Mango Peach Salsa

Mango Peach Salsa is a delicious addition to many meals, such as fish tacos, nachos, or quesadillas.

I made a batch without any hot peppers so the kids could enjoy the salsa without the spiciness. They especially loved the sweet mango chunks.

This recipe, with the bright colors and sweet fruit, is a simple, healthy, and inexpensive way to make a common meal extra special.

Mango Peach Salsa

2 large mangos, diced
1 large peach, diced
1/4 c. diced red onion
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. diced red bell pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. tabasco sauce
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/4. c. diced jalapeno peppers (optional, depending on desired level of heat)


Mix together all ingredients. Chill and serve with your favorite Mexican dishes. Any other hot pepper can be substituted for the jalapenos and more or less can be added to your taste.

For more healthy and inexpensive ideas for feeding your family check out Pennywise Platter.

Off to Grandma and Grandpa's House They Go

There was peace and quiet at my house for several days this past week. That is a very rare occurrence around these parts. 

The big kids enjoyed a childhood rite of passage: the summertime visit to their grandparents' house.

I was a little sad when I hugged and kissed them good bye,  left alone in my quiet house with only my 5 month-old, then I had a reality check and jumped for joy! I love my kids to pieces but sometimes mama just needs a break (and most mothers of a four-year-old and six-year-old will agree what a break it is to just have one little baby).

The fond memories of the days when my first child Emily was a baby came flashing back. She and I would spend leisurely days together, following her schedule and caring to her every whim without any disruptions. Ryan got to have a little taste of that undivided attention for a few days and I do believe he loved it.

My dear hubby and I even got to enjoy each others' company in the evening without having to rush to follow the usual hectic dinner/bedtime routine.

Emily and Mason loved their special big kid time away too. They love having the extra attention (aka spoiling) that grandparents lavish on them. It's a win-win situation for all of us. The kids get to be independent and feel special, the mom gets a break, the baby gets undivided attention, the grandparents get to spoil their grandkids. Yippee for everyone!

I was so excited for the big kids to come home, looking like they had grown two inches in five days. Mason told me that he wanted to give me the biggest hug ever and made my heart melt. Ryan was all smiles to hear his big brother and sister's voices and I was one happy (refreshed, relaxed, revitalized) mama to have my family back together again.

I have to give a big thank you shout out to the grandparents for taking great care of my little rug-rats.

Now, I am sad to say that the euphoria of our family reunion did not last forever. That happy, refreshed mama of the first night the kids arrived home vanished in a flash when I was woken up by a demanding four-year-old at 6:30 the next morning, but hey, I did enjoy it while it lasted. Let's just hope it won't be next summer before I feel that way again.

For some tips on helping your kids with overnight visits see: Tips for overnight visits for young kids.

Tortellini Salad

One of my favorite summer dishes is this delicious pasta salad. It is made with tortellini, a small ring shaped pasta stuffed with cheese, which adds a unique twist and makes it a hearty salad. This is a great side dish for a barbecue or a main dish for a light summer dinner.

Tortellini Salad

12 oz. cheese tortellini
6 green onions, chopped
3/4 c. diced red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1 c. Italian salad dressing
8 oz. feta cheese
1 tbs. olive oil
3/4 c. sliced kalamata olives

Cook tortellini in boiling water for 4 - 5 minutes, until tortellini floats. Drain and set aside to cool, lightly coating with olive oil. Saute green onions, bell pepper and garlic in olive oil until just tender. Mix sauteed vegetables with tortellini, vinegar, dressing, olives, and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill prior to serving.

For more great recipes check out Pennywise Platter.


This post is part of Alphabe-Thursday's Rainbow Summer School.

Eat, Pray, Love the movie

I watched the movie adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love with my best friend last night. We had been looking forward to seeing the movie since we heard about it a few months ago. We were even more excited after seeing Julia Roberts on Oprah, but I had to wonder: would the movie live up to the hype?

We were not disappointed. The movie was wonderful, although as usual not quite as good as the book. But really, has there ever been a movie that meets up to the book it is based on? This one gets close.

After watching Eat, Pray, Love I feel compelled to smile from my liver, as Ketut tells Liz to do, and live a more balanced life.

I can't travel around the world for the next year, like Elizabeth Gilbert, but I can take my own spiritual journey to find myself right here at home. I'm going to start with enjoying the happy moments with my kids more and staying calm during the not-so-happy moments. Living in the present and finding joy in the small, everyday things is my goal.

What a pleasure it was to read an inspiring book and then see it played out so well on the screen. Bravo to Eat, Pray, Love!

Risotto Milanese Recipe

Risotto is my favorite way to fix rice, not to mention one of the few rice dishes that my kids enjoy. I think the kids like the creamy, cheesy texture of this delicious dish.

This recipe comes from my Italian grandmother and she learned it from her mother who came to the U.S. from the Milan area of Italy in the early 1920's.

Risotto Milanese

3 tbs. olive oil or butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 c. Arborio rice (or any short-grained rice will work)
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 tsp. saffron or 1/2 tsp. turmeric
4 1/2 c. hot chicken broth
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil or butter in a large heavy skillet. Add onion and garlic, saute until soft, add rice, stirring constantly until rice begins to become opaque. Add wine and 2 cups hot broth. Bring to a boil, stir, and then reduce heat enough to keep a gentle boil. Add saffron or turmeric and mushrooms. When liquid is absorbed, add 2 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time until rice is tender but still a little firm (al dente). Stir continuously. Add salt and pepper, then stir in cheese.

Serve 4 -5. The rice takes about 30 minutes to cook, do not cover, stir often. Diced cooked chicken, peas, or asparagus are a great additions.

Find more great recipes and ideas about cooking for your family at Pennywise Platter.

Snack cupboard for Kids

Maybe all of you brilliant parents out there have already thought of this but it's a new and exciting addition to our household: a SNACK CUPBOARD!

Are you tired of having to stop in the middle of whatever important activity you're doing (laundry, sleeping, emailing, changing a diaper, etc.) to get a snack for your kiddos? Then jump on the snack cupboard bandwagon.

This was suggested to me by a friend and I decided, why not, let's try it out. We cleared out one shelf in a low cupboard and filled it with mom approved snacks. The kids were so excited to be able to help themselves to a snack easily and I was so excited that they were no longer climbing on the kitchen chairs and counters trying to find something to eat in the high kitchen cupboards.

I still like to monitor how many snacks they have and when they eat them (like not right before dinner which is Mason's favorite snack time), but overall the snack cupboard has been a smashing success in our house.

For other snacking ideas see my article Healthy Snack Ideas or my posts about making a Fruit Rainbow and Fruit Smoothies.   

This post is participating in Alphabe-Thursday (S is for Snack Cupboard). 

Eating Octopus

Who woulda thought my little picky eater would be so brave in a culinary dare?

Emily started out her childhood as a picky eater. Thankfully she has grown to love many new foods, in a large part due to our rule of taking at least one bite of everything on your plate. That has forced her to discover that new food isn't scary and that she could (gasp!) actually like something new.

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when at her year-end Kindergarten party she tried a very exotic new food. The theme for the party was "Under the Sea" and her teacher had some seafood to try.

She brought out octopus tentacles and asked if anyone was brave enough to come up and try it. A couple of kids jumped right up and then to my surprise Miss Emily volunteered too. You go girl! I was so proud of her when she took a teeny tiny little bite and smiled. I'll never say she's a picky eater again after that.

Whatcha Reading Book Review - The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Stephenie Meyer, the creator of the Twilight series, has given us another little tidbit about the world of Twilight. She wrote a novella called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner to give readers another perspective on Bella's story.

I read an article in which Stephenie Meyer suggested reading Bree Tanner's version of events (Bree is a newborn vampire) before going to see the movie Eclipse, so being the dedicated "Twi-hard" that I am I rushed right out and got the book.

It was interesting and a good refresher for Eclipse but it made me realize that the major appeal of the Twilight books, for me, are the characters Bella and Edward. I am rooting for Team Edward. Most of my girlfriends love Jacob but for some reason I'm a sucker for that over-the-top, co-dependent, unrealistic romance represented by Bella and Edward.

You can read the novella at breetanner.com but only through today (July 5th). Of course you can purchase the book, like I did, if you're not interested in reading that much of on the computer screen. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a quick must-read for Twilight fans but it doesn't compare to the original series.

I'm still hoping that Stephenie Meyer will miss the Twilight characters and decide to right another novel. I've got my fingers crossed!

Busy, busy summertime

Here we are in the middle of summer already. How did that happen?

I had this idea in my head that I'd have more down time once the kids were out of school and we didn't have to rush out of the house every morning. We have a more leisurely morning routine now, but it seems like the days are filling up fast.

Emily had a dance recital at the beginning of the summer, then she went to VBS (Vacation Bible School) and now she goes swimming lessons. Mason is playing T-ball and tennis and he'll start a summer program at his new preschool next week. They will both go to little day camps later in the summer too. Theater and dance camp for Emily and T-ball camp for Mason.

Add in some fun "play dates" with friends, grocery shopping, running errands, taking walks, trips to the playground/zoo/Children's Museum, bike riding, etc. and we're a busy little group over here.

Summer can be so busy and filled with activities that I have to make sure we have some good ol' fashioned relaxing time at home to enjoy ourselves. Especially now that baby Ryan is here I need to force myself to stop over-scheduling and stay home more.

Do any of  you have trouble with over-scheduling in the summer? Let's all enjoy some time at home relaxing and not rushing from one place to the next. Happy summer everyone!

W is for...Watermelon

Now that we are on summer vacation there are so many things to look forward to: warm weather, sunshine, t-ball and tennis for Mason, swimming lessons and theater camp for Emily, visiting family, barbecues, going to the beach... I could go on and on.

There are a few challenges that come with the change in schedule and season but one challenge that I had not considered until recently was the daily question: What is there to eat?

On the snack front I try to keep it healthy and easy. That's my goal and so far it is going pretty well. My kids are definitely snackers. They will eat most of a meal but then be hungry again an hour later. I figure that their little bodies need lots of fuel to grow so I feed them on "demand" so to speak.

One of the favorite snacks that we have stumbled across lately is fresh fruit, especially watermelon and cantaloupe, cut into bite size pieces and eaten with a toothpick.

The toothpick is key. My six-year-old angel of a daughter can be a picky eater at times and she thought she didn't like watermelon. But wait, what is that cool thing that her brother is eating with? A toothpick. Okay, now she likes watermelon. Surprise, surprise.

That toothpick changes an ordinary snack into something extra special. Amazing.





This post is participating in Alphabe-Thursday "W is for..."