Summary of Summer

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Hey guys! Happy 09-09-09!  Still around. Database crashed and I wasn’t able to get to it until last night. Sorry about that!!

We had a jam packed weekend full of fun!

We took Tristan bowling and I even wore Clark for part of it. Don’t worry, I played it safe… & Tristan had a ball… LOL!

And as a last consolation for the summer and because our  membership is going to expire at the end of the month; we went to the zoo!

We BBQ’d yesterday at my in laws. I made a nice spinach salad and the neighbors actually made a raw dish! I was so impressed. It was a zucchini salad with lemon zest and sun dried tomatoes. Yum, yum!

This summer I’ve tried a few raw dishes and some new cooked ones. Our garden didn’t do as well as we’d hoped. This is the first year in five years that we’ve planted a garden and have not had much of a harvest. The insane high temps killed most of our plants or slowed their growth. We normally have tons and tons of tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and peppers.  We hardly had any harvest of what we planted.  It was a bit discouraging but also part of gardening and the challenges you face. We’re determined to research some of the challenges through winter in hopes of a more successful garden next year. Hopefully, we  master composting by then and are able to provide the much needed nutrients we were possibly lacking and time of all things.  Thankfully, my mother in laws garden was flourishing because we’ve been eating some of her bounty.

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Pics from our trip!

Green Smoothie Rocket Pops!

I’m totally loving these popsicle molds by Tovelo. My son absolutely adores them too and has not stopped asking about them since they arrived at our door last week. We have some cheapie ones from Target as well but I’m afraid those aren’t BPA FREE. Which is why I bought these they’re not lined with BPA. Instead they’re made without the yuckies and they’re groovy.

These rocket pops remind me of the “bomb pops” I grew up on from the ice cream man.  Except that the mixtures that going into these rocket pops are100% natural! I made a green smoothie version and poured it right into the molds. Hooray for healthy treats! My mom let me borrow her VitaMix blender so I could pulverize some flax seeds and I decided I would take advantage of it’s mighty power and blend up the fresh strawberries we’d bought and make popsicles for Tristan.

Here’s what you need:

3-4 pineapples spears

1 1/2 cups of strawberries

1 banana

1 big handful of your favorite green- we used spinach and it was probably a little less than a handful. -

About a 1tsp of agave (optional)

ENJOY!

This is definitely something the kids will love to snack on for a treat. What makes it so great is that your kids will eat it right up and not care a bit about the greens AND it’s a perfect way to cool off in the summer.  My son LOVES this recipe.  Create your own and have fun with it!

What’s your favorite summer smoothie mixture?

Summer Treat: Chocolate Covered Banana Bites

My husband love, love LOVES chocolate covered banana’s. In the summertime, I can remember making them as a treat. A few of these bites on a hot summer day…is absolutely delish! Tristan had so much fun helping me in the kitchen. This recipe is so versatile- I only had a few items-(coconut, X-Mas sprinkles) on hand but you can do so much more! It’s an easy, fun, messy and interactive recipe for the kiddos.

(pardon, the bad cell phone pic)

Chocolate Covered Banana Bite’s

2 cups of semisweet chocolate -you could try white chocolate, dark chocolate, fancy flavored chocolates or nutella!

2 tbsp. of coconut oil

Assorted toppings- walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pecans, coconut, butterfinger, graham cracker, granola, toffee, sprinkles…etc.

3-4 ripe bananas

Melt chocolate and coconut oil using double boiler method  (if you have a double boiler, by all means) this will help keep chocolate smooth. Next, dip banana piece into melted chocolate and then into your choice of toppings. Place onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper. Repeat the process until finished. Place cookie sheet into the freezer for 2-3 hrs. until firm but still semi soft in center. Make these ahead of time for your next party or BBQ. Mmmm!!

You can make it a chocolate covered banana popsicle too! If you plan on serving to kids… slice banana into quarters add a wooden stick to top of one slice close with another slice and freeze. Or you can also insert a stick into the bottom of the banana and add toppings. Slicing them into quarters makes it easier for the little ones to eat (smaller popsicle). Using a fork or tongs works best when dipping the banana into the chocolate. Of course, whenever possible use organic ingredients. My son loved these -the mess was worth every bite!

What’s your favorite summertime treat?

Happiness Comes In the Form of a Jar!

Over the weekend, we visited our dear neighbor’s from my childhood- I babysat their daughter and grew up hanging out in their home. They’re the coolest people on the planet. They’re daughter graduated from UC Northridge with a degree in Journalism and we’d been invited to celebrate! Since we hadn’t seen them in awhile we decided to take them some fresh eggs.

I packed a re-used gift bag with rafia and paper shreds and layered in the eggs. A whole dozen! For as long as I’ve known them they’ve always had a garden. The tomatoes they grow are the best- EVER. In the summer they grow tomatoes and peppers and can them…boy are they delicious.

Before leaving, we received 2 jars of their famous jarred Chileno peppers and a jar of Pomegranate jelly! We were some happy people- that’s all it takes- jarred goods. I know, sad-but true! Yum! Tyler and I love Chileno peppers. LOVE THEM.

Apparently, Tristan does too because he ate the tops off of 4 yesterday. He won’t eat the end with seeds (smart boy). I really should take a picture of him eating peppers and salsa.He can tolerate the heat, it’s funny. Sometimes it’ll get to him but usually after a sip of water he’s good- thankfully, no crying incidents have occurred- yet.

Anyway, we are SO looking forward to doing some canning this year. Our 2 peach trees are putting off some serious fruit. I’m hoping to can some peaches and make some jam. Also, cherry picking season is just around the corner. I’d like to go strawberry picking but there are no close fields- the closest would be 2-2 1/2 hrs. away. We’ll see. Hopefully, I’ll have the opportunity to can tomatoes, cucumbers and beans this year.

What are you planning to can this summer? Or – what fruits and veggies will  you be picking this season?

Frugal is Fun!

We live in the desert…and it get’s really HOT! Scorching hot. With summer approaching we’ve been getting some high temps around here. Unfortunately, we’re not that privileged to own a pool! Tristan doesn’t start swimming lessons for another 2 wks. so lately I’ve been filling up the plastic containers with ankle depth water for Tristan to soak in. They make great toddler pools. You could even use them as a temporary play pin; they’re tall enough. Make sure you keep your eyes on your baby!!! Adult supervision is required at all times! What’s awesome is we can use them for storage and for fun! Afterwards, we dump the water in the veggie garden and there’s no waste! We have 2 dogs and they enjoy taking a cool dip too. We used to buy a plastic toddler pool for them until we inherited a horse trough (metal) from a friend. They love getting in and out of it, too. A huge bonus here is that these containers are made out of recycled plastic…way to go hubs!!! Who needs to spend tons of money on a pool- of course when you have a toddler….!!! Storage containers are perfect entertainment when acting as a pool. Mr. Tristar enjoys taking a dip!

What sort of frugal fun do you do with your kids?