If you love vegetables, today’s recipe is a tasty, filling salad that has great flavor from the mix of ingredients. It’s perfect for using up summer produce from the garden or farmer’s market. It’s topped with a lemon vinaigrette. You can easily adapt it with what you have on hand with additions or subtractions.
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End of June Nature & Fun on Facebook
Today I’m sharing memes and photos from Monday and Tuesday on Facebook. I’ve shared before that I follow several local weathermen who share interesting sky formations and explanations. Last week was no exception. They periodically explain about shelf clouds. Last Monday, June 30th, there was a shelf cloud in the Tampa Bay area as a line of thunderstorms moving onshore put on quite the show.
Read MoreA shelf cloud is a low, horizontal, wedge-shaped cloud associated with a thunderstorm’s gust front. It forms when cool, dense air flowing out from a thunderstorm (the gust front) meets and forces warmer, moist air upwards, causing it to condense and form a cloud. Shelf clouds are often dramatic, appearing as a long, low, and sometimes ominous cloud formation along the leading edge of a storm.
Frozen Peach Milkshake Smoothie
Peach season in the United States generally extends from late May to September, with the peak ripeness and abundance usually occurring in July and August. The sweet, yet tart, taste and fragrant aroma make peaches a popular summer snack. Besides being a juicy summer treat, peaches do great things for our bodies. Loaded with antioxidants, Vitamin C and A , peaches are low in calories (39 in 100 grams). They contain flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin and ß-cryptoxanthin, which help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals. This helps protect us from various diseases. Rich in minerals, peaches contain potassium, fluoride and iron. Iron helps form red blood cells. Potassium helps regulate heart and blood pressure. Fluoride helps prevent cavities. Research also indicates that they help prevent obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.
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Peace Lily in the Garden
No matter the heat, the large peace lily in the quadrangle garden is covered with blooms. Peace lilies are native to tropical regions, so they thrive in environments with higher humidity. That’s the summer environment in Florida – hot and humid. They also prefer bright, indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight, which can scorch their leaves. The bush is thriving despite the fact it receives some direct sun. Surrounded by the condo building I live in, many hours of the day it is in the shade. As the sun travels in the sky each day, it also receives some full sun. A few of the leaves have scorching on the edge.
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Chocolate Banana Pops, Easy & Delicious
It’s hot here in Florida, and I’m in the mood for a cold treat. I’m trying to eat healthy so of course I think of frozen bananas. Many of you probably do something similar. Freeze a ripe banana or cut pieces of a banana. Dip in melted chocolate, roll in nuts or sprinkles and freeze again. Simple and delicious.
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A Nice Day By a Lake
This time of year here in Central Florida it is already unbearably hot and humid with a heat index in the 100’s (F). Sometimes a front moves in from the north with cooler air. Then I dance a little jig and take a walk. It doesn’t last long and doesn’t happen often in summer. I’ll take what I can get.
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How to Build a Healthy Trail Mix
We all need easy, nutritious snack ideas for families. One of my personal favorites is a healthy homemade trail mix. I love the endless amount of flavor combinations you can try (no getting bored!). It’s so easy to make a big batch of this trail mix to portion out for the week.You can customize the recipe to meet your needs and tastes. Good quality homemade trail mix, in moderation is 100% part of a healthy diet. This is especially true in those circumstances of high physical activity where you need energy fast. As the name suggests, trail mix is perfect to eat on the trail while hiking or after a workout session. A good trail mix includes healthy fats and antioxidants from nuts and seeds, quality dried fruit for energy, and the fun tasty stuff. Being healthy doesn’t need to mean sacrificing on fun. It’s based on nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and the optional fun stuff of air popcorn, dark chocolate, pretzels, cereal, or peanut butter chips.
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A Beautiful Day
It’s Tuesday, and the last few days have had spectacular skies. The weather prediction is for rain late today and scattered showers through Friday. Here’s some views you might like.
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