I’m in the home stretch, friends. Manuscript is due on Monday which means that, although I love hanging out with you, we’re going to have to make this visit quick today because I have a boatload of writing to finish. Although if my editor is reading this post, have no fear, I am totally on schedule! 😉
Sadly, this is our last week together as a family of five. 🙁 My older daughter is going away to a summer study program next week and then she’s going directly to school. So that means I have to cook some good stuff for her this week before she has to eat dining hall food every day. The peach pie jars are her favorite and really easy to whip up. We don’t eat dessert after dinner during the week as a rule, but this peach dessert is so clean and the peaches are INSANE right now. Plus, I’m being a cool mom this week.
Here’s your dinner planner for the week:
Five Friday Favorites are back! I usually revolve this series of posts around what I am teaching in my classes, but I am taking July off this year because I need to finish my book manuscript by August 1st. Almost done! After I turn in my book, I am headed to Long Island to relax with my family. Lots more healthy recipes to come, not to worry!
Here are some things I am loving lately and a great tip for cleaning anything that has burnt and stuck onto your pans. My students love this tip! Have a great weekend!
How sad is it that I never had an avocado until I was in college? Not even guacamole. I mean, what kind of a life is that? Fast-forward I’m-not-going-to-tell-you-how-many-years later, I eat avocados almost every day. I am crazy about the texture and flavor, and they go with everything. Avocados are so amazing for your health — the fats are the best kind, so fresh and pure. Recently, a few people have asked me to share my skincare regimen. I am thinking about writing a post about it, but until then, avocados are an incredible beauty food! Avocados can promote supple skin because they moisturize from the inside out. They are also rich in glutamine, a powerful antioxidant which can help with anti-aging.
After the cookbook shoot, I found myself with tons of fresh veggies and herbs that weren’t used. So this week I am playing a game with myself called, “How to Not Grocery Shop.” I’ve done this before and it’s definitely a challenge to use only what I have on hand, but I also think it’s kind of fun to force myself to get creative. I am not expecting you to follow my wacky menu this week, so I put together a bunch of great summer dinners for you right here. Let me know if you have questions about substitutions!
Here’s your dinner plan for this week:
Forgive me, but I’ll have to be brief today! We just finished shooting the cookbook this week and I was focused only on that. Over the next few short weeks, I have to finish writing the book. I am really excited to share these recipes with you, as well as all the great tips and tricks I teach in my classes. The book is titled “Fresh Start” because I feel like everyone has moments when they want to reset with a new beginning. The good news is that we are always given a fresh start every day. It’s never too late to take control of your health and take care of yourself. I’ll help you learn what you need to know to be the healthiest that you can be and it all starts with what you eat and cooking your own food.
Today’s recipe is a version of one of my favorite breakfasts, Bircher Muesli, a very digestible soaked oat and fruit porridge. The texture is wonderful with soft rolled oats, crunchy nuts and chewy bits of dried fruit. I am crazy about this strawberry bircher which is even more delicious than the original. I blended fresh strawberries into the yogurt mixture and swapped dried strawberries for the raisins. It has a bright, berry flavor and is satisfyingly filling. There’s nothing better than waking up in the morning knowing that breakfast is already made and is a good one!
You can eat this right out of the refrigerator or transfer some into a jar and take it to work and eat it at room temp. In the winter, you can even heat the bircher over the stove for a warm version. I went a little crazy on the toppings in these images, but that’s how I like to eat it, especially since berries are so amazing right now and they are antioxidant bombs! The beginning of every day is your chance to wake up to a clean slate. And this recipe is the perfect place to start!
I eat salads all year, but I eat them much more often in the summer when my family finds it perfectly acceptable to eat a salad as a meal. I have also trained my husband to no longer ask “where’s the meat?” Or chicken. He has really come around to a more plant-based way of eating. At least at breakfast and dinnertime. Wink, wink.
Thank you for all the well wishes and gracious comments on my last post. I am really excited to be working on this cookbook, although I will have a super busy summer. I have a great team in place to help me shoot the recipes for the book this week. We actually just started and I will likely not be cooking much this week since we eat whatever I’ve made on the set. But I will never forget that you are still looking for inspiration for your meal plans this week! Here are some lovely recipes to help you out:
