summer cooking

the faces of summer

i love summer - swimming, parades, the way cold treats taste so good on a hot day, all of the fun free stuff to do, watermelon for 12c/lb, peaches for 33c/lb... (i'm the bovine - i just had to throw those in there)

that being said, there are some things i don't love about summer. putting my babies in a 140 degree car, for example. and honestly, cooking. sometimes it is hard to get myself cooking motivated when it is 117 degrees outside - yes, i said 117. i've been trying to think of ways to cool off your kitchen in the summer (less oven, less stovetop) and here are some ideas i've come up with:

• crockpot - my crockpot doesn't make me feel like i'm baking in my own house, so i'm trying to use that a little bit more.
• barbeque - use more recipes where you can bbq your meat instead of use the oven or the stove top. keep the heat where it belongs - outside!
  
• prepare ahead - freeze stuff. i bought 6 whole chickens for 67c/lb a few months ago, boiled them all, shredded them and then froze them in quart-sized freezer bags (2 cups of chicken in each bag). enchiladas? salads? sandwiches? you name it and i can grab a bag of this out of the fridge and never have to turn my stove on to cook the meat. i also froze 12 lbs of straberries last month (got them for 75c/lb, thank you very much), which brings me to my next point.
• make smoothies - they cool you off, fill you up and they are a great way to get your fruits and veggies for the day. yes - your veggies. green smoothies only at our house. i make a really big smoothie almost every day that fills 2 whole glasses with about 5 strawberries, 4 chunks of pineapple, a banana ice and water. some days i throw in a pear. i made one the other day with a peach, a handful of blueberries, a banana, ice and a dash of soy milk that was amazing. add a teaspoon of sugar if it's a bit tart for you. and never forget your veggies - spinach and kale are my favorite greens to add. if you're looking for something a little more on the dessert side try my avocado shake (below) if you haven't already. it's to die for.

so if i'm trying to avoid my oven and stove top as often as possible, what am i eating?

• sandwiches - i actually don't eat lunch meat so i'm talking chicken salad type sandwiches. try this one (chipotle chicken salad). it's yummy!! any meat you can do in the crock pot is great too. like french dips. i'll post a bbq pork sandwich some time soon as well that is out of this world good.
  
• pasta salad - i'll post a good one soon.
• salads - refreshing. the best hot weather food.
  
• anything off my grill - grill chicken and put it in corn tortillas for some awesome chicken tacos. one of my all time favorite meals.
• smoothies, smoothies and more smoothies.
• u-swirl and yogurtland - this is what i wish i was eating every day. darn budget. have you tried either of these? holy cow. so good. and 30 or less calories an ounce. love it.

what do you love to eat/cook when it's hot? please share!!