I love frozen treats in the middle of summer.  I was raised on Root Beer Floats and Ice Cream both of which are loaded with refined sugars and other junk...this is not a good thing. 

I was on the hunt for a yummy frozen yogurt treat for the girls with NO REFINED SUGAR that my happy helpers could easily make with me AND be palatable for picky eaters. 

I modified a recipe from the Chobani website: 

                     
   1 Cup of plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
   1 Cup of organic frozen berries 
   1 Tablespoon of Raw Honey

Put all into a blender.  I had to let the ingredients sit out and thaw for about 15 minutes before blending.  But I don't have the best blender, so you may be able to blend right away.  

Then I poured the mixture into my instant Popsicle maker, and in about 7 minutes we were eating treats!  I just got this for my birthday last weekend and this was my first time using it.  It's pretty awesome!

However, if you don't have one of these don't worry!  You can buy the Popsicle molds anywhere; it will just take about 6 hours to freeze them so plan ahead.  Or you can use little plastic cups, insert Popsicle stick, and freeze.

These are very healthy foods for your body.  Not only is there no refined ingredients, but it will give you 6 grams of fiber, protein, vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, live cultures, and lots of other good healthy benefits.

Disclaimer: Never feed honey to a child less than 1 year of age.

With all the brilliant tomatoes I saw at my local farmers market I began to hunt for a new recipe.  I came across this fast & fresh recipe by Francis Lam (Amazing Photography by Max Kelly).

This recipe is perfect for picky eaters...it's bright, colorful, and it has pasta in it :)  Tomatoes are naturally sweet and packed with nutrients.  If you have a really picky eater, use a spoon to scrape out the seeds on the inside.  That will make the texture less "slimy".  Don't forget to let your happy helpers help you make it :)

Summer Tomato Pasta

Serves  2-4, depending on how much you like the sound of slurping

The tomatoes, of course, are the point of this dish. If you have seriously sweet, ripe, juicy tomatoes, smelling as good as girls before the prom, they’re going to do all the work for you. But if your tomatoes aren’t fantastic, well, to be honest, I’d suggest finding a different recipe for dinner.

2 ½ pounds of the ripest tomatoes you can find (a mix of varieties is really nice)

2 handfuls of tender young arugula or flavorful greens of your choice (about 2 loose cups, but whatever)

Scant ¼ cup shaved red onion or shallot, as thin as you can cut it

1 pound spaghetti or linguine

Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Red wine vinegar, to taste (optional)

Parmigiano cheese, to taste

1. Cut the tomatoes into ½-inch pieces or so, and place, with all their juices, in a large bowl. (Big enough to fit everything in the recipe, plus with lots of room to stir.) Season them generously with salt and pepper, and a millionaire’s splash or two of the nicest olive oil you have. Stir together, and give it a taste. If everything is sweet and lovely but could use just a little more brightness, splash in a little vinegar, too.

2. Bring a gallon of water to a boil, and add enough salt so that it tastes almost like the sea. Add the pasta and stir.

3.  While the pasta is cooking, lay the greens on top of the tomatoes, and then the onion or shallot slices. Try to arrange them so that they’re in one even layer, so that when you pile the pasta on, the heat will take the raw edge off the onion, and gently wilt the greens underneath. Ingenious, no?

4.  When the pasta is cooked to a perfect al dente, drain it and dump it in the bowl. Now wait! Don’t touch it for two minutes. While you’re waiting, you can grate on the cheese, or, if you really want to get sexy, shave it on in long, thin ribbons that will melt into chewy strands. After two minutes, get in there and give it all a serious stir; the starch from the pasta actually helps to emulsify the oil into the tomato juices, creating a sauce. Taste it, adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, olive oil, or vinegar, and serve right away. You’ve waited long enough!


If you would like to view the whole article and recipe here is the link: http://gi.lt/ov1c3v