http://www.sheknows.com/authors/brooke-mclay/articles Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/817252/Neighborhood-Party-Back-to-School-S-mores While hosting a party seems like the last thing busy families have time to do, pulling together the neighborhood is one way to help alleviate some of the stresses a new school year brings. Kids are able to reconnect with friends, giving them a friendly support group, and a little more confidence for that first day of school. Parents have the opportunity to discuss and coordinate schedules with other neighborhood families. A party with the neighbors also inspires a sense of community and togetherness that can otherwise go unnurtured in the regular rigmarole of daily life. Here are a few quick tips and fabulous ideas that will help you pull together a super simple neighborhood s’mores party in less than 72-hours. http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/817252/Neighborhood-Party-Back-to-School-S-mores Brooke McLay Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:41:00 -0700 http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/817251/Organic-Snacks-You-Simply-Must-Keep-On-Hand If walking the aisles at the grocery store, looking over products, reading labels and ingredients, sorting through prices per ounce and cost per box, researching a company’s integrity, and trying to purchase healthy snacks that fit in your budget sounds like a recipe for exhaustion, you’re in luck. http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/817251/Organic-Snacks-You-Simply-Must-Keep-On-Hand Brooke McLay Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:10:00 -0700 http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816929/Chef-Rock-Your-Lunch-Box When your child starts moaning, “PB&J again?!” what’s a mom to do? Here are school lunch tips from the book, 44 Things Parents Should Know About Healthy Cooking for Kids, by Chef Rahman "Rock" Harper. Chef Rock has a few tricks up his sleeve to take the lunchbox from boring to brilliant, and maybe even turn your kid into a school lunch sophisticate. He also throws in a few bonus ideas for after school snacks that will keep them away from the junk and full until dinnertime. http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816929/Chef-Rock-Your-Lunch-Box Brooke McLay Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:29:00 -0700 http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816833/Bake-Sale-Star-Whoopie-Pies Does the thought of the Annual School Bake Sale keep you up at night? If you’ve ever found yourself lying awake at midnight, bemoaning the time-consuming task of creating clever baked goods for your start-of-school fundraiser, then you’re clearly in need of a good recipe for whoopie pies. http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816833/Bake-Sale-Star-Whoopie-Pies Brooke McLay Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:39:00 -0700 http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816827/Make-Your-Own-Juice-Packs A proper school lunch looks something like this to a kid: chip bag, colorful treat, and something good to drink. There is nary the thought of needed protein, nutrients, and fiber when it comes to children choosing their school lunch preferences. Most wouldn’t even think to consider the unwieldy sugar content, high fructose corn syrup, and unnatural preservatives that can be found in most store bought snacks and drinks. http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816827/Make-Your-Own-Juice-Packs Brooke McLay Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:43:00 -0700 http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816775/Ten-Minutes-to-Dinner On busy school days, it’s easy to give up on the idea of a home-cooked dinner. Skip the fast food joints and make one of these 10-minute back to school dinner recipes, they're perfect for busy evenings. http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816775/Ten-Minutes-to-Dinner Brooke McLay Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:39:00 -0700 http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816610/ten-steps-for-healthy-toddlers-1 Toddlers need a varied, balanced diet to thrive. But healthy eating in this age group isn't just important for growth and development, toddlers learn eating habits at this stage, too. What you offer them now could shape their attitude about food and food choices in later life. http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/816610/ten-steps-for-healthy-toddlers-1 Brooke McLay