It happens to me this time every year. With the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables available in the summer I feel the pull to try new healthy recipes. Each Sunday we get together with my sister and her family for dinner. We recently tested a new recipe that looked healthy and enticing. Everyone ate their fill but it didn’t get rave reviews. I suppose that is the risk with venturing out from the usual menu line-up. However, later the same week I picked up the wrong ingredient for my pasta dinner – ricotta instead of sour cream. I decided to just use it figuring how bad can it be? It worked out fabulous! That time the rave reviews ensued.
My mouth is watering while putting together this issue as it is jam-packed with delicious recipes. The healthy juices in our Conscious Eating column have me inspired to dust off my juicer. “Juices extracted from whole fresh produce deliver pure liquid nutrition,” explains Renee Loux. “Each sip proffers clean bio-available fuel, instant energy and cell-quenching hydration.” Local juicing experts at Appleseed Health Food in Rockledge and Happy Healthy Human in Indian Harbour Beach have shared some of their favorite juice recipes [page 31]. If you don’t have a juicer of your own, just stop by their cafes to taste this nutrition-packed treat.

Each time I get motivated to try out new recipes my hope is that I’ll find something that will enhance school lunch boxes for my boys. They prefer home lunches and after 14 years my inspiration is running thin. If only Chef Ann Cooper from our Wisewords column was cooking at our local school. “We serve fruits and vegetables every day and have salad bars in every school,” says Cooper. “We provide a tremendous amount of education to help students learn how [to eat right], with programs ranging from tastings to iron chef competitions.” If my kids were leaning to cook at school then I could assign them the job of planning our dinner menu!

This issue is devoted to families, kids, and pets. Discover natural alternatives to common medications for kids in our feature article [page 25]. Our Natural Pet column [pg 22] provides tips for a pet-friendly landscape and the Eco-tip [page 14] shares advice for a chemical-free lawn. You can even find ideas for hobby farming [page 19] to grow your own food and then try out the summer recipes. I hope this issue inspires you to incorporate a few new healthy recipes into your family’s menu.

Here’s to a cool glass of delicious juice!
Kris Urquhart, Publisher