Grilled Summer Squash Caprese

I love this time of year. Fresh farm picked veggies & fruit AND the grill. As I was looking through some magazines, this recipe caught my eye. I love yellow squah and I love caprese salad. But together? I sounds wonderful. I am going to try this out tonight.

3 pounds yellow summer squash (5 medium), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips

5 TBSP olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Brush squash with 3 TBSP of oil; sprinkle with salt & pepper. Grill squash for about 6 minutes. On a platter arrange squash, tomatoes, and basil. Drizzle with remaining oil.

Bon appetit! Recipe taken from Better Homes and Garden Garden Fresh Recipes 2011 magazine.

Cool Honey Lime Gazpacho

It is just plain HOT! With record tempuratures, and a heat bubble (whatever that is) hanging over most of the United States, it is to hot to do anything, let alone cook something. So, hear is a simple recipe to use what is in season, and beat the heat.

1 large ripe red tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut up

2 medium cucumbers, seeded and cut up

1 medium orange sweet peppers, seeded and cut up

1 jalapeno chile pepper; seeded and cut up

1 clove garlic, minced

2 TBSP raw honey

2 TBSP fresh cilantro leaves

1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp sea salt

ice cubes

lime wedges and/or green onions

In a large bowl combine tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, chile pepper, and garlic. Place half tomato mixture in a food processor; pulse several times in to large chunks. Repeat with the remaining tomato mixture. Return all of the mixture to the food processor. Add lime juice, honey, cilantro, ginger, and 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Cover and pulse several times until the mixture is chunky. If desired, season to taste with additional sea salt.

To serve: place 2 or 3 ice cubes in each of four shallow bowls or glasses; ladle soup over ice. If desired, serve with lime wedges and/or green onions to garnish.

Dinner needs to be simple tonight!

When you are trying to take back control of your eating and workout goals, cooking gourmet just doesn’t cut it. There is an old saying, K.I.S.S. – “Keep it simple silly (well, it technically is stupid, but I don’t like that word).

Thankfully, it is summer – heat up the grill, and grill your dinner tonight. No fuss, little mess and yummy food.

SO…here is a yummy, dinner menu that is simple, easy, and oh so yummy!

Meat Dish:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast marinated overnight

Mediterranean Marinade
1 1/2 cups olive oil, 1 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons oregano, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Side Dish:

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Place foil on the grill, spray with a little coconut oil spray. Then place the following on the foil.

Brussel sprouts washed and cut in half
Drizzle with olive oil (about 2 TBSP)
Sprinkle with Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

Dessert:

Grilled Pineapple

Ok, the easiest part of the evening: buy already sliced fresh pineapple rings or spears from your produce case. Place on the grill long enough to get some grill marks.

There…a simple, but very tasty meal. Increase the amount of chicken you grill, and that could be your meat for some of the salad for the upcoming days ahead.

The Trick to Making Salads a Week Ahead of Time and a Simple Salad Recipe

Sandra sent me this salad recipe awhile back. She said that she had no idea what to do for lunch one day, and needed to make it simple. So, she looked in her cupboard & fridge to see what she had – and here is what she came up with.

For the Salad:
• Bowl full of Mixed Greens
• ¼ c up chopped apple
• ¼ cup chopped zucchini
• Handful of raisins
• ½ cup chopped leftover turkey

For the dressing:
• 1 ½ TBSP of olive oil
• The juice from ½ can orange
• Dash of cinnamon
• Dash of red wine vinegar

Need help getting back into the swing of things, eating healthy again and to save you time in your busy schedule? The key is to plan out your meals in advance and prepare them ahead of time if you can. Here’s a simple trick for preparing salads for you lunch for your work week on Sunday:

1. Get enough containers for each of your lunches you are preparing. Tall ones for the salads and small one for the dressings.

2. Wash and thoroughly dry all your greens you will be using. I mean thoroughly dry, no drop of moisture. Portion out all the greens for each days lunch.

3. Gather & prep all your ingredients you would like to use. Eating the same thing everyday can be boring and you will be more likely to eat something you shouldn't. So, VARY what you put in your salad.

4. The trick is to layer your salad. Place heaviest items in first. Items that sink to the bottom and crush the lettuce will make for soggy salads, as crushed veggies release moisture. The lettuce should be the last thing in the container.

5. Place nuts and fruit in separate bags and place on top of the salad container. Nuts absorb moisture and fruit contains a lot of moisture, so packing them separately is best.

6. Make your dressing(s) and place in the small separate containers.

7. Store all in the fridge.

How simple is that? This takes approximately 1 hour on a Sunday, and you have a week’s worth of lunch. This will save you time during your weekday mornings AND help get you back on track. There is now no excuse for going through the drive through or hitting those vending machines.

Take Back Control

You were doing so well, you were going to the gym regularly, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, getting things done, had lots of energy, and then BAM! Life hits. Whether it was illness, life events, a work crisis or emotional struggles, we have all been there. It is easy to grab take out or that bag of chips, it is easy to sleep in just a few minutes longer and skip the workout. You know you will feel better if you just do those WOD’s or cook Paleo tonight, but you just don’t have the motivation. What can you do? Well, sometimes you just have to let it all play out. Do the best you can, and try to do some of those things that you know will help. The main important things to do are to sleep, hydrate, and eat healthy. Make those the top priorities and deal with those life issues.

But, when you are ready, how do you TAKE BACK CONTROL and get back on track?

1. Take an honest look at what happened. Look at the triggers for poor eating, lack of sleep and skipping workouts. Knowing these triggers will help you in the future when life hits again.

2. Take a moment to reflect on WHY you live a healthy lifestyle. Look at what your priorities are/were. Revisit your goals again. Knowing your goals, where you want to be, and why you want to be there, will help motivate you to get back on track.

3. Re-focus. Look at the extra stuff in your life. See what you can cut out. Have intense focus on the priorities of working out, sleeping and eating right. Do these things no matter what it takes. Perhaps you cut out TV, going out with friends, etc. for awhile, just to get the important things back into your life on a regular basis.

4. JUST DO IT. Even if you don’t feel like it, do it. Studies have shown it takes 3-4 weeks for a habit to form (roughly 21 days). Of course, this varies from person to person, but the idea here is repetition. The more you repeat a behavior, the more it becomes a habit. You don’t have to have your heart into it at firs. JUST DO IT. The more you do it, the more you will begin to see the benefits, and before you know it, your motivation returns.

5. Plan. Get your planner out and put in the items you NEED to do. Workouts, meal planning, sleep, grocery shopping, ordering your CSA or Farm items. Think through what you do to keep yourself healthy and put it in your planner. If you plan, you know it is coming, and it will help you to DO those things you need to do.

6. We are our own worst enemies sometimes. We place pressure on ourselves as to where we SHOULD be rather, than where we are. So, check your ego at the door. Don’t be so hard on yourself if you are not where you USED to be. Remember, it took you some time to get there. Suck it up…and do your best with where you are at – give it your all. That is all your trainer asks of you, and that is all you can do.

7. Get back to the basics. Have your trainer help you assess where you are at and what you can do. Stays hydrated with water, and keep your diet to simple, Paleo foods. Recipes should be simple. Snacks should be easy and simple, save the gourmet dinners to a later time when you have more motivation. Get these three things into your daily routine quickly, and I think you will begin to see results again.

It’s your life, take control back!