How to get your kids talking!

Great article in Miami Herald and momsmiami.com!

How to get your kids talking - Lifestyle - MiamiHerald.com

Besides Today I... here are some ideas...

6 Ways to Spark a Great Dinnertime Conversation

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Gardening With Kids - How to Plant a Vegetable Garden

Planting a Veggie garden is a great way to spend time with your kids and even get them to try some new vegetables!  This article shares how everyone can help. 

 

Gardening With Kids - How to Plant a Vegetable Garden - Parenting.com

                        

 Today I ...  planted tomatoes, sunflowers and herbs.  Trying something new too - My son, tried Passion Fruit and loved it - so he dried the seeds, threw them in a pot and they grew. 

It has been fun researching how they grow with him.  

We found out that the plant is a vine and will attract butterflies.  

Our plan is to move them to part of the garden where they can grow on a trellis.  

Maybe by next spring we will have fruit!

The Great Dinner Swap



Baked Ziti with Spinach



I have always wanted to try this:

It seems like such a good way to have dinner ready quickly, especially during those busy weeknights.

The basic idea is that 4 families, each cook a big batch of a different recipe and then divide it to share.

Cook one meal & have 4 different meals ready to go-

Sounds good to me!

This article has recipes for to make a big batch:
Baked Ziti with Spinach (pictured) looks good.  
So do the Chicken Enchiladas and more.



http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/great-dinner-swap-00000000039507/index.html 

Have fun, Get the kids involved. Talk while you cook! 

Come home and have dinner ready!

You ate them all?

Today I wanted....to have curry chicken risotto.  A favorite in our house- I make it with curry chicken thighs from the night before.   Last night, I planned ahead and made an extra 6 pieces of chicken to put into the risotto tonight.  Perfect, I would come home and have dinner on the table quickly.

However,... I forgot that my teenage son would be home from school - Teacher Workday!

He called around 4pm, right around when I was thinking about dinner and told me that he had eaten all the chicken for lunch and it was really good.  In fact, he was shocked by how many chicken thighs you can eat when you do not use a fork and knife - when you just eat them like cookies!

So much for my quick dinner.

Plan B - Looks like its Meatless Monday at our house.

Took out my favorite pesto sauce from Costco and tossed it with some penne.(so much for the risotto)

Cut up some tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil from the garden and put in on a bed of lettuce and sliced some nice bread.  All from Plan A..

Dinner was delicious, quick and we all had a good laugh about the chicken while having dinner together. 

The Publix Apron Lady

This tip comes from my good friend Nia.  She has deemed Monday's "Apron Lady Night!"  Simply put, she goes to Publix every Monday, whatever the Apron Lady is making is what she makes for dinner.  I love it, the Publix Apron's program is all about Bringing your family back to the table.  Publix shares simple meal ideas every week and stocks all the ingredients ready to go in a case in the front of the store.  Here is a link to their site.  You can even keep an online Apron's recipe book.    http://www.publix.com/aprons/Home.do
Here's to knowing whats for dinner next Monday!  Thank you Publix, Nia and Apron Lady...

Involve the Kids

This is a great article that shares 4 steps on involving your kids at mealtime - from deciding what to eat, to shopping and preparing the meal...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-novick-okeefe/family-dinner-meals-ideas-tips_b_1453826.html?ref=tw