19 Ideas for Frugal Summer Fun as a Family

19 Ideas for Frugal Summer Fun as a Family

Do you want to save money but still have fun this summer? Totally doable. Read on to get 19 easy-to-do summer activity ideas that are budget-friendly, health-boosting and oh-so-fun!

Guest Post by Prerna Malik of Content Bistro

Save money. Quite simply, it’s one of my biggest goals and constant endeavors as a homemaker.

However, with summer here, I don’t want my budgeting tendencies to negatively impact the amount of fun our family shares!

Not only that, I want to ensure the fun we have is in line with our desire to be more healthy–which includes eating real food and getting regular exercise as much as possible.

Yes, I may have high expectations.

However, I did sit down and brainstorm a list of 19 ways we will be enjoying the summer season without breaking the bank or straying far from our health goals.

I’ve divided them into Indoor and Outdoor Activities so you can pick and choose accordingly for your family, too:

Note from Erin: Want to stay organized while you plan your family’s summer activities? Pick up a copy of the 100 Days of Summertime eBook!

Indoor Budget-Friendly, Health-Boosting Summer Activities

1. Have a “make your own ice cream sundae” party with homemade ice cream and toppings.

2. Build a fort in the living room and let the kids sleep there overnight. It’s a fun way to encourage sibling bonding and independent sleep habits–and also have some good, ol’ fashioned fun. Note from Erin: Our family avoids friend sleepovers, and I think this is a GREAT alternative!

3. Learn to make your own homemade yogurt and have frozen yogurt popsicles for dessert. If you already know how to make your own yogurt, experiment with fruity flavors.

4. Bring out the board games and have a game night. Serve raw fruits and veggie sticks with dips as snacks.

5. Have a Readathon. Collect all the books you’ve bought but never read or finished. Hand them out to everyone, age appropriately, of course. Commit to reading and finishing one book (or more!) in a set amount of time. Set a timer and go! Make sure you have healthy snacks to munch on because if your kids are like mine, reading means munching

6. Plan on having one night every weekend designated as “Eat Fancy” night. Plan and prepare a homecooked meal that has a slightly “special” feel. That will look different for each family! For our family, our favorite special dish is spaghetti aglio e olio. Lay out the table with your best dinnerware, dress up, play some soft uplifting music, light candles and enjoy your “fancy” dinner at a fraction of the cost. (Plus, it is a great opportunity for kids to learn about fine dining etiquette too!)

7. Teach the kids to cook and bake. Bake homemade cookies with the kids and let them put up a neighborhood bake sale stall in your front yard. Or simply bake extras and take them to visit a neighbor you haven’t met yet. Social skills are just as important for our health as physical exercise.

8. Enjoy an “Eat-all-you-can” salad buffet…at home. Summer is rich with some of the best fruits and vegetables. Set up a salad bar on your dining table, complete with homemade dressings and breads. Let the kids pile their bowls high with health-boosting veggies and eat all they can. Here are 3 delicious salad meals you can try!

9. Have a Laugh Riot. Laughter is really good for health. It boosts endorphins, (the feel-good hormones) and it also increases bonding and connection. We plan on watching a funny movie from our home DVD collection and also reading rib-tickling books. How can you have a “Laugh Riot” day at your home?

10. Make new friends. Despite the fact that I am an introvert, I realize that socializing helps me and my little family enjoy the community around us!

11. Write letters to friends and family or a pen pal, the old-fashioned way.

12. Create a summer scrapbook.

13. Teach the kids to do jumping jacks or practice on-the-spot running. Set a timer or count the number of repetitions. Do it every day and keep a log. You’ll all be quite surprised at the increase in stamina by the end of summer!

Outdoor Summer Activities to Savor the Season and Save Some Money

14. Grab the kids and their bikes and go cycling around the block. If you don’t have a bike, you can always jog with them.

15. Have a family picnic. Pack a basket with a nice homemade lunch, some card games, a Frisbee or skipping rope, a blanket and books and you have a fun day all lined up.

16. Introduce the kids to gardening or bird watching. Nothing like spending time outdoors to really bond, connect with nature and get a healthy dose of fresh air. You could start with something simple like growing your own herbs.

17. Depending on where you live, go out on a rock or seashell collecting spree. Bring your stash home, give the kids little glass jars and create delightful summer-themed mantelpiece decorations.

18. Sign up for a summer volunteer opportunity. You can do this as a family or individually, as long as it is manageable. It is a great way to encourage giving back, build character and instill responsibility.

19. Put the sprinklers on in the lawn and let the kids run through them. It’s a great way to water the grass and let the kids have a blast with water play.

What frugal summer fun are YOU planning on having this year?

Prerna Malik is the content chef at Content Bistro, where she shares business inspiration and ideas for time-starved entrepreneurs. When she isn’t baking with her daughter, she’s cheering fellow homemakers and mamas along their journey to be more intentional, productive and peace-filled. You can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

Original article and pictures take thehumbledhomemaker.com site

18 of the Best Ever Clean Eating Recipes for Kids and Kids at Heart

18 of the Best Ever Clean Eating Recipes for Kids and Kids at Heart

I have 18 of the best ever clean eating recipes for kids and kids at heart. I have plenty to choose from for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks and YOUR kids will love eating them. If your family is on a Clean Eating diet, it can be difficult to find recipes that children can and will eat. I hope this list for is useful to you and your family.

I also have links to other recipes that I think kids like, at least mine do, that I think will be helpful to you. One way I get my children to eat foods they wouldn’t normally eat is to give them healthy options when they are hungry. For example, when they are starving and you’re making dinner and you may be tempted to say they shouldn’t eat anything before dinner. Tell them the only thing they can have before dinner are vegetables. When I do that, if my kids are hungry enough, they chow down on mini carrots and snap peas. No forcing required.

I have found that kids prefer foods that are simple, not spicy or hard to chew. My kids really like finger foods maybe because they are easier to eat and they don’t have to use a fork or spoon. I know kids that don’t like anything mixed together like a casserole. If I serve them the main ingredients of the casserole separately they will eat them just fine.

That’s why I tried to find recipes like that, that your kids will love too. Of course kids always want sweets but if the sweets are clean and don’t have too much unhealthy sugar in them, I say why not. That’s why clean sweets are better than others because the sugar in clean eating recipes are a little healthier than white sugar. Some of these clean recipes use fruit in place of sugar, now that’s a win win situation for us as parents and the kids. I love most of these too.

My kids favorites listed here are for pizza, cookies and ice cream. My daughter’s most favorite is the taco soup. They are all wonderful, taste great and are actually healthy. Go ahead give them all a try.

I hope you enjoy these and I hope you can find several that become your favorites.

If you like these Clean Eating Recipes for Kids or Kids at Heart, you may also like these recipes.

Clean Eating Lunch Ideas and Recipes for Kids Lunch Boxes

Clean Eating Recipes for Kids or Kids at Heart

9 Clean Eating Kid’s Dinner Recipes

Whole Wheat Macaroni – Butternut Squash – Whole Wheat Flour – Milk – Cheddar Cheese – Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

This is not your typical macaroni and cheese. It has added butternut squash which makes it so you don’t need as much cheese, plus it makes it way more healthy. My kids gobble it up and don’t even care or realize how healthy it is.

Whole Wheat Flour – Whole Wheat Pizza Dough or You could use this Clean Eating Pizza Crust Recipe – Clean Beef Hot Dogs

Kids love anything with hot dogs in them. Now you can make them pigs in a blanket and they can eat healthy. Yes, clean hot dogs really do exist. They should have them at your local health food store. We like the Applegate brand. That makes this recipe super super easy.

This taco soup is so so easy to make and it’s still clean. You just open a bunch of cans of beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce, add some spices and ground beef and you’re done. Let it simmer for a few minutes and BAM dinner is ready just like that.

This chili recipe is also really quick and easy to make. If you can open a can of beans, you’ve got it made. Ha ha, get it. Seriously all you do is open a bunch of different kinds of cans of beans and throw them and some spices and ground beef into a pan and let it cook a few minutes and you’re done.

Clean Eating Pizza Crust made with Spelt Flour – Ground Beef – Tomatoes – Cheese – Clean Classic Marinara Sauce

Taco pizza is seriously so good. I don’t understand why pizza places don’t include it on their menu. They are really missing out but you don’t have to. You can make your own and it will be clean too.

6. Meatloaf Muffins – Clean Eating Recipes

Tomatoes – Tomato Paste – Onion – Carrots – Mushrooms – Zucchini – Ground Turkey – Ground Pork – Tomato Sauce – Coconut Flour

Kids love their own individual meatloaf. That’s why kids love these meatloaf muffins so much. It’s a really good idea. It’s also a great way to get your kids to eat a good healthy meal. They are packed with meat and vegetables and oh, so tasty.

Kids love muffins and kids love pizza so when you combine the two they are going to really be excited to eat these. The fact is if I want to eat any of these when I make them I need to be really quick or they will disappear really fast around my house. I like them warm best so that makes it easy for me to grab some before they are gone.

Ground Beef or Turkey – Whole Milk – Whole Grain Macaroni – Cheddar Cheese – Hamburger Helper Mix

Included is a recipe for homemade hamburger helper mix to replace those chemical filled mixes you buy in the store. Did you know that cheddar cheese is colored with Annatto seed and not colored with food coloring so it is easily clean eating.

This is easy to make, contains no refined flour and sweetened naturally with honey. Great if you’re trying to cut out refined flour in your diet.

9 Clean Eating Kid’s Dessert Recipes

This is a relatively healthy treat that as a family we like to eat. It is particularly good for my son because he is trying to limit his dairy intake. He likes this copycat recipe almost as much as he like regular ice cream. This is a lot healthier for the whole family.

2. Baked Donuts – Grounded and Surrounded

Gluten-Free Flour Blend – Xanthan Gum – Stevia Powder – Applesauce – Almond Milk – Greek Yogurt – Coconut Sugar – Sprinkles

This recipe took six months to be perfected. But I have to say they are not exactly like bakery bought doughnuts. My kids are used to eating healthy most of the time so they gobble them up. But if your kids are used to healthy homemade desserts they may not like them as much as mine do.

3. Strawberry Watermelon Lime Popsicles – One Lovely Life

Watermelon – Strawberries – Lime

These healthy, bright fresh watermelon popsicles are a really great choice for a warm weather treat. They are made with one hundred percent fruit and help balance your electrolytes naturally.

Coconut Oil – Coconut Palm Sugar – Applesauce – Whole Wheat Flour – Use Old Fashioned Oats in place of Quick-Cooking Oats – Chia Seed – Mini Chocolate Chips

When I have time to make homemade cookies my kids love it when I make these. They are full of only wholesome ingredients. I put these cookies in my kids school lunches. I also like to serve them for a healthy treat or an after school snack.

You only need four ingredients and sugar is not one of them. You can even use over ripe bananas if you want to. This ice cream is even healthy because it is made with fruit and of course it’s dairy-free.

If you think the oats need to be smaller to make these cookies taste better. All you have to do is zap the old fashioned oats in the blender for a few seconds and you’ll have much smaller oats. Just don’t zap them too long or you’ll have oat flour. Old fashioned oats are way healthier because they haven’t been processed as many time as quick oats. That’s why they are bigger.

This ice cream is made with coconut milk which makes it really creamy plus it’s dairy-free. The bananas and strawberries make it sweet and flavorful and the rhubarb give it a little tangy kick. Five ingredients that are all good and natural makes it’s both easy to make and healthy.

Sweet Potato – Eggs – Spelt Flour – Chocolate Chips – Coconut Milk

These sweet potato brownies will at least give your kids one serving of vegetables for the day. Seriously the sweet potatoes help make these brownies moist and yumilicious. I just made that work up:) They a super decadent and oh so soft. Topped with ganache frosting made with only coconut milk and chocolate chips. So easy even the kids can make them.

Eggs – Sucanat Sugar – Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

I bet my kid’s would love it if I made these for them! Plus, these don’t have that many ingredients. Better yet, I should have my children make them for themselves. That would be a fun idea.

Conclusion:

I hope your kids really like these recipes. I know that mine do. They helped me choose which ones I should use for the post.

Original article and pictures take utydo2efewt2d3smc28v86ht-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com site

18 EASY HEALTHY SNACKS FOR CLEAN EATING

18 EASY HEALTHY SNACKS FOR CLEAN EATING

Print Yum CLEAN EATING RECIPE: BUTTERY SHRIMP AND GRITS Ingredients1 cup of organic quick cook grits (try BOB MILLS ORGANIC CORN GRITS) 4 cups of water 1 cup of organic whole milk 1/4 cup of heavy cream 1 tea spoon of sea salt 1 dash of freshly ground black pepper 4 table spoons of real butter, divided 1 cup of medium-sized shrimp, peeled, de-veined and boiled 1 tea spoon of Italian seasoningInstructionsHeat frying pan over stove top on high. Add

Original article and pictures take www.cleaneatingrecipesblog.com site

16 Simple Recipes You Can Make in 5 Minutes

16 Simple Recipes You Can Make in 5 Minutes

Good things come to those who wait. But good things can come to those in a hurry too, so let’s hear it for a few great recipes we can make in about 5 minutes!

Now, making these is all dependent on the fact that you have these ingredients on hand. But the ingredients are all pretty basic, so I’ll bet you do have these ingredients in your kitchen most of the time. (Cream cheese is a staple food, right?)

Let’s say you have last minute company stop by and you need a quick snack to share. Or maybe you have only a few minutes of work time before you have to head to the next thing. Here are some recipes you can quickly throw together for your favorite people to enjoy.

First a quick list of recipes you can make in 5 minutes:

• Homemade Nesquik

And now a list with all the tempting pictures that will make you want to lick your computer.

Homemade Nesquik

This is a great one because you can use it to make both chocolate milk or hot chocolate!

Caramel Apple Dip

5-Minute Stove-Top Granola

Coconut Fudge Bars

Pineapple Fluff Salad

Pineapple Mango Smoothies

Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits

Easy Fruit Dip

French Onion Dip

What are some of your go-to recipes to make when you only have a few minutes to throw something together?

Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site

150+ Healthy Gluten-Free Breakfasts to Start Your Day Off Right

150+ Healthy Gluten-Free Breakfasts to Start Your Day Off Right

{Note from Jessica: Today’s post is shared by my sweet friend, Raia, author of Raia’s Recipes. Raia is a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom of five crazy kids. After the birth of her third child, she was diagnosed with celiac disease. This discovery turned her bread and pasta-filled life upside down and set her on a mission to find out what healthy meant for her family. Aspiring to encourage other moms, she started her blog filled with simple, easy, healthy dishes. Stop by Raia’s Recipes to get plenty of real food, gluten-free recipes and much more!}

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal.

There's no doubt about it in my mind, I could eat it for every meal of the day (and sometimes I do). But there's just something about waking up to a delicious and nutritious meal that makes getting out of bed a little more worth while.

If you're not too fond of breakfast, you should be. Regularly eating breakfast helps kick-start your metabolism, balancing your weight, and leads to a more alert, focused, and happier you! Breakfast can also help regulate your blood sugar and keep your cholesterol levels healthy.

If those aren't good enough reasons to make breakfast part of your morning routine, here are over 150 delicious gluten-free reasons you'll want to make sure it's a part of your day!

Healthy Gluten-Free Breakfasts

(Throughout the post the asterisk (*) denotes a grain-free recipe.)

You've probably heard that eggs aren't a good choice for breakfast because they're high in cholesterol. While it's true that eggs do contain quite a bit, it's important to keep in mind that just because your diet has cholesterol in it, doesn't mean your blood will.

In fact eggs actually help increase DHL levels (the good kind of cholesterol), lessening the chance that you'll be at risk of heart disease and stroke. Eggs are also high in protein, selenium, and vitamin B12, and they contain all the essential amino acids our bodies need.

• Avocado Lime Omelette *
• Baba Ganoush Omelette *
• Butter Chicken Omelette *
• Clam Chowder Omelette *
• Mashed Yam Omelette *
• Open-Faced Breakfast Sandwiches *

• Baked Eggs in Avocado *
• Broccoli, Cheese & Bacon Mini Donuts *
• Crustless Spinach Quiche * (pictured)

While the availability of conventional gluten-free cereals is on the rise, it's rare to find a box as packed with nutrition as these homemade granolas and cereals. And it's pretty impossible to find a tastier or healthier option than a smoothie when you're in a hurry!

It doesn't have to be summer for you to enjoy a delicious cold breakfast, either. My kiddos have been known to wrap themselves in a blanket and sit down at the table to enjoy a smoothie in the dead of winter, and I'm sure you all know that one person who could live off cold cereal regardless of the time of year. (That'd be my husband in our family.)

Coconut Applesauce Granola

• Cranberry Coconut Granola (pictured)

Apple Banana Smoothie

Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait

If you're not up for a smoothie or a bowl of cereal on a chilly morning, these tasty and nutritious hot breakfasts are just the thing for you. From a comforting bowl of porridge to a hearty home-cooked hash, these breakfasts are sure to make you glad you crawled out from under those covers.

Breakfast Quinoa with Blackberries

• 

  Blender To Oven Maple Cherry Baked Oatmeal

• Sausage, Kale & Cheese Breakfast Casserole *

I don't know about you, but nothing says comfort food to me quite like a plate piled high with warm pancakes, dripping with butter and molasses (or syrup, if that's your thing), or a delicious slice of fresh-from-the-oven banana bread!

Though grain-filled breads are on the slighty-less-healthy side of breakfast, all of these delicious options are filled with nutritious ingredients and contain no refined sugars. And there are plenty of grain-free options here, as well! So all you paleo/GAPS friends can still enjoy.

• 2-Ingredient Paleo Pancakes *
• Berry-licious Crepes *
• Easiest Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes (pictured)
• Ultra-Fluffy Vanilla Pumpkin Chickpea Pancakes *

Apple Bread

• Buckwheat Breakfast Brownie *
• High-Protein Superfood Breakfast Brownies *

Apple Walnut Scones

• Banana Nut Butter Donuts * (pictured)
• Peach Cobbler Donuts (& Muffins!) *

If you're in need of a healthier something special for breakfast, or even a dessert, give one of these beauties a try. Just know that all of these recipes contain sweeteners other than honey, maple syrup, or stevia.

Hey AIP Friends! Are You Struggling with Breakfasts?

I can help! I have done the AIP twice, once for 6 months and the next time for about 18 months and now a large number of my readers are also following the autoimmune protocol for their own healing. I have created a number of AIP compliant recipes for this site, and many can easily be modified to fit your AIP lifestyle.

During my time on the AIP I learned a lot, but breakfasts were, by far, the hardest meals for me to plan out. I was an eggs-for-breakfast kind of gal and turns out, I react to eggs so those for sure had to go. What's a gal to do when she's had her favorite go-to breakfast taken away?

Get creative!

Which is what I did, along with the help of 25 other amazing AIP bloggers who all used the AIP to help further along their healing. Together, we created the 85 Amazing AIP Breakfasts eBook (one of the very first digital resources of its kind). The book was coordinated and designed by my friend, Eileen of Phoenix Helix website, and it quickly became a favorite resource in the AIP community!

ONE OF THE FIRST DIGITAL RESOURCES OF ITS KIND, THIS COOKBOOK IS:

• A paleo autoimmune protocol cookbook that is aligned with The Paleo Approach
• A resource for reversing autoimmune disease
• The work of 26 AIP bloggers who have used the AIP to improve their own health.
• 85 curated breakfast recipes from the best of the AIP blogs, including 33 completely new recipes never published before!
• Over half of the recipes can easily be modified for low-FODMAP, GAPS/SCD, low-histamine, and coconut-free diets using the handy substitution charts included in the book.

RECIPES INCLUDE:

• Delicious beverages like Rooibos “Latte”, Vanilla “Cappuccino”, Smoothies, Liver & Kidney Detox drink, and more!
• Breakfast bowls like Creamy Grain-Free “Porridge”, Roasted Cinnamon Pear “Oatmeal”, Biscuits & Gravy, Cranachan, and more!
• Breakfast skillets like Sweet Potato Beef Curry, Rabbit Sweet Potato Hash, Bacon & Veggie Fry-Up, Liver & Mushroom Stir-fry, Zucchini Apple Hash, and more!
• Soups (yes! You can eat soup for breakfast) like Greek Gyro Soup, Carrot Ginger Halibut Soup, Fragrant Herb & Coconut Chicken Soup, Offal (but now awful!) Stew, and more!
• Patties like Apple Pie Pork Patties, Ginger Green Onion Patties, Perfect Breakfast Sausage, Tuna Cakes with Green Olives, Cranberry Maple Chicken Patties, and more!
• Pancakes (yum!) like Sweet Potato Banana Pancakes, Spinach Plantain Pancakes, Fig & Citrus Hand Pies, Plantain Waffles, Cinnamon Crumb Cakes, and more!

Regardless of whether you are just starting out on the AIP or you’re already into the program, this cookbook is the perfect addition to your kitchen. Say goodbye to boring breakfasts and hello to deliciousness every morning! Learn more here and download your copy today (it would make a great gift for a loved one too!) by clicking on this link here, or on the image below.

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Special thanks to all the wonderful food bloggers who contributed to the deliciousness of this round-up:

Original article and pictures take www.deliciousobsessions.com site