I was introduced to The Family Dinner book last year by my sister and Ali. I devoured the book – literally inhaled it in my first sitting. I have since probably read it 5 times. I’m passionate about spending time with my children and husband, knowing what is going on in their lives, and food. So this book was right up my alley.

I worked tirelessly trying to figure out a regular dinnertime schedule but became frustrated. Beyond frustrated. Then finally the guilt settled in and I felt like the worst mother in the world. You see, our schedule is different due to 2 things, my work schedule and the kid’s swimming/baseball schedules. (more…)

Summer is here. For my family that means visits to the water park, indoor trampoline parks, baseball, and fruit salads. It also means embracing (or tolerating) 100+ degree temperatures. So I try to seek in as many healthy and cool recipes that I can find to feed our family of 6.

I love this salad. I continuously modify this recipe and add additional ingredients depending what fruits are in seasons or on sale. Due to the addition of a small amount of sugar, my kids are willing to eat their fruits and vegetables without a fuss.
 

 
This recipe is also perfect for me as a working mom or on days where I know our schedule might be a tad chaotic. I make the dressing and wash and cut the fruit and spinach the night before. Assembly takes less than 30 seconds! I often pair this with grilled chicken and baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, or rice pilaf. Perfect for a summer night.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

In a food processor mix:

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Pour over 1 bunch fresh spinach and 1 pint sliced strawberries.

Optional: I used fresh pineapple and blueberries in this particular batch. I also have used nectarines, kiwi, mango, sliced grilled chicken, boiled egg slices, and fresh bacon bits.

What is your simple, go to summer meal?

Blessings sweet friends,

Jenny

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Does anyone remember Kool-Aid popsicles made from the old Tupperware popsicle molds? My favorite was anything red. No shocker as I love red anything. Mom made every flavor of Kool-Aid and she even made Tang popsicles. Yummy.

Fast forward and now I am the popsicle maker. Well I’ve noticed that we have had some trends in the baking world from cupcakes to macarons to cake pops and now popsicles. I love these trends. Everyone of them. None of them will be going out of style for me anytime soon.

So I saw this beautiful recipe for Kiwi Orange Creamsicles over on the Desserts for Breakfast blog. I showed them to my kids and Emily stated, “It needs something red.” A little girl after my own heart. So I decided to switch out the orange juice for a strawberry puree.

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