We are incredibly lucky to have a fantastic library branch in our county (Douglas County Libraries). They offer a summer reading program with lots of incentives to encourage kids to read more over the summer and all of their facilities are kid-friendly, cool spaces to beat the heat on super hot days.

While I absolutely love having library books in my house, I’m one of those people who doesn’t like the library books mingling with our own books. I live in constant fear of losing a library book for really no reason. When my mom gave the kids some new canvas bags we decided to use them as new library book bags but wanted to get the kids a bit more excited than they have been about previous bags.

I had them sign up for their first library cards and the summer reading program on the same day. A quick hole punch and a key ring let me attach the cards to the bags for safe keeping.

Now the kids keep their library books in the bags and usually have them hanging from their bed. When we go to the library they can use them to carry the books they want to check out. When it comes time to check out, they have their library cards handy and can easily check out their books by themselves. Our library has a pretty cool check out system where they literally can just place their bags on the check out desk and the system will know which books they have.

This would be a great Easter basket gift or special outing for the start of summer. I hope you are having a great summer!

Mel

The other night I was planning on grilling my Chicken and Rainbow Veggies but a windy rainstorm thwarted my grilling plans. I pulled a quick switch to a one pan dinner. What really makes this meal is the grated fresh ginger. You can read about how I easily always have ginger on hand here. It is really easy to grate when it is frozen.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 chicken thighs
• 1 cup broccoli (florets cut from crown)
• 1 cup carrots (cut in long pieces)
• 2 small or 1 large zucchini (cut into half-moon chunks)
• 1 cup snap or snow peas (with ends trimmed)
• 1 Tablespoon garlic (minced)
• 2 Tablespoons ginger (grated)
• 1/4 cup prepared Hoisin sauce
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Optional add-ins: Red or other bell peppers, bok choy, or other vegetables you have on hand.

Recipe:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop all vegetables
3. Mix chicken thighs, vegetables, and garlic in an oven-safe pan with hoisin sauce, drizzle of olive, and salt/pepper to taste.
4. Push the chicken thighs to the bottom of the pan.
5. Grate the ginger over the top of the chicken and veggies making sure each items gets a little bit of ginger.
6. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
7. Serve over steamed rice or alone. Red chili paste and soy sauce make good condiments.

This is a great way to get a variety of veggies in front of my family quickly and I hope it works for your family as well.

Happy cooking!

Mel

Making popsicles was on our summer to do list. One off day when I happened to have a watermelon on hand I went searching for a watermelon popsicle recipe. I found this gem: Strawberry Watermelon Ice Pops from Super Healthy Kids.

To make them just a little extra lemony, I zested the lemon prior to using the juice and put all of the zest in the mix.

I poured the mix in the kids’ popsicle freezer molds and had a little bit extra left over. I poured the remaining mix in an ice cube tray and stuck some popsicle sticks in. Now we have some mini popsicles on hand as little treats that have been perfect for after dinner. And enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

There was a little extra leftover after that so I decided to go ahead and freeze in it a plastic cup for thawing later. I’m thinking on our next pool day I’ll be blending that with some rum for a quick daiquiri. Moms need treats too.

Happy cooking!

Mel