Summer in our area of the South is more often than not; HOT, HAZY, and HUMID. Although we aren't in the deep South, the misery factor still prevails. None of us can take the heat and humidity. With all of us suffering from asthma issues, we try to stay in during the hottest part of the day.
The heat and humidity effects us in another way. It effects what we want to eat. We don't want anything really hot and nothing heavy. We like light, cold foods. So today, I thought I would share some of my tips for preparing food on those hot summer days.
One of the biggest things I do is to try to avoid heating up the house by using the oven. Summer is the perfect time to take full advantage of your grill, crock pot, stove top, microwave, and toaster ovens - if you have one. Another way to avoid heating up the house is to serve cold foods.
When it comes to summertime grilling there are so many different kinds of food to choose from. Steak, chicken, pork chops, and shrimp are good light meat choices for summertime grilling. Of course, hamburgers and hot dogs are always an option. The wealth of summertime veggies are also a great option. Add a cold pasta salad to grill meats and veggies, you have a great summertime meal.
If you still want to have roast beef, pork roast, or baked chicken; put them in your crock pot instead of the oven. This will help keep the house cool and use less electricity. It takes a little planning, but well worth the effort in trying to keep your house cool.
The stove top is another option, but it can make the cook hot. Frying meats is another option to putting it in the oven. Whether it is in a little butter or some sort of oil. Pasta is a good thing to keep on hand during the summer. It comes to a boil and boils for a short time, which means little heating. There are a wide variety of pasta salad recipes out there to choose from.
Although I seldom use my microwave, it is a great option to use in the summer. You can bake potatoes in one. It is also good for popping popcorn which is a wonderful summertime snack. If you are looking for some microwave meal recipes, here is a link to some healthy meals ideas.
If you have a toaster oven, you can find all kinds of things you can fix in it besides toast. It is also is more energy efficient than the oven. I found a great website with some great meal ideas for the toaster oven. You can find it here: Toaster Oven Recipes.
More often than not on those really, really hot days with high humidity, DH doesn't want anything warm. So I opt for cold foods and meals. One of our favorites is smoked beef sausage served with cheese and crackers. I add some raw veggies with dip and a cold watermelon/cantaloupe. This meal is filling and best of all cold.
One of the best tips I can give you is to take full advantage of all the summertime goodies available at the farmer's market or your grocery store. There are so many fresh veggies to choose from, not to mention fruits. It is a wonderful way to slip in those healthy eating items with little fuss from anyone. There is nothing better than homegrown tomato slices or fresh peaches with a little sugar.
I hope these ideas help to spark some creativity in you when it comes to cooking those summertime meals. Tomorrow I will share some of our favorite and go to summertime meals.
Living life simply and enjoying every minute of it!
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