Cooking in the Heat

No one enjoys cooking in the heat! Summer is officially here, at least for those of you who don’t live in the Pacific Northwest! Up here we are slowly warming up! As the heat soars, your desire to cook a hot healthy meal dissolves, but it’s not healthy diet habit to live on restaurant food for long. Some lifestyle solutions for cooking in the heat are:

·        Fix simple meals: Meals do not need to be complex to be healthy! Simple meals full of cut up fruits, veggie salads with a meat and grain included, wraps full of meat and veggies, tacos or burritos, quick stir fries full of summer veggies, cold soups, or fresh sandwiches full of nitrate free meats and organic cheeses and lots of chopped veggies, are great choices! Check out the super salad meal chart! Visit your local farmers market for the freshest, tastiest choices!

·        Grill out: My favorite summer meals are grilled. You are all familiar with grilled meats and maybe corn on the cob, but all fruits and veggies can be grilled! They can be placed on the grill if they are cut in large slices, in a grill basket, or placed in a foil packet with seasonings and steamed on the grill. Your grill should be your best friend for summer meals!

·        Use your crock pot: Some of your favorite winter meals can be fixed in your crock pot, which does not heat up your kitchen. There are so many delicious crock pot meals to choose from. Plan ahead, add your veggies and meat to the pot, and a meal is made! Add a chopped salad and cut up fruit for dessert! A great crock pot cookbook is worth the expense! My kids actually beg for crock pot food!

·        Fix light meals: Summer meals should be light and not overly heavy meals. No one wants that stuffed, bloated feeling in the heat! Smaller healthier meals will satisfy and keep you more comfortable. Summer is a great time to take off those extra pounds that you added during the dark winter months when food offered comfort! You just do not need the comfort of heavy foods in the summer!

·        Experiment with some unknown veggies and fruits: There are many fruits and veggies at farmers markets that I have not seen or tasted. Ask venders how they are best fixed and be adventuresome and develop some new favorite recipes. I just learned about avocado squash today and can’t wait to try them out!

Summer is my favorite season for adding lifestyle solutions that make weight control easy! Whatever your cooking method, filling your plate full of veggies and fruits seems like summer. No diet, but just healthy eating! Everywhere you go, fresh produce abounds and should be tasted and enjoyed. Meals that are simple and do not require a lot of time, allow you to get out there and enjoy the great days and long evenings of summer!