Like a nice summer meal
Hi friends 🙂 Thanks for all of your awesome feedback (and tips!) on our first 5k together. I can’t wait to run more races together as a family, whether they’re night races or later in the fall when it starts to cool down. For now, if want to run, it’s going to have to be on the treadmill or wicked early (I think we all know which option I’ll choose). There’s also the option of night running, but I’m not sure how I feel about that. We have too many wild creatures…
As far as the family activities go, we have to get a little creative with adventures during the AZ summers. Anywhere with AC always sounds like a good option, as well as froyo or swimming with friends. Yesterday after the sun started to go down, Liv and I sprayed the hose and splashed around in her water table to cool off 🙂
It definitely felt like summer, which was exemplified by this casual dinner.
A grilled meal of corn on the cob, veggie packs and chicken sausage.
I put together the veggie packs earlier in the afternoon with zucchini, local tomatoes, onion, butter, sea salt, pepper and fresh rosemary from our little garden.
The corn soaked for about 45 minutes before the Pilot put them on the grill (it keeps the husks from catching fire), and the chicken sausage was prepared by slicing open the package 😉
Corn fixin’s:
It was Livi’s first time trying corn on the cob and she was a huge fan. I loved her little face covered in smoked paprika as she kept saying, “Bite? Bite please?!”
Since we were at the Desert Museum on Sunday, yesterday was also my prep day for the week. Liv and I went to grab groceries:
I made some turkey muffins for protein power:
(recipe to come!)
beloved Paleo bread,
chopped some veggies for salads,
and made 3 jars worth of fresh salsa.
Quite a few people asked for the recipe, but it’s very much based on this favorite by the Pioneer Woman. I come from a long line of salsa fanatics, and whenever I make PW’s salsa for a family event, everyone asks for the recipe. It’s that good. But the trick is to have very fresh salty chips for dipping, even though it tastes good off a spoon, too.
Tonight we’re taking it easy since Liv got her shots today. I’m also putting together the week 2 workout post so it can go out on Friday!
Hope you’re enjoying the night! <3
xoxo
Gina
What’s a dish that you love to make for family gatherings and get-togethers? What’s a casual, delicious meal you’ve enjoyed lately?
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I’ve never made my own salsa before, but I looooove fresh canned salsa. A gym member had an organic farm, and would always bring in the best tasting jars of salsa! So good.
I made BLTA (turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado) sandwiches with roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus last night. It was SO easy and absolutely delicious! Grilling everything and anything is another favorite during the summer months!
I have a great recipe for pound cakes with fresh berries in them. They’re always so good, no matter what I’m using in them – raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, or blackberries. I’ve gotten tons of compliments on them.
I want a Liv! She sounds so precious :). I’m always so impressed by all the food prep you do! I wish I had that much commitment 😉
YUM! Grilled corn on the cob and veggie packs sound AMAZING! 🙂
mmmm, I can’t wait to start grilling veggies! we finally have sun after a week of non-stop rain, so it will be happening soon 🙂
I made a delicious creamy black forbidden rice pudding for breakfast yesterday with roasted peaches and pecans. It’s my new favorite!
Looking forward to the recipe for those turkey muffins, they look pretty delicious! Love all the fresh summer inspired food in this post too, grilling season is my favorite!
Just making sure that since i signed up last week for SSU, i will get the rest of the workouts without signing up again?
I also make salsa for gatherings. People now request it, and a friend has named my salsa “Chalsa”: Chelsea’s salsa 🙂
Those turkey muffins sounds interesting!
I think I will try out your bread too.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi there! i would love to know what a typical grocery haul looks like for you all – are there things that you always buy??
Yum those veggie packs look delish! My fave family meal is garlic shrimp pasta with cherry tomatoes and basil.
Checking in for workout #2! 20 minutes of steady state (biking outside), which is more than i wanted to do after yesterday. So sore!
Since you’re Mexican, u should get your recipe from family, not a white country lady:)
In my family, there are no “recipes”: you watch, learn, and in my case, try to make it and it never turns out the same way. Anyway, who said white people can’t make good salsa?
PW salsa is the bomb diggity. Who cares if she’s white, her recipes are awesome!
I too love PW’s salsa and pico!!
I grilled veggie packets tonight too! Zucchini, onions, carrots, and mushrooms with garlic oil, S&P, and a mix of oregano, rosemary, and sage from my potted garden. So good with turkey burgers!
I grilled veggie packets tonight too! Zucchini, onions, carrots, and mushrooms with garlic oil, S&P, and a mix of oregano, rosemary, and sage from my potted garden. So good with turkey burgers!
Just wondering how long you think the salsa lasts in the fridge? I love pw salsa, it’s my families fav!!!
That salsa looks so delicious
30 minutes of cardio on the stair stepper!
I just made my first batch of Paleo Bread….I am a big fan! Delish- thanks for sharing the link 🙂
Mmmm that salsa looks delicious! I also need to try the paleo bread ASAP!
My go to dish to bring for a group event is salad – typically spinach, strawberry, green apple/pear, walnuts with a raspberry vinaigrette (I prefer salads so I can sneak in some greens). A casual delicious meal I’ve enjoyed lately is broiled salmon brown rice and bok choy – simple easy delicious 🙂
We’ve been having a lot of salsa in our house lately with all those yummy tomatoes from the farmer’s market! My go-to dish for family parties is usually somen salad because it’s so easy to make, but it’s so yummy!
I am so jealous on your weather!! I am ready for summer! The grill meal looks so easy and delicious. I am excited for the chicken muffins recipe! I baked some a few weeks ago and loved them, curious how yours will be!
All that grilled food looks so good! Love summer grilling! 🙂
I moved to Texas last August from Wisconsin and these hot, dry summers take some getting used to! Definitely have to choose the right time of day to venture outside for more than a few minutes.
Last summer my go-to contribution for gatherings was homemade salsa. I just kind of made up my own recipe. It was a hit every time so I stuck with it! 🙂
How do you get your rosemary to survive? I do so well with all my herbs, but I’ve now killed three rosemary plants! 🙁
i have to drown it with water twice a day
Those veggie packs look AH-mazing (as does the rest of the food!) We have been enjoying grilling out salmon, steak and chicken lately usually paired with a big foil bag of cut up potatoes with pepper and onion or fresh cut veggies. I think I like how you do the foil bags individually, though, especially since the hubs dislikes onion and love onion.
Grilled summer meals are the best, especially when there’s fresh corn on the side! I love how simple they are! Good fresh salsa just cannot be beat. I definitely eat it right off the spoon all the time!
Grilled summer meals are the best, especially when there’s fresh corn on the side! I love how simple they are! Good fresh salsa just cannot be beat. I definitely eat it right off the spoon all the time!
Thanks for posting the recipe!! I LOVE fresh salsa. We always buy Jacks at the grocery store, but that gets expensive. SO making this next week!!
YOu mentioned “very fresh salty chips”, which do you recommend?? I too make the PW salsa alot and take it gatherings and everyone, I mean EVERYONE asks for the recipe:)
PW salsa is the BEST. Actually all her recipes fit that description!
The chicken sausage looks fabulous…what brand did you use?
not sure, it was from whole foods
Do you use the suggested loaf pan size for the paleo bread, or a pan you had on hand already? Thanks!
i use regular loaf pans i have on hand
Gina, I just made the most amazing meal based on some of the recipes you’ve recently posted about. Mexican Bean Burgers!
I took the idea of the Mediterranean bean burgers and made burger patties with kidney beans, garlic and spring onions then added the spices used in the 20 minute turkey taco recipe. They were delicious! Served in a bun with baby spinach, grape tomatoes, a small slice of light cheese and to top it off I made a batch of the homemade salsa you linked to the other day and that was my sauce. AMAZING!