As a mom, I work pretty hard (like all of you) to make sure that my kids not only eat a healthy diet, but that they learn how to make good choices about what they put in their mouth. Though my three-year-old still needs a little convincing, my five-year-old is really starting to get the picture. She tries new foods at meal times, knows the difference between "sometimes" foods and "all the time" foods, and looks forward to "treats" like fresh cucumbers from the garden or green peppers dipped in hummus.

After a busy day running errands last week, however, she really showed me that all the focus on nutrition was paying off. It was a grueling day of doctor appointments and car repair, and it was long past when they should have had an afternoon snack. I resorted to the bad behavior of bribing to get my cranky kids through, promising a trip to the ice cream store on the way home.

After our last errand, we passed the farmer's market and decided to stop. We picked up fresh, local cherries, raspberries, and melon to chop up into a fruit salad for dinner. After we all got loaded in the car, my daughter told me, "Mom, you don't need to get us ice cream now. We just want to eat those raspberries. Is that ok?"

Is that ok? I assured her that, yes, that was a great idea. We drove home, ate all of the raspberries before they could be put into the salad, and marveled at how, sometimes, our kids have so much to teach us.

At the farmer's market today, I was able to buy three huge bunches of basil for three dollars... total. Food prices may be going up, but at the farm market, in-season means easy on the pocket book. After digging through my pantry for a few other staples, I had all the necessary ingredients for pesto. Not only is pesto a favorite summer treat, it freezes well, which means healthy, local meals for winter. And because it's essentially a raw dish (you'll need to cook the pasta or bread that you put it on), it's perfect treat for when the kitchen is just too hot to cook.

Pesto's base ingredients are basil, olive oil, walnuts, and garlic, which means that it's loaded with antioxidants and heart-healthy omega-3s. (Pesto lovers learn early that a little goes a long way. Not only is pesto quite oily, it also has a very strong taste.) But creative cooks need not stop there -- pesto is very forgiving and does well with substitutions.

If you think pesto might have a place on your menu, now is the time to try it. Here are four great ways to enjoy pesto this summer:

Fresh basil pesto

Low-fat pesto

Non-basil pestos

Sun-dried tomato pesto

When it comes to good nutrition, you can't beat freshly picked fruit and vegetables. You don't have to be a gardener to get them either.

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