Elizabeth Kennedy at About.com’s Children’s Books is recommending the Simply in Season Children’s Cookbook as “one of the most visually appealing cookbooks [she has] ever seen.”

Simply in Season Children’s Cookbook is an imaginative, active way to invite kids of all ages – especially 6 to 12 year olds – to get in touch with real food, to see where it comes from, to take responsibility for preparing it, and to have fun in the process.

With summer farmer’s markets in full swing, this is a great time to use such a cookbook. Another great resource is the Internet, of course, and one great website for summertime recipes comes from the National Watermelon Promotion Board. They have some great kid friendly and healthy, seasonal recipes. Here’s a small sample.

Watermelon Banana Split
A healthy twist to an old favorite – serves four

Ingredients:

1. 2 bananas
2. 1 medium watermelon
3. 1 cup fresh blueberries
4. 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
5. 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
6. 1/4 cup caramel fruit dip
7. 1/4 cup honey roasted almonds

Instructions:

Peel bananas and cut in half lengthwise then cut each piece in half. For each serving, lay 2 banana pieces against sides of shallow dish. Using an ice cream scooper, place three watermelon “scoops” in between each banana in each dish. Remove seeds if necessary. Top each watermelon “scoop” with a different fruit topping. Drizzle caramel fruit dip over all. Sprinkle with almonds.

Watermelon Kebabs
Easy, fast, and healthy, too!

Ingredients:

1. 1-inch cubes of seedless watermelon
2. Smoked turkey breast
3. Cheddar cheese
4. Skewers, coffee stirrers or beverage straws

Instructions:

Cut watermelon, turkey and cheese in cubes and string on skewers, stirrers or straws. Enjoy!

Watermelon Dippers
Kids love to dip! (The original recipe’s dip was made out of sour cream, vanilla extract and sugar. But flavored yogurt sounds so much easier, don’t you think?)

Ingredients:

1. 8 ounces vanilla, fruit or berry flavored yogurt
2. Watermelon

Instructions:

Slice watermelon into sticks or small wedges. Place yogurt in a bowl as a dip for the watermelon. Dip away!

(All watermelon pictures from National Watermelon Promotion Board website.)

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