Strawberries!

The other day at the store, I found the largest red strawberries, so I bought a couple. They are delicious, surprising for late October. We are loving them and eating them up quickly. My kids like most fruit, but strawberries are a favorite!! they go with everything!!! They like dipping them in chocolate and or whip cream for dessert.

We try to eat healthy, we eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. I try to buy frozen over canned. We drink milk and juice at meals and try to mostly drink water in between, C.J. has recently decided he hates water. We snack on a lot of cheese, yogurt, dried fruit, home made goodies, etc... Five nights a week my kids get a home cooked meal and the other two sometimes it is fast food, I LOVE Subway, but mostly something quick and easy like a heat up pizza or another favorite dough and cheese.

We love tacos, lasagna, bbq chicken, corn beef, and tons of other things from my Coolest find EVER!!! Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade. Wonderful recipes for those of us, who don't really desire or have the talent to prepare three hour long dinners with lots of ingredients and steps.

I do however, LOVE to bake and am pleased to say 90% of the time my kids eat home made cookies, cakes, muffins, bars, snack mix, etc... I strongly believe the treats I make have less preservatives, less sugar, less artificial crap and taste way better!!!

Baking and or cooking is a wonderful way to get the kids involved while they practice wonderful "practical life skills" I stole that from Melissa ;) pouring, scooping, stirring. They learn cause and effect, the concept of amounts with measuring, counting, the concept of temperatures, and the concept of consistencies such as liquid solid and the miraculous butter that goes from a solid to a liquid.

Baking with a child can be trying at first as they learn new rules and you realize the messes that can occur so quickly. Stick with it try something simple like a cake mix. The pride a child feels eating something they helped create is priceless.