As the Keeper of our Castles, one of our responsibilities is to provide healthy meals for our families.  Soccer, football practice, dance, piano, science club, and all the other extracurricular activities can make us feel scattered and it may seem too much of a challenge to prepare something healthy.

Here is a list of ideas to include more fruits and vegetables into our diets.  I hope this helps inspire you.
1)  Try cooked pumpkin or winter squash for dinner.
2)  Make a quiche and include chopped bell peppers, onions, and spinach.
3)  Try applesauce on pancakes instead of syrup.
4)  Add lettuce and tomato to …read more

I missed out on growing a summer garden.  We were just so busy.  I don’t remember all of the chain of events, but it seemed like it was one thing  after another.  Now we’re under contract to buy a house and I’m giving thought to planting a fall garden.

If you plant in late summer, you can grow things such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussel sprouts, collards, cucumbers, lettuce, kale, onions, spinach, radishes, and carrots.  Even if you’ve missed the spring and summer gardening times, there are plenty of vegetables that grow well during colder months.
NC State University has a list …read more

My neighbor brought some cucumbers over to me a few days ago. I was excited because I enjoy making cucumber salad each year. It’s a refreshing treat in the summer and is very easy to do.

3 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
dash of ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients except the cucumber and cook it until the sugar melts.  Pour the warm mixture over the cucumbers.  Store covered in the refrigerator.
This tastes better if you allow it to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving …read more