Violet is not the most diverse of eaters, so when she recently decided that she liked cantaloupe I did a big 'ol happy dance inside. Sweet, juicy, loaded with vitamin C, and a good option to send in the lunchbox, cantaloupe is in season in Massachusetts in August so you'll likely see good prices right now. This week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 10 recipes that offer creative inspiration that goes well beyond fruit salad.

1. Ever a classic appetizer: prosciutto and cantaloupe skewers.

2. If you want a variation on #1, try these cantaloupe bruschetta.

3. A clever new twist: cantaloupe gazpacho.

4. This cantaloupe salad is paleo friendly.

5. Holy YUM. Grilled shrimp with cantaloupe-lime salsa.

6. Love the presentation of these chicken melon salad bowls. (Also, yay, no dishes!)

7. Preserve your seasonal cantaloupe by making dried cantaloupe (no food dehydrator required!).

8. What a fun twist: cantaloupe and sweet ricotta pizza.

9. Three ingredient cantaloupe popsicles.

10. These cantaloupe cupcakes look so cheerful!

Image credits: cantaloupes via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

Like strawberries, blueberries, and peaches, summer is an awesome time for raspberries. Just this past weekend I picked up a couple of large boxes at the market and they were quickly devoured (toddlers, btw, love sticking their fingers in the raspberry holes)! Raspberries are in season in Massachusetts July to September and this week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 8 recipes that offer good inspiration to consume these beautiful berries.

1. Wake yourself up with a raspberry sunrise smoothie.

2. This claims to be the best raspberry bread so I'm going to give it a go!

3. I'm loving the combinations in this fresh summer salad.

4. This creamy raspberry vinaigrette sounds delicious.

5. This lemon raspberry chia pudding is easy and good for you.

6. Add a little surprise to your raspberries via these chocolate filled raspberries.

7. Oh goodness. Dark chocolate raspberry pie bars.

8. I want one of these watermelon raspberry slushies NOW.

Image credits: raspberries via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

Hooray for seasonal peaches! Like strawberries and blueberries, peaches are wonderfully sweeter and more affordable right now...I love when they become abundant at the market! Peaches are in season in Massachusetts mid-July to mid-September and this week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 12 recipes that will allow you to incorporate this tasty stone fruit all the way from breakfast to dinner to condiments.

1. Start your day right with this peach blueberry oatmeal smoothie.

2. The flavors of summer shine in this kale salad with peaches, corn and basil-honey vinaigrette.

3. Amazing peach salad with tomatoes and beets.

4. Peaches are a sweet surprise in this healthy quinoa with vegetables.

5. Jazz up your next barbecue with these sriracha glazed chicken skewers with peaches.

6. Quick and easy grilled peaches are a perfect sweet side dish.

7. See you tomatoes, there’s a new peach ketchup in town.

8. Store your bounty with this easy peach freezer jam.

9. Take comfort in this peach and raspberry cobbler.

10. Oh how refreshing these vanilla peach pops would be!

11. Sweet and fruity ginger-peach pound cake with caramelized peaches.

12. A gorgeous gluten-free peach plum raspberry tart.

Image credits: peaches via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

I find that green vegetables especially improve in flavor when they come in season and green beans are no exception. Green beans are in season in Massachusetts July and August and this week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 8 tasty ways to incorporate green beans into your meals, in some instances thinking outside the box -- even for breakfast and as a tart!.

1. These garlicky beet green and green bean egg sandwiches offer a new approach to breakfast or a light dinner.

2. A fresh and easy balsamic green bean salad.

3. A perfectly seasonal green bean summer salad.

4. Your kids will love munching on these crispy baked parmesan green bean “fries”.

5. Whoa. Bacon wrapped green beans.

6. Lighten up traditional green bean casserole with this dijon haricot vert recipe.

7. This green bean mushroom tart would be good vegetarian dinner fare.

8. Green beans, potatoes, and spinach in coconut curry = yum.

Image credits: green beans via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

As with strawberries, I love when blueberries come into season -- they're sweeter, more affordable, and I love watching Laurel and Vi gobble up all those nutrients. It's National Blueberry Month and blueberries are in season in Massachusetts July and August -- hooray! This week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 10 tasty ways you can incorporate seasonal blueberries into your day, all the way from breakfast to dinner.

1. This gluten-free breakfast cake is a yummy way to start the day.

2. Adorn your pancakes (or, er, ice cream) with this homemade blueberry sauce.

3. These frozen yogurt covered blueberries are the perfect summer snack.

4. Give your appetizer lineup a fresh twist with these blueberry almond crostinis.

5. Bust out your crockpot for these blueberry glazed crock pot ribs.

6. Grilled blueberry pizza makes the perfect quick dinner.

7. This blueberry lime salsa? So clever.

8. Tough to go wrong with a classic blueberry cobbler.

9. Slicing and serving dessert is a breeze with these blueberry pie bars.

10. Invite blueberries to cocktail hour with this blueberry mojito recipe.

Image credits: blueberries via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

Peas. They're nutritious, delicious, colorful, great for snacking (I've been consuming large quantities raw thanks to the heat), easy to grow in a home garden, and -- notably in my book -- one of the few vegetables Violet will eat. Green and snap peas are in season June through September in Masschusetts, and this week's Eat Seasonal feature offers 8 ways to breathe new life into peas, whether as a snack, side, or main dish:

1. Try a fresh take on hummus via this green pea hummus.

2. These roasted sugar snap peas with mint and sea salt look simple and incredible.

3. Quick and healthy green pea fritters.

4. Keep it cool and simple with this crunchy summer salad (you can also use some of your seasonal cucumbers!).

5. Add color and nutrients to store-bought pasta with this ravioli with snap peas and mushrooms.

6. Seared scallops with snap peas and pancetta in 20 minutes = WIN.

7. Love the idea of pairing Korean-style short ribs with snap peas.

8. These pea guacamole and seared halloumi soft tacos? Major wow.

Image credits: peas via FreeDigitalPhotos.net; all others via linked sites above

Happy May everyone! Among many random holidays (seriously, there are a lot this month!), it’s National Salad Month. And I'm totally on board with NSM for many reasons (hello seasonal produce! yay, roughage!). I thought I would use this holiday to round up 18 awesome salads from the archives. And now I'm hungry and want to make them all right now (I enjoyed #18 yesterday). Enjoy!

1. Make use of all those random little odds and ends in your fridge with this butler’s salad.

2. Pair this easy steak Cobb salad with a simple vinaigrette.

3. Go for whole grain goodness with this bountiful barley salad.

4. I’ve made this Santa Rosa Valley Salad many, many times. It never disappoints!

5. Sara’s Chicken Salad isn’t exactly light but I don’t care. The lemon pepper. The bacon. SO GOOD.

6. Fire up your grill for this grilled salad with herb vinaigrette.

7. This roasted beet and lentil salad packs a tasty and nutritional punch.

8. For those who enjoy fish, you’ll love this salmon with fennel salad.

9. A delicious way to treat your beets via this yummy beet salad.

10. I became obsessed with pistachios and nectarines thanks to this farm stand salad.

11. Get your omegas with this teriyaki salmon salad.

12. When your basil plants explode, be sure to try this fast and yummy chicken pesto salad. 

13. This quinoa and black bean salad is a party favorite in my family.

14. This spinach salad? So simple. So good.

15. And if you want to add a bit more body to your spinach, try this spinach pasta salad.

16. A pretty, colorful, and tasty radicchio salad.

17. Cauliflower? Good for babies, also great in cauliflower salad form.

18. This warm winter salad is actually awesome any time of year. Like yesterday.

What a gorgeous, gorgeous day! It was wonderful to feel the amazing Boston Marathon energy downtown, enjoy some self-care (definitely call my friend Honey Jo if you're looking for a stellar hair stylist!), and watch Laurel and Vi hunt down eggs with a gaggle of kids. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and also these great reads and visuals via Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome:

- The world if there were only 100 people.

- 3 meditation techniques for beginners.

- Stick or twist: the postdoctoral dilemma.

- Lemon burst cookies. Yummy.

- Can’t afford organic? 10 foods you can eat anyway.

- 15 beautiful indie posters that could pass as fine art.

- The crossroads of should and must.

- 36 genius ways to hide eyesores in your home.

- Portraits of reconciliation.

- College ROI: The value of a college education.

Image credit: lemon burst cookies via Pinterest

Happy Saturday everyone, I hope you're enjoying a great weekend! I'm feeling especially bright spirited; in addition to enjoying a lovely run and nature walk with the girls today, as of this afternoon, I'm finally free of the albatross that was squaring up my 2013 finances for taxes. YAHOO! Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and enjoy this roundup of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome:

- A fundraiser for Boston firefighters Ed Walsh and Mike Kennedy.

- Kevin Bacon, you the man.

- 16 tips for drama free parenting.

- This is why I’m growing my hair out: polished bun how-to.

- My curated collection of ottomans. Which should I get for my living room?

- Children around the world with their most prized possessions.

- If you think you may lose your mind reading one more long-form parenting essay.

- Weekend project: blood orange margaritas!

- Tribute to a mother’s strength.

- The happiest and healthiest cities in America (fist bump #17, #23).

- Asha and I are beyond honored to be nominated for two Iris Awards (Game Changer for Minimalist Parenting + Philanthropic Work for our #HelpWomenAtRisk fundraiser)!

Image credit: blood orange margaritas via Pinterest