Since returning from our very indulgent summer vacation, Malcolm and I have attempted to adhere to a healthy daily routine, including eating a low-calorie diet and getting plenty of exercise. For us, a healthy diet includes lots of fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken, and lean meat. We keep carbs (sugar) and alcohol consumption to a minimum when we are focused on weight reduction, but we do allow an occasional splurge (for motivational purposes, of course!)
Summertime Makes Healthy Eating Easy
Summer is always the best time to embark on a ‘weight loss’ plan for me because our social calendar is light (not a lot of socializing and eating out) and we have an abundance of fresh melons, cherries, plums, blueberries, and peaches available. Almost any of those paired with cottage cheese make a delicious breakfast. A half cup of blueberries, a few cherries, or a plum are great for a mid-afternoon snack and provide just enough natural sugar for a quick pick-me-up. Getting at least three servings of fruit per day is my goal.
Mangos, one of my favorite summer fruits, are plentiful and inexpensive throughout the summer. We are also lucky to have a friend who shares from his neighbor’s tree. Mango Salsa is a weekly thing in our house during summer and we like heaping it onto shrimp tacos or pairing it with fish to add both heat and sweetness to those dishes. If you don’t have an abundance of mangos in your area, peaches or pineapples will also work well in this dish.
Mango Salsa Recipe
- 2 ripe mangos, diced
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped fine
- 1/2 red onion chopped fine
- 1 small handful of Cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1/2 jalapeƱo, seeded and minced
- Juice from 1 lime
- salt and pepper to taste
Don’t Forget the Veggies
Any healthy eating routine includes vegetables and lots of them. We typically have one or two servings at lunch (cooked or raw) and two more at dinner.
Fresh corn, served both roasted or raw, tossed with diced red onion, edamame beans, black beans, and cilantro in a lime vinegarette is as cool as it gets when it comes to summer salads. Sometimes we pair the salad with a piece of grilled chicken or pan-seared tuna for a satisfying dinner.
Arugula topped with a variety of fruit and nuts and dressed with a lemon/honey vinaigrette is both nutritious and visually appealing.
Zucchini noodles are a great substitute for calorie-rich pasta, especially when topped with a delicious meatball and Malcolm’s homemade sauce. We use lean ground beef for the meatballs, but ground chicken or turkey is a good alternative. Question for you cooks out there. Do you cook your meatballs on top of the stove or in the oven?
Everyone needs a splurge, even when watching calories, and this month ours was pizza. Inspired by my new cookbook, Pizza Night produced by Williams Sonoma, we made creating pizzas an interactive family event by including Malcolm’s mom in the process. We had so much fun, I can’t wait to do it again.
Basically, we gathered a bunch of toppings; red peppers, thinly sliced zucchini, basil, red onions, ground Italian sausage, pepperoni, pasta sauce, olive oil, and cheese, and using premade dough from the local market, we each designed our own creation with various combinations of ingredients. Of course, I liked my olive oil, sausage, mushrooms, and red onion topped with mozzarella cheese best.
The great thing about making pizza is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. It’s about combining what you like and having fun. I cut my dough into 4 quarters and made smaller individual pizzas while Malcolm and his Mom covered their entire baking sheet with the dough and piled on the toppings.
Prepared dough is easy to work with by holding it in the air with both hands and gently stretching and rotating, or laying it on a sheet of parchment paper and pushing and pulling it into a desired shape with your fingers.
Use a white sauce, red sauce, or just sprinkle the dough with olive oil. Meat or no meat, precooked or raw vegetables, it all comes down to preference. The cookbook provided a lot of inspiration and some suggestions for healthy options, including dough recipes.
Family dinner wouldn’t be complete without dessert, so we used our extra dough (one-quarter of a round) to make a Ricotta, Pear, and Almond pizza.
Recipe: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Shape the dough on parchment paper and then slide it onto a cookie sheet that has been prepared with cooking spray. Top the dough with a thin layer (or more) of Ricotta cheese, followed by a layer of very thinly sliced pairs. Sprinkle with sugar or a sugar substitute and add some cinnamon. Top with a scattering of sliced almonds. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes or until the edges turn brown and the bottom is firm when lifted with a spatula. Remove from the oven onto a plate and drizzle with honey. Yum!
If you are in the mood for more sweet treats made with fresh fruit, check out this recipe. Malcolm made this blueberry tart to take to a friend’s house who invited us to dinner to celebrate their return from an extended stay in California and our successful vacation with the kids. We will use any excuse for a splurge!
Shared With:
What’s On My Plate, hosted by Donna and Deb
John’s Cell Pic Sunday – All of the photos in this post were taken with my iPhone camera. I had fun playing with how light reacts with the white surfaces in our kitchen.
Picture Retirement 
Suzanne, this post makes me hungry! I love mango salsa and I make it the same way you do. We’ve been eating fresh vegetables and fruit from my favorite produce stand. The peaches are at their peak right now and we got a cooler full of Georgia silver queen corn fresh from the cornfield. I love your pizza night idea! Using pre-made pizza dough is a great idea. Happy August!
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Hi Beth, the premade dough is the only way to go for me. It keeps the mess in check and it’s delicious. We have been getting great peaches here too. They are probably coming from GA. Happy August to you also. Fingers crossed that this heat wave will break soon.
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Suzanne, we are getting South Carolina peaches where I live. Many of the Georgia peach orchards suffered because of a December freeze so there aren’t as many Georgia peaches this year. I with you on the heat wave. I can’t take the heat like I used to!
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Suzanne, your food photography is beautiful, and I never thought of using pizza dough to create a dessert. But, I filed that idea away and will be using it soon.
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Hi Bernadette, thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you like the idea of dessert pizza. Have fun experimenting.
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Such a yummy post, thank you so much for all the delicious recipes and ideas. The mango salsa looks great. I love the idea of creating your own pizzas and make it a fun event with family/friends.
Brian and I will need to go on a diet after we return home from Norway, we have over indulged. We are doing a Mediterranean cruise in October, so we will definitely need to loose weight before the cruise or we might sink the cruise ship.
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Ha, ha, I doubt that, but I get it. Same here. Malcolm and I take intermittent dieting to a whole other level – one month on, six months off, repeat.
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So many tempting food photos, I’m getting hungry just reading and looking š You’re fortunate with your summer weather. We often eat a lot of salads at this time of year but our weather has been so disappointing we’re mostly choosing hot meals instead.
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Hi Sarah, hot meals are rare right now, for obvious reasons. It is blazing hot here! We keep containers filled with watermelon in the fridge, and snack on it all day. Low-cal popsicles are also on the approved list. Thanks for stopping by. Seems we are all disappointed with the weather we are having this season. Fingers crossed things will get better.
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What’s on your plate not only looks healthy but delicious. The pizza and desserts look like a wonderful way to share a meal.
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Hi Judy, we are trying to reign things back in after being out of control for too long.
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To us – summer is the time to eat less – especially at night. However last night we pigged out on lasagna and a mixed berry crumble with ice cream and I couldn’t get to sleep! But the crumble was sooooo good!
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Jan, indulging in good food comes much too easily for us, so I get it. A berry crumble with ice cream – Yes please!
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We love making our own pizza and can’t fathom ordering one. We do our best to eat similarly to you two, but when I get in one of my “baking moods”, well all bets are off. I do share my treats with neighbors so Al and I don’t overindulge. That blueberry torte looks delicious.
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Ingrid, you sound just like Malcolm. When he gets into one of his baking moods, look out. Last week he made a Ricotta cheesecake that I promptly cut into 4 quarters and wrapped up for delivery. I love that he bakes, but I’m usually good for about one piece and then I’m done. That torte was delicious.
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Oh gosh, I wish I could stop at one piece. Al and I have a terrible sweet tooth. We’re not big drinkers, but boy oh boy, we like our treats plus I’m entertained by baking and watching baking shows which just fuels the sweets department… not good for the waistline š
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Ha, you just nailed why I can stop at one piece. I do love my wine!
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Your post reminded me that we haven’t had a mango yet this summer… this must be rectified ASAP. We make a similar salsa and put it on everything… especially grilled fish.
I just got an air fryer and am looking forward to making pizzas in it. I love the being able to customize them with your favorite toppings. And thanks for the recipe for the Ricotta, Pear, and Almond pizza. That looks delicious (as does the blueberry tart).
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Hi Janis, I didn’t know you could make pizza in an air fryer. Hmmm. Malcolm wants a pizza oven, but we need to buy a house first, so we can install it properly (in an outside kitchen). No way I’m taking up valuable counter space with it in a rental. If you come up with a creative dessert pizza, let me know. I’m sure you can think of a few variations of our recipe.
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Well, now I’m hungry. All your photos show delicious food but I especially like the idea of a Ricotta, Pear, and Almond pizza. NOW we’re talking. I enjoy all fruits so I could adapt this idea as need be.
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The pear pizza was delicious. You should try it. Next time I will mix a little goat cheese into the Ricotta.
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I love your attitude towards weight reduction and healthy eating, Suzanne! I feel the same way. And those pizzas….and that salsa!!!! Love, love, love! Thanks for joining us this month!
Deb
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Deb, the way I look at it, diets are impossible to stick to, so why be realistic about having a few cheats along the way?
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Hi, Suzanne – Thank you for joining us for #WOYP. You have highlighted my favourite kind of eating — healthy, guilt-free, seasonal, delicious and looks beautiful in photographs (why not want it all?). It’s funny that summer is your slow-down, eat at home time. Summer is definitely our go-go-go time with lots of travel and eating away from home. Winter is our slow-down at home time. Although summer does offer Farmers Markets and fresh local produce.
Awesome post!
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Hi Donna, ‘season’ or ‘go,go time’ for us is December through April. Those months are probably a little more like the milder parts of your summer. We tend to be most active then, but we also aren’t paying a lot of attention to weight gain (funny how the mind tricks us). Those months are all about celebrating holidays, attending festivals and events, and meet-ups with friends and family.
Summer is brutally hot here, and it is hurricane season, so with the exception of a few weeks of travel, we tend to stick close to home. Socially, there isn’t much going on from June – September, so hibernating within the comfort of AC, and focusing on indoor projects and healthy living becomes a welcome activity. Thanks for hosting the challenge.
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Malcolm is “da man”…meatballs with homemade sauce and blueberry tarts!! Does he hire out? We love to make pizza cooked on a stone over a Big Green Egg grill. Trader Joe’s prepared crust is our go-to. Great pictures, Suzanne! Joe
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Hi Joe, the Big Green Egg is probably the only cooking tool that Malcolm has never expressed a sincere interest in. Everyone I know who has one loves it. He does, however, really, really want a pizza oven. Thanks for the compliment regarding the photos. I have noticed lately that I prefer the phone to the camera for indoor pictures. Getting too lazy to adjust settings….
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I, too, love the fresh fruits and vegetables that are so abundant this time of year, Suzanne. Thanks for sharing these recipes. I may have to give that mango salsa a go!
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Hi Christie, you are welcome to the recipes. The mango salsa is versatile and I think you will like it.
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You eat so well! And you take the time to make your meals beautiful. I like delicious and healthy food…and it also must be pretty on the plate. š Even in the midst of the craziness of trying to finish up our tiny home we always take time to eat well. Your photos are so enticing!
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Hi Laurel, thanks for stopping by. I know you must be crazy busy. I have been eagerly watching your site for an update. Wishing you all the best.
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I think the best part of this time of year is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Thanks for the recipes…and that blueberry tart looks divine!!!!
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