When foods are colorful, and smell good they are always more appealing.  At this time of year the fruits and vegetables are at their peak.  In addition to using herbs and spices to add flavor, below are some summer ideas which are favorites in our family.  

Fish-poach in chicken stock or wine.  Add your favorite herbs to the liquid.  When the fish is cooked, carefully remove the fish and then boil down the liquid to make a sauce.

Or, top broiled fish with a fresh salsa of chopped vegetables such as; tomatoes, onions and peppers (bell or chili) or a fruit salsa such as mango with onion and white raisins. 

Meats-Grilling-Beef, Lamb or Pork-Cut meats into 1 inch cubes and marinate the meat in a wine vinegar with a little olive oil or spicy V-8 juice for at least 2 hours.  Have each family member make his or her own kebabs using the meat with cut up bell peppers, summer squash, onions, cherry or grape tomatoes, chunks of pineapple and mushrooms.  Lightly spray the vegetables with vegetable spray and grill the kebabs.  Another way to make these would be to make skewers of each vegetable and meat separately and after cooking remove them from the skewers let each person choose their food from a serving plate. 

 Chicken-boneless, skinless chicken breasts are healthy but can be dry if broiled alone.

They can be poached until almost done, removed from the liquid and placed on a grill.  Brush thawed concentrated orange juice on the breasts and broil until lightly browned.  Serve with a mix of brown & wild rice and a colorful fresh salad. 

 Hamburgers- use 92 or 90% fat ground beef, add raw or sautéed onions and chopped bell peppers, mix well and form into burgers.  The vegetables will give a flavor surprise and add moisture to the burger that is usually missing in lean burgers.  Serve on whole-grained buns. 

Vegetables-Cabbage-Coleslaw-add chopped fruit –pineapple, mango or apple are all good.  Make a dressing of unseasoned rice vinegar, olive or canola oil, 1 tsp sugar or sweetener, a sprinkle of celery seed and a pinch of salt & pepper.  Chill.  Carrrots-Shred them, add raisins and reduced fat mayonnaise.  Stir well and chill.              Summer squash.-Slice zucchini and yellow squash, slice a small onion and crush a garlic clove.  Sautee in a little oil until just cooked.  Do not overcook. 

Fruits-Let small kids thread cut up fruit onto straws for fruit kebobs.  Melons and berries are low in calories.  When ripe, cut up the melons into cubes and store them in zipper bags in the refrigerator.  They are a quick, low calorie snack any time.  Grapes-Green seedless grapes can be washed, removed from the stems, dried and frozen on a cookie sheet.  When they are hard, place in zipper bags.  They are very refreshing eaten when still frozen.

 Trail mix-make your own with your choice of nuts, dried fruits, pretzels, cheerios, and sunflower seeds.  Just remember this is an energy food.  It is calorically concentrated so limit amounts to about ¼ c unless you are really taking a long hike along the trail.