Quick & Healthy Summer Meal

Summers as much as we'd like them to be relaxing, oftentimes are not. Moms are running around shuffling kids from summer camp to sleepovers. My husband starts two-a-day football practices in August and I have to keep him eating healthy and quick because he is always trying to get work done.

On this night in particular, I had some pre-seasoned BBQ chicken, frozen corn, cucumbers and extra Mexican Crema. I decided to put the chicken in the oven and while that was baking, I decided to make a fresh cucumber salad.


Dill-Cucumber Salad

1 large English cucumber
1/4 cup Mexican Crema (sour cream, plain yogurt or Creme Fraiche)
1 tsp dill
pinch salt
pinch pepper

First thing you need to do is slice the cucumber and place the slices in a colander covered in salt. This will help release the moisture inside the cucumbers so your salad isn't runny. Let the cucumber slices sit for 15 minutes. In the meantime, combine your crema and spices- place that into the fridge to chill. Once cucumbers are drained and rinsed, pat them dry with a paper towel. Add slices to the crema, smother and let chill in fridge.

Onion-Garlicky Corn

1 cup corn
1 clove garlic
1/4 yellow onion
salt
pepper

Chop up onion and garlic, place into a saute pan with olive oil. Once onions are golden, add corn, turn heat down and cover. A few minutes later add salt and pepper, cover until ready to serve.

Once the chicken is ready, plate the corn top with chicken and put the cucumber salad into a separate dish to keep the crema from getting on the other dish items.

This dish is a perfect summer dish, pair with some pinot grigio, moscato d'asti or Shiner Bock's Ruby Red summer beer!

Enjoy! xo Lo

Lunches On The Go-Go!

During the week most people think of lunch last. I'm here to help you make a fast yet healthy lunch that you can grab on the go or take to work.

Beans & Rice with Cheese

1 can of black beans
1 cup Basmati rice
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Boil your water and add your rice with a pinch of salt. Put beans in a saucepan and heat up until they are nice and bubbly. Shred your cheddar cheese, set to the side for final topping. Once rice is done, spoon into a bowl, top with beans and finally, top with cheese. The cheese will start to melt and create a cheesy, bean goodness. This meal is stacked with protein, calcium and a healthy dose of carbs.

Grilled Italian Panini

two slices of bread
leftover veggies (cooked, from a previous meal)
sliced turkey
swiss cheese
olive oil
almonds
cookies

For this panini, my husband was on his way home for lunch and he was super hungry. I knew I had leftover zucchini, squash and onion, along with a little bit of swiss cheese, whole wheat bread and sliced turkey. I started by lightly drizzling the outside of the bread and placing on the panini press. I heated up the leftover veggies and turkey in a saute pan. Then I placed slices of cheese onto the slices of bread, added the veggies and the turkey- combined both slices and put the press on top of the sammy. After a few minutes the cheese had melted, which glued the sandwich together. I plated the sandwich with some almonds and homemade Snickerdoodles. My husband loved the panini!

Follow these recipes and surely you can create a homemade fast, delicious lunch when you've got to go-go!

xo Lo