Sometimes food can be presented so beautifully, it’s hard to take that first bite. However, once you dig your spoon into the bowl, there is no going back.

Imagine a bite that is chilled, sweet and creamy all at the same time. It’s luscious, fruity and absolutely divine. It’s a summertime ice cream recipe you’ll cherish and make again and again throughout the season.

This delicious Very Berry and Creamy Coconut Ice Cream was created with summertime relaxation in mind. It’s melt-in-your-mouth delicious, especially when it’s made with fresh ingredients right at home for a perfect addition to nearly any poolside event.

This ice cream features the rich tartness of frozen fruit and a sweet creaminess from the coconut milk. The two flavors of ice cream create a unique combination that’s out-of-this-world delicious.

To make the Berry Ice Cream, blend 2 pounds of frozen berries, sweetened condensed milk, honey and salt until smooth then freeze for four hours.

To make the Coconut Ice Cream, beat 2 cups of whipping cream in a mixer until stiff peaks form. In a bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, salt and 1 cup of the whipped cream. Whisk then add remaining whipped cream and whisk until combined. Place in a dish and freeze for four hours.

Once properly chilled, both ice creams are ready to scoop and serve. Garnish with mint leaves for an extra pop of color, if desired.

Enjoy a delightful treat with your loved ones as you make memories that will last a lifetime. Out in the heat or indoors cooling off, it’s a spoonful of summertime that’s hard to skip.

Find more sweet treats for summer at Culinary.net.

Watch video to see how to make this recipe!

Very Berry and Creamy Coconut Ice Cream

Yield: 11 cups

Berry Ice Cream:

• 2          pounds frozen berries (such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries)
• 1/2       cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1          tablespoon honey
• 1/2       teaspoon salt

Coconut Ice Cream:

• 2          cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2       cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2       cup coconut milk
• 1/2       teaspoon salt
• mint leaves, for garnish (optional)

1. To make berry ice cream: In blender, pulse frozen berries, sweetened condensed milk, honey and salt until smooth, scraping down sides.
2. Pour mixture into 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. Freeze uncovered 4 hours, or until set.
3. To make coconut ice cream: In large mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
4. In medium bowl, whisk sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, salt and 1 cup whipped cream until combined. Add remaining whipped cream and whisk until combined.
5. Pour into 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. Freeze uncovered 4 hours, or until set.
6. Scoop desired amount of each ice cream into bowls to serve. Garnish with mint leaves, if desired.

Better-for-you snacks kids will love

(Family Features) Kids love to snack. But left to their own devices, most kids don't always make the healthiest snack choices. A new study of long-term eating patterns in children, from researchers at the University of North Carolina, shows that kids today are getting nearly one-third of their daily calories from unhealthy snacks such as chips, crackers and candy.

Nutritious and delicious snacks are as close as your produce aisle. Watermelon is practically a multivitamin unto itself - and its natural sweetness is something kids love.

Did You Know?

• A 2-cup serving of watermelon is an excellent source of Vitamins A, B6 and C.
• Vitamin A found in watermelon is important for optimal eye health.
• Vitamin B6 found in watermelon is used by the body to manufacture brain chemicals (neurotransmitters), such as serotonin, melatonin and dopamine, which preliminary research shows may help the body cope with anxiety and panic.
• Vitamin C in watermelons can help to bolster your immune system's defenses against infections and viruses, and is known to stimulate the immune system and protect against free radical damage.
• A 2-cup serving of watermelon is also a source of potassium, a mineral necessary for water balance and found inside of every cell. People with low potassium levels can experience muscle cramps. A 2-cup serving has less than 10 percent of the daily reference value for potassium.

Try these fun recipes as after-school and post-activity snacks. For more kid-friendly recipes and healthy eating tips, visit www.watermelon.org.

Send some healthy lunch munchies to school - watermelon chunks are an easy way to brighten up a sack lunch and give kids a tasty nutritional boost in the middle of the day.

Healthy Eating Tips

Healthy eating habits start at home. One of the best things you can do for your kids is to be a role model for smart food choices. Here are some simple things you can do to help your kids develop healthy lifelong habits.

• Shop for food together and take time to examine, discuss and select fruit and vegetables that catch your child's eye. Allow your child to help you to prepare these healthful foods. For example, let your child use a melon-baller to create melon balls from watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew to create a festive, nutritious and visually appealing dessert.
• Make healthy snacks available at all times for your children by keeping the fridge filled with flavorful, nutrient-rich treats such as grapes, cherries, carrots and watermelon cubes.
• Simple changes are easier for your child to get used to. Try switching from full fat milk to non-fat milk, serving sherbet, sorbet, ice milk or fruit juice bars, or adding fresh fruit to his or her cereal in the morning.
• Serve your children colorful, deeply pigmented plant food. These foods tend to offer tremendous nutritional value. For example, red peppers, carrots, broccoli, oranges and watermelon are all packed with minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.
• Start each day with breakfast, preferably fruit with low-fat yogurt or granola. Make a fruit smoothie by blending watermelon cubes and a banana with crushed ice.

Watermelon Kebabs

Makes 6 servings

• 1-inch cubes of seedless watermelon
• Smoked turkey breast
• Cheddar cheese
• Coffee stirrers or beverage straws

1. Cut watermelon, turkey and cheese in cubes and skewer on stirrers or straws.

Watermelon Nachos

Serves 6 to 8

• 12 to 16 1/2-inch thick watermelon triangles with 3-inch sides
• 2 cups Greek vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A few drops almond extract
• 1 cup Craisins
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Arrange the watermelon triangles on a serving platter or glass cake stand. Mix yogurt with extracts and spoon yogurt over the watermelon in the fashion of nacho cheese sauce. Sprinkle craisins, white chocolate chips, and almonds over the yogurt and dust with cinnamon.

Watermelon Dippers

• 8 ounces sour cream
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Watermelon sticks or small wedges

1. Blend together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a small serving bowl. Use as a dip for the watermelon.

Watermelon Cut Outs

• Seedless watermelon, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices
• Yogurt
• Granola or similar cereal

1. Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut shapes out of watermelon slices. Frost with vanilla or other flavored yogurt. Sprinkle with granola.

Watermelon Berry Slush

Makes 6 servings

• 4 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
• 1 10-ounce package frozen raspberries
• 1 12-ounce bottle sparkling mineral water

1. Place watermelon in a single layer in shallow pan; freeze until firm. Remove from freezer and let stand 5 minutes. Drop watermelon through food chute of a food processor or blender with the motor running. Add frozen raspberries alternately with mineral water, processing until smooth.

Watermelon Jelly Logs

Makes 6 servings

• 6 3-inch x 2-inch x 5-inch watermelon rectangles
  3 flavors all fruit or low sugar preserves
  6 ginger, molasses or peanut butter cookies

1. Using a melon baller, cut 3 divots into a long side of each watermelon rectangle. Fill each divot with a different all-fruit or low-sugar preserve. Serve each rectangle with a cookie.

Source: National Watermelon Board

Helping kids learn to love healthy eating

(Family Features) According to the 2007 Produce For Kids study, 96 percent of children don’t get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That won’t surprise a lot of parents. Getting children to eat any fruits or vegetables at all can be a big challenge.  With 39 percent of all U.S. children overweight or obese, getting kids to make better food choices is more important than ever.

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, nutrients and fiber, are low in calories and can help prevent many diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease and some cancers. But kids aren’t compelled by the nutritional benefits of produce. They want to have fun eating food they like. So they need some help to become healthy eaters.
How can a parent get fruit-phobic or veggie-avoiding kids to eat more of what they really need? Mypyramid.gov, a Web site dedicated to helping people make smart food choices, has some tips for coping with picky eaters.

• Let your kids be “produce pickers.” Let them help pick out fruits and veggies at the store.
• Kids like to try foods they help make. All of that mixing, mashing and measuring makes them want to taste what they are creating.
• Make meals a stress-free time. If meals are times for family arguments, your child may learn unhealthy attitudes toward food.
• Offer choices. Rather than ask “Do you want broccoli for dinner?” ask “Which would you like for dinner: broccoli or cauliflower?”

Another suggestion, from The Produce For Kids study, is to use dips to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. Sixty-eight percent of the moms surveyed said that their children ate more fruit and vegetables when they were served with dip.

One of the latest items on the market to help meet this need is Marzetti Dip Snack Packs, a line of fruit and veggie dips for children that makes eating produce fun and nutritious. Each portion-control package contains the right amount of dip for a serving of fruit or vegetables.

Turn the frowns upside down

Do your kids turn up their noses at fruits and veggies? Here are some fun and smart ideas to please even the pickiest of eaters:

• Bagel snake ― Split mini bagels in half. Cut each half into half circles. Spread the halves with tuna salad, egg salad, or peanut butter. Decorate with sliced cherry tomatoes or banana slices. Arrange the half circles to form the body of a snake. Use olives or raisins for the eyes.
• English muffin pizza ― Top half an English muffin with tomato sauce, chopped veggies and low-fat mozzarella cheese. Heat until the cheese is melted.
• Potato pal ― Top half a small baked potato with eyes, ears, and a smile. Try peas for eyes, a halved cherry tomato for a nose, and a low-fat cheese wedge as a smile.
• Fruit smoothies ― Blend fresh or frozen fruit with yogurt and milk or juice. Try 100 percent orange juice, low-fat yogurt, and frozen strawberries.
• Ants on a log ― Thinly spread peanut butter or apple dip on narrow celery sticks. Top with a row of raisins or other diced dried fruit.
• Fruit kabobs – Spear chunks of pineapple, banana and melon on skewers or chopsticks. Let kids dunk them in a fruit dip.

Picky eaters don’t have to stay picky eaters. With some encouragement and creative ideas from parents, they can learn to love eating what’s best for them.
For more information, visit marzetti.com.

Turn PB & J into PB & A — peanut butter and apples! This lunchtime treat is a great way to please picky sandwich eaters and make sure they get some healthy fruit.

Open Face Caramel Peanut Butter Sandwich

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2

• 2 tablespoons Marzetti Caramel Apple Dip
• 2 tablespoons favorite peanut butter
• 2 slices favorite bread
• Sliced apples, peanuts, dried cranberries or raisins

1. In a small bowl, mix together dip and peanut butter until smooth.
2. Spread two tablespoons of caramel mixture on each slice of bread.
3. Arrange sliced apples, peanuts and dried fruit atop each sandwich and serve.

Put some crunchy fun into snack time with this fruity rice cake. This is one treat the kids will love making themselves — just set out the ingredients and let them build a fruit-filled snack!

Rice Cake Snack

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Servings: 1

• 2 tablespoons Marzetti Caramel Apple Dip
• 1 rice cake

Topping options: Diced red or green apple, chopped bananas, favorite dried fruit, mini chocolate chips or favorite chopped nuts
Spread 2 tablespoons dip onto a rice cake. Top with one or two topping options and serve.

Source: Marzetti