Popsicles You Will Love

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It's never too late to make popsicles - Is it?
Here is an easy Lemony Ice Cream Popsicle recipe:
1 gallon good quality vanilla ice cream
12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate

Prep: Soften ice cream and frozen concentrate on the counter.  Once at
a point where they can be mixed together (don’t totally melt them),
place the two ingredients in your mixer and blend for a couple of
minutes.  Pour into molds and freeze.

Note: this recipe also works for a Frozen Lemon Ice Cream Pie.  Just
pour the lemon-ice cream mixture into a homemade graham cracker crust
and freeze.

Via http://www.zupas.com

Watermelon Salad - Savor Summer

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This is absolutely delicious. Give it a try.
Ingredients
8 cups cubed watermelon
1 small Vidalia or other sweet mild onion thinly sliced
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 - 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
mint sprigs for garnish

Directions
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings.
In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Silly Sandwich Faces - Eat This!

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Instructions

1. Spread your child's favorite condiment on the bottom half of a sandwich roll.
2. Add a slice of ham or another cold cut.
3. Fold a second slice of meat lengthwise so that it resembles a tongue and lay it across the bun with one end hanging over the edge.
4. Create a face on the bun top using sliced raw vegetables, olives, and cherry tomatoes for features and softened cream cheese for glue. (The cheese sticks best if you first  

    blot dry the cut veggies with a paper towel.) You can even add a couple of cheese cube "teeth."
5. Use a potato peeler or grater to create long carrot curls to pile on top of the sandwich or push bell pepper slices into the bun for a spiky hairdo.

Via http://familyfun.go.com

Spinach Brownies, And They will Never Know

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I am always looking for new ways to get my kids to eat different foods. This recipe is a big hit in my house.
Ingredients

1  box (10 ounces) chopped frozen spinach
1/4  cup vegetable oil
1/3  cup carrot juice
1  box (21 ounces) family-style brownie mix
3  eggs

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Squeeze out the liquid from a thawed box of chopped frozen spinach. Place spinach, vegetable oil, and carrot juice in blender and puree.
2. In a large bowl, combine family-style brownie mix, eggs and the spinach mixture. Stir until well blended. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 40 minutes.

6 Foods Your Kids Need

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Tomatoes: The clear winner because every serving packs a big dose of lycopene, an antioxidant associated with lower rates of cancer and heart disease. Tomatoes also contain loads of vitamin C and a fair amount of fiber. If your child won't eat them fresh, chunked, or sliced in a salad, try lightly grilling them with a little olive oil -- lycopene absorption is actually greater when tomatoes are cooked.
Next-best choice: Carrots, for the beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body, and because kids love the crunchy texture.
Picky-eater idea: Go for tiny grape tomatoes, which are sweeter (remember to cut them up for toddlers). Try a creative presentation: Your child won't be able to resist a grape-tomato caterpillar.


Whole-Wheat Bread: Serve fortified bread so your kids will be getting iron, vitamins, magnesium, and zinc as well as fiber. Check the label -- whole-wheat flour should be listed as the first ingredient. One way to get kids to branch out from white is to serve whole-wheat bread toasted and topped with melted cheese.
Next-best choice: Brown rice, which has more than three times the fiber of white and twice as much vitamin B6. Instant is fine. You lose a small amount of fiber, but it's still healthier than white rice.
Picky-eater idea: Use cookie cutters to make finger sandwiches in fun shapes. Your toddler will be so excited to eat a giraffe PB&J, she may not notice that the bread is a darker color.

Blueberries: These tiny nutritional powerhouses are bursting with vitamin C and folic acid, minerals (including potassium), fiber, and disease-fighting phytochemicals, shown to help prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Wow! Plus, kids like to eat them -- sprinkled with a bit of sugar, topped with whipped cream, added to muffins and pancakes, or plopped into oatmeal, yogurt, or cottage cheese.
Next-best choice: Cantaloupe, which ranks nearly as high in phytochemicals and is just as nutritionally good for you as blueberries. Use a melon baller to scoop out a bowlful.
Picky-eater idea: Even kids who won't touch fresh berries think frozen ones are a treat.

Spinach: Jam-packed with vitamin A and folic acid, it'll also provide some vitamin C and iron. If your child turns up her nose at spinach, get creative. Dress it up (sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top) or sneak it into her favorite dishes -- baked into lasagna or meat loaf, pureed into tomato sauce, or layered in a sandwich instead of lettuce.
Next-best choice: Edamame, or soy beans, which are loaded with protein, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C, plus a little fat. Kids love pushing the nutty-flavored peas out of the pods and into their mouths.
Picky-eater idea: A no-fail way to get 'em to eat the green stuff? Believe it or not, baked into brownies. 

Cold Cereal: This ready-to-eat staple can be incredibly healthy, especially since virtually all major cereal brands are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Choose whole-grain options (an easy way to include much-needed fiber in kids' diets) like Cheerios or shredded wheat, and avoid brands with high sugar content -- sugar (including high-fructose corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, and honey) shouldn't be one of the first few ingredients. Bonus: Kids are far more likely to meet their calcium needs if they drink milk with cereal. Opt for whole milk if your kid is under 2 and low-fat for an older child.
Next-best choice: Peanut butter on a toasted whole-grain bagel combines carbohydrates and protein with a little fat so kids feel fuller for longer.
Picky-eater idea: Breakfast is a must, so get little ones to eat something. Make it fun by letting your child dip a banana (rich in potassium) in flavored yogurt (good source of calcium), then in cereal (for crunch).

Lean Beef: Lean beef is loaded with iron, and growing, active children need the nutrient to produce healthy red blood cells. Recently, doctors have been seeing an increase in anemia at every age as Americans replace red meat with other forms of protein in their diets. (If your family doesn't eat beef, be especially vigilant about serving iron-fortified products like cereal or breads.) Beef is also loaded with vitamin B12 and zinc. Cook up lean hamburger meat for tacos and lasagne, or serve spaghetti with meatballs.
Next-best choice: Drumstick, anyone? Chicken offers many of the same benefits as red meat -- it's the second-best source of iron -- but it has less saturated fat than beef, with the added bonus that most kids really like it.
Picky-eater idea: Serve hors d'oeuvres to your kids: Roll up paper-thin slices of deli roast beef and serve alone, or wrap the slices around string beans or mozzarella sticks.