On the menu

I love summer produce. I seriously look forward to going to the farmers market every week and filling my fridge with bright & yummy veggies and fruits.

I have been more serious about feeding my kids, myself, and my spouse healthier meals. We don't drink soda anymore. We dropped that bad habit a long time ago and we feel wonderful. We exercise. We rarely eat out, maybe once a week. I don't buy sweets. If I did I know I would scarf them. Sweets are my weakness. We just don't buy them so they aren't in the pantry calling my name and tempting me. Don't get the wrong idea that I'm so strict I never eat sugar. I like to take things in moderation and I indulge sometimes. I will make cookies with the kids or go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt. I'm nicer to myself and others if I let myself enjoy some good stuff once in awhile.
I love to cook, but nights do occur when I make something, & it doesn't turn out, so we have to think of something fast to eat because the kids are beastly hungry. It happens. I'm still learning. But I get really frustrated when a meal doesn't turn out like I wanted it to.When things don't work out it usually goes something like this: It gets really hot in my kitchen, my feet hurt, the kids are crying that they are "starving!" and they keep sneaking into the pantry for food and dumping it all over the floor, I just wasted all of the ingredients and...... I have to start all over and make another meal.
Enough mumbling, here are some favorite meals that have turned out to be delish and that my family devours.



+ hamburger on a whole wheat bun. grilled corn fresh fruit with fruit dip. cherry tomatoes from my garden with garden basil and balsamic sprinkled with parm:

chicken taquitos. not so healthy, but yum! :








lime cilantro and pineapple brown rice. baked parm zucchini. BBQ salmon. my kids devoured this meal and asked for 3rds!







alfredo (my own recipe, no measurements, just whip up a cream sauce flavored with chicken stock, garlic and parm) grilled garlic artichokes, sauteed mushrooms and peas:







roasted asparagus, strawberries, chicken and vegetable peanut curry. it doesnt look the greatest, but it was GOOD! i just added whatever veggies i had on hand.







mango pico de gallo. we chowed this. i bought more mangos this week to make it again.







apple tart with homemade crust:








 another fav that ive talked about before, green smoothies:


 my friend chelsea makes them pretty much the same as i do, and she shows you how here.i like to add oj concentrate to mine, just a few spoon fulls. i also add some ground flax to mine. i agree with her that a vitamix is very helpful with green smoothies. they are smooth, not chunky, which makes a big difference. i like to throw in a carrot or two to the green smoothie. it whips that sucker up and you would never know it was there.     
zucchini bread muffins. i pulled a huge zucchini from my garden and i knew i wanted to make this. it has a hint of orange that gives it a punch. i also subbed whole wheat flour for the white flour. the picky neighbor girls ate them all in one afternoon!

fire update:
the fire has reached up to 389,000 acres. there is some good news, amidst all the bad, the quaint town of greer is still standing. what a relief.