Easy Does It – Summer Tips by Mary Ann

Easy Does It!

Well the weather is finally getting warmer and it’s time to mentally be prepared for summer barbecues & picnics. Picnics- prepare and keep it simple- Have fun! Here’s the start of my food list for 2014 that will make a picnic or barbecue fun.

Keep it colorful and you’ll be smiling at all of your barbecues. These are some of my favorites.

Fresh fruit bowl – cut up a variety of your favorite summer fruits- choose from watermelon, cantaloupe, muskmelon, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, sliced kiwi, mango.

Cut vegetables – cut up a variety of vegetables & make a Gt mayo or grapeseed oil vegannaise dip by adding dill or Litehouse salad herbs or garlic & onion. Mix it up- choose from carrots, cut mini sweet pepper halves (yellow, orange, red), sugar snap peas, radish halves, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower or other vegetables from your garden.

Guacamole – use your favorite recipe-keep it clean. Avocados, cilantro, onion, tomato, garlic, GT green chili or harrisa EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)or jalapeño peppers, juice of a lime over the top. Dippers- dehydrated chili peppered zucchini, sweet potato, eggplant chips. Or broccoli, cauliflower, sliced cucumber, chunks of sweet peppers(green, red, orange).

Spinach Dip – 2 pkgs frozen chopped spinach. Thaw & squeeze out most of the liquid. Add GT mayo or grapeseed oil vegannaise, chopped onion (red, green or white), diced radishes or water chestnuts, diced red min sweet peppers. Serve w/any vegetables mixing up the color.

Potato Salad – boil, cube potatoes of your choice, diced onion, celery, chopped boiled eggs add GT mayo or grapeseed oil vegannaise. Sprinkle your favorite seasoning & mix (I like ground celery seed) & sprinkle paprika on top for color. Put a few sprigs of parsley around the edges.

Broccoli Salad– broccoli tops, red sweet peppers, diced red onions, GT mayo or grapeseed oil vegannaise w/a few drops of stevia for sweetness. Optional to add raisins.

Barbecued Chicken – chicken on the grill w/ barbecue sauce. Or cooked, shredded chicken in a crock pot w/ barbecue sauce. It’s very convenient to keep baked chicken in the freezer to use for a fast barbecue. Keep small containers of homemade barbecue sauce in the freezer- it lasts a long time. I love browning it over meat on the grill.

Grass fed hamburgers, steaks – grilled. Sometimes I season my burgers with Spice House Arizona seasoning before cooking. Top with guacamole & halved grape tomatoes & raw onion and optional grated Monchego goat cheese on top.

Cold chicken salad – 1 chicken breast, 3 stalks of celery, 1 apple, 1 TBSP of GT mayo or grapeseed oil vegannaise. Can substitute grapes & walnuts, or add diced onions. Eat as is or over a bed of greens. This was a favorite of my coach and took me through my first summer. I kept a bowl in a cooler for traveling and I loved it.

Whatever you put on your summer list – mix it up and add to it. Then no thinking involved – just a fun summer ahead with plenty to choose from!

Until next time~ Easy does it!

Mary Ann, GT Client