyond called Tea Tree Oil.

When my second son Jack was just 1 week old I noticed a 'blister' on his itty bitty baby toe. Having worked in surgery for so many years I immediately new it was an infection. But how could this be? He was only a week old!  Being the crazy, new, paranoid mother that I was I put him right in his car seat and drove him to the pediatricians office whom we hadn't even had the pleasure of meeting yet. The skeptical receptionist/MA at the front desk suggested I go back home and make an appointment. Ha! Only a normal person would do something like that. I insisted that we see a Dr.,  not a nurse or PA immediately seeing as that it had been over a week since he'd been born and I hadn't been able to get an appointment thus far.

She saw the seriousness in my eyes and managed to find a doctor in the place. O.K. Long story short (what, to late for that?) It ended up being MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) a highly resistant infection that used to only be seen in chronically ill patients in the hospital setting. Thanks to over and mis-use of antibiotics however there is a new super bug that is spreading like wild fire called " Community Acquired MRSA or CA-MRSA"  Only a few years ago MRSA was almost always Hospital Acquired or HA-MRSA, meaning it was found primarily in long term hospital patients No longer is this scary bug confined to immune-compromised patients with surgical wounds, it is in our schools, the local gym you go to and the restaurants you eat at. In fact, 3-4 out of 5 people are said to be carriers. Meaning if you swabbed 5 peoples noses and tested for the super bug, 3-4 of them would have MRSA in there bodies.

After spending some time in isolation at the Children's hospital and frightening talk of maybe having to do a spinal tap and 2 weeks of  heavy duty I.V. antibiotics on my newborn baby we found out at our 2 week follow up appointment that 7 other newborn babies had shown up with MRSA (at that pediatric office alone) and it had been traced back to the hospital where they were all born, probably a nurse who had contact with the babies who was a carrier of the bug.

picture from Bien-'Etre skincare and wellness

Two years later a week before Christmas, Jack had been acting sick for about a week and I noticed a lump on the side of his neck. It turned out to be a peritonsilar abscess that needed to be treated surgically. The results confirmed it was indeed MRSA and we spent 2 whole weeks in the hospital on some pretty serious drugs. They tried to send us home after a few days post-op but the 1 of only 2 or 3 antibiotics that will actually treat MRSA is so harsh my then 2 year old couldn't even tolerate it going down his throat. The stuff smelled like gasoline! So, we ended up back in the hospital on I.V. antibiotics.

This whole experience was a very difficult and frustrating time. Not only for obvious reasons like having to watch your baby suffer with such a scary infection and go through surgery and then regress back to an infantile state in his confined metal crib, but because nobody could give me a straight answer on the recovery or recurrence of MRSA. Not any of the doctors, nurses or even the Infectious Disease Control Specialist that visited us. There just wasn't enough information about this new form of the disease,

CA-MRSA.

What I was told over and over again was that my son would most likely have MRSA infections for the rest of his life. Every scrape, every cut that got infected, every chest cold and ear infection would likely be MRSA. What's worse is that eventually this bug becomes resistant to antibiotics as well and then the infections become Vancomycin resistant which means nothing will treat the infection.

This was very hard for me to accept being as that I have always been very skeptical of the use of antibiotics. Again, I am grateful for them as a last resort but firmly believe that most doctors over prescribe them and most people don't use them correctly, such as forgetting to finish the full dose which is exactly how the staph infections became resistant to the antibiotics in the first place.

Instead of accepting the fate of my son to be destined to using harsh medicine over and over which destroys your GI tract, kidneys, liver and over all health, I decided to do a bunch of research for natural alternatives. Tea Tree Oil is one of the solutions I found that it ended up working miracles for us. Silver being the second, but we won't dive into that today since I've probably already lost most of you anyway at this point.

this is the brand I use

I first tried it myself and then started giving Jack small amounts of tea tree oil topically as a prophylactic (preventative) measure. For young children I suggest mixing a teaspoon or so of Vitamin E or Olive Oil with 1 drop tea tree oil and rubbing it on the bottoms of their feet and/or under their arms near the lymph nodes. Keep away from their face and hands as small children will rub their hands on their eyes and put them in their mouth. I haven't found that tee tree oil burns at all when I use it as a face wash, but still think it's best to keep away from children's sensitive faces.

What Exactly Is Tea Tree Oil?

picture from Dermaxime Skin Care

Tea tree oil is an essential oil  from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant native to Australia.
Historically, the leaves were used as a substitute for tea, which is how tea tree oil got its name. The part used medicinally is the oil from the leaves.

Australian aboriginals used tea tree leaves for healing skin cuts, burns, and infections by crushing the leaves and applying them to the affected area. Tea tree oil contains consituents called terpenoids, which have been found to have antiseptic and anti fungal activity. The compound terpinen-4-ol is the most abundant and is thought to be responsible for most of tea tree oil's antimicrobial properties.

Today tea tree oil is used for many ailments from acne to athletes foot. Personally and for my family I have used tea tree oil {and it worked} for the following conditions:

• Relief of itching and inflammation from bug bites (2-3 drops in a basin of water, soak 10-15 minutes. 5-8 drops in a tub full of water.)
• Acne (when mixed 2-3 drops with 1/4 cup EVOO and Castor oil as a cleanser)
• Ppsoriasis (small patch on my forehead)
• Eczema, (mild cases on 2 of my 4 children)
• Infections (from skin and ear infections to pneumonia. I pour a few drops of Vitamin E oil and 1-2 drops tea tree oil in the palm of my hand and simply rub onto skin. It will soak into your body and amazingly enough has worked wonders for treating almost all infections my kids have had. We've only had to get antibiotics 1 in the last 2-3 years for a stubborn ear infection.)
• Toe nail fungus (from getting pedicures)  Mix 3-6 drops of tea tree oil in a basin of water and soak feet for at least 10 minutes, 1-2 times a day. This worked much, much faster than any OTC or prescription medicine used to treat nail fungus which is notoriously hard to cure.
• Dry Scalp/Dandruff (mix 2-3 drops in Cider Vinegar & Baking powder)
• Aromatherapy to treat colds and persistent coughs.

Here is an example of why it might be better to use a natural product such as Tea Tree Oil instead of a man-made chemical based one.

A single-blind randomized trial by the Department of Dermatology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia compared the effectiveness and tolerance of 5% tea tree oil gel with 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion in 124 people with mild to moderate acne. People in both groups had a significant reduction in inflamed and non-inflamed acne lesions (open and closed comedones) over the three month period, although tea tree oil was less effective than benzoyl peroxide.

Although the tea tree oil took longer to work initially, there were fewer side effects with tea tree oil. In the benzoyl peroxide group, 79 percent of people had side effects including itching, stinging, burning, and dryness. Researchers noted that there were far less side effects in the tea tree oil group.

A little goes a long way! Start with just a drop or two and increase as needed.

Things to consider when using and purchasing Tea Tree Oil

• Make sure it comes int a dark bottle so the light doesn't destroy the medicinal properties in the oil.
• Do NOT take tea tree oil orally. It is to be used topically or as an aromatherapy only.
• A little goes a long way. Start with just 1-2 drops of oil as a soak or mixed with oil.
• Choose a bottle with a dispensing cap that only lets a drop out at a time (like the one I use pictured above) or one that comes with a dropper.
• Tea Tree Oil can be found at most Naturopathic and Holistic shops as well as many common stores including most Walmart's, Sprouts, Walgreen's, CVS, Whole Foods and Fry's Marketplace.

Salpicón

Salpicón is a fresh homemade Colombian fruit beverage. It's served cold and loaded with chopped fruit such as watermelon, papaya, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, apples, bananas and carbonated soda. Serve it with a spoon to eat the fruit then drink the juice when the fruit is all gone. Thirst quenching on a hot summer day and perfect as an afternoon snack or dessert.

It's been years since I walk the busy cobblestone streets of Colombia filled with street vendors in the center of town. A tropical country with a warm climate and an abundance of fresh fruit year round. How I loved to sample all the wonderful assortment of tropical fruits, delicious street food and beverages unique to that country. Salpicón was one of those treats I never forgot. I actually searched for the recipe I while back but couldn't find one, then just last week I found out my aunt makes this all the time! So thanks to my aunt, you too can try this delicious fresh homemade fruit punch too.

This makes a large amount and would fill a large punch bowl; great for back yard parties. Although it's usually made with champagne kola, I made this with Sprite Zero instead and thought it tasted just as good. You could really use any sparkling soda you desire, we even played around with a fresh watermelon juice/seltzer combo to give you healthier options.

As for the fruit, watermelon and fresh pineapple is a must as it gives you lots of juice; you could substitute whatever fruit is in season near you. Mango and peaches would be great too and you could certainly make half the amount.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chilled Calamari Salad with Lemon and Parsley

A light refreshing seafood salad made with squid, fresh lemon, celery, red onion, roasted peppers, garlic and parsley.

It's sweltering outside, the temperature in New York is expected to hit over a 100 degrees today. We are getting some work done to my house and unfortunately I have no AC at the moment so I wanted to make something cold and refreshing without heating up the house and this cold calamari salad is exactly what I was craving. If you buy your squid cleaned, this takes minutes to make and is easier than you think.

Squid doesn't take long to cook, if you overcook it it gets rubbery so be sure to keep a close eye on it and have an ice bath ready before you cook it.

Some variations to this, you could add cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives or hot pepper. Cilantro and lime instead of parsley would give this more of a Latin flair. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Summer Broccoli-Citrus Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

I was lucky enough to be invited to do a guest post on one of my absolute favorite blogs, Perry's Plate. What an honor. Natalie and I share a common interest in healthy and wonderful food so I had to come up with something not only healthy but delicious and fun as well. In sticking with the Simply Healthy Family standard, I also wanted to keep the dish simple and fuss free. Real Food for Real People. This is a dish anyone  can make and yet be proud to serve at a picnic or party. Please do stop by Natalie's beautiful site for this recipe and for your dinner, breakfast and dessert inspiration.

My dad was kind enough to invite all of us over to his gorgeous home for a big family BBQ last week. The weather was absolutely divine here in the suburbs of Phoenix and the huge trees in his backyard and constant cool breeze blowing through them made for a perfect backyard BBQ.

My dad is extremely serious about his landscape. It's a crazy passion that all of us 9 kids tease him about. He is very aware if even one single small plant or shrub 'burns out' or is looking sickly and is on top of it immediately. His front and back yards are huge and the variety and beauty of the artfully arranged desert vegetation far surpasses the Botanical Gardens in my opinion. Just ask him the name of a newly planted specimen and he will gladly tell you all about it's origin and why it is planted exactly where it is. Funny guy. It does create a very serene setting to sit and relax  next to the pool with friends and family. We are lucky ducks.

Oh, my point and I do have one....

The BBQ. Typically, BBQ's are not the healthiest of events. You have your hamburgers, hot dogs or other hunks of meat. Then there are the sides which usually include one or more of the following unhealthy foods: Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, 7 Layer Bean Dip, Macaroni Salad, Ambrosia Fruit Salad,

 Baked {sugary} Beans, Potato Chips and Soda or Lemon Aid.

I have been given the stink eye when ever I've mentioned that I am not in love with any of these foods (o.k., maybe the bean dip). Nope, not even hamburgers. And it's not just because they are unhealthy or because I have anything against meat per say, well that's not entirely true, but that's a whooooole other story. I simply just don't care for those types of foods. They are heavy, greasy,  mayonnaise-e and leave me feeling Yucky.

I'd much rather have a salad that's a real salad. Which in my view isn't covered up in mayo or smothered with cheese or Ranch Dressing. I honestly prefer to taste my veggies and to brighten their natural flavors with, well, natural flavors. What a concept huh? Take this Summer Broccoli Salad for instance.

Typically, in my experience at least, when you see a broccoli type salad at a picnic, BBQ, or get together it is tossed in some sort of creamy dressing and that's if there's a broccoli salad at all, usually it's 3 different varieties of potato salad.

I made this salad very light and healthy yet still sweet, salty and tangy, perfect for an outdoor summer supper. By very quickly blanching the broccoli, then tossing it with lemon and mandarin juices whisked with a drizzle of Organic honey it becomes a treat for the tastebuds. To make it worthy of a party side dish, I added oh-so-wonderful Prosciutto and tossed it all together with Mandarin orange segments and thinly sliced almonds which gently stuck to the broccoli giving the salad a bit of a toasty crunch.

Roll up 2 pieces of thinly sliced prosciutto and cut into thin strips.

Remember to visit Perry's Plate for the entire recipe and say hi! 

What the Heck am I Supposed to Do with these Kids All Summer Anyway?

It's only been two weeks since school let out for the summer and I'm already going bonkers. Bonkers I tell you.  We live in the desert and it's already 100+ degrees outside. That's hot. {if anyone says 'but it's a dry heat' I'll scream} The parks, bike trails and golf courses are all deserted and dusty. The animals in the zoo have retreated to their respective caves. And here at my house we have our very own zoo of sorts going on front and center. The kids are already acting like caged, wild animals. I'm pretending I don't hear the tantrums and fighting as we speak.

So, what the heck am I supposed to do with 4 extremely energetic kids all summer long anyway? We can swim and read and play X-Box but then what about the other 15 & 1/2 hours of the day? Crafts are great. My kids love crafts. They keep them busy for longer than any other thing. I used to hate them due to the mess and the fact that I seemed to do 99% of the work and would often be sitting there all by myself finishing a craft intended for the kids amusement. Here is a fun list of very doable crafts I've found on the blessed internet. I hope you visit each site for the directions and for more creative ideas.

Check back in a few days because we made something very, very cool here at our house that the boys are still crazy about after a whole entire week! Wow.

Home Made Puffy Paint from Sandy Toes and Popsicles

Make a Puppet Theatre

picture from Cool Spaces for Kids

Head to your local Library.

Sign up for a summer reading program and go to fun classes.

Going to the Library will be even more fun with this cute book bag.

sewing pattern from Shiny Happy World

My boys love doing this.

picture from Martha Stewart

Beat the Heat! Have a Water Party!

Simple and Cute Sponge Ball tutorial from One Charming Party

Low Fat Chewy Granola Bars with Pecans Raisins and Chocolate

Moist and Chewy low fat granola bars loaded with chocolate chips, raisins and pecans in every bite. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

You're probably wondering why I am posting so many baked recipes in this heat but I am having some work done to my house and it's really hard to cook around here this week. I made these last week knowing things would be chaotic around here... you are going to love these!!!

I cut them in long bars like the granola bars you buy in the store, but it's actually a lot easier to cut them in squares which is how I will make them in the future.

If you are a regular on my site, you might notice the similarities to my chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! I used that recipe as a base and made some modifications to create this as a bar. I knew they would work out great and they disappeared quickly in my house as you can see by the photo, they almost left me nothing to photograph!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Hash Brown Egg White Nests

Perfect little portion controlled hash brown nests filled with eggs, cheese and ham. You can fill these little babies with any combination of ingredients. I used what I had on hand and they turned out wonderful. Leftovers can be reheated to eat throughout the week.

I met Mary from Mary's Bites at Blogher food and we got to talking about these little hashbrown muffins she was making for her blog. I loved the concept and re-created her recipe with lighter ingredients I had on hand and was very pleased with the outcome. Best part is that I have breakfast ready to go for the next 2 days!

I like my hashbrowns crispy so next time I will bake them a little longer but all ovens are different so use your judgment. Also, some of my muffins stuck a little to the tin so be sure to generously spray the tin and use a non-stick muffin pan.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Ricotta Cheese Chocolate Chip Muffins

Moist chocolate chip muffins loaded with chocolate morsels in every bite. What a perfect way to start you morning if chocolate is your weakness. Also great as an afternoon snack.

These originally started with whole wheat flour, but after a few attempts at these I got the best results using self-rising cake flour. The taste and texture was exactly what I expect from a muffin. Next time I may try to do a blend of white whole wheat flour and cake flour to see how they come out. Until then I didn't want to keep you waiting!

If you are watching your sugar intake, I'm sure these would work great with a Splenda blend.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Exactly How to Eat Less Meat and Not Miss It One Single Bit

I am not a vegetarian. I just don't eat meat.

O.k., very, very little meat and then it's mostly fish, I love  fish. In fact, I would be perfectly undisturbed if I never again had red meat or pork in all of their varying forms and disguises. I was however introduced to Elk meat recently when some friends of ours returned from a successful Elk hunt and had a big feast to celebrate. I have to tell you, I surprised myself by being o.k. with this and even more so by trying the grilled Elk steak and finding it absolutely wonderful. It was nothing like I expected. I thought it would be tough and gamy tasting but instead it was very tender, incredibly lean and almost sweet. As fresh as it gets, this is the way meat is supposed to taste.







Nothing like the over processed/handled chicken, beef and pork that you find at the grocery store that is labeled "Farm Fresh" when in fact it comes from a dark, rank, over crowded coop or pin where the animals can not move about at all and are sickly, disease ridden from standing in their own filth and among corpses and fed a diet of manufactured grains and chemicals. Sorry to be blunt, but it's out there even if you choose not to think about it.

Why do we continue to buy this stuff? The bags of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, the ground beef sold in tubes and styrofoam, the mass produced eggs from chicken prisons. Besides it being inhumane which most people know but pretend it's not a big deal or don't care, it tastes like garbage and is horrible for your over all health. Again, just to reiterate my point, I don't mean that all meat in general is bad, I simply am saying that we need to make more informed and responsible choices when it comes to the things we buy and feed ourselves and our families.

Does this mean I'm perfect and always make the right dietary decisions? Yes, of course it does.

Just Kidding! geeesh.

Hmmmm. That is not were I was going to go with this post but there it is. At the risk of sounding like a crazy, raving hard core animal activist I'm going to stick with my principles in hopes of shedding some light on the situation. Really, I was going to simply write about the fact that when I tell people that we eat meat only once or twice a month every body without fail asks, "Well then what the heck do you eat?!"




Well, I'll tell you exactly what we eat:

• More whole foods like vegetables and fruits. Some organic (see this list of what to buy organic)
• Variety of beans and *legumes
• Nuts and Seeds
• Whole Grains: Brown rice, Barley, Rye, Millet, Quinoa, Oats, Popcorn, Buckwheat, Wild Rice
• Cheese and Dairy: Kefir, Ricotta, String cheese, Goat's milk, Goat Cheese, Feta.   No cow's milk, processed cheese or sugary yogurts, even the ones that say they're healthy or diet almost always are not. Choose kefir or plain Greek yogurt instead.
• Free Range, Organic eggs. They really aren't too much more expensive than the alternative and you'll definately notice a difference in the taste.

It's amazing  how eating more veggies, beans and whole grains can easily make you forget about the fact that you just have to have meat for dinner. We only eat meat 2 or 3 times a month and so we can afford to buy Organic and free range and I have to tell you, not even my kids miss it. When we do eat meat, it's usually not the star attraction. Veggies are still the main act and meat is the smaller portion.

If you're still stumped as what to make all week long for dinner, just click either the Dinner,
Vegetarian or Vegan links on the right hand side bar of this blog. 

Here are some of our favorite vegetarian and vegan dinners.

Ethiopian Groundnut Wat

Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta with Lentil Puttenesca

Santa Fe Style Enchiladas Verdes with Salsa Verde

Cuban Style Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans with Pineapple Salsa

Healthy Fettuccine Pasta with Garden Veggies

Cashew Creme Pasta with Hazelnuts

Other great Blogs that are dedicated to making more or all vegetarian meals are:

Healthy Happy Life

The Spunky Coconut

Healthful Pursuit

Anja's Food for Thought

Scandi Foodie

Eats Well with Others

Legume is the name for a group of pods that contain a seed or grain. You’ll recognize them as the varieties of dried beans and dried peas you see at the grocery store. Lentils are actually a subgroup within legumes, but they are pulled out as special because of their extra beneficial nutritional profile

Nuts and seeds, small but nutritionally powerful, are a great source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. They provide all the same great benefits of the other high fiber foods we’ve looked at: helping to lower cholesterol; helping to manage blood-sugar levels; keeping your digestive tract running smoothly and healthy

Whole grains haven't had their bran and germ removed by milling, making them good sources of fiber — the part of plant-based foods that your body doesn't digest. Among many health benefits, high-fiber foods also tend to make you feel full longer.
When in doubt, check the label. Look for the word "whole" on the package, and make sure whole grains appear among the first items in the ingredient list. Try to choose items with at least 3 grams of dietary fiber per serving.

This post is linked to

How to Eat More Veggies at Veggie Venture

Meatless Monday's at Midnight Maniac