If you are with your kids for most of the day, it’s a good idea to set up some sort of routine about snacks. If you allow two or three snack times throughout the day, one may be for ice cream or some other treat, and the others might be healthier. Below are some general options to implement in your daily life. Each of them allows for much variation.

The Veggie Tray
A good way to give your kids healthier snacks during the summer and after school is to make a veggie tray. It will allow them to try different vegetables, but it will also only give them the option of eating healthy. Oh, and yes, it’s okay to give them dip for the celery, carrots, cauliflower, or broccoli – maybe peanut butter for the celery, or ranch dressing with the carrots and other raw veggies. If you want to expand their taste buds, add something they haven’t had before and see if they try it. You never know what they may end up liking.

The Fruit Tray
Again, this is just another way to give them different options. Orange slices, apples, bananas, berries, pineapple chunks, and several other fruits will work well. The thing you need to remember is your tray doesn’t have to be boring. Add some peanut butter for dipping the apples or make fruit snacks out of several different fruits skewered on a popsicle stick, or serve the chunks on toothpicks. If you have older kids it may be a little cheesy, but for the younger ones they will enjoy it.

Remembering Milk
Unfortunately, milk has taken a backseat to Gatorade and other juices for some families today. (Not so much here – my kids LOVE milk!) A way to get your children to drink more each day is by adding a snack that goes well with milk. An alternative to cookies, try giving them graham crackers to dip in the milk. It’s a bit more of a healthier choice and there aren’t too many children who will turn their nose up to this snack.

Keep the Variety Going
You don’t have to do the same thing each week – variety is the spice of life. Try mixing up your healthy snacks, even give them some choices, and your children will be developing healthier eating habits. Not only will they enjoy it, but you will also be making this a new part of their daily routine, which will translate into healthier kids and a happier you.

The recipe idea came from a desire to make a meal that was tasty and inexpensive to make, my husband was laid off from work at the time and I was trying to make our budget stretch and I had a desire for Tuna casserrole an entre` my husband hated. I doctored up the traditional casserole he loathed and now he enjoys my version of the classic casserole.

Mary’s Tuna Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 cans tuna packed in water
• 1 small onion
• 2 pieces celery chopped
• 1 large carrot diced small
• 1 Tb. Tarragon spice
• 1t. Natures Seasoning
• 2Tb. Butter
• 1 package Noodles
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• Grated Parmesan/Ramono Cheese

Instructions:
(Boil water for noodles and follow package instructions)
Meanwhile melt butter in sauce pan on medium heat, add chopped onions and carrots and celery. Let saute` for about 10 minutes stirring constantly, add drained rinsed tuna (make sure tuan is drained very dry) saute with vegetables and seasonings for about 15 minutes or until tuna is golden brown but not burnt. (it may need more butter-use your judgement). Once meat and vegetables are cooked add mixture to cooked noodles and add soup mex well and place in a glass baking dish-sprinkel with cheese and heat in oven until cheese is a nice golden brown. approx 20 minutes @350*. Enjoy!

If you have a tomato garden, you know how quickly those tomatoes start to pile up. The next time you have more tomatoes than you can handle, try using them with some of these recipe ideas.

Tomatoes have more uses than some realize. In addition to being used on sandwiches and BLTs, try using tomatoes in these recipes:

1. Salsa
Who doesn’t love salsa? If you grow peppers with your tomatoes, you can easily make a delicious homemade salsa!

2. Pizza Sauce
One of our favorite uses. In the winter when there are no tomatoes, we used canned tomatoes to make homemade pizza sauce.

3. Tomato Soup
It may not be a favorite to some and not all that great for summer, but when made in the winter using your own canned tomatoes from earlier in the year it’s absolutely perfect! Plan ahead to can some of your tomatoes so you can have this homemade treat later on.

The next time you are stumped as to what to do with all those tomatoes and are sick of BLTs, see what other uses you can come up with!

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About the Author: Kara Kelso is the mother of two, and owner of several websites. For more tomato recipes and ideas, visit: http://www.idea-queen.com/tomato-recipes.html.