Food Friday: Hot Weather Cold Food

Despite my best efforts, many of my patients turned into hot messes this week. I’ve seen dehydration requiring hospitalization, kidney stones, preterm labor and urinary tract infections. All the wonderful summer activities have started and it has been over 90 degrees in the daytime. People are going and out and doing things and simply not keeping cool and hydrated. A couple days ago on Wednesday, I did a post about hydration. Today, I am going to highlight the cool summer foods. 

Main dishes do not have to be hot. They just have to be tasty and nutritious. Why heat up the kitchen ? Having said that, there are some foods like chicken which require cooking in bulk, and then refrigerating after. Today we will be thinking of food that can be served cold. 

 

Smoothies

Smoothies can be a meal if you are on the run. What make this successful are a couple things: the presence of protein, and a good large portable cup for your smoothy so you can take it with you. The fruit part of a smoothy is easy to make since you can use almost any fruit combination that you like. The challenge is adding enough protein that will not detract from the taste. Some non pregnant folks add raw egg, but this is not recommended. Egg whites powder can be obtained at a health food the store, as can whey and vegan protein powders. These classic protein powders are a good choice in moderation. To add more protein, kefir, a cultured milk, or plain yogurt is a good choice, conferring a pleasant tanginess to the smoothy. You can also add zing by lemon or lime juice, or even a teaspoon or so of frozen concentrated orange juice. Speaking of sweeteners, restrain yourself. Your sense of sweet will become more sensitive as you use less and less sweetener. Trust me. Half a banana per smoothly would be plenty. Do a tiny bit of agave if you must. 

Salads

Salads are an obvious choice in the summer. But let’s not restrict our thinking to leafy green salads. Salads can be made entirely without lettuce or fresh greens. In some ways in the summer, this is safer, since other vegetables spoil less readily. I call these hard salads.  This is because they are made with harder vegetables. Some people call these chopped salads. For example, we commonly make a salad of diced cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and various colors of peppers. It is tossed in a vinaigrette and keeps forever. This is akin to the classic bruschetta. 

You can also make a shredded hard salad from grated carrots and two colors of cabbage. Dress this in a creamy vinaigrette and you have a version of cole slaw, which might as well be called cold slaw since it is served cold. Do you add raisins ? Take a walk on the wild side.

Hard salads are not limited to vegetables. They can also be made from roots, such as diced carrots, beets, turnips, and even squash. Steam or roast these in advance, then toss in a boldly flavored vinaigrette. Throw in some peas for color and protein. Those who tolerate legumes can add canned beans. There is even a three bean salad in most picnic cookbooks. Get corn involved and one gets tantalizingly close to salsa when the tomatoes and peppers end up in the same salad. 

Notice I have have not strayed into the wheat, rice potato or pasta based salads. Those can be healthy for some with high energy requirements, (adolescents or athletes),  but most people do not need starchy storage foods such as these. 

Do add fish, chicken eggs and meat into your salads. These make them a meal. One caveat: Spice these complete proteins more than usual since the salad will dilute the flavor. Fresh sweet flavors like tomato paired with savory spiced meats are perfect for summer. An easy source of fish is canned salmon. Of course leftover meats and poultry from a large dinners can be used to round out a cold summer salad meal. Grilled foods also go well in salads, adding smoky flavor. 

Fruit Salads 

Finally, fruit salads make an ideal summer dessert. Fruits are in season and taste their best. Pair your fruit with a foil, a contrast, such as balsamic vinegar, or the more traditional cream. 

Stay cool in the kitchen this week as you celebrate. 

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.