By August, I usually find myself exhausted by the constant oppressive summer heat. The sweltering heat drains all the energy out of my body and leaves me walking to work sluggishly. To combat this end-of-summer lethargy, I hydrate myself throughout the day by drinking water.
Drinking water is not the only way you can refuel your body during the summer. Many fruits and vegetables can help you meet 20 percent of your daily fluid needs. Also, doctors have proven that a diet rich in H20-loaded foods can prevent dehydration and foster a feeling of fullness without adding too many extra calories. Below are 8 fruits and vegetables that can help recharge your body:
While in the throes of the sticky days of summer, you don't need to heat up your kitchen to make a filling and gourmet meal. It's the perfect time for a healthy and filling salad.
If you purchase beer on a regular basis, you've probably noticed an uptick in the number of fruity beers (and I'm not talking about Schmitts Gay). Fruit flavors such as lime, blueberry and strawberry have been invading the suds on our shelves at an alarming rate, and even the big boys are getting in on the action: this summer America's #1 selling beer, Bud Light, introduced Bud Light Lime and Warsteinner (who takes great pride in brewing according to the German Purity of Law of 1516) introduced "Premium Mixes" consisting of 60% beer and a 40% mixture flavored as Orange, Lemon or... achem... Cola.
However, the most interesting and inspired fruit infusion experiments are still happening on the craft beer level. Smaller breweries originally jump started the trend during the formative years of American craft brewing in the early '90s. While macro-breweries were trying to juggle members of the mass market, microbreweries were carefully carving out niches. Fruit flavors originally appeared in domestic craft beers as a novelty but the trend not only stuck, it's growing. Why? Well, yes, they can be more quaffable (which is probably why Anheuser Busch and Warsteiner jumped on the boat), but so is a wine cooler or a Midori Sour. The true secret behind the trend: Fruit is the great equalizer, a flavor for the proletariat!
On the Fourth, I went with my parents and my boyfriend to pick blueberries, and we came home with 20 lbs. of them. Apparently, we're not the only ones with blueberries on the brain, since the food blogs have been teeming lately with lovely blueberry delights (even this one, see?). Here are a few of my favorites posts -- those that are in the running for using up the remaining 8 lbs. of blueberries in my refrigerator: blueberry gelato from Coconut & Lime
Grilled fruit is a healthy alternative dessert, and easy in the summer when the grill is already going. Almost any fruit can be grilled as long as it holds its shape through the process. smaller fruits can be skewered along with chunks of larger fruits. A side of sauce or cream for dipping is a good addition to your caramelized treats, as well as a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Trying this out couldn't be easier. Get some ripe pears and peaches but not too ripe. Quarter, core, and peel each one into four wedges. Grill until caramelized and smoky, and serve with a small mound of whipped cream on the side. I grilled the ones pictured here earlier in the day and then hid them in the fridge for later. No one complained about not having cookies or cake that night!
It seems like every other post on my favorite food blogs these days involves some sort of jam -- fruit, spice, anything! Here's a round-up of some particularly fetching jam finds on the blog circuit:
Are you an avid tea drinker looking for a different way to enjoy your tea this summer? A lot of tea drinkers go iced in the warm summer months, some even adding lemonade to their iced tea, but there is an even colder way to enjoy your tea in the summer months if you enjoy green tea: smoothies!
Below you will find the recipe for my personal summer tea concoction, which will require matcha (powdered green tea). Matcha is high in caffeine content compared to regular steeped tea, so you may not want to indulge in one of these smoothies too late in the day.
INGREDIENTS 1 tsp matcha (powdered green tea) 4 oz. cup of fruit-flavored yogurt (Light 'n Fit works well, low in sugar) frozen strawberries (or other desired fruit) frozen peach slices (or other desired fruit) apple juice
Strawberry Shortcake, the artificial strawberry-scented ragamuffin of my 80s girlhood, has gotten a makeover. The new Strawberry Shortcake loses the bloomer in favor of mini skirts or strawberry print capris for a look that's less Raggedy Ann, more a less risque Bratz doll. She even packs a cellphone.
But most importantly, the new Strawberry Shortcake and Friends focuses on fruit, not dessert. Old Strawberry Shortcake lived in a shortcake. Now she lives in a strawberry. Owner American Greetings Properties says they're "downplaying" characters that don't stick to the fruit theme as well. What's going to happen to Angel Cake, Ginger Snap and Banana Candy? Is this like the time they Sesame Street decided to make Cookie Monster say "cookies are a sometimes food?" Guess nobody wants to be caught getting kids hooked on sweets in the middle of an obesity crisis.
I didn't grow up eating rhubarb very much. I remember one spring when my parents discovered that we had a patch of it growing in the back yard and cut it down, but by the following spring, we weren't living in that house anymore, so no more rhubarb for us. It wasn't until I moved to Philly and started shopping at Farmers' Markets did I start exploring the wonderful world of rhubarb. And now I adore it.
This picture comes from Flickr user Lelonopo. She's been having a terrific time with rhubarb this season, turning it into drinks, cakes and breads. Deliciousness! Thanks for adding your image to the pool, Lelo!
It's (unofficially) summer now and a lot of us are looking for dessert recipes for the season. I know a lot of people want dishes that don't require much cooking, that are simple to prepare, and that are still elegant and tasty. In an answer to that, The Kitchn has put together a list of nine simple, easy and elegant summer dessert recipes just for you.
My personal favorite recipe from the post is the berries macerated in liquor with whipped cream. The recipe for pears baked with lemon stilton also sounds delicious. All of the desserts presented promise to be quick and use (for the most part) pantry staples. They also all look amazing. Check it out for some great summer dessert ideas.
Plums won't be here for a couple more months, but this image was far too pretty to wait until later in the season. It's a nice reminder that plums come in many different colors, a fact we sometimes forget because grocery stores typically carry only the purple ones. It gets me excited for the coming of the summer fruit!
It sits alone and untouched at the end of a long buffet table -- a bowl full of apples and bananas, maybe a seedy orange tossed in as an afterthought. Don't let your fruit salad meet this awful fate, spruce it up instead!
Are you a fan of bad puns and fresh produce? Ho, boy, do we have a fashion line for you.
FoodTee.com features t-shirts, canvas bags, aprons and camis with pics of produce and cute accompanying slogans (a pic of cherries reads "no sugar added" and a radish simply reads, "rad"). Cute, eh? Although the "stalker" slogan aside the stalk of celery is a little creepy.
If you purchase a bag or tee for your favorite all-natural friend, a portion of the proceeds go to Food Studies, Two Angry Moms, and Better School Food, all of which support child education on nutrition and good eating habits.
And that's, to borrow a slogan from the cucumber shirt, pretty cool.
What a fantastic idea: splitting waffles into individual squares and filling them with chutney! Genius.
The recipe comes to us from Vegalicious, and you'll find a recipe for the waffles as well as for the chutney.
Hmm - what if we can't find papayas? Perhaps mangoes would be a good substitute?
And just a reminder: this is most definitely a vegan recipe, so the recipe calls for "egg replacements" instead of eggs, as well as soy milk and soy margarine. And before you go changing the ingredients to real-milk products, try it vegan! You might just like it...
When I was growing up, once every eight weeks or so, my dad would surrender to our cajoling, drag out the waffle iron, and create some of the best waffles. Even the waffles I now make for myself (still on a every-other-month schedule) just don't compare. However, I think that I've discovered a waffle that might just best my dad's fare, as these waffles look crisp, have good, deep wells (all the better to hold your maple syrup) and also contain raspberries. Be still my heart.
This image comes to us from Meliass and she's got the recipe up on her blog, The Boastful Baker (her recipe also comes from her dad. Are waffles a father thing?).
By August, I usually find myself exhausted by the constant oppressive summer heat. The sweltering heat drains all the energy out of my body and leaves me walking to work sluggishly. To combat this end-of-summer lethargy, I hydrate myself throughout the day by drinking water. 
If you purchase beer on a regular basis, you've probably noticed an uptick in the number of fruity beers (and I'm not talking about Schmitts Gay). Fruit flavors such as lime, blueberry and strawberry have been invading the suds on our shelves at an alarming rate, and even the big boys are getting in on the action: this summer America's #1 selling beer, Bud Light, introduced Bud Light Lime and Warsteinner (who takes great pride in brewing according to the German Purity of Law of 1516) introduced "Premium Mixes" consisting of 60% beer and a 40% mixture flavored as Orange, Lemon or... achem... Cola.
On the Fourth, I went with my parents and my boyfriend to pick blueberries, and we came home with 20 lbs. of them. Apparently, we're not the only ones with blueberries on the brain, since the food blogs have been teeming lately with lovely blueberry delights (even this one, 
It seems like every other post on my favorite food blogs these days involves some sort of jam -- fruit, spice, anything! Here's a round-up of some particularly fetching jam finds on the blog circuit:
Are you an avid tea drinker looking for a different way to enjoy your tea this summer? A lot of tea drinkers go iced in the warm summer months, some even adding lemonade to their iced tea, but there is an even colder way to enjoy your tea in the summer months if you enjoy green tea: smoothies!
Strawberry Shortcake, the artificial strawberry-scented ragamuffin of my 80s girlhood, has gotten a makeover. The new Strawberry Shortcake loses the bloomer in favor of mini skirts or strawberry print capris for a look that's less Raggedy Ann, more a less risque Bratz doll. She even packs a cellphone. 
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
