We have SO MANY CUCUMBERS in the garden right now, which means I’ve been making pickles. And pickles. And more pickles. Every summer I make at least five types of pickles and this easy pickle recipe is my four kids’ favorite, ever. The good news? If you’ve got a couple of cucumbers and a jar,…
Easy Creamy Cucumber Salad
My kids can’t stop eating this easy creamy cucumber salad! Seriously, I had to make a second bowl just to snap this picture. But that’s the only complaint you’ll get from me. This easy cucumber salad is full of summer flavor and only needs the simplest creamy dressing: mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. Just slice,…
Easy Blueberry Cobbler with Frozen Blueberries
We’ve made 10 cobblers in the last few weeks, testing every possible cobbler recipe idea I could think of and landed on this one. Because it’s the best: Easy Blueberry Cobbler with Frozen Blueberries! This easy cobbler recipe is so good, I included it in my second kids’s cookbook: “Kid Chef Junior Bakes“. How to…
Easy Blackberry Crisp
We’re blackberry farmers now. If you count two blackberry bushes. And I think we do. So… Ours are brimming with fruit and every morning when I shoo the rascals outside, their first stop is our awesome new blackberry crop. A few cups of fresh (or frozen) fruit later and it’s off to figure out what…
Simple Sautéed Sweet Corn with Feta (Hint: Start with a Bag of Frozen Corn!)
This simple sautéed corn is one of my favorite summer side dishes for kids–and the whole thing starts with a bag of frozen corn. It’s easy to make and a total crowd-pleaser. You know my rule. I never post a recipe here unless three of my four small kids likes it. Full of fresh bell peppers,…
TRIED IT: Frozen Grapes, Another “Why Didn’t We Do This Sooner?” Snack
Welcome to a new feature on Foodlets called “Tried It”. These are recipes or bits of advice that I’ve heard and seen elsewhere put to the test with our own four kids. I’ll give you the scoop on the difficulty-to-worth-it ratio, plus whether the kids liked it and whether we’d do it again. Tried It: Frozen…
Popsicles for Breakfast! How to Make Yogurt Parfait Popsicles
Did you know that popsicles were invented in the 1920’s? But to this day, it’s one of most versatile snacks that any kid would love to have. By now you know I’ll whip up homemade popsicles out of anything–and the kids will eat it with the biggest, drippiest smiles you’ve ever seen.Spinach? Yep. Lemonade? Of…
Ginger Peanut Noodles with Bell Peppers
These cold noodles are a summer staple. Because they are awesome. At least some of our kids think so. Use any shape of pasta your kids like and don’t worry about the flavor of whole-wheat pasta taking over because in this salad, that nutty whole-wheat taste holds up perfectly. Even better than regular pasta. These noodles are a simpler…
7 Fresh Fruit (& Veggie) Packed Popsicles Kids Love!
Who said delicious homemade popsicles couldn’t be full of fresh fruit and even a couple of veggies? These are our favorite fresh fruit & veggie popsicles, a fun way to get kids closer to the recommended 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Spinach & Pineapple Popsicles Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding Pops Peaches & Creamsicles Cantaloupe…
Mango Sorbet, a recipe excerpt from “100 Days of Real Food”
{Reprinted with permission from “100 Days of Real Food” by Lisa Leake. Enter to win 1 of 3 copies right now!} Sorbet is an extremely refreshing dessert, especially when it’s made with only a few simple ingredients, including fresh fruit. This is the perfect treat on a hot summer day or as a follow-up dish to…
Whole-Wheat Baked Pancake with Fresh Peaches
I LOVE MARTHA STEWART, I JUST DO. Always have and I’m sure I always will. A version of this delicious pancake appeared in a recent issue of her magazine and with a bushel of peaches awaiting their orders in our garage, I was inspired to make a big pancake of our own–and think back to happy…
melon & mint ice pops
IF YOU HAVE A TEETHING TODDLER, you’ll know why I made frozen melon ice pops last week instead of just serving the little rascals a few wedges of cantaloupe. These cool treats certainly aren’t limited to those walking around with three fingers stuffed in their little mouths though. Our preschoolers were cheering when they saw these pops come…
homemade blackberry creamsicle ice pops
NOPE. There’s no sugar in these babies. Just milk, yogurt, a dash of maple syrup and fresh blackberries–though you could use any fruit you (and more importantly, the kids) like. With summertime in full swing around here (read: 90 degree days) homemade ice pops hit the spot. That’s good news because thanks to help from…
perfectly flavored london broil (aka, meat your kids will eat!)
THE OTHER DAY I MADE CHICKEN CUTLETS for dinner and when I saw my four-year-old dunking each bite in her water glass, I had to ask… “This makes it softer on my teeth,” she told me. Note to self: Don’t overcook the chicken. My three small kids aren’t always the biggest meat fans but when it’s…
Cheery Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil
YOU KNOW WHAT you should do this week? Have people over for dinner. Once you get the laundry done and your house totally clean, just invite them over. Ha, ha, ha! Even though the laundry most certainly ISN’T done and your house is stubbornly refusing to clean itself, you should still have people over. And…
oven roasted broccoli with sea salt
WE ROAST EVERYTHING. That’s my number one, hands-down secret to getting kids to eat vegetables. Roast them. Because it makes them delicious. We’ve done it with asparagus, carrots, cauliflower and of course potatoes and the result is always the same: the kids love them. The fact that it’s easy doesn’t hurt either. That’s why we tried broccoli last week….
tomato & cheese tart
THIS WAS THE HARDEST RECIPE I’VE MADE in a long time. But I did it. And it was delicious, at least two parents and one preschooler thought so. Baby George and Estelle who is two, begged to differ. But here’s my theory: Phoebe helped me make it and when you’re a kid in the kitchen,…
Honey-Sweetened Blueberry Muffins
JUST IN TIME FOR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS! I love summer food. All those berries, sweet peaches and juicy cherries are so easy to serve as snacks (minus the juicy cleanup) but there’s an even better side effect: When I see my three rascals lined up on the counter stools, eating all that fresh goodness I feel…
Our Most Popular Casserole Recipe Ever: Sausage, Rice, Zucchini & Cheese
PHOEBE WASN’T EXACTLY PLEASED. Suddenly my four-year-old is opposed to everything being combined into a one-pot dinner. “Only one thing?”, she asks as incredulously as only a preschooler can. And to that I say (at least in my head), “When you start doing the dishes my dear, we can use all the pans for every…
one-pot roasted lemon chicken with green beans & potatoes
RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. And easy. And all the kids eat it. That’s what I have to say about this chicken recipe, the one making the rounds on Facebook right now (have you seen it?) that’s actually from Real Simple. And also this: We’ve had this recipe twice in the last week and might have it again….