Here are two easy recipes that are so yummy and get you out of the kitchen fast on hot days. Our temperature gauge out back says it’s 105 here today! I’m thawing some previously made black beans for vegetarian tacos tonight! Happy weekend everyone! And now the recipes…

Orange Cranberry Couscous

Prepare couscous according to package directions. Add freshly ground pepper, salt, and white wine vinegar to taste. (I add a few Tbs and then taste it, sometimes adding more after it’s cooled.) Refrigerate until cold, then stir in about 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, the juice from 1/2 of an orange and the orange cut up in small chunks, and more seasoning if you need it. That’s it! Tasty and simple. You could add shredded carrots to get in some veggies as well!

Easy Freezer pickles

2 quarts sliced cucumbers (about 30 small)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbs pickling salt
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tsp celery seed
About 3/4 cup sugar

Sprinkle the sliced cucumbers and onions with salt, mix well and let sit for about 3 hours, covered. After 3 hours, rinse well with cold water and drain thoroughly. Mix together vinegar, celery seed, and sugar; pour over cucumbers and onions. Mix, cover, and refrigerate overnight or about 8 hours. Pack pickles in straight sided containers. Cover with liquid, leaving 1 inch space at the top. Seal and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator for 8 hours before serving. This recipe was adapted from my new cookbook mentioned in the last post- ‘Simply In Season’.

Side note~ I’m finding more and more that Jude is really helpful in the kitchen when I set him up with a simple task! Although I could probably get the job done faster myself, I love seeing him enjoy working along side me, talking about what we’re making, what we have been doing that day. Owen loves to bat at his toys these days and will spend little chunks of time trying to get the toys dangling above his head, giving me small windows of time (plus naps:) to get my summer projects done. I’m trying to stock my freezer full for winter with all the yummy summer goodies the garden and farm stand have to offer!

A few recently read items to share- a book, a cookbook, & an online article.

The book: Loving Our Kids On Purpose by Danny Silk
This book is geared toward parents although applicable to most anyone. The author focuses on parenting from our heart connection with our kids, consequences for actions vs. punishment out of fear, and so much more that it would be hard to keep the summary short! I highly recommend it! (Thanks Jen!)

The cookbook: Simply In Season by Mary Beth Lind. This book goes through storage, cooking, and other details of most veggies and fruit, as well as recipes by the season. The recipes are simple and straightforward, featuring fresh ingredients that are easy to find. There are quotes and thoughts on sustainable living, supporting local growers, eating in season, and much more. My project for the coming year starting this September is to cook through this entire cookbook, every recipe, and share the best ones on this here blog! Anyone want to join me?

The online article: A User Friendly Vaccination Schedule by Donald W. Miller Jr., Cardiac Surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington. Whatever your thoughts on immunizations, this article is fascinating and clearly written. There is an alternative immunization schedule and list of recommended vaccines on the last page for those looking to shorten the list of necessary pokes in their kiddos.

I shouldn’t leave out Jude’s recent favorite book- ‘Blueberries for Sal‘ which is such a great story, we found it on tape at the library and have listened to it while looking at the pictures over and over since blueberry picking ourselves last Saturday!

Today has been a challenging one with Jude. He has been testing me and blatantly disobeying quite a bit in the last few days, leaving me frustrated and challenged to hold onto my patience and self-control. He is a pretty emotional kid and I really have to work on not matching his emotions when he’s upset, because one of us has to have self- control and it should definately be Mama! I love him so, and am keenly aware that even the best of parents have times when they question if their parenting is working, so I’m choosing to hand over my feelings of frustration to God, turn on worship music to calm my heart, and trust in God to help me mold and shape Jude’s precious character even when I feel inadequate to do so. Being a mommy is hard work, isn’t it? On days like this it’s good to remind myself that the work I do is not for a raise or a word of affirmation but for a lasting and eternal purpose of growing kids that know they are loved and know what they are created for. And now to go sip some iced coffee and read something refreshing to my heart… here’s to turning around a ‘bad day’!

It was time. We were relying on the mac-n-cheese lunches just a tad too much. Not the Annie’s natural bunnies mac-n-cheese, that wouldn’t be so bad. No, it was the bright orange good old fashioned Kraft, the kind kids love just a little too much. Not that we won’t have it from time to time, but several times a week? Not anymore! I’m excited about the quick turn around from Jude asking for it every day to already having tried and liked 3 new things on his small but growing list of food likes. He (re)discovered hard boiled eggs, loves walnuts and cashews, (raw, unsalted) and we came up with a new twist on wraps- the peanut butter and jelly wrap on whole wheat tortillas- perfect for little hands to hold and feed themselves and very healthy when made with organic or natural peanut butter and low to no sugar jam. I have been hoping that taking part in our gardening will inspire some more adventurous eating as well, and he will at least try a bite of everything I offer, especially if it comes with dip.

A few thoughts on getting kids to try new things and eat what is offered to them…

*Sit down to meals together- let them see you eating the food you’d like them to try and talk about how yummy it is, how God made it for our bodies to help us grow, etc. Ideally they should see both parents modeling good eating habits!

*Don’t overreact to dislikes, and keep offering the same new foods (without forcing them to eat more than a taste)- often it takes a lot of tries to get used to something new. Keep it positive and light hearted at meals, praise good eating, don’t offer something else if they are being really picky. If they are hungry enough they will eat the healthy stuff!:)

*Offer vegetables or other new foods with dips- kids love dips and will often eat more of something healthy if they have a dip to go along with it.

*Let them help you in the food prep as much as possible, sometimes if they’ve helped make it they are much more likely to try it!

*Make it fun- use muffin tins, segmented plates, etc. to offer small bite size foods to little ones that are varied in color and texture.

*Make a list of 15 to 20 quick and easy kid friendly meal ideas for days that the box of cheesy Krafty-ness calls out ‘but I’m so easy and the kids love me!’:) What? Yours doesn’t do that? Shocking. Anyhow… print out that list and tape it to the inside of a cabinet you see often.

As I was about to finish this little blog post Mr. Fouche just came down with a big pot of mac-n-cheese, too funny! I told him what I was writing about and he replied, ‘I’ll never kick that habit!’ I know honey and it’s alright, as long as you hide it well and smile while eating a carrot in front of Jude!:)

A few online resources for recipes and more tips for getting kids to eat healthy:

*My favorite healthy lunch inspiration- bento box style lunches

*Lots of good meal ideas at Healthy recipes

*Fun recipes even if you’re not a vegan

*Lunch ideas~ Vegan Lunch Box