Last week I let out a huge sigh of relief as I packed my final lunches of the school year. I actually love making school lunch, but there was something extremely satisfying knowing that there was one less thing to manage on my nightly to-do list.

Sadly there is no rest for the weary. Almost as soon as school ends, camp begins and that means more nightly or early morning lunch making. While in many ways lunch is the same no matter whether it’s eaten in the cafeteria or the mess hall, watching Kenya devour three helpings of dinner one night last week made me realize that differences do exist. For starters, while at school kids primarily sit indoors all day at a desk, at summer camp they spend the better part of their day outside in the hot sun swimming, running around, and generally taking part in hard core active play. Burning all those extra calories can make your little one pretty ravenous.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning the midday meal these next fee months:

Stay cool- In most parts of the country it gets seriously hot outside. For reasons of both taste and food safety, keeping your child’s lunch cool is essential. An ice pack is great but Chloe adores these squeeze pouches from Ella’s Kitchen which I freeze and use as edible ice packs — by the time they defrost they’re a refreshing mid day treat.

These reusable, sweat-free ice packs from Kids Konserve are another great choice.

Pump up the volume- This is the time of year to consider upping the amount of food you pack, especially if your child is extremely active. I’m loving this Planet Box because of its large compartments as well as these Lap Top Lunches reusable containers which you can stack in a either a lunch bag or in this box and put it in this cute carry bag.

Liquid assets- Make sure to pack lots of liquids so your little one stays well hydrated. Whether you pick good ol’ water, coconut water (which is extremely hydrating), or even a reusable bottle filled with herbal tea, healthful liquids are a must for your little one.

So smooth- If you want to make sure your child heads out every morning with all the nutrients needed to get their day started, nothing beats a nice cool smoothie like this vitamin packed one.

If you’re feeling in a lunch time rut and want daily inspiration throughout the summer you can follow me on my latest obsession Instagram and look for #camplunch on twitter too.

If you have other suggestions, recipes, or cool ideas for camp lunch I would love for you to leave me a comment below!

Sushi Sandwiches

Banana Dog Bites

Grilled Cheese and Pickle Panini

Banana Cream Cheese Sammie

Pesto

The Amazing Veggie Packed Sandwich

Cucumber Salad

Cheesy Corn sliced off the cob

Veg-Wee Dip

Avocado Hummus

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Whole Wheat Cheddar Crackers

Sunflower Butter Bran Muffins

Baked Blueberry Doughnuts

I made an enormous batch of Heirloom Tomato Pico de Gallo for the shooting of this video and afterwards I ended up on the couch with the bowl in my lap and two kids tucked in next to me, each of us clutching a spoon, foregoing the chips and shoveling the salsa right into our mouths.

If you can’t find heirloom tomatoes at your local farmers’ market try your grocery. Those multi-colored, meaty jewels are just waiting to be diced up and form the foundation of this perfect salsa. Watch the video and I’ll show you how to whip it up.

I get so perplexed by food fads. One minute you read that a particular food will save your life (or add years to it) only to be advised later on that it could end it. O.K., I am exaggerating slightly for dramatic effect, but when you consider all the conflicting studies and misinformation, or the scare tactics employed by different advertisers, food councils and corporations it can spook you to the point where you suspect nothing is actually good for you. In my opinion, you just have to throw caution to the wind and hope that eating a balance of good wholesome foods will win out in the long run.

This all brings me to coconut oil. If you haven’t heard of it, or seen it in your local grocery recently, you simply may have missed it. Coconut oil has been used by cooks around the world for ages, but it seems like it has only begun gaining popularity in the U.S. over the past few years. There are many who praise it’s health benefits while others who caution it’s high saturated fat content (studies, however, show it is actually good for your heart). I always consider Trader Joe’s to have their finger on the pulse of “good for you” foods we should be eating more of and so when I saw coconut oil on their shelves a few months ago, I opted to work it into more of my recipes.

Aside from having a high smoke point, coconut oil makes the best Homemade Magic Shell you’ve ever tasted. And the person who cuts my hair glopped it on my locks last week saying it was an amazing treatment for dry hair (I now use it to detangle Chloe’s bedhead too)! At room temperature it has a quite thick, creamy texture, but it melts in seconds, even when warmed just slightly. I love to use in these light-as-air Chocolate Pancakes. Just a tablespoon of coconut oil adds lovely flavor to these tasty little choco-disks which will get everyone excited for the beginning of the day.

Light, fluffy, airy pillows — that you can eat.

That’s what potato gnocchi are to me. They’re so unique and yummy, and the way they almost melt in your mouth make them a perfect choice for toddlers as well as kids and adults.

I’ve made gnocchi on my own as well as bought it from the store and I will say there’s nothing like homemade. Just ask my husband. It’s the dish he orders every single time it’s on the menu at our favorite Italian restaurant. And now, our kids yearn for them with the same passion, too.

Regardless of whether you buy your gnocchi in the store or start from scratch, for this recipe I spotlight the luscious sauce which I use to gently coat the gnocchi before tossing them with fresh basil from our garden, dropping in plump mozzarella balls — which soften and melt the moment they hit the dish — and finishing off everything with a light dusting of Parmesan.

It seems like quite a complex dish, but I guarantee it will take you less time than ordering out for Italian and will draw rave reviews.

My favorite breakfast joint growing up was The Melrose Inn. Once or twice a month my Dad would drive me to school, allowing me to skip my long daily bus ride, and the two of us would steal away a few special moments together over an early breakfast. We would drive out of Louisville before the sun came up, headed towards farm country and the little old house that had been converted into a diner, complete with waitresses decked out in matching checkered uniforms and strategically fitted hair nets on top of up-dos. Immediately upon entering the room, that delicious hash brown smell would just slap you in the face and your mouth would start watering.

Grated Russet potatoes, fried the griddle to crispy, crunchy perfection. It doesn’t get more simple, inexpensive, or delicious. Even when served as a supporting player to eggs, bacon, pancakes and fruit this recipe takes the staring role in my heart.

Our family goes through a lot of oatmeal. It makes an appearance at breakfast at least once or twice a week. More so in the winter when it’s cold and Oatmeal in the Crockpot is my weeknight recipe savior. It requires I do nothing but dump all the ingredients into a pot the night before and I can rest assured the kids will get a nutritious hot breakfast the next morning.

But even in the summertime my kids often ask for oatmeal, a request which boggles my mind, especially when we wake up and it’s already 85 degrees outside.

For a cool, fun spin on oatmeal during the hotter months, I pre-make these mason jars of oatmeal on Sundays for us to eat for breakfast over the next few days, and I must say they’re pretty darn addictive. I let each family member personalize their own jar — using nuts, berries, seeds, and more to make their own edible work of art — and then put them right in the fridge. No cooking necessary. Overnight the cool milk and tangy yogurt soften the oats and meld together into this scrumptious creamy breakfast. The best part is that you don’t have to do a thing in the morning except pull the jars out of the fridge and enjoy. And trust me, you will!

I did a big clean out of my pantry this week. One of the many things I discovered way in the back, lost and forgotten, was a large box of whole wheat matzo, just weeks from expiration…and I was not about to let it go to waste.

I’m a bit sensitive about expiration dates on account two unfortunate incidents from my past. The first occurred shortly after I was married when my mom was staying with us. One night after dinner while rummaging through the pantry, she found a jar of peanut butter and inhaled a big spoonful (one of the reasons I love my mother). The next morning I woke up to find her comforter and sheets piled high outside the bedroom and a not very happy mother lying on the bed. She had what we had believed to be horrible food poisoning from dinner only to realize that the the culprit was the peanut butter–which was over a year beyond it’s expiration date. Oops. Needless to say my mother was less than happy with me.

Well, retribution can be a horrible thing. A year later while visiting my family in Kentucky I made myself oatmeal for breakfast one morning. Not too long after, I became violently ill for 24 hours and assumed it was food poisoning from the night before. Upon further examination we realized it was from the oatmeal that was six years past its expiration date. Not wanting to throw away food must be a dominant trait in my family.

Those were both tough lessons to learn, but I now know how important it is to look at those dates and use food before it expires.

So back to that almost expired box of whole wheat matzo in my pantry. I put it to good use with these crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside chicken tenders. Waste not, want not…especially when the alternative is food poisoning!

I’ve been waiting for months to share this crazy good recipe with you. I created it — along with three other “Mommy and Me” recipes, Breakfast Smiley Face, Happy Eggs and Mix-It-Up Muffins — for Parents Magazine and have been anxiously waiting for this month’s issue to hit newsstands to post it here.

Because most doughnuts are fried, they deservedly get a bad rap from a health standpoint. But being a longtime doughnut lover I’ve come up with several healthful baked versions over the years so that I don’t have to deprive my kids (or myself) of them. I can’t tell you how many of these Whole Wheat Blueberry Doughnuts I’ve made since perfecting the recipe. I often make two dozen at a time, putting four aside for us to eat and freezing the rest for future needs. Since unveiling them for my kids, it’s earned a top spot on their list of most requested things for breakfast. I happily oblige them as all it requires of me as I’m racing around the house getting everything ready is taking two from the freezer and popping them into the toaster for a few minutes. Voila, breakfast is served!

What is it about melted cheese that transforms almost any food into something irresistible? That ooey, gooey, tangy, salty bite of golden bliss that you’ll find inside every one of these Mexican Rice Balls testifies as to why they are so addictive–and kid-friendly.

Every (and I mean every) time I make these I can be guaranteed there will be no leftovers. In fact the last time I made them Chloe burst into tears because she said Kenya got more rice balls than she did. Note to self for next time: double the recipe .

This quick video will show you a few tricks on how to make these Mexican Rice Balls so you can quickly whip them up for a simple, yet exciting vegetarian side dish anytime.

Kenya’s school offers a wide array of amazing after school classes that I would have flipped for as a kid. For the first six months of Kindergarten the one that Kenya was desperate to be a part of was cooking, not only because it’s taught by his beloved teacher, Maureen, but on account of the smells that waft out of her room in the late afternoon which captivate anyone at school in smelling range. Sadly, the cooking class was only available to 1st through 6th graders and each Wednesday he would watch longingly as the older kids filed out carrying their multi-course meals fit for a king, and ask me when he would be old enough to take the class.

Then something happened. The school made the bold decision to open cooking up to Kindergardeners for the last part of this year. I bet you can guess who was first in line to sign up. I’ve stood on my tip toes outside the classroom the past few weeks, peeking in at the 20 or so kids cooking their hearts out and must admit I’ve been pretty darn envious. These triumphant little ones leave every time with such pride, carefully holding their culinary masterpieces. Each week of class takes on a different theme, but the recipe that really caught my eye (and which Kenya inhaled before we made it to the car) was from the breakfast series which featured crispy French toast stuffed with orange zest and cream cheese. It’s so rich and decadent, it could almost pass for dessert.

Kenya’s so excited to re-create this recipe when he gets his class cookbook, but I couldn’t wait that long and already re-created my version of it at home.

I’m really hoping that come summertime I can get a few extra minutes to myself in the morning while you-know-who prepares my breakfast!