My goal in life is to raise children who love cooking as much as my husband does. I'm a terrible cook and only started to learn for my kids' sake. How many frozen pizzas or mac n'cheeses can one mom serve in good conscience?

So after some negotiating and promises of video games, our daughter agreed to spend five minutes
watching my husband cook! (Here's to the small victories!!) What happened next was a half hour (as in 30 whole minutes) of her asking Ryan about various vegetables, tasting and discovering new flavors, and a running conversation that touched on all aspects of life.

I now know that my daughter loves the taste of raw onions and can eat raw sweetcorn by the mouthful. That is the magic of cooking.

It slows everything down, takes life offline, and gives families a common task to accomplish while drinking wine and eating delicious things.The recipe below is my vegetarian take on a summer classic. I have pinned the bacon-filled recipe also for those who are interested. We're always trying to find vegetarian recipes to share with our kids, and I've found including children in their preparation makes them more adventurous. I actually found some vegan bacon, which was beyond tasty. Added bonus: it gave the soup some texture. Corn soup is a very understated flavor, and makes for a great palette for all sorts of flavors!

Sweet Summer Corn Soup with Fake Bacon

Ingredients: 
 8-10 fresh ears of local corn. Frozen works too, but part of the fun is shucking the corn!
 4 TBSP of butter (if you use bacon then cut this amount in half)
 1 yellow onion
 1 bunch chives
 Garlic to taste (I used 3 cloves)
 1 bunch green onions
 4-5 Yukon Potatoes
 4 cups of water
 Whatever spices you want (I like fresh Thyme, but dried works also)
 1 Cup of Whole Milk (or half & half)
 Anything else you want! Try honey or sugar if you want to sweeten it, or jalapenos and
Optional: Cajun spice if you want to give it a kick.

The Process:
Soup is always so easy!
1. Shave the corn kernels off the cobs into a bowl
2. Dice the garlic, yellow onion and green onions (with the green onions, just dice the
white part – you can use the green part as a garnish)
3. Put the butter into a large pot and melt.
4. Add the garlic and onions and cook on medium-high for 5 minutes or so, until they start
to brown
5. Add the potatoes and the water and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat
to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally.
6. Once the potatoes are soft enough to crush with a fork, use a hand mixer to blend. A
standing blender works just as well, it is just more dishes so go with the hand mixer if
you have one. Once you have blended, it is time to add the milk and/or honey.
7. Add salt & pepper as desired. Chop the chives and sprinkle on the soup. A giant hunk of
delicious cheese (cheddar, gouda, parm etc) would also be amazing if you are in the
mood.
8. Serve with a nice French baguette, some garlic bread or grilled cheese.

People are often so negative about the news. They don't want to read it or discuss it. A friend joked the other day that he prefers social media because "the world is basically a horror show." I have to say, in my own joking way, that there's one major benefit I've derived from reading the news: perspective about your booty. In the past, I think I would have been upset that, suddenly, last night when preparing to go dance salsa with my friends, I could no longer fit into 80% of my skirts and pants, but this morning when I weighed myself, I was not too surprised to see that, yes, I'd regained some of my baby weight. What did surprise me: I'm wayyyy, wayyy, wayyyy more excited  this morning about this federal judge's ruling to reunite children with their families than I am upset about my weight! So read the news! Care! It will put your booty woes in perspective. But yes, if you would also like to fit into your pants as well, because, well, buying a whole new wardrobe is not in the budget, then check out the benefits of starting off your day with celery. 

We bought our juicer back in 2012 when they were still kind of a novelty item, but we definitely got our money's worth over the years. Now, they retail starting at $50! Check this one out. It's Amazon's choice.

Not only does celery juice have so many health benefits that you can read more about here but incorporating as many vegetables and fruits into your diet as you can-- but especially vegetables as fruits can contain a lot of sugar-- is a quick, easy way to fit back into your pants. I've pinned a bunch of delicious veggie options. Check it out below!