Kids N Kitchen - Link Up #3 - Welcome Carrie from Young Living Oil Lady!

Welcome to our link up - Thank you for coming!

*Special Announcement: 

I am thrilled that my new Co-host, Carrie from Young Living Oil Lady is going to be joining us from now on for the Tuesday "Kids in the Kitchen" link up. Carrie has been instrumental in helping me make changes in my diet and to work towards a healthier lifestyle. Not all my recipes are perfectly healthy, but they are good family fun kind of meals to share together - I make an effort to put REAL food - Homemade food - on the table and we enjoy both preparing and eating together at the family table. 

Most of Carrie's recipes are extremely healthy - and we could all use a little more of that! 

I hope you'll find a warm balance between healthy, homey, fun recipes the whole family can enjoy

Please feel free to link up your recipes - even if you don't include pics of kids cooking - the idea here is to share great recipes and ideas for getting the family together in the kitchen! 

Now - For my recipes and tips this week: 

It doesn't have to be fancy to be good - it can be best to keep it simple when cooking with kids - it is also usually a bit healthier if your ingredients are simple and fresh!

In Florida right now the strawberries are ripe and sweet. I've loaded up as much as possible - you might expect to see more strawberry featured recipes here over the next few weeks. We shared our canned strawberry jam post here  (the recipe comes right from the Sure Gel box)

This week we made Strawberry Shortcakes! I fully intended to make homemade pound cake, but ended up picking up one home made from Publix instead. Sometimes these things cannot be helped. (Don't tell Martha Stewart on me)

After my son sliced the freshly washed strawberries, I placed them in a bowl and drizzled honey over the tops of them. I also sprinkled just a tad bit of Florida sugar cane sugar on top and let them sit and soak in the juices. We started ours just before dinner time - so there was no need to refrigerate. 

For Dinner: 

Earlier in the day I rinsed some dry black beans. I then forgot to put them on - so, I did the quick boil method. I hard boiled them for 2 - 5 minutes and then turned off the heat and let them sit - covered - for an hour - and gave them a good rinse - refilled the water - covering with about 2 inches more water on top and boiled steady for 2 hours. That's about as fast as it gets with dry beans. 

Simmer in chicken broth for added flavor. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. 

While keeping an eye on the boiling beans - it's a good time to get the little helpers to do some chopping! 

My helper did a good job of chopping fresh Florida sweet onion, including the green stems and tomato. We were anxious to use some of our fresh veggies from the Florida Farmer's Market. 

Buying fresh local produce is good for the local economy, good for the body, and it's just plain pretty! 

Pictured above are our table knives I allow the kids to use to cut with in the kitchen. One has a point on it and the other is safely rounded. I have them pretend they are as sharp as the sharpest knives in town - it's a good safety precaution and also great practice for our future chefs. 

I cooked some rice (not the instant junk) I recommend brown rice, as it is healthiest - I used regular white rice because it's what I had on hand. We always add a little olive oil to both the beans and rice. We seasoned the beans with a lemon pepper mix. 

Add rice to bowl or plate - use a ladle to spoon on the beans with a touch of juices - a grated cheese - fresh veggies to the top like onion and tomato - and dig in to a colorful healthy meal. Our kiddos love this one! 

Please join Carrie and me by linking up your recipes or tips for getting kids in the kitchen - even older posts are fine - we especially like "kids" cookin' - but it's not a requirement! 

Grab the button code from my side bar- or copy and paste it: 

linking up with: