Summer Favorites List
Summer’s in full swing! I’ve been kicking back and soaking up the sun with every chance I can get. The oppressive heat seems to have lifted here in the Midwest, which means it’s a whole lot more pleasant to be outside. (Hang on, I just checked the forecast and see some humid 90′s coming up. Oh well…)
I found a new swimsuit on sale last week (less than $20 and super cute!) so I’ve been going to the pool a little bit more when I have free time. I’m not much of a pool girl since chlorine and I don’t get along very well, so I usually just bring a book, relax, and soak up some vitamin D.
How about a new favorites list? I’ve been enjoying a lot of things lately—mostly the warm and sunny weather—but here are a few of my summertime faves right now.
1. I made this Blueberry Lime Smoothie after a trip to the pool and it was super refreshing! Ingredients: 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, 3-4 ice cubes, 1/2 cup (or so) unsweetened almond milk, 1 tablespoon raw cashews, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, 5 drops of stevia. That’s it!
2. I’m craving a lot of watery foods these days. Cucumbers, especially. Do you have any good recipes I should try?
3. This is my kind of soda.
4. On the fitness front, I can’t believe I’m saying this but…I think I’m becoming a runner! I’ve been slowly working at making it a habit over the summer and am starting to find my groove. (Read more about how I overcame my fear of fitness here.) In the past six weeks, I’ve run over 60 miles. I’m having fun tracking my mileage and routes thanks to MapMyRun.com.
5. I think part of the reason I’m liking running more and more is because it justifies my increased consumption of coconut water. Need those electrolytes, right? I wish I had a coconut tree in my backyard…
6. Of course, a big summer favorite right now is watching the London olympics! I like the diving and some of the track events, too. What’s your favorite event?
7. I’m super excited for my sister and nephew to come next week for a visit! My sister says he loves the kale chips from my book. If he likes those, I think he’ll love these apple chips, too.
8. I’ve been hard pressed to keep up with my two-books-a-month goal on the reading front. I’ve been busy with a lot of other projects (one of which you’ll hear about soon), but hope to kick the reading back into gear this month. Any book recommendations? If my summer could be spent reading books and reading books only, I think I’d be perfectly happy. (Well, I might need some coconut water to tide me over…)
9. Inspired by my friend Cara, I’ve been experimenting with using coconut oil on my skin for about a week just for more softness and an improved summer “glow.” I’ll report back with an update on any changes I notice soon.
10. This week’s favorite food photo? These babies. I want to eat my screen!
Your link to the soda just gave me a brilliant idea- coconut water + san pellegrino. So excited :)
I’ve been eating a lot of cucumbers lately also, and a recipe I created that was surprisingly good was combing cucumber and watermelon. Scoop the seeds out of the cucumber and cut into slices, combine with bite size pieces of watermelon, some very thinly sliced sweet onion, a little splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. My husband and I were amazed at how tasty this combination was!
From a gluten-free, dairy-free reader: Check out my book blog for suggestions that will keep you in book heaven this summer and all year ’round!
DJ: Sounds great. Thanks!! :)
Betsy: Amazing resource. Thanks for sharing! :)
Hi! That blueberry smoothie sounds delicious! And those cookies?…dangerous, lol!
I love coconut water as well and have been drinking it everyday…many times twice a day, lol. I’m not a huge fan of cucumbers, but my yoga teacher has recipe on her webpage for a “Cukamint Mocktail” that I think you might like: http://www.ayurvedaboston.com/
Happy summer :)
OMG, those cookies! You are evil for sharing. I mean, uh, thanks for sharing.
As for the coconut oil, this is kind of crazy but I did not bring it with me when I went on vacation last week because I figured it would be too messy in my luggage. Lo and behold my skin was a mess after not using it for 3 1/2 days, and a week later it is finally looking acceptable again.