Peach season is upon us and boy is it SWEET. Okay, so the exact parameters of peach season are a bit hazy, or as The New York Times puts it perfectly, fuzzy. But one thing is for sure, when it comes to summer peaches, when you get a good one, you know it. The freshest of the fresh, juiciest of the juicy, there are few flavors of summer better than this, and today we’ve got some recipes to stretch this sweetness even further. For the weeks when you just cannot get enough, here are some recipes to get your fill of the fuzzy fruit whenever the cravings come.

Morning

Get ready for some peach-packed pancakes that will have your crew rolling right out of bed with their little grumbling bellies. These Caramelized Peach and Oat Pancakes are totally gluten free and full of fiber to keep all the kids going during these nonstop summer days in the pool, at the playground, and of course, when you are out picking more peaches! Flavored will wholesome goodness, like ginger, honey, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, these cool cakes will be going like hotcakes, healthy hotcakes. Top ’em off with a drizzle of pure maple syrup, or better yet, even more fresh peaches. These fluffy stacks are so sweet you won’t even guess that they have NO SUGAR in them at all…oops…I guess I gave that secret away. But you’ll certainly have your little ones fooled and fueled for activities all day long. Not only will your dainty diners enjoy EATING these flap jacks, they will want to help you whip ’em up too. Part of the appeal? These are some of the prettiest pancakes we have ever laid our eyes on. Invite your little ones to take part in placing the peaches on top of each pancake as they start sizzling. Even something as simple as adding one ingredient along the way can make all the difference. Your timid tasters will see this beautiful breakfast, and knowing that they helped make it happen might make them more inclined to take a bite, even if the funky fuzzy skin usually freaks them out.

Noon

Let’s keep the fun rolling (literally) with this tasty lunchtime treat. These Grilled Peach Spring Rolls with Spicy Cilantro Pesto will liven up your next lunch party and turn that sad desk lunch into a party of its own. Now friends, I was skeptical of the spring roll approach at first too. I’m not always a huge fan of the sweet taking over the savory, but with that spicy pesto, plus that chili sauce for dipping, this dish brings a nice balance with every bite. But the best part of this summer peach specialty, it makes for the perfect light lunch on those days that are almost too hot to handle. When you are SO bored of salad, but a sandwich sounds too heavy, spring rolls are here to save the day! If you are like me, you may think of spring rolls as a dinnertime delight. But why wait until nighttime for these delicious noms & noshes. Put your peaches to good use and roll ’em up in these tasty lil’ tubes. And don’t forget to call all your little ones in to the kitchen to get in on the lunchtime action. They will love getting involved in every step of the process. Form your own family assembly line and assign each person their own ingredient to add to the package. Picky eaters in your crew? Customize it! One of the best things about snacking on spring rolls is that you can add (or not add) whatever you want. Taking your littlest one out for a lunch date? Maybe you ditch the spicy sauce and toss in a few more slices of the fuzzy fruit. Or maybe your kindergartner is courageous in the kitchen. Then slather on the spice and chow down! Whoever is hungry, these summer spring rolls are sure to make them happy.

Night

Peach pizza?? Have I gone insane?? Nope, not quite. Once you’ve tried this Peach, Basil, Mozzarella, and Balsamic Pizza…pizza night will never be the same. This recipe calls for homemade dough, and we are ALL about that. But if time is not on your side tonight and waiting around for dough to rise sounds like, well, a nightmare, don’t fret! There are some super delicious store bought options out there, like this Pizza Dough Mix from Simple Mills. Just add a lil’ oil, vinegar, and water, and you’ll have yourself a pizza party in seconds! Okay, minutes, but hey, 60 minutes to show time for a delicious AND nutritious pizza night does not sound too shabby if you ask us. And this pizza is good for more than just your weeknight indulgence. It will be a quick crowdpleaser and leave your guests thoroughly impressed, and of course so full they can barely feel feelings anymore, but isn’t that what pizza night is all about? And summer nights in general? All you really need is some good food, good friends, and maybe a spritz or two of bug spray. Just make sure you spray away from the feast. Nothing like a big ol’ mouthful of sandy sandwich at the beach, or bug spray soaked salad in the backyard.

Something Sweet

Put plain ol’ peach pie to rest and rev up the engine with these little lovelies. Hand pies are the perfect twist on an already delicious classic. And of course, who better to help out in the kitchen making these mini pies than your mini! Little hands are just what the dessert doctor ordered to whip up this one. From filling to folding, even your tiniest taste testers will be able to lend a hand in the creation of these Peach and Ginger Hand Pies. Enjoy these babies hot, cold, anyway you want ’em. You might even be able to get away with grabbing one for breakfast, because hey, hand pies, pop tarts, what’s the difference? I mean…there is quite a difference, but it’s summer after all, the season for extra sweetness and extra silliness. School will be back in session before we know it and we’ve got to take advantage of these extra hours of sunlight and extra fresh fruit filling our fridges. And don’t toss out this recipe once fall comes around! Hand pies can come in handy all year round. Swap in apples, even pumpkin, and you will have a dessert you can count on whether it is sunny or snowy. And if you can’t seem to keep those peaches pristine after the first few days, check out these tips to make sure you have flavorful fruit no matter what the month, fresh or frozen.

Now it’s time to get to the farmer’s market to fill your baskets with our favorite fuzzy fruit, or head straight to the source and do some peach picking. Summer may be more than halfway through, but peach season is in full swing, and we think that is definitely something to smile about. 🙂

(Image by flickr member Patrick licensed under Creative Commons)

And finally…it happens. August arrives. We are not quite there yet, but the final month of freedom is just around the corner, and we are filled with…ALL THE FEELS. Of course, we are beyond excited for back to school season to begin. We miss YOU, our stellar students, teachers, and parents during these summer months. But ya know…it’s summer! Who doesn’t love a little more time spent out in the sun…far, far away from anything with the words home + work, combined into one?? With the end of sweet summertime drawing near, there is something else pretty sweet that is still in full swing. What is this marvelous magic we speak of…? BERRY SEASON. Blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, oh my! Your fridge is filling up fast and you are entering struggle city. What to do with all this deliciousness?? You don’t want them to go to waste, but the whole family is getting real sick of eating handfuls…armfuls, of berries for breakfast lunch and dinner. For these final few weeks of summer, when berry fever begins to take its toll, check out these rockin’ recipes to reduce that waste and whip up something special using up every last strawberry in sight.

Spread it

Making your own jam. Sounds daunting, we know. I thought so too, before I actually DID IT. Not only did I make some damn good raspberry jam on my own, I taught other people how to do it too! And let me tell you…INSANELY EASY. Like, insane. This is if you ditch the whole pectin part, which I think you totally can, and should. Unless you are making jars and jars and jars to last you all year long, keeping it simple is the way to go. Besides, what is pectin anyway? Just your average old heteropolysaccharide…yeah…we’ll save that chat for another time. For now, try out this Triple Berry Quick Jam that you can make using just about any berry under the summer sun. You will have something sweet ready to spread on your bread by breakfast tomorrow, or even dinner tonight. And talk about kid friendly food! Making your own jam is just about the best way to get your little ones involved in the action, and really feel like they accomplished something HUGE. They might just be smiling from sunburned ear to sunburned ear when they unzip their lunchbox and find that sunbutter and jelly sandwich you packed them for camp lunch…made with their very own homemade jam!! They might also be more open to trying out new flavors if they make it themselves. Raspberry seeds freak them out? In jam form, they might just dig it! Blueberries too mushy for them to handle? Sautée them with a spoonful of sugar and spread it on some toast…it could become their new favorite fruit! And make sure to check out these awesome tips on how to make your jam the best it can be with just a few easy additions.

Square it

I don’t know about you, but baking in the hot summer heat…not my favorite past time. I mean, come on, I’m already sweaty and sticky from just surviving this 90 degree day, why would I want to wait around in front of a 400 degree oven for my cookies to bake!? Enough with those cookies and cakes, summer is the time for quick fixes and sandy beaches. And nothing makes for a quicker sweet tooth treat than something that requires NO BAKING at all. These No Bake Cherry Chia Crumble Bars should definitely show up on your next nighttime cookout menu. I know, I know, cherries? I thought we were all about berries today. That’s the great thing about this recipe! Just about any fruit will do. Strawberries gettin’ stale? Perfect. Throw ’em in this mix. Blackberries lookin’ a little blah? Steer clear of the trash and toss them this way. Basically, any berry ya got, chances are they will work in bar form just fine. All you really need is some sort of crunchy, crumbly topping, and plenty of tiny helpers to do the mixing and mashing, and dessert is served! Oh, and did I mention those Cherry (or berry) Chia Crumble Bars are totally vegan AND gluten free? Well, yeah, they are. So while you are saving your environment by saying buh-bye to food waste, you are also saving some animals in the process. Guilt free goodness at its best, all summer long.

Save it

Okay, you have made enough berrylicious bars and jams to feed a family…of ten. Now what? Well my friends, when all else fails, or when you are just ready to take a break from all that berry bliss, it is off to the freezer they go! Hold up, am I seriously telling you to take all of those leftover luscious berries, fresh from the farm, juicier than fresh pressed juice itself, and just…freeze them?? Why yes, yes I am. Because what’s better than getting a little taste of that freshness long after summer has ended!? Just imagine…you find yourself craving something sweet on a cold winter’s night. You are all tuckered out from the Christmas cookie craze, and if you have even one more sip of peppermint hot chocolate you might just, well, it won’t be pretty. In fact, you are in the mood for something on the chillier side. You open your freezer and all that stares back at you is that lonely last bit of boring vanilla ice cream that has been in there for who knows how long. That just won’t do. But wait! You remember your stroke of genius back in July, when you bagged up some blueberries from the market to save for a rainy (or snowy) day. Within minutes you have transformed that sad scoop into something Michelin Star worthy…or at least worthy of a second spoonful. Just pop those fresh picked berries into the microwave, pour on that ooey gooey goodness, and you’ve got an ice cream sundae that tastes like summer. And nothing tastes better than that.

So there ya have it. You never have to let another berry go bad, and you can always count on having something tasty to munch on during these final summer months.

(Image by flickr member Kirsty Darbyshire licensed under Creative Commons)

We are back for another Waste Not Wednesday and we promise it will be as delicious as the last! Today we are taking you from A to Z, through just a few of the MANY delicious ways to liven up those lackluster veggies. We are talking about one of the easiest, tastiest ways to take dinner from bland to beautiful, and the perfect way to use up that final bunch of broccoli or cupful of carrots. Preparing your food in parchment paper is where it’s at. This method was brand new to me just a few months ago, but let me tell you, I have never whipped up chicken so quickly and calmly. Not to mention the results were super flavorful, and, yes, I gotta that word that so many people hate…MOIST. So read on if you want to discover the most delicious ways to make your next meal full of flavor and totally free of food waste!

Asparagus

You roast it, you sautée it, maybe you even grill it, but you are getting BORED of this veg fast, and feeling uninspired in the kitchen. Get out of that veggie-roasting-rut with this fun and flavorful “Asparagus and Chicken en Papillote” from Leslie Beck, RD. This has got to be one of the simplest solutions for a summer dinner that we have seen in quite a while. This recipe also calls for carrots for some extra vitamin A action. When it comes to veggies, the more, the more, the more the merrier! Get ready for some juicy chicken and just-as-juicy asparagus. Plus, you can sub in your own protein pick if chicken ain’t yo thang. Preparing veggies in parchment is also a great way to get your little ones EXCITED about eating their greens! Invite them to help you fold up the paper properly, almost like an art project. Once they prep that lil’ pouch, tiny hands are just the right size for stuffing these savory stockings. You can even make the cooking process sound magical (because it really kind of is). Tell them all about this super special paper that transforms boring old veggies into something delightful and delicious for dinner!

Zucchini

Okay, I’ll admit it, I have a love-hate relationship with the zukes. I have gone weeks eating it every single day, tossed in a pan with some EVOO and turmeric, roasted and toasted until perfection…I have also gone weeks without taking a single bite of the stuff, never craving it, never even giving it a second thought or glance in the grocery store. But parchment paper cooking just might make me give it another shot. This lil’ bundle of joy is filled with fresh cod, tomatoes, and you guessed it, zucchini. TAKE NOTE, the total time to take this bad boy from start to finish, from table to tummy, is 17 minutes. Yep, less than 20 minutes to have a delightful dinner right at the tips of your fingers and tongues. Of course, if you really can’t get down with this summer squash, feel free to choose something else that makes your mouth water…as long as it’s GREEN. Even some simple spinach, kale, or collards will work nicely in this parchment packet creation. And I mean, you don’t even have to stick with the cod. Any other fish of similar taste and texture will do the trick. Tilapia and halibut are always good options, and for all you fish-free friends out there…try tofu on for size!

All the rest

So, your fridge is still full of veggies that are on their last legs. You are feeling, well, to put it bluntly, L.A.Z.Y. The Sunday scaries are creeping up on you and you want to use up all the rest of that produce before you restock for the new week tomorrow. But the last thing you feel like doing is tending to a hot pan over a hot stove on a hot summer day. GUESS WHAT. Pull out that parchment paper, baby! Spice it up, wrap it up, cook it up. Dinner will be on the table before you even have time to panic. If you don’t believe us…take it from this dude, Mario Batali, and his Summer Vegetables in Cartoccio (a paper bag). You can basically swap in anything and everything from your fridge for this super simple recipe to work wonders. Why waste that last handful of green beans and lone corn on the cob? They may not be able to stand on their own for your dinnertime veg, but tossed together as a pair in some parchment, we think they’ll manage just fine.

(Image by flickr member rcakewalk licensed under Creative Commons)