In the spring, I did a ton of research and brainstorming to come up with a plan to keep my kids occupied this summer. I found lots of great ideas on Pinterest including a post about nature journaling. My kids LOVE to draw and hike and observe nature-y things, so this was a natural fit for us (pardon the pun)!

I bought a couple of sketch books and let the kids decorate them with some sticky foam letters and markers:

Their first nature drawings were done in our backyard:

From there, we ventured out into our neighborhood for a creek walk and some journaling there:

We love to take our nature journals along on hikes, walks, and even trips to the dog park! Drawings of flowers, trees, animals, bugs, animal tracks, and natural settings will be so much fun to look through on a rainy day when we're missing summer.

Some ideas for nature journal entries that I love:

• Drawings, sketches, paintings (try colored pencils, crayons, markers, watercolors, washable paints)
• Leaf or other rubbings
• Pressed flowers or leaves attached with clear tape
• Quotes (my 7 year old wrote a favorite movie quote, "we're going to take a walk outside today…" on one of his drawings). Love.
• Make designs or paint pictures with nature finds dipped in paint (conifer branches, rocks, acorns, pine needles, etc.)
• Tape a seed from something planted in your garden next to a drawing of the fruit or veggie that grew from it. Maybe add a pressed leaf too!

We are on the countdown to summer vacation here. We have a little bit of busy left with a final baseball game, a preschool graduation, birthdays to celebrate, teachers to thank, etc. I am both looking forward to and bracing myself for a couple months' break from our school year routine. I will spend whole days with my boys. Boys who are more active and more easily bored than they were a year ago. Boys who are loud and curious and messy.

In my usual way, I have created a loose plan for us (summers past: summer manifesto 2012, summer ideas for 2011). Lists of things to do and projects to channel messes into creativity. I have some special things in the works too. Adventures, camping trips, hikes, and even a fun project or two that carry a lesson in kindness to others. I'll share more on that in a couple of weeks.

I haven't been blogging nearly as frequently lately as I have in the past. There are really two reasons for that; one more obvious than than the other. My days have changed in their rhythm. I have more stops to make, more places to go to watch boys throw balls, run, swim, kick, and race things. I also have been thinking a lot about my mission with this space. Not just the topics of posts but the overall direction of my blog. My heart has changed and grown a larger place for things beyond food and healthy eating. I am holding space in my heart for something bigger.

I will turn 40 this summer and, with that, comes a lot of introspection. This summer will be an experiment for me. I am writing to record things for me. Things that I want to remember and things that I want to share with others so that they might add them to their summer plans as well. I have a summer writing calendar that I will attempt to follow. I will be sharing our projects, adventures, joyful things, and some food stuff too. Mostly, I want to capture what I think will be both a great summer and a period of growth for me.

My seven year old wrote a short paragraph and drew a picture to share his summer plans:

"This Summer I will do fun things all the time. I will have popsicles that will be green. I will go to a very fun park. I will also rest in the big golden sun. I will love to go swimming all the time. I will sing very fun songs like Science Is Real. I can't wait tell Summer."

Happy summer!

I have been doing a lot of running lately. More than usual because I am training for a St. Patrick's Day half marathon. My long run days are now 8-10 mile runs and, for that distance, I sometimes need a little energy boost in the middle. I have used gel packets (like this) in the past but I get burned out on those really quickly and I'm ready for something new.

For the past few long runs I have been carrying a little ziploc bag of dates in my SPIbelt (yes, I am a hippie freak), but I really wanted to try a new combination of flavors. I am a HUGE fan of lemon desserts and coconut too. Because they are mostly dates and cashews, these balls are similar to Larabars but the flavor is even better! They are so, so good!

Did you know…? Dates contain glucose which makes them a great food for quick energy. Read more here.

Lemon Coconut Energy Balls
Makes about 7 1-inch balls

1/3 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup coconut flakes (the big crunchy ones work great!)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A small pinch of salt

1. Place chopped dates in the food processor and process until they start to stick together and form a ball. Remove the ball of dates and place in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Put remaining ingredients into the food processor and process until nuts are finely chopped. Add the dates and process again until the mixture is starting to clump and stick together. Remove from the food processor and press it together firmly with your hands to form one big ball. Break off pieces and roll into about 7 1-inch balls. Keep in a covered container in the fridge.

Variation: Use lime zest instead of lemon for Key Lime Coconut Energy Balls!

I posted a picture of this miso soup on Instagram today and drove all of my friends and family crazy because I didn't share the recipe along with it. So, before I get any hate mail, here it is!

The miso and shiitake mushrooms are good for fighting off the sniffles that seem to be everywhere right now. Enjoy!

Miso Soup With Soba Noodles
(Lightly adapted from Whole Living Magazine, Feb 2013 issue)
Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 scallions, thinly chopped and white and green parts separated
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup edamame
• 8 oz firm tofu, cut into small cubes
• 4 oz soba noodles
• 2 heads of bok choy, chopped
• 1/2 cup white miso
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Shichimi togarashi (or cayenne), to taste (optional)

1. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add ginger, scallion whites, and garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Add sweet potato and toss to coat. Add 6 cups of water, edamame, and tofu and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
3. Add bok choy to soup and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in cooked noodles.
4. Remove 1 cup of soup broth and whisk with miso until smooth. Make sure that soup is no longer boiling and add the miso to the pot. Add lime juice and season with salt and shichimi togarashi (or cayenne), if using. Serve topped with scallion greens.

For my breakfast recipe, I wanted to create something that could be a grab-and-go breakfast for busy families and something that was easy to make with simple, familiar ingredients. For everyone that says that healthy food is weird or hard to make or contains ingredients that are impossible to find, this is for you! These bars are super healthy, vegan, and gluten free. In spite of all that, though, they are moist and yummy and made from easy-to-find, simple ingredients which can be purchased in any mainstream grocery store (including Save Mart!).

Breakfast Oatmeal Bars
Makes 9 vegan, gluten-free bars

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-dairy milk (almond, soy, rice, coconut, etc.)
1 large extra-ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons nut butter (almond, peanut, etc.)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt (soy, almond, coconut, etc.)
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper (or lightly oil the pan). Combine all dry ingredients (oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt) in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Put all wet ingredients (milk, banana, vanilla, nut butter, lemon zest, and yogurt) in a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir to combine. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into the prepared pan, then bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Let cool before cutting into 9 bars.

• Truffled cashew cheese (see recipe link, below)
• Braised tempeh (see recipe, below)
• Duxelles (see recipe, below)
• Mushroom gravy for serving (this is my favorite recipe. It can be easily "vegan-ized" by replacing the butter with Earth Balance)
• 1 package of puff pastry, thawed (note: Pepperidge Farm® brand isn't very "natural" but it is, surprisingly, vegan. If you can find something without junk in it, that would be best!)

1. Prepare the truffled cashew cheese, braised tempeh, and duxelles per recipes and instructions below.
2. Preheat oven to 425° F. Place the puff pastry sheets (one at a time) on a floured surface and roll out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the pastry, using a pizza cutter or large knife, into strips that are large enough to cover 2 slices of tempeh on all sides.
3. Spread cashew cheese on each of the strips. Spoon duxelles on the middle of each strip and top with two slices of tempeh then more duxelles. Fold the ends of the pastry strip over the tempeh and duxelles and press all seems together to seal the packet. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
4. Brush or mist each packet with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve topped with mushroom gravy.

• 1 package of tempeh
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon grainy or Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• Several sprigs of fresh thyme
• A few lemon slices
• Fresh cracked pepper and sea salt

1. To braise the tempeh, spray a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Slice the tempeh brick in half and then slice long-way into about 4 thin pieces. Lightly brown the tempeh on both sides in the pre-heated skillet.
2. Stir the mustard into the broth and pour over the tempeh (in the skillet). Add thyme, lemon slices, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on medium-low until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the tempeh from the pan and set aside.

• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance margarine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups finely chopped mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, white mushrooms, or a mix)
• 1/4 cup Madeira wine
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• Fresh cracked pepper and sea salt

1. Melt the Earth Balance in a skillet on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes then add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes then add the wine and cook until almost evaporated. Stir in the parsley and thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat.