Food Fridays: Summer Eating Digest

Summer cooking and eating is a special case. Here is a handy review post for you to access all of your summer tips I have written so far in one convenient place. Some are for safety, and some are for taste. You’ll be glad you looked at this quick review. Click on the links to see more. 

The Picnic Post:

http://drginanelson.com/drginablogs/2015/6/26/food-friday-picnics?rq=food%20safety

This has the most explicit information on food safety in the site, plus some helpful links. 

The Healthy Barbecue Post:

This is right on time for your next outing. There’s a fair amount here about how not to burn the house down or end up in the emergency room. 

http://drginanelson.com/drginablogs/2015/6/11/food-friday-healthy-barbecue-grilling-and-picnics?rq=barbecue

The Summer Drinks Post:

 You not find beer or sugary soda in this eclectic list. 

http://drginanelson.com/drginablogs/2015/7/10/food-friday-drink-?rq=cold%20drinks

The Cold Food Post:

This is a recent post here in case you missed it: 

http://drginanelson.com/drginablogs/2016/7/1/food-friday-hot-weather-cold-food?rq=cold%20food

The Salsa Post:

This is one of my favorite older posts I really enjoyed making: 

http://drginanelson.com/drginablogs/2015/9/10/food-friday-the-healthy-junk-food?rq=salsa

The Cold Dessert Post:

http://drginanelson.com/drginablogs/2015/8/28/food-friday-cold-desserts?rq=cold%20desserts

Anybody hungry yet ?

( My apologies to those in the Southern hemisphere who are in the middle of their winter.) 

Wellness Wednesday: Reclaim your Summer !

Setting Summer Goals 

I write this post as the beginning of summer approaches. I look forward to each summer as though I were a school child with a summer break instead of a physician with a steady job. All the same it is a special time, when children are more available, and when people are happily vacationing. We get an especially big dose of this spirit since we host guests in a vacation rental. They remind us of what summer is all about: excitement family, relaxation and adventure. 

To make sure you get all you can out of the summer, I suggest you plan. I suggest this since I am doing the same thing for myself right now. 

No matter your job, no matter your income, you should make sure to refresh yourself in this most sparkling of seasons. 

Here’s how.

1. Make a list of your summer goals. Make sure to include your goals in the following areas:

• Fitness- Set realistic SMART goals for fitness. Make sure to incorporate active summer sports into these goals. Likewise, plan ahead to get fit before that big hike, so you can enjoy it best. 
• Nutrition and Culinary- Make dishes you want to cook, eat and share, especially with fresh summer produce.
• People goals- Who do you want to see this summer ? Make time for reconnecting. 
• Project goals

Home improvement, garden, artistic- Take a summer themed classes, like water colors. Do some gardening. I believe everyone should garden, even if it is a nice tomato pot on the porch. 

Activities- Take advantage of the out of doors and the company of your kids. 

Staycations and Vacations - You can make time special right where you live, or strike out on the trail, for all day or all month as your circumstances allow. 

2. Consider making use of a wall calendar that comprises the whole summer. Block out the time so your goals are realistic.  Leverage your available technology to communicate and coordinate with others in your group of family and friends. 

3. Document your summer so you can best enjoy your memories later. Use photo, video, journalling, paper and mixed media scrapbooking or even digital scrapbooking. 

No matter your job or responsibilities,

summer is not just for kids.

Reclaim your adult summer !

The first day of summer is June 21st.

Make it your best yet.

Food Friday: Cool Dinners for Hot Days

It’s summer and the weather is hot. It’s great to turn to festive cold dishes. But they often contain lots of simple carbohydrates, which most of us should avoid. Here are some tips to help you avoid the same old sandwiches, crackers and pasta salads. 

Some recipes, especially these which are high in protein, require a little preparation in advance. 

With advance cooking: 

• Prepare any kind of meat, chicken or fish in surplus. Use in any of the following ways: 
• Season liberally and toss into a leafy green salad for a balanced meal, e.g Taco salad. Serve with fresh corn rather than chips.
• Season liberally and toss with firm vegetables such as cubed carrots, steamed broccoli, carrots, peas, corn, peppers, tomatoes. Dress with a vinaigrette in advance to marinate, flavor and soften. Add raw nuts to any salad but be sure about allergies. 
• Make wraps and include vegetable, garnishes, salsas and condiments. Consider rice, seaweed or iceberg lettuce wraps with toothpicks. 
• Use hard boiled eggs as a protein rich garnish to leafy salads, or mix with olive oil vinegar, mustard lemon and spices to make a rich dressing. Traditional Cobb Salad and Salade Nicoise are made this way. 
• Make an egg salad with lots of vegetables like celery, pickles, relishes, peppers, etc. 
• Make “meat” balls of chicken, meat or even fish (called gefilte fish traditionally), and serve on sticks with flavorful cold sauces for dipping. Find recipes that have high flavor since flavor is more subtle in cold dishes. 
• Make chicken salads, e.g. curried chicken salad or Waldorf salad. 

With no advance cooking: 

( Remember, deli meats are not for pregnant women.) 

• Meat deli trays.  
• Cheese Deli trays. 
• Smoked fish or poultry platter. Any of these can go with all the trimmings, i.e.fruits, vegetables, condiments. Try not to resort to all the crackers. Build hor d’oevres on slices of cucumber, small tomatoes halves or slices of firm cheese.
• Toss cubes of feta, mozarella or other cheese with leafy or firm vegetable salads. Dress attractively with flavored vinaigrette or a creamy homemade dressing. 
• Make cold fruit soup with a yogurt or kefir base. 
• Use canned salmon or your favorite canned meat fish or chicken to make spreads, dips and additions to salad. Think "tuna salad” but better. 

Once you’ve got a protein rich cold main dish figured out, it’s easy to think of cold side dishes. Make any kinds of fruit or vegetable salads; try your hand at a cold Gazpacho. Those who can tolerate legumes (beans, tofu, etc) can make many more protein rich dishes, though one must bear in mind that to constitute complete protein, legumes must be combined with whole grains. 

To keep your cool dinner healthy, steer clear of soda, fruit juices and excess alcohol. Lightly sweetened herbal iced teas flavored with lemon wedges and mint leaves are always appreciated. You can also use just a splash of fruit juice with cold and very economical club soda, at a fraction of the price of commercial gourmet sodas. 

Finally, cool desserts are easy. Try fresh berries, melon or pitted fruit with cow’s milk or coconut cream. If you are feeing ambitious, prepare an exotic sorbet. Simple reliable ice cream makers are commonly available these days at any big box store, and make your recipe into ice cream in 45 minute or less. Just remember to freeze the cylinder well in advance of using it.