It’s no surprise we’re talking about food today, right? (giggle giggle) We have some fantastic produce options here in southern California, and trust me when I say the Whitley family takes full advantage of this. Who knows how long we’ll be here, so I’m soaking up (devouring?) the sweet fruits and crisp veggies while I can. And, fantastic timing being pregnant because that is allllllllll I crave. Except for that moose tracks ice-cream we have in the freezer.
With the weather being so warm randomly I’ve been seeking out even more so recipes that don’t require me to turn on the oven. But when I must, any dish that reheats well gets an extra gold star. I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite recipes, (here is my recipe board on Pinterest).
In no particular Preggo Lady order, some recent favorite recipes:
Buffalo Chicken Tacos — these are truly fantastic!!!
Macaroni & Cheese — a cookbook staple if you crave “comfort food”
Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas — also fantastic ;)
Chicken a la Gloria — we had this Wednesday night, and let’s just say there was enough leftover for 1 lunch serving
Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup — super yum. And all the diced veggies included in the recipe were a nice surprise
Beef with Snow Peas — perhaps one of our top 5 favorites? So deliciously flavorful…
And two recipes I can’t wait to try: Basic Wedge Salad and Tomato Cream Sauce.
Summertime recipes are especially fun because as much as I truly love cooking and feeding my family well, I love gathering around the table. And summer recipes seem to get us all to the table so much quicker, perhaps because there’s less prep/cook time involved?
I think I’m going to wrap up this post with a confession: I’ve been eating this summer strawberry salad (above photo) basically every single day for two weeks now. Mixed greens, strawberries, walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette and feta crumbles.
What are your favorite summer recipes? Or better yet, include a link to the recipe in your comment! ;)
Yum! Love that kind of salad. I’m super into roasted or grilled veggies this spring… or anything with pineapple.
I had grilled pineapple on a burger recently, oh my… ;D
Favorite summer recipe… I don’t have a recipe link for it but it’s like this:
A big head of romaine lettuce + a can of black beans + a can of corn + shredded cheddar + cooked chicken mixed with barbeque sauce + peppercorn ranch salad dressing + avocado. Toss it all (add the avocado on top last so it doesn’t get smushed) and serve with tortilla chips (blue ones are fun) crumbled on top or else use them to scoop the salad up. So delicious – we call it Super Salad and eat it at least once a week all summer!
I’ll have to try a few you recommended. :)
Sarah! That sounds amazing!!!! We’ll have to try it soon :)
Let me know if you do! :)
One of my favorite summer meals is a roasted chicken & veggie salad. I do my prep in the morning when I get up so its finished before the temp starts to climb.
Drizzle chicken breast with olive oil and then sprinkle it with whatever seasonings you like (I love using Cavander’s All Purpose Greek – http://www.greekseasoning.com). Slice an onion in thick rounds, put the onion in a roasting pan and place the chicken breast on top of the onion. Bake at 400 for 30 min.
For the veggies I like using sweet onions (or shallots), zucchini, tomatoes and bell peppers. I toss those with olive oil and season as well, then just put them in a single layer on a pan and roast until tender.
The chicken and veggies go into the fridge when they’re done cooking to cool off. I take them out just before serving, dice up the chicken and toss that and the veggies with salad greens (usually a mixture of spinach and romaine) and whatever dressing or vinaigrette I’m in the mood for. If I have them on hand, I’ll add fresh berries and feta.
I’m an “everything AND the kitchen sink” salad maker so I tend to make lots of salads using leftovers – taco meat, shredded pork, chicken, steak, potatoes, pretty much anything tossed over salad greens makes me happy.
I love a good apple + chicken salad on a hot day. But another thing I love about Summer is cooking out.
We recently got a new fire pit that doubles as a charcoal grill, so we’ve been enjoying some amazing grilled corn the past few weeks. And of course no fire is complete without some S’mores (except we substitute Reese cups for the chocolate).
Sounds so delish! We love grilling and it’s something we miss having! :)