Recipes

Summer time is here ... HOORAY! Bring on the beach vacations, picnics, trips to the pool and of course camp lunches. If you're like me and tired of serving up the ole carrots and ranch dip, look no further for a few new, exciting and tasty fruits and veggies to add to your lunch box or cooler to keep things on the healthier side this summer. Each variety of produce listed is easy to find at most larger, local grocery stores. Enjoy these colorful and interesting fruits and veggies at the dinner table, poolside or added to your snack repertoire. Sugar Snap Peas - Delicious raw or cooked, the sugar snap pea has a sweet crunchy exterior with peas inside its...

Blueberries are in season and bountiful in south Louisiana! The Baton Rouge area is blessed to have many orchards around that will allow families to pick their own Louisiana blueberries, which makes for a fun and fruitful outing with the kids. Tips From a Seasoned Louisiana Mom on Picking Blueberries Call the farm ahead of time and/or check their website and social media handles. Most farms have set operating hours but will close if the berries are too picked over. I recommend that you wear socks and closed toe shoes. Don't forget bug spray and sunscreen, but be sure to apply both of those items in the parking lot to prevent chemicals from getting on the berries. Bring plenty of water...

A long work day concludes. My sons are running around, coloring, and watching a cartoon. I am chopping vegetables in the kitchen. My knife knocks the cutting board rhythmically. Onions, celery, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes slide into my prep bowl. I find a song to groove to on my iPhone. The butter sizzles in my green Dutch oven. I season the butter and dump the onions in to simmer. I work through the rest of the recipe. The vegetables sauté, filling the house with a lovely aroma, and I stir the mixture. I add other ingredients as I go along, savoring the process. From the living room I hear my husband and my boys talking and laughing with the...

I've never been able to get much out of any 'how-to' parenting books. Maybe it's the part of me that hates being told what to do, but they never seem to help. A friend knew my distaste for them and suggested Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman. After reading just the summary I could tell it was my kind of book. An American journalist, Druckerman is living abroad in France and gives birth to her first child. She quickly begins to notice the differences among French and American parenting styles and subsequently how the children behave. What I enjoy most is that it's simply an observation of some of the differences without saying one is right or wrong. A new perspective...

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Indie Plate, a local company that we have used and loved time and time again. All opinions are our own. We've read all the blog posts. Seen all the Pinterest boards. Tried all the tips and tricks to get a healthy dinner on our tables night after night. When it all comes down to it, eating a healthy, high-quality meal night after night is going to take a lot of work and time and effort. Head to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, pick up your CSA box on Monday, stop by the organic grocery store on Wednesday... OR Have everything above delivered to your doorstep with the click of a button. That's what Indie Plate is doing...