How Our Garden Grows

"Mom, come here! You have to see these cucumbers! They are HUGE!!!!!"

"Mom, can we please pick the kale so we can make kale chips? I love kale chips!"

Come on, what mom doesn't like to hear the excitement in their kids' voices when they are talking about vegetables?! What could be better?

Every year we plant a garden. Usually it includes a wide variety of tomatoes and cucumbers. This year we decided to go big! We planted a Square Foot Garden and we love it! It was a bit of work in the beginning but that's what husbands are for. :o) Hee hee. Seriously though, it wasn't that hard and you can purchase kits with all the boards pre-cut and ready to go if you like.

The idea of the square foot garden is that it is a raised bed which means you can put it anywhere. You don't have to till the earth, you simply build the box and fill it with dirt. Easy Peasy! This design means you can even put it on your driveway or rooftop.

Another cool thing about it is that the vine plants grow vertically. My hubby made a trellis and we have watermelon, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers growing upwards so we can fit more into the space.

The box can be made in many sizes but the standard size is 4x4. We made 2 boxes that are 4x8 so we got lots of goodies. The box is divided up into 1x1 foot squares and you can plant each item in its own square. The book helps you plan it out and tells you how many of each vegetable will fit into the square. Tomatoes fit just 1 per square but cucumbers fit 4 and carrots fit 16. Pretty cool.

We have onions, garlic, butternut squash, collards, kale, watermelon, carrots, 6 kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of cucumbers, tomatillos, peppers, and a great variety of herbs. Now that the season is winding down I may see about putting in some cool crops for the fall. It's so fun.

If you have always wanted to try a garden and you just didn't know where to start this is a great way to get started. Even if you have experience with gardening like we did, you might want to give this a try. It looks so neat and tidy, requires a lot less work, and gives you a big bounty for little space.

Nature's Sports Drink

I've always disliked the idea of giving my kids sports drinks with their artificial colors, flavors and God knows what else is in there. Sometimes when they are out playing baseball and football in the blazing sun, I feel like they need a bit more then water though.

I have known about coconut water for a while. When I was eating raw, I used to buy the young coconuts at my local market, chop the top off and add the water to my smoothies or drink it. The kids liked it too. The problem is that it isn't too practical to bring a coconut and big knife to the games so my kids could drink it.

Well, that problem is solved. They have started selling coconut water in single serving containers, like a juice box. There are several different brands and they even have some flavors like pineapple, acai, peach mango and more. I bought mine at Whole Foods and the kids really liked it. So do I.

So what is so great about coconut water? Well, first of all it is natural, it comes straight from the coconut. No high fructose corn syrup, no sugar, no colorings, flavorings, or chemicals. That alone is something you don't hear much about when it comes to sweet drinks.

Secondly, coconut water is amazing stuff. It is similar to plasma and in WWII it was given to soldiers intravenously when supplies of plasma were low. It has more electrolytes then the sports drinks that are out on the market and has 15 times more potassium. In fact it has more potassium than two bananas. Potassium is essential for the body's growth and heart function. It helps kidneys function normally and helps keep a normal water balance between the cells and body fluids among other things. It is high in vitamin C, low in sodium and even has a bit of fat to slow down the metabolism of sugar. It also contains lauric acid which is used to heal the digestive tract.

So instead of reaching for those neon colored, artificially flavored sports drinks, try a little box of nature's sports drink. Let me know what you think.

Crabby Patties

The kids love Sponge Bob. They don't all love eating fish though. My 8 year old Liam loves fish and has been asking for it so I thought I would give these Salmon Patties a try. OK I know they aren't crabby patties but the kids got a kick out of the name so I figure it's close enough. My 7 year old Aidan said, "Are these really crabby patties?!" :o)

I got the recipe from Whole Foods but I instead of using salmon fillets I used canned wild salmon. Here is the recipe

Salmon Patties

3 Tbl olive oil

3 cans wild salmon (about 16 oz)

Salt & ground black pepper to taste

2 zucchini (about 1 pound), finely grated and squeezed firmly to remove excess water

1 tbl Organic Dijon Mustard

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup Plain Bread Crumbs

Lemon wedges

Break the salmon into small flakes in a bowl. Add zucchini, mustard, egg and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss gently to combine. Form salmon mixture into 16 (3-inch) patties, coating each lightly in breadcrumbs. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook half the patties, flipping once, until deep golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt; repeat process with remaining patties. Serve salmon cakes hot, with lemon wedges on the side.

P.S. Out of 4 kids 1 loved, 1 liked, 1 thought it was OK, and 1 didn't like it at all. That's pretty normal around here!

Eating on the Run

So far my summer has been flying by quickly because of all the things we have going on. Keeping my family fed on the run has been a real challenge. Here are some quick tips that might help you out during your busy times.

Cook Once, Eat Twice

When we get our grill going we cook up loads of food. We double or sometimes even triple our chicken, fish, or other meat. We use the extras to throw in salads and wraps. We also make quesadillas, tacos, or fajitas with it. I also cook up a large pot of pasta or rice as a base for easy side dishes or light main dishes.

Cut Once, Eat Twice

Same goes for chopping. When I start cutting up veggies for dinner, I keep on cutting so I have extras to add into pasta dishes, salads, or those yummy fajitas. When it is easily accessible, it is more likely we will eat it.

Take Advantage of Mother Nature

There are so many quick and easy snacks that we can just grab and go. I make sure to stock up on a variety of fruits and veggies that don't need too much preparation. A quick wash and maybe a rough chop and we are out the door.

Be Ready For a Snack Attack

Having portion sized snacks read to go makes it easy to pack and run. I like to make up a trail mix and divide it up into serving sizes. I love adding Goji Berries and Inca Berries for a Superfood boost. I also bring along small containers of hummus to dip our veggies in. I love the garlic flavored hummus I get at Costco. Yum!

Got any fast and easy tips you would like to share?

Tea Mixology

Warm weather has finally hit the Chicagoland area and I am just thrilled. As the temperature goes up so does my thirst. For the most part I drink water, and lots of it. I do like to add some tea to my life for a little added interest and in the winter I like it warm but in the summer I like it iced.

The problem for me is that iced tea has caffeine and I am pretty sensitive to caffeine so I try to steer clear of it or limit myself to one glass otherwise I am bouncing off the walls. I was never a fan of herbal teas but I have been experimenting with different flavors and different brands trying to find ones I like.

For the warmer weather I enjoy the fruity tasting teas. They have a nice light flavor and a mild sweetness that makes me happy. I have recently been mixing flavors to add another dimension and it is so fun! I mixed the Raspberry Zinger with the Acai Mango Zinger for a wonderful tasting tea. I also made a batch with a couple of black tea bags to add another layer. Fun!

There are so many great brands and great flavors to explore. I love the Yogi brand teas. I find mine at my local Whole Foods. Another great brand of tea is Harney & Sons. Their teas have a rich, full bodied taste and there are lots of flavors to explore. I've only found their tea in a local restaurant and Midway Airport of all places but you can buy it online from their website.

So get out and enjoy the warm weather and be sure to bring along plenty of fresh water and some yummy iced herbal tea. Have fun with it and mix away. Go crazy, you never know what you will come up with. Be sure to let me know if you invent something delicious.