After a lovely summer hiatus, we’re back and cooking with the kids.  This week, it’s fresh goodies from the garden.

The kids picked some juicy, ripe grape tomatoes and devoured them immediately.  We gathered the rapidly growing green beans, carrots and cilantro.  The citrus is bountiful this year as well so we snagged a couple of giant lemons.

We made a simple Indian meal last night.  Rice, tomato rasam and a seasoned stir-fry of cauliflower, carrots, onions and green beans with mustard seeds, turmeric, salt, pepper and cilantro.

Rasam mixed with rice is one of my son’s favorites, so it quickly disappeared.  It’s the easiest thing to make.  Dice up a couple of fresh tomatoes.  Toss them in a pot and let them boil for a few minutes.  Add the Rasam powder from the Indian market. Voila!  You can add cilantro and squeeze in a little lemon or lime if you have them.  We did.  It’s great as a soup on the side or mix and serve with rice.

The cauliflower was less popular at the beginning.  We haven’t had it in a while and so they forgot how good it is. Then, we reminded the kids of the Veggie Tales theme song where Larry the Cucumber sings “Cauliflower! Sweet and sour! Half and hour! Veggie Tales…”  It’s a catchy tune and the kids remembered that they do like cauliflower.  After a few bites, they asked for seconds!

Ahhh! The tasty bites of summer!

We know that our kids love making sweets and treats, but they also love making dishes that can feed the whole family.  Nothing makes them prouder than being able to say, “I made dinner tonight!” 

Today we have two simple casserole recipes.  They are delicious and nutritious, so let your kids make them up and bake them up (with a little assistance on the oven part).

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

2 cups cooked white rice
1 package frozen broccoli or 2 fresh broccoli spears
1/2 large onion
1 jar Cheeze Whiz
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together and pour into a 9X13 inch casserole dish. Bake at 350F degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.  Optional: Top with ½ cup croutons or bread cubes.

Easy Breakfast Casserole

(For those of us that love breakfast for dinner)

1 box of croutons
1 pound sausage
1 cup grated cheese
6 eggs
1 soup can of milk
1 can mushroom soup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Spread croutons in a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish. Brown the sausage and drain the excess oil. Sprinkle sausage over croutons. Sprinkle cheese over sausage. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add milk, mushroom soup, mustard, salt and pepper, stir, and pour over top of casserole. Bake for 1 hour at 350F degrees.

Watch your child’s eyes light up when they serve the family dinner tonight!

We know your kids love to bake cookies with you.  We know they love ice cream.  Put these two favorites together and you’ve got some delicious homemade ice cream sandwiches. 

The first time around, make your kids favorite cookies.  Let them cool and try not to eat them all.  Put one scoop of vanilla ice cream on the bottom cookie.  Add a second cookie on top. Gently press the cookies together.  If you press too hard, the cookie will crumble.

For more fun, mix up the flavors and try heart- or star-shaped cookies:

Chocolate Lovers:  chocolate ice cream between chocolate, chocolate-chip cookies.

Reesees Joy: chocolate ice cream on peanut butter cookies or Reesees ice cream on chocolate cookies

Mint Mash:  mint chip ice cream with chocolate cookies

Coco-Cinnamon:  coconut ice cream with cinnamon sugar cookies

Monkey Mix:  banana ice cream on peanut butter cookies

Choco-Strawberry:  strawberry ice cream on chocolate cookies

Homemade ice cream sandwiches are a real treat and so much fun to make with your kids.  Enjoy the warm summer days with a little sweet treat.

We’re looking forward to a few days at the beach. We always have the challenge of how to avoid the fast-food and bring along some healthy treats for the kids. Here are a few healthy treats that the kids can help make.

1. Fruit Kabobs – Select your favorite fruits and skewer them!

2. Panini’s to Go – What is your kids favorite sandwich? We like turkey and muenster cheese with pesto on the parents sandwiches. Let your kids make them up and then press them a Panini maker, Foreman Grill or Waffle Iron. Cool, slice and pack them to go.

3. Pasta Salad - Add spiral pasta or other fun shapes, lots of fresh veggies including carrots, zucchini, celery and top with lite Italian dressing. Or, use your favorite recipe but skip the mayo recipes so it will keep all day.

Pack all the goodies on ice in a cooler and you’ll be good for the whole day!

Mom Tip:  Bring baby wipes, even if your kids are no longer babies. Use them to wipe the sand off their hands and do quick clean ups.

Schools out or almost! The sun is shining and the temperature is rising. It’s time for a popsicle party.

Making homemade popsicles is a breeze.  Kids can help in every step along the way. There are all types of molds that you can find from Rubbermaid to Tupperware. Just about any kind of plastic container can work.

A few of our favorite flavors are:

Pudding Pops:  Make your favorite flavor of pudding, pour it in the mold and freeze.

Gatorade Pops: Delicioso!

Fruit Pops:  Pick one or two of your favorite fruits. Put them in the blender with a little water.  You may consider adding honey or a sugar substitute to sweeten it up a bit.  Refreshing and cool.

A few of our favorites are:

- Watermelon 

- Pinapple Banana

- Strawberry & Canteloupe

Make a batch and invite a few of the neighbor kids over for a treat.  Summer is the perfect time for a Popsicle Party!

Yesterday, my daughter showed me the garden at her preschool and how big all the plants are getting. We loved seeing all the flowers blooming and the vegetables beginning to emerge. The tomatoes, while still green, were tempting us to pick them.

I started thinking about how much we love fresh-made salsa on a hot summer day, especially when the vegetables have come from our garden. Have you noticed how delicious and flavorful the tomatoes are that you’ve grown yourself? When you bite into the crisp chip holding the blend of tomatoes, onions and peppers, you mouth bursts with freshness.

Here’s my recipe for basic salsa. There are many variations and ways to mix it up.

Garden Fresh Salsa

4  medium tomatoes

1  small onion

1  serrano chili pepper, halved and seeded

2  tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (or to taste)

Finely chop tomatoes and onions (A chopper or food processor works great.) Depending on your child’s tastes you can add as much of the pepper as you like.  If you leave it halved, it’s easy to make sure the kids don’t get a hot surprise. 

Combine the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.  You can eat immediately or let it sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before serving to let the flavors blend together.  Makes 1 ½ to 2 cups.  Serve with tortilla chips, celery, eggs or anything else you like. 

Kids love to be involved in making the salsa. Here’s a few steps they can help with at almost any age:

- Pick the cilantro off the stems
- Squeeze the lemon
- Chop the onions and tomatoes in a food processor or hand chopper (with parent’s help)
- Add salt and mix

Make sure a grown up handles the chili pepper and removes the seeds from it.

Using a quick chopper or speed salsa maker makes the process a piece of cake.  Your salsa can be ready in minutes and you can let your kids do most of the work without the worry of sharp knives. Amazon.com has a great selection of salsa making tools. Get ready for the summer sizzle and your fresh salsa from the garden.

During the summer, the weather is so beautiful that I prefer not to spend too much time in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean that I skimp on delicious and healthy meals for the family. I have a few standby recipes that have become family favorites. 

Today I’m sharing a super easy crock pot recipe.  The crock pot is often thought of as a great tool to make hot dishes for the cooler weather, but it can be extremely useful in the summer.  Toss the ingredients in and let it go. Kids can help with many steps along the way.

Super Easy Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

½ chopped onion
½ teaspoon minced garlic
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
30 oz. chicken broth
1 small can tomato sauce
½ packet taco seasoning
1 can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
2 boneless chicken breasts
24 regular or baked tortilla chips

Put all the ingredients in a crock pot.  Cook on low all day or overnight (about 8 hours). Before serving, remove the chicken, shred it into small pieces by hand and return it to the soup.  You may garnish with sour cream, cheese, cilantro, avocado slices or tortilla chips.

We are always trying to find ways to get more veggie servings in the kids, so we often add carrots, zucchini (near the end of cooking), corn or avocado.  Add your own favorites.  If you are vegetarian, the soup is just as good if you leave the chicken out and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Here are great ways your kids can help:

- Kids can add ingredients from cans
- If you let the chicken cool, children’s little fingers are super for shredding the chicken
- Squeeze the lime
- Crunch tortilla chips
- Taste Test!

This recipe tastes great served with a fresh salad and chips and salsa.  The soup freezes well so feel free to double the recipe and have more time to play with your kids. 

The Crock Pot is very handy when cooking with kids.  Kids can help in many ways and then you can set it and forget it. If you need a Crock Pot, check out the values on Amazon.com shown below.

I asked some friends on Facebook to share some memories of cooking with their parents while growing up or cooking with their kids when they were young. I got some fabulous stories. I heard everything from the joy of baking Christmas cookies together each year to being tormented by siblings while cooking. These are cherished memories that stick with you for your whole life.

I didn’t cook much at home until I was in my 7th grade Home Economics class. We made a delicious braided-cinnamon bread and I wanted to try it at home. It became a favorite and I made it many more times. We ventured a little further and took a cooking class together at the local technical school. That was great. I was 14 and the only “kid” in the class. I loved it and learned so many good tips.

My husband is a great cook. He helped a lot in the kitchen growing up and has a good sense of what goes together well. I’ve learned a lot from him. Cooking and food do make some of the most memorable times. I’ll never forget the time when he was making lentils in pressure cooker. Not having much experience with the pressure cooker, I was concerned that it would explode. He assured me there was nothing to worry about. Wouldn’t you know, this was the time, it actually did explode? We had lentils everywhere and it was quite a job to clean up. The newer models of pressure cookers actually have a safety valve so that doesn’t happen.

When we talk about upcoming camping trips, the kids always ask about making s’mores and roasting marshmallows. At Christmas, they enjoy baking and decorating cookies and can’t wait until it’s time to make the gingerbread houses. It wouldn’t be movie night without popcorn.

When your kids are grown, what will they remember?

As a kid, we had a lot of freedom to explore the outdoors. We loved to wander in the woods behind our home. Play in the creek and make mud pies and catch and release tadpoles. Today, it’s easy for kids to avoid any exposure to nature. Between cars, school, television and video games it’s possible for kids to go from one air-conditioned environment to the next with barely a chance to explore the outdoors. We worry about their safety, but maybe we should be more worried about what they are missing out on.

Have you read Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder? First, the fact that he has actually named a new disorder is brilliant. After all, we are motivated to help our kids suffering from a disorder. And anecdotally, nature play is great for kids with ADD. He has so many great points in this book about what our kids are missing out on by not having the opportunity to explore nature. Unstructured outdoor play helps children build self-confidence, creativity and cooperation skills. All this, just by getting outside. And it’s free.

This weekend we’re going camping in the nearby mountains as we do each year. I’m looking forward to seeing my kids play in nature. Collect pine cones. Create rock sculptures. Build a fort with a big rock and fallen branches. Fish and swim in the lake. Play with friends in the great outdoors. Leave the electronic stimulation behind and enjoy the peace and wonder and be at home in the elements.

The Last Child in the Woods is a great read. Pick up your copy is you haven’t had a chance to read it yet. It may make you nostalgic for your youth and will definitely inspire you to get your kids back to nature.

Don't forget the popcorn!

This mom likes to take time to relax and play with the kids while camping. With 3 meals a day and snacks, mom could spend all her time cooking and serving others but, that’s not my idea of fun. So, what’s a mom to do?

Ok, I’m going to share my secret. Are you ready? Do as much as you can ahead of time. A few days before going camping, I’ll throw some items in the crock pot and get them prepped for the trip. Then, I’ll store them in Ziplock bags and toss them in the cooler for the camping trip. At meal time, all I have to do is pour it in a pan and warm it up. That way, I feel good about serving the family a healthy meal and I get plenty of time to relax. Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chili and Creamed Chicken are this mom’s favorites.

Snacks: The best snacks to keep the kids running all day and make it easy for mom is fruit. Apples, tangerines and pears don’t require space in the cooler and are delicious and ready to serve. Pre-wash and pack them and you’re good to go.

Simple recipes on the fly: Fruit salad, salsa, guacamole, carrot and celery sticks with ranch dip. All you need is a cutting board, knife and a bowl and you can chop as you go. Even better, make these healthy snacks ahead of time.

A few lunch ideas that are quick and easy are sandwiches. The types are unlimited. Do your kids like PB&J, ham and cheese, turkey and avocado, cream cheese or hummus? You can pack these with some fruit for a lunch on the go. Take it with you for a picnic, on a hike or at the beach.

The best way to make sure you get a rest and have time for fun while camping is to plan the menu ahead of time. Do as much as you can ahead of time and don’t hesitate to get the kids involved with the cooking, while camping or before.

Enjoy the great outdoors and have a terrific time with your family.