Taste of Summer

As the summer comes to an end...A look at some of the summer meals I prepared using seasonal produce. I was fortunate to be the receiver of plenty of cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash from my Mama's Garden.

Garden Fresh Salad with tomatoes and cucumbers from Mama's Garden on a bed of romaine lettuce. Made from scratch Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Sometimes a girl just has to have Ranch. Ya know?

Asian Cucumber Salad: Mama's Garden has kept me in cucumbers and tomatoes this season. I've been putting them to good use.

Taste of Summer--Strawberry Spinach Salad

Taste of Summer -- Chopped Santa Fe Salad with a from scratch avocado dressing. Boasting freshness with the use of garden goods: Tomatoes, jalapeños, sweet summer corn, black beans, red onion, cilantro on a bed of chopped romaine lettuce drowsed in freshly squeezed lime juice.

Taste of Summer-- Salad Nicoise a French Inspired delight.Traditionally, it's served with Tuna, but I go with Salmon.

 
Stuffed Squash -- Squash and zucchini are abundant in most home gardens this time of year. My clients were looking for an OUTSIDE of the Box way to make good use of theirs. Here's the results.

  

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches topped with Cilantro Lime Slaw

 Grilled Vegetable Kebabs -- A great, tasty way to get your veggies in.

Grilled Lemon Rosemary Chicken Kebabs

  



Blueberry Crumble -- Summertime is berrytime. Blueberries happen to be my favorite in all their berry splendor. I like to eat this crumble as is or served with a dollop of Mascarpone.

Mixed Berry Compote --  Since I had a medley of berries that were subject to go bad if I didn't eat them right away. I decided to make a Mixed Berry Compote of them. A delightful, lightly sweet way to top most anything you desire. Served here with plain Greek yogurt. The possibilities, however, are endless.

To see more of my food dishes follow me on Pinterest here,

Nature's Got You Covered

As I sat on my deck this morning sipping on a freshly blended smoothie chocked full of goods, this thought came to mind...Nature's got you covered.

Think about it: All the food that is good for us is of the earth.  Fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, roots, herbs, on and on. There are no fruits or vegetables that are bad for you. Roots and herbs are used to heal and soothe. And mostly all things of the earth have multipurpose uses.  You can eat the flesh of a coconut, drink the milk from the coconut, extract the oil for cooking or use the oil for your skin and hair. How cool is that?  Nature's bounty is simply amazing.

So do your body a favor...When you're ready to reach for a so-called energy drink: 5 Hour Energy, Red Bull, Monster, etc. Remember, Nature's Got You Covered -- Opt for a homemade blended smoothie or juice and don't forget to add chia seeds or wheat germ to give you an extra-nutritional boost.

Blueberry Banana Kale Smoothie: 

Blueberries (Antioxidants), kale (Vitamins A, K), bananas (Potassium), 

chia seeds (more Omega 3 fatty acids than Salmon!)
 non-fat plain yogurt or non-dairy milk. 

Naturally sweet. Full of energy. Liquid Goodness!

Guilty indulgence

I couldn't help myself. Before I knew it I had put them in my cart. I was enticed by the low price of 99 cents. I kind of see why the .99 fast-food value menu works for some. As I put them in my cart I felt a little guilty. Without me checking the label I already knew the blueberries were not grown locally -- there's no way they could be. There's no where within a 200 mile radius that is warm enough to produce blueberries this time a year. That would mean the blueberries came from far, far away. Sure, enough the label read "Product of Chile." I rationalized: If I didn't buy them other customers would. Besides, they were already shipped over 5,000 miles -- why shouldn't I indulge in them? Hmm...That's a fully loaded question. One I'm afraid to even try to answer. Let's just say I enjoyed the blueberries with a little bit of Greek Yogurt and they were delicious. Shame on me for indulging in non-local blueberries.

A while ago I mentioned I wanted to write a series of blogs "Stewards of the Earth" that would explore:

• Sustainability
• Feedlots
• Food deserts
• Organic food 
• Local food
• Milk - The Truth
• Plant based diets 

Well, I think my guilty indulgence is the perfect way to get that series started.  Coming up soon a blog post about local produce.

Everything Must Change

Organic Chicken Caesar Salad

I follow the 90/10 rule when it comes to my diet and I typically cash in my 10 percent on Saturday's. Well, lately I've been working really, really hard on cleaning up my diet. So yesterday's cheat/treat meal looked completely different than in the past. I just couldn't see myself going too far off path. So for last night's dinner, I prepared a Chicken Caesar Salad. Yes, the dressing can be highly caloric but I went extremely light on the dressing and sprinkled plenty of lemon juice to enhance the flavor. For my after dinner treat (Which, I only have on Saturday's) my signature homemade chocolate chip cookies were calling my name but I didn't cave. Instead, I used the fresh peaches and blueberries I bought at the Farmer's Market to create a delightful little summer parfait. I feel so good about my decisions. I realize that in order to cash in on the ultimate prize, changes are necessary. You can't keep doing the same things and get different results. Everything must change.

Sweet Endings: Blueberries, peaches and a little bit of vanilla yogurt

Eating Healthy Never Tasted So Good

Last night’s dinner was superb. Tender, juicy center cut pork chops with a squeeze of lemon juice and a hint of rosemary were grilled to a perfection. Served with roasted cauliflower and broccoli tossed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sliced garlic. To kick up the flavor, fresh lemon juice was generously drizzled on the veggies and for the final touch grated parmesan.  No meal is complete without dessert: A bowl of fresh, delicately sweet raspberries and blueberries. All prepared in less than an hour. Nothing from a box or a can just pure, raw goodness.