Green smoothies have been my go-to side dish in the crazy busy days of Summer. Not only are they a fast and easy way to round out a meal, but they are so refreshing on a hot Summer day. While cycling through New York City's Central Park with my husband last month, I was totally parched and needed more than a sip of water to quench my thirst. We found a street vendor making smoothies and this one blew my mind! It was perfect! Here's my best attempt at recreating that delicious smoothie. Enjoy! Fresh and Fruity Green Smoothie Fresh

Just spicing up a basic warm vegetable to make it fit into our Tuesday Mexican Night meal plans. Enjoy! Mexican Cooked Corn Cooked frozen corn with a Mexican flare 4 cups Frozen Corn1 Cup Red Bell Pepper (chopped)1 1/2 Tbsp Butter3/4 tsp Garlic Salt2 Tbsp Cilantro (chopped) In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups water to boil. Add frozen corn and cook until mixture begins to boil again. Drain water and return corn to pan.Add bell pepper, butter, and garlic salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Top with cilantro.

In my freezer, I have several pounds of frozen ground beef that needs to be used up soon. As is quite typical for me, I have been forgetting to thaw it until about an hour before dinner. Never fear--the Instant Pot is here! And it saves the day every single time. Here's a recipe for cooking Ground Beef Tacos from frozen bricks to ready-to-eat in just 40 minutes in the pressure cooker. The kids love these and I love how easy they are to make. Enjoy! Instant Pot Ground Beef Tacos (from frozen) Beef tacos from frozen meat 2 lbs

"How do you get your kids to eat so many vegetables?" I get asked this question a lot. First of all, my kids don't eat an inordinate amount of vegetables. A couple of my kids are fairly "picky" and don't eat every vegetable I serve them. With that being said, the best way to get my kids to eat fresh vegetables is to serve dip with them. It's not earth-shattering--I know. But this totally works. My kids will sit down to a platter of cut vegetables and devour the whole thing if there's a good dip to go with it.

Chicken Taco Salads (or Cafe Rio Salads as we like to call them) is a meal I have been making for over 8 years. I used to spend hours and hours preparing each dish--slow-cooking the meat, boiling beans on the stove top, and chopping fresh salsa by hand. This is my go-to meal when cooking for a crowd, so I had to plan a day or two in advance in order to get everything hot and ready at the same time. Since I have been using an Instant Pot, it is possible to have this 8-part meal completely ready for

This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Copycat is the main entree for my go-to meal when feeding a large crowd- Chicken Taco Salads. I use chicken instead of pork for a couple reasons--mainly because I always have frozen chicken on hand. Also, chicken is usually less expensive and contains less fat than pork. This recipe uses FROZEN chicken on the high pressure setting of my Instant Pot and it turns out incredibly tender and favorful. I serve this with my Instant Pot Seasoned Black Beans, Cilantro Lime Rice, Tomatillo Ranch Dressing, and Mango Salsa when I'm cooking for 20 people or

For a tropical themed dinner, try these crispy chicken nuggets breaded in Panko, shredded coconut, and crushed macadamia nuts. They marinate over night to make them tender and flavorful on the inside. Served with my Mango Berry Salad, this meal will have you feeling like you are vacationing on a tropical island. My 4-year-old had a good time helping me with the breading assembly, AND everyone at the table gave these nuggets two thumbs-up, so that makes this one a winner-winner-chicken-dinner! Enjoy! Crispy Macadamia Chicken Nuggets Crispy Macadamia and Coconut Chicken Nuggets Marinade1/4 Cup Soy Sauce1/3 Cup Water1 Tablespoon Honey2

I am the first to admit that I have had struggles in the past with sugar. This struggle manifested itself in my children's ability to self-moderate sweets and other ready-to-eat, snack foods. To paint a better picture, here are a few examples: At a church activity, popsicles were served to the kids. Apparently, my kids kept going back for seconds... thirds... and even fourths. Because everyone knows I have background with nutrition, they thought it was pretty hilarious that the dietitian's kids couldn't control themselves around the sweets. When we were visiting at a friend's house, my two youngest helped

I was worried the combination of bell peppers, strawberries and poppyseed dressing wouldn't work with the mangoes, avocadoes and spinach--but this was MAGNIFICENT! The macademia nuts gave it a perfect hint of savory crunch to tie all the textures and flavors together deliciously. My toddler AND my "picky" eater (AKA eater-in-training) asked for second helpings. I call that a major win! I'm planning to bring this salad to our next Summer barbecue, so that's an indication of how confident I am in its ability to WOW my friends and family. I hope you enjoy it too. Mango Berry Spinach Salad

It can be an uphill battle to coerce children to try new foods. In our family, we have just four guidelines around meals and snacks: All are encouraged to taste each dish served at meals. They don't have to finish if they don't like it.There's only one main entree choice at meal time. Mom and Dad are not short-order chefs.For side dishes, there is at least one familiar food. (bread, fruit, etc.)A meal is not complete without a fresh fruit and/or vegetable. I try to provide a neutral and safe space around meals and snacks so there's little pressure or