Baby, It’s Too Hot to Cook!

By Tam John, Author of A Fresh Wellness Mindset

Relishing the fun of summer is about being out of doors, kicking back, and lightening up your life and workload. Naturally, summertime appetites shift to lighter and juicier foods for hydration and energy.

Fresh food, more plentifully available in the summer months, is the natural way to enjoy your summertime journey.

Seven Favorite Summertime Meals You Can Live On:

1. Shrimp, Avocado and Radicchio Salad. Shrimp can be a great summer food. It cooks up in a few minutes. Be sure to choose deveined shrimp ideally from a ‘wild source’ rather than farmed. Rinse well in very cold water. Combine crisp radicchio, chopped romaine and diced avocado as a bed for sautéed shrimp done in a little butter, olive oil and garlic with a squeeze of lemon.

2. Spring Rolls. Most anything fresh and crunchy can go into spring rolls. Shred the veggies to keep them contained in the rice paper wrappers, available at most grocery markets. Spring rolls can be a fun DIY buffet style meal for your family. YouTube videos can help you become proficient with the rice paper. Even the most unpracticed results are delicious. Choose a protein and top with a sauce made from almond butter, tamari, a little honey, and ginger.

3. Quinoa Salad. Make this tabbouleh like salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced green onions, fresh mint and a light olive oil and lemon dressing with sea salt and pepper. Substitute diced watermelon for tomatoes for a change. Add a scoop of garbanzo beans. Thinly sliced and diced purple cabbage adds crunch.

4. Antipasto platter. The ultimate cold supper… use a variety of chilled meat like chicken, turkey, salmon. Quality salami and prosciutto in slices is perfect to pair with a variety of sliced cheese, olives, crudités, roasted red peppers and pickles. Fresh basil is a refreshing edible garnish.

5. Salads. Make it a full meal with steak, fish or chicken. Have produce washed and bagged to make it easy to pull out of the refrigerator and arrange on a platter for an instant meal. The book, A Fresh Wellness Mindset includes 19 recipes including Kale Salad and Berry Green Salad (arugula and champagne oil and vinegar dressing – yum), perfect pairings with protein. Prep veggies and protein ahead to be lunch and dinner ready.

6. Slow cooker meals are not just for stew and roasts. The cooker minimally heats up your kitchen and dinner will be served when you walk in the kitchen. Pulled pork is easy with a jar of quality BBQ sauce. Chicken breasts with green chile over the top is so tender you can pull it apart with a fork. Make overnight [steel cut] oatmeal and breakfast will be served when you wake up.

7. Sardine Salad. Have an open mind – sardines might deliciously surprise you. They are loaded with nutrients! Chop chilled sardines; add quality mayo, chopped green onions, olives, and roasted or fresh peppers to make a tasty salad. Add a squeeze of lemon for a bright finish. Serve on quality crackers, sourdough or atop a bed of fresh greens.

Be open to try something new!

Abundant fresh choices can keep you in compliance while you deliciously restrict foods that are No Nos for you. Keep your food life real lively for a full nutritional complement and bouncing energy.