Road Trip – Keeping it “Real” on the Road

    Summer Road Trip.  As American as apple pie and Patsy Cline.  Give us a hot day, a long road and a desirable destination and we’re ready to roll.  The romanticized vision I’ve created of myself cruising down a deserted highway, warm-wind rushing through my hair as I bellow tracks from Pat Benatar (yes, I was a teenager of the 80’s), screeches to an alarming halt as I’m yanked back to my reality — a loaded minivan, numerous potty stops, cries of “Are we there yet?” and “I’m hungry.”  Yeah, that reality. (more…)

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A Refresher in Popsicles

This week is going to be a little different here at Out of the Box Food.  We will be publishing our brand new post mid-week, going live this Wednesday, August 1st, instead of our usual Sunday night.  Why?  We are excited to announce that we have been asked to participate in a author series of with our advertising partner, Glam Media, and one of their very special clients.  Get ready to learn about some great products and have lots of Real Food summer fun. (more…)

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Cornbread – Box or Skillet?

Credit for my children’s love of cornbread can be rightfully given to Mrs. Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Yes, the author of the “Little House on the Prairie” series of books owns the right to my boys love of cornbread as well as other favorite pioneer dishes such as Baked Beans and Fresh Churned Butter (though I admit ours usually comes churned fresh from the Farmers Market or Whole Foods).  If you haven’t read the series of books yet with your children, do.  We actually loved listening to the books-on-cd in the car on the way to and from school.  My kids were given joy and a sense of wonder from tales of pioneer adventure, and I was given the gift of quiet contentment from the back seat.  A win-win! (more…)

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Whole Wheat Buttermilk Crepes

It’s up for debate.  Which are better, thick, spongy pancakes or thin, crisp pancakes.  In our house, they both win.  We love thick, spongy pancakes to soak up our rich berry syrup on a cold Sunday morning, but the day my family bought a crepe pan we were changed forever. The light, crisp texture of French crepes are a favorite pretty much any day of the week.  I admit, I used to exclusively use crepe mix from a package.  I thought there was no way I could duplicate that thin, barely there batter that baked up light and crisp on the griddle.  But the pre-made mixture was expensive, hard to find and had very little nutritional value short of the eggs I whisked into the powder.  It was time to break free of my crepe fear and give them a try. (more…)

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4th of July Potluck

Family, friends, fireworks and food – It’s 4th of July week and for many of us, that means BBQ’s and Potlucks.  So what are we bringing?  This week we’re digging into our archives to offer some of our all-time favorite seasonal family-friendly dishes to brighten any BBQ or Potluck.

Happy 4th!

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A Trip Down Blueberry Lane – Blueberry & Challah Breakfast Bread Pudding

Blueberry picking has been an annual summer tradition in my family for seven years now.  As a Southern California native, berry picking was not an activity I grew up with.  But fortunately for my kids, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to move to Vancouver B.C. for a brief time when they were two.  What a gift.  While Blackberry bushes thickly lined the paths down to the sparkling sea, U-pick blueberry farms were only a short drive away – and we found ourselves taking that drive many times that summer. (more…)

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Kale for Kids – Part 2

Last week we made Olive Oil Kale Crisps, a fun and delicious way to introduce kids to the incredibly nutritious vegetable, Kale.  But where do we go from here?  The kids like the Kale as chips, but ONLY as chips, yet the beautiful bunches of brightly colored Kale call to me every Saturday at the farmers market.  I know we can only make so many batches of Kale chips before they tire of them – so how else can we prepare this incredibly nutritious vegetable?  How can we turn it into a meal they will enjoy? (more…)

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Kale for Kids – Part 1

Kale has always been a challenging vegetable for kids to eat, let alone like.  I’ll be honest, Kale wasn’t even on my radar for years.  Now I see piles of different varieties of this beautiful vegetable at the farmers market and my fingers itch to bring them all home to my family.  There is Tuscan Kale (also known as Dinosaur Kale or Cavolo Nero), Curly Kale and even a variety with vibrant purple edges. (more…)

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