Summer Produce Just Feels Right!
By Mark Mulcahy
You can feel it in the air – summer is getting closer by the day, and it’s the perfect time to take stock of all we’d love to do during the glory days of warmth and sunlight. If you’ve made a goal to get more exercise, you can’t beat the weather for a walk, swim or bike ride. Many studies have shown that whatever goal you have, doing it with someone will increase your chances of success. So ask your friend from the office, family member at home, or next-door neighbor if they’ll join you in your daily quest to reach your goal, and you’ll both be better for it! Not only that, it’s also been shown that getting out in nature on a daily basis will make you happier.
If dropping a couple of pounds is on your list, summer is the perfect time to add more fresh Melissa’s organic fruits and veggies to your diet. No matter what your health goal, eating more organic fruits and vegetables will help you along the way. So lets get started! Stores are full of Melissa’s awesome organic products that will make that plan with your buddy as easy as can be. Here are some examples to get you started:
On your days off, cook together and make healthy vegetable salads or chilled soups to share, which will make it easy to use and stay on track in your busy week ahead. Make up some quinoa, cauliflower rice or steamed broccoli ahead of time and you will have a perfect start to that hearty lunch salad with arugula, celery and tomatoes.
On picnics or at barbecue’s, bring some hearty, yummy produce side dish options like sweet potato salad with vinaigrette dressing instead of mayonnaise or a bountiful plate of chilled green beans and corn with grilled chicken or tofu.
If you love dessert, don’t deprive yourself - indulge in frozen melon balls or grapes. Or slice some peaches into some unsweetened coconut yogurt.
I’ve always loved summer, its produce and being outside I just didn't realize how much it loved all of us back.
You can feel it in the air – summer is getting closer by the day, and it’s the perfect time to take stock of all we’d love to do during the glory days of warmth and sunlight. If you’ve made a goal to get more exercise, you can’t beat the weather for a walk, swim or bike ride. Many studies have shown that whatever goal you have, doing it with someone will increase your chances of success. So ask your friend from the office, family member at home, or next-door neighbor if they’ll join you in your daily quest to reach your goal, and you’ll both be better for it! Not only that, it’s also been shown that getting out in nature on a daily basis will make you happier.
If dropping a couple of pounds is on your list, summer is the perfect time to add more fresh Melissa’s organic fruits and veggies to your diet. No matter what your health goal, eating more organic fruits and vegetables will help you along the way. So lets get started! Stores are full of Melissa’s awesome organic products that will make that plan with your buddy as easy as can be. Here are some examples to get you started:
- Make smoothies together: Throw some Melissa’s organic spinach, banana, fresh ginger, mango and almond milk in the blender and bring enough to the office to share for lunch. Then, instead of sitting and chatting, walk and chat. You’ll find that you feel more productive and have more energy in the afternoon.
- Have organic melon, berries or carrots pre-sliced for easy afternoon snacking and leave them close at hand. Studies show that having ready-to-eat fruits and veggies where you tend to go for a snack leads to more produce consumption and less fat, carbs and processed food intake.
- At lunch or dinner, instead of pouring oily or fatty dressing on your salad, mix up fresh avocado with a little lemon or orange juice to get that texture or fat fix you want while making a better choice for your heart. One study found that people who ate avocado every day for one week experienced an average 17 percent drop in total blood cholesterol. What’s more, their levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol decreased and HDL (“good”) cholesterol increased.
On your days off, cook together and make healthy vegetable salads or chilled soups to share, which will make it easy to use and stay on track in your busy week ahead. Make up some quinoa, cauliflower rice or steamed broccoli ahead of time and you will have a perfect start to that hearty lunch salad with arugula, celery and tomatoes.
On picnics or at barbecue’s, bring some hearty, yummy produce side dish options like sweet potato salad with vinaigrette dressing instead of mayonnaise or a bountiful plate of chilled green beans and corn with grilled chicken or tofu.
If you love dessert, don’t deprive yourself - indulge in frozen melon balls or grapes. Or slice some peaches into some unsweetened coconut yogurt.
I’ve always loved summer, its produce and being outside I just didn't realize how much it loved all of us back.
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