Salmon Burgers

Okay, so we really ate these the way you would a crab cake, but they are really meant to be a burger. You know, with a bun, some mayo, lettuce, tomato... and they would have been even more delicious that way.  But I didn't have the appropriate groceries in stock.

I did have a bag of organic baby yukon gold potatoes, and some broccoli, and so that's what we ate.  Pretty simple.  But I think I'll make these again sometime with some slider buns, some crispy romaine lettuce, some olive oil mayo and tomato slices.  YUM.

Salmon Burgers

1 lb skinned salmon filet, diced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp honey dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko, but I think any will do)

Mix all together, and form into 4 small patties.  Saute in some warmed olive oil on med-high heat until browned, flip and brown the other side.  Serve immediately.

Spring Dinner Outside

We've had ridiculous weather this year, especially over the last couple of weeks.  Crazy heat, roller coaster temperatures, and I think there's been about 10 inches of rain at our house over the last 2 weeks.  But pollen season seems to be long past us, and today was absolutely one of the most beautiful days so far.  It was only 80 degrees outside in the hottest part of the day.  It wasn't humid, the bugs weren't out in full force, and the grass wasn't so wet that we couldn't walk on it.

So needless to say, we fired up the grill, put the umbrella up, tablecloth on and enjoyed dinner outside.

I did a very simple boneless chicken breasts in olive oil, onion powder and Italian seasoning, letting them sit for 20 minutes while the grill was warmed up.  My husband grilled them to perfection, along with the apricots.

 I whipped up a simple mixed greens salad, and some delicious strawberry lemonade.

Strawberry Lemonade

2 cups water plus 2 quarts water
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
2 pints of strawberries, hulled and rinsed
Juice of 5 lemons (about 3/4 cup)
Ice

First, warm the sugar and zest on high heat with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Boil and stir until the mixture is clear and the sugar is no longer grainy.

Blend your strawberries in a food processor.  Then in your drink pitcher, combine the berries, lemon juice, sugar water, and additional 2 quarts water.  Then add ice to cool it down.

Serve over ice.

Now sit back and enjoy the effort!

Camping Trip - Memorial Day Weekend 2012

We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend.  We started early, by loading up the car and heading to the American Heritage Girls Inaugural NC Camporee.  We camped out in Carthage, NC at Camp Durant.  It was a nice camp and the kids had fun.  My oldest daughter got to shoot BB's, make a paracord bracelet, and learned more about first aid.  We all had our share of hiking and roasted marshmallows.  It was nice to have some down time, away from everything.  I used my smartphone as a clock and nothing else, disconnected from the world.

One of the things I took pride in during the camping trip was the food.  I tried to keep it camp-like, but still  good and healthy.  Here was our menu:

Friday dinner: 

Grilled chicken (marinated in Italian dressing)

Brown Rice (the pre-cooked in a bag kind)
Black Beans
Mixed Veggies
The latter 3 were cooked together in 1 pot for ease.

Saturday Breakfast:

Scrambled Eggs

Grits

Apple Slices

Saturday Lunch:

PB&J on wheat

Carrot Sticks and Red Bell Pepper slices

Chips

(Saturday's dinner provided by the camporee staff consisted of hot dogs and chips.)

 Sunday Breakfast:

Pancakes with Pure Maple Syrup

Fresh Blueberries

Snacks:

Trail Mix

Grapes

The food turned out great. The chicken and fresh fruits/veggies were all prepped in advance. We had more than enough room in the cooler for other things, and there was plenty of food to cover lunch on Sunday (more PB&J).  I also had in the cooler the Horizon milks that are individual-sized for both breakfasts.  We brought a separate water cooler and drank water and Nuun tablet drinks during lunches and dinners (we tried the pink lemonade, orange and fruit punch tablets).

Tip: You can keep pre-mixed pancake mix (ready to pour) in a cooler for several days.  I used the mix we keep on hand in the pantry, which has oatmeal, cinnamon, whole wheat flour, etc.  YUM!

Zucchini Pasta

I was reading a recipe on Whole Living lately that was meant to be vegan.  I chose to change it up a bit, to fit our family's style, and thought it may be a way for my kids to actually enjoy zucchini, which has been a hard sell.  When my youngest saw zucchini in the fridge, she got excited and said "Yay, zucchini bread!"  LOL  I had to try very hard not to disappoint.

Before I share the easy way to make this meal, let me tell you about my excitement to hear that Consumer Reports named my food processor, the Breville Sous Chef, the best out there.  I had a nice Kitchen Aid that lasted me for about 13 years, but it was on it's last leg, and so I replaced it late last year.  The Sous Chef makes me happy.

To make the Zucchini Pasta, I took 2 large zucchini and cut them in half lengthwise and also in half the other way.  Then I used my french fry attachment to cut them.  For us, I boiled 1 cup of whole wheat penne.  While that was boiling, I sauteed the zucchini with 1 minced fresh garlic clove and fresh cracked pepper in about 2 Tbsp olive oil, over medium heat.  It took about 12 minutes for both the pasta and the zucchini.  I did cover the zucchini some, so that it would be tender-crisp.  I served with our favorite marinara sauce and some fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese.

What a healthy meal!  The zucchini was good enough to replace pasta, but I have to ease my family in, and there's no harm in a little bit of whole wheat pasta.  The kids ate the zucchini, and even said it was good, and that's good enough for me!

The Scullery, and the Felafel Burger

I have loved a locally owned restaurant for a while now. The Scullery is a quaint cafe and coffee shop in "Uptown" Greenville, NC. The food is fresh, tables are painted in chalkboard paint (and come with a little cup of chalk), and the owners are very friendly! They also make fresh homemade ice cream that is irresistible. Parts of the menu change with the seasons.  See what a local photographer wrote up in her blog here.

The felafel burger is on our list of favorites. Just the right amount of garlic and herbs. Crispy on the outside, warm deliciousness on the inside.  Their description says "Ours is made fresh every day with chick peas, herbs, lemon and garlic, pan fried and served with basil mayo, lettuce, tomato and mozzarella on delicious bread baked at The Scullery."

A great place to eat healthy, fresh foods.  Do you have a local place you love to go?   If so, what do you love to eat there?

Veggie Quiche

I grew up knowing this as Broccoli Quiche, but think there's enough veggies in this one to call it a veggie quiche.  I just love it because it's full of veggies, where many quiches are mostly egg.  I usually throw in some extra broccoli because that's just how I like it.

I also grew up with Bisquick in the original recipe.  I don't use the stuff, I think it's scary, at best, and prefer to use ingredients that I know how to say and know what is in them.  That's why I used an Olive Oil Crust recipe.  After eating some, I recommend only using half of the olive oil crust recipe, making for a thin crust layer, but this week I used the full crust (and just didn't eat all of the crust).

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Veggie Quiche

Crust

10 oz (2-3 cups) frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1 bell pepper, diced

1/3 cup onion, chopped or diced

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3 eggs

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 cup milk

Prepare your crust in a pie dish.  Evenly spread out your broccoli, bell pepper, onion, and cheese.  In a separate bowl, blend together remaining ingredients until eggs are well beaten.  (You can use a blender, whisk, beater...)  Pour liquid mixture over the veggies.  Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.

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I made this for myself to eat for lunches this week, but my 7 year old tasted it and decided that she'd also like some in her lunchbox.  That's my girl!

Berry Maple Syrup

As you may already know, I try very hard to provide foods that are made from whole foods.  I have not banned processed foods altogether, but I'm getting more and more concerned about what food companies are sneaking into our foods.

About once a week we have breakfast for dinner.  Sometimes it's eggs, sometimes pancakes or french toast.  For pancakes, we usually use my homemade mix that has oats and whole wheat flour in it, but also a favorite is Hodgeson Mill's Whole Wheat Pancake Mix.  In my quest to serve something healthy, I like to experiment ways to serve better toppings.  Anyone remember this?  Enter the berry syrup.

An easy way to introduce PURE maple syrup to your family, which tastes much different from the typical syrups you find on the shelves (most of which don't even contain real maple), is to add berries. 

Try this recipe, which provides fruit for your family along with natural pure maple syrup in the form of the perfect replacement for that-stuff-on-the-shelves-called-syrup.

Take about 1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup (I recommend Full Circle USDA Organic 100% Pure Maple Syrup) and put into a medium saucepan.  Add 1 pint of washed berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries).  Heat on medium high heat just until it starts to boil, then turn the heat off.  Keep it chunky if you like, or use an immersion blender to make it smooth.  Serve warm!

Oatmeal Cookies

Two Saturdays ago, the girls and I weathered the storm, Hurricane Irene, at home.  We were very fortunate to have power most of the day.  It went out about a dozen times through the day, but each time came back on within 60 seconds.  We were in the minority, for sure!

We played games, did some crafts, and baked cookies.  It was a good day of mother-daughter bonding.  I altered a recipe that I have from an old cookbook from The Fresh Market, adding in some whole wheat flour (half wheat, half white), and also changing some of the add-ins.

I split the cookie dough in half and in half I added 1 cup milk chocolate chips with 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, and in the other half I added 3/4 cup dried cranberries, zest of one orange, and 3/4 cup white chocolate chips.

These cookies were really tasty, and I could not tell that they were healthier than the original (which I had made once before).

If you make these, please let me know what add-ins you use, and whether you like them.  What would you add in?

"Hurricane" Oatmeal Cookies

2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 cups oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups "add-ins" such as chocolate chips, walnuts, cranberries, white chocolate chips, orange zest or something else!  (I really loved 1/2 milk chocolate chips with 1/2 chopped walnuts!)

Preheat oven to 375.  Beat butter and brown sugar until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.  In another bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.  Gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture in stages.  Stir in your add-ins.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet (recommend covering with parchment paper).  Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

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I recommend baking a dozen or two, and freezing the rest on parchment.  Just put parchment on a cool cookie sheet, put rounded teaspoonfuls on the parchment (not touching).  Place in freezer.  Once frozen, remove from cookie sheet and place in freezer bag.  Next time you want cookies, you take the amount you need out, thaw for 15 minutes, and then bake per the recipe.  No more processed cookie dough from the grocery store!

Apples, apples and more irresistable apples!

Our Scenic Drive through the NC Mountains

Getting closer to the apple farm, and saw some wonderful waterfalls

Apple farm

Last week we drove 6 hours to the NC mountains in hopes of picking apples.  What we didn't know was that all of the 10 orchards in that one town were not going to let us pick.  We were really bummed.  When we got to the random orchard we chose, we realized that it was best they pick for us!  The trees were literally on the slopes of the mountainside, and surrounded by a lot of yellowjackets!  Not exactly ideal when you have young little princesses!

But it was still worth going, as we saw some gorgeous little waterfalls along the drive, some great scenic views of the remaining fall leaves, met some great apple farmers, and came home with a huge box and another bag of apples. 

After sampling their apples, we went with a box of Cameo, a combination of tart and sweet, very juicy, and large!  The other bag of apples was Pink Lady, less juicy, more dense, but a promise for sweetness about a week later (now).

I decided to make some apple butter for canning.  This year I made my own rather than someone else's recipe.  I've made it twice, and I love it.  It's not as sweet as your typical apple butter, but it's delicious!  I had some friends at the office try it out, and it seems that other people also liked it, so it's not just me.

I have speculated as to why it's not as sweet.  It's quite possibly that the apples are the reason for the slightly tart flavor.  It could be the honey replacing some of the sugar  (I used NC Wildflower Honey).  Either way, this apple butter is easy to make and really worth trying!

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

10 large apples, such as Cameo
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Peel apples, and chop into large chunks.  Throw them into a large slow cooker.  Put remaining ingredients in, tossing to mix slightly.  Put slow cooker on low for 10 hrs or overnight.  You may stir a couple of times, if desired.  Otherwise, you can just leave it.

In the morning, stir the apple mixture.  In batches, blend in the blender.  Or, if you have an immersion blender, you can blend it right in the pot!  Pour into sanitized canning jars.  Follow standard canning procedures.  If you don't have standard canning procedures, you can visit the real Martha's website for some great tips on easy canning!
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So I have many more apples, and so I also made some homemade applesauce for canning.  It's so easy, really anyone can make this:

Cinnamon Applesauce

8 large apples, such as Cameo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Peel apples and chop into large chunks.  Place chopped apples in a dutch oven.  Splash with lemon juice, and stir in cinnamon until blended in.  Cover and put on medium heat for approx 30 minutes.  Test to see when the apples mush with back of stirring spoon.  If they do, they're done!  Put the apples in a food processor, and blend for 10-15 seconds.  Eat warm, refrigerate, or can for future eating!

As my husband said, "It's like warm apple pie!"
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I made something else with the apples.  I'll share later this week.  Hint: a great fall dessert!

Happy fall!

Lunches- trying not to be boring!

My oldest daughter has to have lunch packed daily for school.  I actually started doing this when she started summer camp, which was a day camp that she went to all summer.  I will say that I enjoy having fun with this, but I do not go to quite the extreme that some bloggers do. 

I believe that lunch, just like all other meals, should be healthy.  I also believe that kids will be exposed to junk, and that while they should be eating and enjoying the healthful foods, you should not completely deprive them of the things they will see the kids around them eating.  One day they will be making choices on their own, and it will be good to give them a balance.

That being said, here are some lunches, with comments on some:

 This one has chips, homemade salsa, peaches, blackberries, cheese cubes, some homegrown lettuce and a sprig of parsley (and yes, she will eat that), and standing in the middle is 1/2 of a Kashi bar.


This next one here has little sandwiches, fruit strip, carrots and spinach, Doritos, and Kashi Warm Cinnamon cereal.

 

 Above are cucumbers as flower stems, tortilla and cheese flowers, pear slices, strawberry applesauce, Kashi crackers and dip.  Below I did air-popped popcorn, Kashi crackers and cheese, granola and Craisins.

 Below was canteloupe, Kashi crackers, peanut butter, cheese cubes and carrots.

 Above is my black bean salad (see recipes), raspberries, spinach, tortilla & cheese flowers, and pear sauce (Trader Joe's).  Below (one of her favorites) was refried beans and chicken (got heated up at camp), spinach, cheese, tortilla, and grapes.

 Sunshine egg salad over a Sandwich Thin, cheese for the rays, freeze dried peas for the eyes, and an apricot smile.

 Above she got chicken, whole wheat blueberry muffin, bread, spinach salad (with 1 grape tomato), and 1 large strawberry.  Below she got chips and salsa, spinach, apple slices, chicken & cheese.

 She really liked this butterfly, with a Simply Fruit rollup antennae.  The sandwich was tuna fish, and I found some food markers at one of the local arts & crafts stores.  Served with an orange.

 This last one is supposed to look like a palm tree, with apple slice palm leaves, a Flat Out original flatbread with peanut butter for the trunk, cherry "coconuts" and a monkey.  Served with carrots and teddy grahams.

I'm not perfect, but adding in a little creativity makes lunches interesting for my daughter!  There are still many days of just a sandwich with fruit or chips. 

I hope to soon post a recipe of something I do with the leftover scraps of bread & crusts from making lunches.   Perfect for autumn!  Would love to know what some of your favorite autumn recipes are...

Banana Nut Pancakes and Banana Maple Syrup

I made breakfast for dinner one night this week.  I wanted something simple that night.  I started with Hodgson Mill's Whole Wheat Pancake Mix, which I picked up at The Fresh Market.  I had not ever tried that pancake mix before, but it looked good, and the ingredient list was simple and trans fat free.  I have to say, it was delicious and hearty.  I really liked the texture of this mix.

I made the mix per the box instructions for 12-14 pancakes.  I then added 1/8 cup chopped walnuts and 1 banana, chopped into small pieces.  My girls don't love nuts at their age, so I chopped the nuts pretty finely.  I then made the pancakes on the griddle as I normally would.  I will say, it only made 10 pancakes (and I don't feel like I made them that big).  But they were nice and fluffy, and because they were so hearty, 10 was more than enough for our family of 4.

For the syrup, I (again) wanted to try something different that wasn't pure sugar, something with some nutritional benefit.  So I went with the theme of the banana again.  Bananas are so inexpensive right now.  I buy a huge bag of them at Sam's Club, and they're only about $1/bag right now.

Banana Maple Syrup (for 4)

3/4 cup PURE maple syrup
3 bananas, mashed completely with a fork
1-2 Tbsp orange juice

Mix all together.   Warm if desired.
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Because it's never enough, I served fresh raspberries on the side.  Yum!

Mmmmmmmm.... Awesome Healthy Banana Bread

Okay, so most banana breads are good.  The original version of this recipe, that I grew up eating because my mom made it growing up, was so good that I never really loved other people's banana bread recipes.  Sad, but true.  It was just that good!

I have since "healthified" this recipe, and even with ALL of the flour being whole wheat, my husband (and biggest critic of healthy food), LOVES this.  I use King Arthur Organic 100% Whole Wheat Flour.

If you don't use much buttermilk around the house, then a good option for you would be SACO cultured buttermilk.  It's powdered buttermilk.  You can keep this small canister in the bottom back corner of the fridge and it will be there for you whenever a recipe calls for buttermilk.  I recommend you make about 1/2 cup of this before beginning your bread ingredients.  Just mix and refrigerate until it's time to use it.  When it's time for the baking soda/buttermilk, mix together.  It will get kind of foamy, but then you don't get that weird baking soda taste in your bread.

Bananas: when ours get too ripe (black), I peel them and stick them in ziploc baggies, 3-4 per bag, and freeze until I plan to bake.  The night before baking, I place the baggie(s) in the fridge and let them defrost.  When it's time to add them into the mixture, I pour them in, juices and all!

The recipe below is actually a double recipe.  Today I made 1 full size loaf and 4 mini loaves.  You could make 3 full size loaves with this recipe (or 6 mini loaves).

One last thing I would love to share.  Recently a friend told me she made my banana bread recipe (and how she loves it) but being summertime, doesn't really like to eat much of it because she likes cooler foods in the heat of the summer.  (And this summer has been ridiculously hot!)  I told her how most of the time, when I make it, I'll slice at least 1 loaf up into slices and freeze them individually in baggies.  Then, when I get the urge, I pull one out and eat it frozen.  Sounds strange, but it's GREAT!  And, it's nice and cold on a hot day.  Try it sometime!

So, without further ado:


AWESOME and HEALTHY Banana Bread

2 sticks real butter, softened to room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
7 very ripe bananas (black is best)
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda dissolved into 4 Tbsp buttermilk

With a blender, cream butter and sugar completely.  Add eggs and whip up until well blended.  Mix in the bananas.  Using minimal blending (to avoid over mixing the wheat), add in flour and salt and blend until just mixed together.  Mix in baking soda/buttermilk mixture.  Pour into greased loaf pans and bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes (test after 50, plan for an extra 10 minutes if not done).

Enjoy your banana bread!

Pizza Sandwiches

Last night we made pizza sandwiches.  I named them pizza sandwiches simply as a way to get my kids to not turn their noses up at it.  My oldest daughter told me (on the way home to make them) that she made pizza sandwiches at camp one day (during edible art week) and they were 'nasty.'  I assured her they were not the same as the ones we were having at home.

This was inspired by some leftover marinara sauce from a pasta night last week.  I love Newman's Own Organic Marinara, it has almost a little kick to it.  The bread I used was artisan bread from The Fresh Market, I had them slice it for me.

Pizza Sandwiches

1 loaf of sliced multigrain artisan bread (not TOO crusty)

1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 large fresh mozzarella ball, sliced 1/4" thick

Fresh basil leaves

1 fresh tomato, sliced

Spray some olive oil on a large nonstick frying pan and warm up to medium heat.  Meanwhile, spread a tablespoonful of marinara sauce on each slice of bread (for both sides of your sandwich).  Layer slices of mozzarella, tomato, and a couple of basil leaves, snipped on each sandwich.  Assemble and cook just like a grilled cheese sandwich.  Eat while warm.

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By the way, the girls loved it!

VBS is going on this week, and I'm in charge of crafts for K-5th grades.  Fun stuff (and pure craziness, at times)!

Snack Time!

I am a snacker.  I have to.  Usually every couple of hours my body is telling me it's time to have a little something to eat.  I've had to learn to go for healthy snacks, because in reality I'd really rather have anything that looks good, like Peanut M&M's or some cookies or something.  I still occasionally have those things, but I've trained myself to eat better during snack times.  This has really helped me to feel healthier.

Some simple snack ideas (no real brilliant ideas, mostly common sense, but maybe there are some you haven't thought to try):

Choose piece/serving of FRESH fruit (apple, orange, pear, banana, peach, cherries, blueberries, strawberries) and combine with raw, unsalted almonds (~16) or walnut halves (~5).

Combine 1-2 Tbsp hommus with celery sticks or some Kashi 7 Grain crackers (~6-8). Don’t like regular hommus? Try Red Pepper Hommus- or if you love garlic, then try Garlic Hommus (Fresh Market carries these by Greek Gourmet and they’re delicious).

Don’t have time or pocket space for fresh fruit? Try some of the newest “fruit leather” by Fruitabu or Stretch Island Fruit Co., small like a thick credit card. It’s a little like Fruit Roll-up but with all natural fruits, some organic brands, and some interesting flavor combos. Combine with nuts to get some protein.

Head over to www.Justtomatoes.com and buy some freeze dried veggies- the peas and corn are great for snacking on, and they also offer a “hot” seasoned version in snack size portions. Not to mention that many of their freeze-dried fruits are wonderful when fresh fruits are not in season.

Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter is great on celery, whole grain crackers, apples… limit the PB to 1-2 Tbsp.  Bored with peanut butter?  Almond butter is also really delicious!
Eat a Hard-boiled egg with a single serving No-Sugar-Added applesauce or pear sauce of your choice. Trader Joe’s has an amazing organic pear sauce that is a little chunky and FULL of flavor! Also good: Mott’s Summer Strawberry applesauce.

Buy an “air popper” for making popcorn without oil. Add a MINIMAL amount of butter and salt. Switch up seasonings occasionally- instead of butter and salt, add a shake of Cajun seasoning or another seasoning that sounds yummy to you. To feel more full with the popcorn, have some water with a Crystal Light lemonade packet mixed in. The sweet/salty combo is great, and popcorn is a WHOLE GRAIN food!

Sargento now makes some great snack cheese sticks in different cheese flavors, pre-portioned. They look like string cheese but are not. Combine this with a fruit, carrot sticks, or some whole grain crackers.

Caprese salad as a snack! Buy some REAL mozzarella (that looks like a ball or several small balls), eat with some fresh basil leaves, tomato, add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Boar’s Head Turkey (or chicken) – 2 slices combined with whole grain crackers. Boar’s head meats and cheeses contain no fillers, gluten, artificial colors, flavors or trans fat, and have been recommended by the American Heart Association. They also have some ideas for 100 calorie snacks: http://www.boarshead.com/category.php?categoryID=11.

Buy cottage cheese in the individual serving sizes. Combine with a handful of grapes, a peach, apricot, etc.

See my theme? Most of them combine a protein with healthy carbs (fruit, veggie, whole grain).

Happy snacking...

Bento Lunches and a Red White and Blue Food

Busy busy busy... We're in the final countdown for lots of end-of-school-year activities.  After this coming weekend things will be a lot less hectic.  This weekend we had an outdoor dinner of grilled chicken (Greek seasoning from Pampered Chef), zucchini and pineapple, some tzatziki sauce for the chicken, garlic artisan bread, garlic and olive oil couscous, and some of this fruit salad, red white and blue for the holiday.  The salad consisted of ripened d'anjou pear (peeled), gala apple, blueberries and raspberries.  All of the berries are just amazing right now.

Last week we had to start packing lunches for our oldest daughter every day.  I didn't want her to feel like she's eating a sandwich every day, so some days I've done Bento box style, and other days I've given her the opportunity to choose what she wants to eat.  One day she said, "Mommy, I want a banana dog on Friday!  It just so happened that I had extra hot dog buns from a cookout, and a fresh banana, to which we added PB&J- voila, you have a banana dog.  Here are some of the Bento lunches:

Bento 1: Not too creative, she ended up just making a sandwich.  LOL.  American cheese and Oven Roasted chicken from Boar's Head; whole wheat bread, strawberries that we picked at the farm, and some teddy grahams.  Got some cute animal food picks designed for Bento lunches such as the ones seen here.

Okay, a little more creative on day 3, maybe.  Hearts and stars for bread, chicken and colby-jack cheese; yogurt tube, organic carrot sticks, blueberries in a cupcake liner, and some teddy grahams.  (Day 2 consisted of PB&J, I'll be blogging about sandwich ideas on another day.)

Week 2, Day 1 (Bento #3): Ants on a log- I used Smucker's natural peanut butter and Craisins (she will not eat raisins); cheese bites that I got from couponing, raspberries, and tortilla strips.

Today, being a holiday, I decided to do a quick fun treat for the family, so I broke down and made red white and blue Rice Krispie treats.  I used 5 cups of the cereal (instead of 6) and replaced the last cup with 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries and 1/2 cup dried blueberries.  They were 'berry' delicious!  Our 2 year old had never had the regular version of those treats before and didn't eat much because it was so sticky.  The rest of us thought they were fabulous!

Happy Memorial Day!

I'm so thankful for those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms.

God bless the families of those who served sacrificially.

Interesting food info to pass on!

I have nothing creative to share, I've been spending a lot of time with the family.  But if you're interested in eating healthier or participating in the Food Revolution, here are some quick and easy things you can change in your diet.  Some of them may surprise you!

10 ways to turn your food into "culinary medicine" presented by US News & World Report

9 ingredients to avoid in processed foods on Yahoo Shine which tells why each ingredient is used and why it is terrible for you.

This year my oldest daughter and I planted a small garden.  We're hoping for some success!
Have a great weekend!