Grilled fish is our mainstay in the summer. I haven’t tried this with this recipe, but we keep seasoned fish (usually tilapia) in foil packets that we can grab right out of the freezer in the morning and they are ready to go at night. The fish can also be broiled for rainy days like today.

•    1 (12-ounce) pkg frozen Mahi-Mahi Fillets
•    1 tablespoon canola oil
•    1 tablespoon Caribbean Barbecue Seasoning
•    1 package Tortillas
•    1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack
•    1 1/2 cups shredded red or white cabbage
•    2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
•    1/2 cup chopped scallions, white
•    and green part
•    sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, cilantro
•    and lime wedges (optional)
•    1/4 cup Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Preheat your grill or broiler. Coat the fillets with the oil, sprinkle with seasoning and grill/broil the fish over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Warm the tortillas in a skillet or on the grill and wrap them in a towel to keep them warm. Break the fish into bite sized pieces once it’s off the grill, stuff the tortillas and add your toppings. The dressing can be drizzled or used as a dipping sauce.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for eating, so this recipe is a wonderful way to incorporate the feeling of the holiday meal in a refreshing way. The recipe can be made with chicken or turkey and can even be made ahead of time, frozen and pulled out when ready to cook!

1 8 ounce package Pepperidge Farm stuffing
1/2 stick melted butter or margarine, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can Milnot
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups diced chicken or turkey
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the stuffing and butter and line the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan with half of the stuffing. Mix the rest of the ingredients and spread over the stuffing. Spread the other half of the stuffing on top and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Seafood is my passion so this is one of my favorite summer salads. You can easily take it to work for lunch or serve it at an outdoor dinner party with a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio for a break from the heat. The calamari can be added to the salad or served with the dip.

•    1 (12 ounce) package calamari
•    3 cups mixed salad greens
•    1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
•    1/2 cup shredded parmesan Cheese
•    juice of 1/2 lemon
•    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•    1/2 lemon, cut in 4 wedges
•    1 cup Caesar dressing
•    dash hot sauce

Prepare the calamari. Toss the salad with the tomatoes, Parmesan, lemon juice and olive oil, garnish with lemons. Add calamari, or combine Caesar dressing and hot sauce for a dip.

Okay, I’ll be honest, I have tried this yet, but it sounds flavorful and really easy for a quick meal or even something the kids can put together themselves with some supervision while placing it in the oven. Eggplant typically takes on the flavors of the foods it’s cooked with, so it’s another great alternative to less nutritious foods.

•    1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about six)
•    2 eggs, beaten with a fork
•    1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs (sun-dried tomato or plain)
•    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•    1 jar (25 ounce) pasta sauce (roasted vegetable or any variety)
•    1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
•    1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat a baking sheet in the oven at 375 degrees. Coat the eggplant slices with the beaten egg in order to coat them with the panko crumbs. Once the baking sheet is hot, spread the olive oil on it and place the eggplant slices in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes and the flip for another 10 minutes. Increase the temperature to 475 degrees and layer the pasta sauce and eggplant in an 8x10 inch pan, top with cheeses and repeat, finishing with cheese. Bake until the cheese melts.

We are always looking for ways to sneak spinach into our kid’s diet. I wish my parents had done the same rather than just trying to serve me boiled, mushy, spinach, blech, because I really do enjoy it in foods. Pasta is really the quintessential place to add almost anything from meats to vegetables, and even some fruits. Spinach makes the cheese in this recipe pop without overpowering it, which is perfect for introducing it to children.

•    20 jumbo pasta shells (cannelloni or manicotti), cooked al dente and tossed with olive oil
•    1/2 pound fresh spinach leaves, washed and stems removed or 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of excess water (you can use frozen to save time!)
•    2 cloves garlic, minced
•    1/2 pound part-skim ricotta cheese
•    1/2 pound part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
•    1 egg, lightly beaten
•    1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, finely minced
•    salt, to taste
•    freshly ground black pepper, to taste
•    2 teaspoons extra virgin organic olive oil
•    1 1/2 cups organic pasta sauce
•    1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until its al dente, drain and toss lightly in olive oil.

Prepare fresh spinach if needed, add to pan of water and cook over low until the leaves are wilted, drain and chop finely. Frozen spinach should be squeezed to remove liquid and chopped finely. Mix spinach with garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, egg, basil, salt and pepper.

Line bottom of baking dish with pasta sauce, fill each sell with filling and layer in pan. Pour remaining sauce over shells, top with Parmesan cheese, cover with foil, and cook for 40 minutes or until hot throughout.

Let’s face it, if they could, most kids would live on pizza. The one thing I love about living in the country is that we can’t get anything delivered to us, which takes away the temptation. Of course it also means we have to come up with other ways to make our favorite “fast” food. Luckily we can often make things a bit healthier by doing this and of course have some fun together. Pizza quesadillas are so easy to make, the kids can really do it themselves with minimal supervision once they are old enough to see the top of the stove.

•    4 whole wheat tortillas
•    1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
•    1/2 cup pasta sauce
•    6 slices vegetarian pepperoni, cut into thin strips
•    1 tablespoon olive oil

Spread your tortillas on a flat surface and cover with cheese on half of the tortilla, top with sauce, pepperonis and then more cheese to help the tortilla stayed closed. Fold the tortilla over and place in pan that has olive oil in it, cook over medium heat until they are lightly browned on each side and the cheese is melted. Once cooled, cut into triangles for easy eating and enjoy!

When my children were smaller we would always make reservations at a special tea luncheon for Mother’s Day as a special treat. They enjoyed acting like grownups, and I enjoyed showing them. Now I enjoy watching them try new things in the kitchen, so this Mother’s Day I’m encouraging them to make a luncheon at home. Tea sandwiches are extremely easy to create, and can be really fun when you add in cookie cutters, so here are a couple of recipes to try for your own celebration.

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

•    12 pieces of sandwich bread, thinly sliced
•    8 large hard-boiled eggs, cooled and shelled
•    1/3 cup canola mayonnaise
•    1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
•    3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
•    1 tablespoon green onion, minced
•    1 teaspoon white pepper
•    sea salt, to taste

Hard boil the eggs and shell when cool enough to handle safely. Chop the eggs in a medium bowl and add the mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, green onion, white pepper and sea salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to make sandwiches. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut the sandwiches or create your own shapes.

Deviled Ham Tea Sandwiches

•    12 pieces of sandwich bread, thinly sliced
•    2 cups ham, minced (smoked ham or Canadian bacon can be substituted)
•    4 tablespoons mayonnaise
•    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
•    1/4 teaspoon chipotle or red pepper sauce, or according to taste
•    2 tablespoons green onion, minced
•    2 tablespoons Italian parsley, minced

Mix all ingredients together and prepare sandwiches.

Pasta is huge in our house, so I like finding recipes that bring in other nutrients. This is a great dish for adding lots of protein to your routine, as well as great spice from the sausage and onions. I also suggest this meal for a romantic date night with your significant other. The smells filling your home are wonderful, add some candles and relax.

•    16 ounces farfalle pasta
•    1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
•    1 small yellow onion, chopped
•    1 package (12 ounce) Sweet Italian Sausage, cut into 1/2 " slices
•    1/2 cup Merlot or dry red wine
•    1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes
•    1 can (15 ounce) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
•    1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
•    sea salt
•    ground pepper
•    2/3 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Cook the pasta and drain. At the same time, heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet adding the onion and sausage. Cook until the onions are soft and sausage is browned. Add the wine and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the beans, sage, salt and pepper, cover and cook until the beans are heated. Toss with the pasta and top with Parmesan.

Nachos aren’t exactly known as a nutritious snack, but they can be with just a few adjustments. Since nachos are one of those snacks that kids can grab on their own, they are perfect for a break for Mom and Dad and make the kids feel independent at the same time!

First, start with an organic chip that contains a lot of whole food ingredient, like Garden of Eatin’ Blue Corn Chips. The ingredients include organic blue corn, expeller pressed oleic safflower and/or sunflower oil and sea salt, making these chips wholesome and healthy. Next you want to include fruits and veggies with your nachos. I’m including a recipe for salsa because it’s packed with nutrients. Guacamole is another great choice, you can make your own or buy an organic version at your local health food store. Cheese is always a favorite in our home and you can find organic cheeses as well or opt for a fat free cheese in a pinch.

Serves/Makes: 6
Ready in: 1-2 hrs

* 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 1/2 cup ripe mango or peach, diced
* 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
* 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1 tablespoon parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
* OR
* 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley or cilantro

Mix all ingredients.

One of my kids favorite parts of the summer is visiting local amusements parks and fairs. They love the rides, the games, the shows, and of course having fun with friends and family. My favorite part…the food. Funnel cakes are at the top of my list of decadent, horribly unhealthy snacks. Yes, I might have to save up a weeks worth of calories, but it’s totally worth it.

Now that the kids are a little older we can experiment with recipes that involve more dangerous cooking methods, and what better way to start than with Funnel Cakes! Once safety issues are covered with cooking with oil, you can launch into creating the batter and experimenting with different sized funnels. We’ve found that a funnel with a ½ inch opening works best, or even a squeeze ketchup bottle if a funnel proves to be disastrous.

Serves/Makes: 4
Ready in: < 30 minutes

* 1 egg
* 2/3 cup milk
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 1 cup flour
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Beat egg, milk and sugar until blended.

In separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder and then add to egg/milk mixture.

Mix batter until smooth and thin enough to pour through funnel. If your batter is too thick, add more milk.

Heat oil to 375F. Stop the funnel with your finger and fill with ¾ cup of batter. When you are ready, release your finger and swirl the batter into the oil in order to create the funnel cake. Flip the cake over to thoroughly cook both sides until golden brown.

Once your funnel cake has been removed from the oil, let it drain on some paper towels and add your favorite toppings! I prefer the simple old fashioned powdered sugar, but you can add your favorite fruit to make the treat a bit more healthy, including peaches, apples, strawberries, blueberries or more!

Isn’t it funny how kids like so many foods that are cut into smaller pieces? In our house, chicken has always been on of those foods where at some point each kid swore they didn’t like it, but when you gave them a chicken finger the story was completely different. There’s not much difference between fried chicken and a fried chicken nugget, but they would swear it tasted better in nugget form. So of course our kids love this recipe. (If we told them it had curry in it that would be a different story!)

• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken ***,
• cut into 2-inch strips
• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups honey frosted flakes cereal, crushed into crumbs
• 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Marinate the chicken in the orange juice and half of the garlic for 2-8 hours in the refrigerator. A plastic baggie works well as you can turn the chicken easily to make sure the marinade is even.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Mix the frosted flake crumbs, coconut, brown sugar, curry powder and the rest of the garlic in another bowl. Set aside half of the flake mixture.

Using one hand, dip the chicken into the egg and then place it on the flake mixture to coat. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken is coated, adding more flake mixture when needed. Bake for 20 minutes and serve with baby carrots and rice.

Most children, and even a lot of adults, are known as picky eaters. Sometimes we just get into a rut, making the same things over and over, and other times we just refuse to try new things. As hard as it is for adults, we can make it even more difficult for children, especially in this day and age of prepackaged food. Here are six suggestions to help your children expand their tastes.

The One Bite Rule – In our house we ask that each child try just one small taste of a new food, and to do so with an open mind. Sometimes we don’t even tell them what the food is so they don’t have preconceived notions, although that is sometimes hard to do. When a child is sitting before a pile of green beans the task can seem daunting. If you give them just a spoonful they don’t feel like you are trying to shove something down their throats, metaphorically speaking of course!

Keep Trying – This is the big one in our house. One of our sons will like something one week and then hate it the next week. While this may be an issue that is more tuned into something else, like behavior issues, taste buds really do change over time. As an adult I enjoy foods I truly didn’t like as a child or teen.

Be A Role Model – Make sure your children see you eating, and more importantly TRYING new foods, even ones you think you don’t like. Honestly this can be difficult, my children are constantly calling me on trying new vegetables, so sometimes I just have to suck it up and try one bite just like I ask of them.

Change Up The Recipe – We all know how different recipes and cooking methods can change the taste of foods, think baked potato and French fries, so mix things up! Your child might not like bananas but really enjoy a smoothie that she doesn’t know is made form bananas and strawberries. It may seem like bribing, but if they are getting the nutrients, you really have won the battle. And chances are, they’ll eventually want to eat the banana all by itself.

Keep Afternoon Snacks To A Minimum – As a young parent I know we always worried when our kids didn’t seem to eat anything one day or even a couple of days in a row. We soon learned that they will eat when they are hungry. This carries over to when they are older, by making sure that snacks are timed so that they don’t interfere with normal meals we can be assured that they are more inclined to eat at dinner time.

Get The Kids Involved – Let the kids help with meal planning, table setting and cooking. If they are able to help make decisions they are more likely to eat the food. We actually set aside a week every now and then where the kids have complete control over the menu planning and food shopping. They usually choose pretty well with some guidance and especially love when they get to cook everything.

Sometimes no matter what you do you just can’t get your kids to eat the right things. Other than bribes, there’s really only one way to go, the hide and sneak. I remind myself that all is fair in love and war, and really, what they don’t know won’t hurt them! Here are a few ideas to help you pull it off.

Meats and Casseroles – The easiest way to pull this off is in chili and meatloaf. Does anyone really know what goes into meatloaf? I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know, but as long as it’s coated in a nice ketchup crust, the kids won’t even notice that you’ve added some carrots and broccoli. I bet you could even fool your significant other, give it a try! Zucchini is a great bet for chili, just grate it up and it will blend in perfectly.

Pasta Lovers – There are very few kids that don’t like pasta, so adding nutrients here is easy. First, I definitely suggest switching to whole grain pasta. There are some great brands out now that don’t cost much more than traditional pasta and you can’t tell the difference in taste at all. Now add some sources of vitamins to your favorite red sauce with broccoli, carrots and spinach. Macaroni and cheese is another great place to add something sneaky, mashed cauliflower! They’ll never notice, I promise.

Pizza – If there is one food that never fails, its pizza. Remember our red sauce with special ingredients mixed in from the pasta? Try it on a pizza, the kids will never guess. If you’re daring, dice up mushrooms or other veggies and simply add them as toppings, and see what happens.

Smoothies – A great way to introduce vitamins, potassium, and calcium into your child’s diet. Try bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, papaya with milk, yogurt or ice cream. The perfect treat with an ulterior motive.

Muffins – Muffins and breads easily mask carrots, zucchini, pumpkin and of course fruits like blueberries.

Juice Pops – Now that summer is here creating juice pops is not only healthy, it’s a great activity for the kids to do on their own.

This chowder is perfect for a cold spring/summer day when the weather just isn’t cooperating. Make it a meal by serving a green salad and a slick slice of your favorite bread.

•    3 tablespoons sweet cream butter
•    1 yellow onion, chopped
•    1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
•    32 ounces vegetable broth
•    2 1/2 cup diced Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 large)
•    2 cups frozen sweet yellow corn
•    2/3 cup milk
•    1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
•    sea salt
•    fresh ground black pepper
•    pinch of cayenne pepper and chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Melt the butter and sauté the onion in a large saucepan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Mix in the flour to coat the onion and then add the broth and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Once it’s smooth, reduce the heat and add the potatoes. Let simmer 20 minutes until they are tender and can be mashed a little in the soup. Stir in the corn and milk and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Although I don’t grill, I love eating what everyone else makes on the grill! So this recipe is right up my alley for the beginning of summer. It’s perfect to take along to the park, beach, and of course for after school snacks for the kids. It’s also a great way to add vegetables to the menu.

•    1 piece whole wheat lavash roll-ups (thin wrap bread)
•    1/2 cup prepared hummus
•    1 small carrot, shredded
•    3–4 long flat slices zucchini and or summer squash, grilled or broiled until soft
•    3–4 flat pieces red and/or yellow and/or green bell pepper, grilled or broiled until soft

Spread the hummus over the bread, sprinkle with shredded carrot and then arrange the grilled vegetables in a single layer, going in the same direction. Roll the lavish tightly starting at the end of the vegetable strips facing you, then wrap in plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate an hour or more. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces and enjoy!