Category Archives: All blog posts

Watermelon Salsa

In June 1998 I ran my first marathon. My best friend and I hopped on a flight to San Diego after training for 3 months with the Atlanta chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. The training was rigorous. The race was the inaugural Rock n Roll marathon which has since become infamous for a number of reasons. 1) It was hot. Reeeeeeally hot. 2) It started late, complicating the heat issue and also causing ridiculous lines for the bathrooms at the start. 3) They ran out of water at the first several water stops because more runners than usual took water at the early stops due to the late start. Not an auspicious beginning, eh? Actually, as a first time marathoner none of it mattered much to me. I was on a high from the first step to the last and had a terrific race. Yet after the race, after burning thousands of calories and able to justify ANY indulgence,  I oddly wanted only one thing. Watermelon. Thank God for room service! To this day, it seems when I’m really hot (and probably a little dehydrated as well), I crave watermelon! It’s the perfect food for a summer day – hydrating, naturally sweet, and cold. Yum.

Then, last summer, when I’d just had a baby and  was melting in July heat, my friend Kathleen brought dinner for our family. The main course was grilled chicken with watermelon salsa and it was amazing! I loved the contrast of this cool and crunchy salsa against the savory chicken. It took watermelon to another level altogether. Kathleen graciously shared the recipe with me so that I could share it with you.

Don’t have any marathons or babies in your immediate future? Me neither. But I do plan to make this salsa…often…this summer. I hope you will too.

 

Watermelon Salsa

 

Ingredients:

2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed, seeded watermelon

1 cup (1/2-inch) peeled, ripe mango

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp finely chopped seeded jalapeno (If the seeds touch your hands, wash them immediately before touching your eyes!)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to combine.

2. Serve over grilled chicken.

This entry was posted in All blog posts, Featured on Home Page, Food, Recipes on by .

Roasted (or Grilled) Summer Vegetables

I can’t say that a sweet potato is the first thing that comes to mind when someone says “summer vegetable,” but after the first bite you won’t care in which season those orange beauties belong, you’ll just be glad they’re on your plate! This dish would be every bit as good in a grill basket as it is in the oven so if it’s simply too hot to think about heating anything in your kitchen to 500 degrees, don’t say I didn’t give you an option! These vegetables can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them so they’re a great option for a busy weeknight (get them prepped the night before) paired with some grilled fish, or chicken, or even a steak. With this many veggies on your plate, you could even skip the salad if you were so inclined. Try this – let us know what you think!

 

Herb Roasted Summer Vegetables

 

Serves: 6

 

Ingredients:

2 pounds medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1″ wedges

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1″ wedges

1 red onion, cut into 1″ wedges

1/2 pound thick asparagus spears, cut into 1″ lengths

8 cloves garlic, coarsly chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/2″ slices.

3. In a large bowl combine potatoes, bell peppers, onion, and asparagus. Toss with garlic, rosemary, thyme, and oil.

4. Pour vegetables onto a rimmed baking sheet (use two if it is too crowded). Sprinkle with salt.

5. Bake vegetables for 10 minutes in the center of the oven. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake 10 minutes longer, or until potatoes are tender.

This entry was posted in All blog posts, Featured on Home Page, Food, Recipes on by .

Seasons 52

Four years ago I put this restaurant on my “must try” list. This month I was able to cross it off – don’t you love it when that happens?

When I attended the Corporate Athlete training program at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando back in 2007, my favorite nutrition instructor recommended that we check out a restaurant in the area called Seasons 52. We weren’t able to get reservations that week, but her suggestion stuck with me. When my family and I were in Orlando two weeks ago, my husband and I managed to get a table and it was, in a word, fabulous.

The instructor had billed it as a restaurant that really got it right when it came to healthful eating – delicious fresh food, beautifully prepared and presented, with reasonable portions. And, they’d pioneered a concept called “Mini Indulgences” in which they serve tiny portions of decadent desserts in shot glasses so you can end your meal with just a few bites of something really wonderful. I have a sweet tooth that does its best to run my life, so I just love this idea.  I also love that a number of restaurants have since picked up on it as well – after all, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

The menu changes with the seasons as the restaurant name indicates. We were there just a day or two after their summer menu had launched and it was simply fantastic.  Besides being able to count on fresh seasonal flavors, you’re also assured that no item on the menu has more than 475 calories. Portions are healthy but definitely not tiny! Why can’t every restaurant make this promise?

Between the two of us, we had:

BLT Flatbread applewood smoked bacon, organic arugula and summer tomatoes (shared before dinner with our friend)

Organic Tomato & Hass Avocado Salad with cilantro, organic arugula and grilled ciabatta

Caramelized Sea Scallops grilled and served with roasted asparagus and tomato-mushroom pearl pasta

Wood-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with herb polenta, broccoli, cremini mushrooms and shallot-Dijon glaze

Mini Indulgence Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

Mini Indulgence Key Lime Pie

Everything was really good, but those desserts were just amazing. If you have the opportunity to visit a Seasons 52 yourself, I can highly recommend it. And if you don’t live near one, there’s one piece of the concept you can easily replicate – the portion size. How to do it? Just split your meal with someone and share dessert with the table. Bon Appetit!

 

Note: Seasons 52 is actually owned by the Darden Group, famous for brands like Olive Garden and Red Lobster. Try it anyhow. :0)

This entry was posted in All blog posts, Featured on Home Page, Food on by .