Caribbean flavors jazz up this simple supper salad. We glaze the shrimp with a zesty rum-spiked marmalade, then toss them on a hot grill with tomatoes and corn before combining everything with a few more veggies. We serve the whole thing with grilled bread seasoned with garlic and orange for a bit of crunch and to aid in scooping up all the delicious bits.

Old Navy in the Ahwatukee Foothills Towne Center will be closing at the end of this month to relocate to the new Phoenix Premium Outlets on the Gila River Indian Community.

The eighth annual Warrior Baseball Camp, hosted by the Mountain Pointe baseball program, will be from 7 to 11 a.m. July 26-27 at the school’s baseball field, 4201 E. Knox Road.

Sunny has a bubbly, bright, outgoing personality. She seems to love everyone she meets and enjoys romping with other dogs, too. She walks around with a big smile on her pretty face, which regularly makes folks stop to interact with her. Sunny is happy to say hello and show off her belly because she loves belly rubs. Sunny loves to walk and has excellent leash manners. She’s a loving gal who enjoys toys, other dogs, and hanging out with her humans.

Prospective buyers are encouraged to view Artesian Ranch’s full interactive floor plans and details at www.MaracayHomes.com or tour the model home from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 15. Opening prices start from the mid $300s.

When it comes to fitness, some people have their own agendas on why they want to get off the coach and start shedding their unwanted body mass.

The Wild Horse Pass Development Authority has more than 2,700 acres of land to develop surrounding Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino and while there is no definite long-term goals for the space, officials say they’re open to any development that would make the area a tourist destination.

Zipps Sports Grills plans to open its 10th Valleywide location at 48th Street and Warner Road this July.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce is offering the community a unique chance to discover Cuba through a fully-inclusive “cultural connections” program.

The First Tee of Phoenix will host the ninth annual Splish Splash Golf Bash at its South Mountain facility, 9510 S. 7th St., on June 8 from 9 a.m. to noon.

All quarterbacks and receivers in sixth to 10th grade are invited to attend a specialized instructional camp June 24-27 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at Mountain Pointe High School, 4201 E. Knox Road.

Thunder Mountain Sports, 1334 E. Chandler Blvd., will have sand volleyball all summer through July 26.
The divisions are 12U girls, 14U girls, and Open (18U), with Friday being the day of competition most weeks.
The price is $55 per player on a doubles team and the price for a four-person team will be $110 for the season. Non-USAV members might have to pay an additional fee.
For more information, contact Tristan Moreland at azcat@cox.net.


Summertime is burger time. And it’s so easy to throw a few beef patties on the grill. Not much is required in the way of embellishment, yet they have a big happiness return.
What’s the magic ingredient? Fat, of course. Beef burgers are high in fat, which guarantees flavor and juiciness. And because fat enhances flavor, it also makes anything else you put in or on the burger taste better, too.
Heartbreakingly, as you decrease the fat content in a burger, its flavor tends to go bye-bye, too. This is a real problem if you want to dig into a delicious burger and still want the blood to continue sailing through your arteries. The solution? Turkey.
I know. I know. You’ve tried turkey burgers and it was like eating wet cardboard. Hah! But you haven’t tried my turkey burgers...
Let’s start with the basic ingredient — ground turkey. While researching this recipe, I discovered that the labels on ground turkey can be quite confusing. You’d figure that a package labeled “lean” would mean what it says. Weirdly, it turns out that the calories and fat in a 4-ounce portion of “lean” ground turkey can range from 120 calories with 1 percent fat to 160 calories with 12 percent fat (which is as rich as a lean beef burger). As always, it’s best to read labels and not rely on words such as “lean” or “white meat” when looking for healthy choices.
Or, better yet, grind your own turkey. Start by buying a small package of turkey tenderloins, the flap of meat that lies just under the breast. As little as a 1 1/2 pounds of turkey tenderloins can be ground to produce six burgers. Cut the tenderloins into 1-inch cubes and freeze them for 30 minutes. Pop them in a food processor and pulse until they achieve a medium-grind consistency.
Now we come to the crucial part of the recipe, the part I call Turkey Helper. The blandest and driest of white meats, turkey cries out for flavor and moisture. Happily, any number of vegetables can answer this call, including sauteed onions, bell peppers or mushrooms, shredded raw Napa cabbage, or carrots.


Leslie Patricelli didn’t keep junk food in the house when her three kids were toddlers, but the goofy, bald baby in her board book “Yummy Yucky” grins from ear to ear over chocolate sauce and cookies.
The prolific picture book writer also included pepperoni pizza as a positive, acknowledging in a recent interview that some of her empty calorie imagery for kids too young to seek out sugary and fatty foods on their own have earned her a kvetch or two from parents.
“If I were to do it again I would probably make a few different choices, but I don’t think I would leave everything out,” said Patricelli, in Hailey, Idaho. “All you have to do is watch a kid eat a piece of cake to know that they’re in heaven.”
Heaven, indeed, especially when it comes to an abundance of frothy pink cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies and candy in books aimed squarely at babies, toddlers and preschoolers who may not be intimate with the meaning of moderation.
But some authors and publishers are focused on creating alternatives to c-is-for-cupcake picture books for parents struggling to promote broccoli. Even Cookie Monster sometimes eats smarter, chowing down on celery and demonstrating smaller portions of his namesake treats in “Ding Dong, Elmo’s Here!” and other books from the folks on “Sesame Street.”
“Food is everywhere kids turn,” said Betsy Loredo, executive editor for Sesame Workshop’s publishing group. “So it’s natural for us to want to think of ways we can integrate that and make choices that are healthier. We try to go for at least equity.”
“Sesame Street,” with an appearance by obesity fighter and first lady Michelle Obama, took on nutrition and exercise as an initiative back in 2004. The effort expanded to other divisions and special projects that included distribution of kits to six million families and child care centers offering ways to eat healthy on a budget and educate parents on the difference between “sometime food” and “anytime food.”
With the childhood obesity rate tripling in the past 30 years to 1 in 3 children in the United States overweight or obese, books with healthy eating pictures and messages may not be everything, but they’re something, advocates said.
Sesame Workshop, for instance, concluded in a 2010 study that when children are shown fruits and vegetables linked with favorite characters from the show they choose those foods at a much higher rate and eat more of them, according to Sesame researcher Jennifer Kotler.
Even broccoli, she laughed.
“Something happens between 3 and 5 where there’s a growing awareness of what healthy means. Where 3-year-olds like the foods they like, 5-year-olds know things they might choose might not always be the healthiest,” Kotler said. 
David Goldbeck in Woodstock, N.Y., isn’t an absolutist, but he does care about what kids see in their books when it comes to food. He wants more of them to eat fruits and vegetables, so he co-wrote an alphabet book that puts broccoli and yams in equally healthy company.
The Michigan Fitness Foundation, which is home to that state’s Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports, uses Goldbeck’s “The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond” in take-home book bags that are part of a health literacy program in more than 400 public elementary schools, said Marci Kelly Scott, the organization’s vice president for health programs.
The book includes an alphabet format with illustrations (E is for eggplant!) but also history, fun facts and recipes for older kids. Scott ordered 500 of the books in 2008 and routinely reorders to keep up her supplies.
In this alphabet world, C is for carrots, D is for date, as in the “desert fruit found in Kuwait,” and O is for organic.


Three simple ingredients — a marshmallow, a piece of chocolate and two graham crackers. The symbol of summer and campfire snacking.

There’s no smoke and mirrors about it — Americans are eating a lot more smoked seafood than they used to.

The art of the summer cocktail is something I take most seriously.

When most men hit their 30’s, something changes (besides a receding hairline). It is almost as if men are destined to finally obtain that gut that they were meant to have. A gut signifying a real man. One who is now married with kids, works hard, and doesn’t have time to exercise anymore like he did when he was younger. And a healthy diet? A man is hungry and stressed and a salad just isn’t going to cut it. You don’t have to be that guy. Because that guy won’t be very happy when he gets into his 50’s and 60’s, if he makes it there at all. If you are over 30, think about your male friends and family members who are your age. How many of them are in reasonably good shape? How many do you observe following a healthy diet and who are very active? It would be surprising if the answer was over 25 percent. Look at yourself. Have you fallen into this trap and become complacent with it?

Recently, I had a meaningful and slightly curious experience.

Hiking trails built in South Mountain won’t be destroyed by the South Mountain Freeway but many hikers fear they will never be the same.

OB Sports Golf Vacations has three golf packages available starting at $160 per night.

It’s May. Memorial Day and the end of the school year are in sight. Suddenly, you’re thinking about a summer vacation. A little advance planning — and some insider tips — can save you a lot of money. Whether you’re booking airfare, a car rental or a hotel room, there are questions you should ask first.

Memorial Day symbolizes the start of summer for you and your pet. Before you start planning trips to the beach and summer getaways, keep in mind that it’s important to plan ahead for pet travel and always keep the best interests of your furry, four-legged friends in mind.

The end of the school year is upon us and now the inevitable question is: “What are we going to do ALL summer long?” or the infamous: “I’m bored,” yes it is summer break! Parents are frantically searching for camps, activities, play dates, swimming lessons, movie days, etc. to fill their kid’s days to avoid the “I’m bored” trap.

9920 S. Rural Road, Suite 108-18