i love summer! who doesn’t, right? it is not only my favorite time of year weather-wise, but food-wise. (i won’t go into my spiel about lack of good produce in indiana during the winter months. produce alone is a good reason to look forward to summer in these parts!) anywho, i have been preparing for this summer for the last several months. my freezer is literally jammed with foodsaver packages. it makes it a lot easier on the pocketbook to spread out the expenses on bulk goods at sam’s club over the year, then use the trusty ol’ foodsaver to break it down into smaller packets.
if you do not have a foodsaver, i highly recommend buying one the very next time you step your foot inside walmart. i use it all the time. all. the. time. it really has saved us a lot of money and has cut down on the amount of freezerburn/waste we have throughout the year. i would say i use it the most for cheese, but you can also foodsave vegetables, fruit, leftovers, and so on. i’m still working on my official foodsaver certification. i hear it works great for marinades as well, but i think that must be an honors class. kidding, of course. but, the possibilities are endless. as dr. seuss so aptly put it, oh the places you’ll go!
this past weekend was one full of dieting challenges. friday night, i was supposed to meet a girlfriend for drinks after work at a local hot wings place. well, it didn’t work out for both of us, so i found myself home at 6:30, when jason called to say he was on his way home. i think he was looking forward to me bringing him home some hot wings for dinner - it is one of his favorite foods. i, too, was a little bummed because i did not have anything else in the works to eat that night.
so, i convinced him to take me out to another local restaurant that is a little closer to home, but still has excellent wings. i knew going there would work out perfect, because they have the best peel and eat shrimp, meaning i could still go for a healthier option! $15.99 for a pound, and it was the 12-15 to a pound size. great deal! not to mention, the cook must have been in a good mood that night because i think i got a couple extra shrimp and jason got several extra wings in his 20 piece order. we both went for larger portions in our meal, knowing how good we are at reinventing the meal the next day. the shrimp were so big, i was only able to eat four or five of them, plus i ate a couple of jason’s wings. i couldn’t resist. but hey, i only ate a couple, and not a whole plateful! plus, i kept it to three 12-ounce delights over the course of the night, which i must admit, is pretty good for me on a friday night!
today, we went down to our friend kristi’s house for a cookout, which is one big reason why i love summer so much. hanging out on the deck, grilling, swapping stories, and serving up a great meal - my idea of the perfect day. normally, this would probably mean a lot of drinking and overeating, but i think we did pretty good. i really had to be conscious of what i was eating, but i found myself, saying, no you do not need to go back again for another triscuit with jarlsberg dip. skip this one, it will be good for you!
kristi made the most delicious ribs on the grill. she cooked them for most of the day in a roaster, then transfered them to the grill with some barbecue. i don’t know what her secret recipe was, but she says it was a little of emeril and a little of her own. whatever it was, it worked! the ribs were quite delish! as the summer goes on, i will share some of my barbecue tips and recipes, as well as look for healthy ways to enjoy them.
when i asked what i could bring for the cookout, it seemed she already had most of the fixins, corn on the cob, potatoes, cheese & crackers… she mentioned she had a tomato and i instantly thought of the fresh mozzarella that i had purchased at sam’s in bulk, and that very morning had split up into several foodsaved packages.
one of my very favorite salads is one that is pretty common and extremely easy. just alternate slices of tomato with slices from a fresh ball of mozzarella on a plate, drizzle with a little olive oil, balsamic, and top with freshly cracked pepper. oh, that’s some fresh tasting goodness right thurrr.
when it came time to fill my plate, i went easy on the potatoes, which i would normally dive into, and found myself going back for more of the tomato instead. so, while ribs may not be the epitome of health, i am learning that moderation is the key. a small amount of ribs is ok to eat - just not a whole rack at a time! smaller portions of the fatty favorites and then going back for seconds on the healthy stuff is a great way to fill the belly.
i also had a bloody mary with dinner, with my very own homemade bloody mary mix. my mom and i made a batch last year at her house. this was when i first started liking tomatoes, and i got totally hooked. i took home her vittorio strainer and her juicer, and set myself on a mission to make a bloody mary mix that didn’t need as much doctoring as those on the shelf in the liquor store. i ended up juicing about ten or twelve different kinds of veggies, and it’s got some great kick to it. i am out of town right now, but will post the bloody mary mix recipe next week. a really healthy alternative to a lot of other sugary mixed drinks in the summer, and so refreshing!
if you like the tomato salad recipe above, here is another one that you might enjoy. it has certainly become a favorite among several of our friends, and goes quick at all the parties!
mozzarella toast with tomato & pesto
- 1 loaf baguette bread
- 4-6 campari tomatoes
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella
- fresh or jarred pesto
- olive oil
preheat oven* to 400. slice the baguette into approx 3/8″ slices. place on baking stone or cookie sheet, and do a quick drizzle of olive oil over all. place a small slice of mozzarella on the bread, and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and is slightly bubbly. promptly place a slice of tomato on each piece, and a dollop of pesto over the top.
*this is also excellent if you toast the bread on the grill instead of in the oven.
the delish
