I must say, 2014 has been flying by for me. Happy June to everyone! (already?!)
While I miss the days of school & college where summertime meant a few months break from work and homework, I still enjoy the warm weather and outdoor activities that summer brings. Especially with Memorial Day having just kicked off the ‘official’ start to the summer season, this time of year also brings about abundant BBQs and picnics. Both are a great way to spend time with loved ones & friends enjoying typical picnic foods like hot dogs, potato salads, and watermelon. But food safety is VERY important to consider, and can often times be overlooked. This week’s Monday Message from Kids Eat Right shared the tip to help prevent food poisoning http://www.eatright.org/kids/tip.aspx?id=6442470559.
During college I studied food safety, and was also able to work with it in several previous jobs. It is definitely something to be taken seriously! Here are some helpful tips for food safety during the summer:
– Use separate utensils for all foods – this helps prevent cross contamination (especially between raw & cooked meats like grilled chicken)
– WASH YOUR HANDS! – With so many people eating from a buffet style scenario, this is extremely important. Try having a bottle of hand sanitizer at the beginning of the food table and make it a habit to clean hands before beginning to chow down.
– Keep cold foods cold – This is especially important for mayonnaise based salads, like potato or pasta salads. Use the FDA’s rule of thumb – if a food that requires refrigeration is at room temperature for more than 2 hours, do not eat it. If the outside temps are sweltering more than 90 degrees, change that rule to only 1 hour.
– Cook meat thoroughly! – If you’re grilling, try to keep a food thermometer nearby and be sure that hamburger patties & chicken are cooked all the way through. Ground beef for hamburgers should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160F, and chicken should reach at least 165F. Be sure to check the food in several spots too!
One thing you can do to help reduce the risks from mayonnaise-based salads, as well as reduce the calories!, are to swap the mayo for oil and vinegar. Here is a recipe from Self.com for Sheryl Crow’s (yup – the singer!) Roasted Potato Salad with Sweet Corn & Cider Vinegar. It’s a lighter, healthier option for your summer outings and could easily become a staple at future BBQs.
Roasted Potato Salad with Sweet Corn & Cider Vinegar
http://www.self.com/body/recipes/2011/07/sheryl-crow-roasted-potato-salad-with-sweet-corn-and-cider-vinegar
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2.5 lbs unpeeled red potatoes, diced into ½” cubes
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp canola oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1.5 cups roasted fresh corn
1 cup diced celery
2 tsp garlic powder
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
First, to cook the corn if you are using corn on the cob:
Soak unhusked ears of corn in water for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat oven to 375°. Cook ears in a shallow pan until kernels are tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool. Remove and discard husks and silk; slice kernels off cob. Three ears of corn should yield about 1 1/2 cups of kernels. If you have a little more, all the better! If you prefer to grill the corn in the husks, simply pull back husks to remove silk, then close husks back over ears of corn. Grill until kernels are tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool; shuck; slice kernels off cob.
1. Heat oven to 425°. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Toss potatoes and onion with canola oil in a bowl; season with salt and pepper; spread evenly on baking sheet.
3. Bake until crispy yet fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
4. Return to bowl; add corn, celery and garlic powder.
5. Whisk olive oil and vinegar in a bowl; drizzle over potatoes and onions; toss to coat well. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours; stir in basil before serving.
While I miss the days of school & college where summertime meant a few months break from work and homework, I still enjoy the warm weather and outdoor activities that summer brings. Especially with Memorial Day having just kicked off the ‘official’ start to the summer season, this time of year also brings about abundant BBQs and picnics. Both are a great way to spend time with loved ones & friends enjoying typical picnic foods like hot dogs, potato salads, and watermelon. But food safety is VERY important to consider, and can often times be overlooked. This week’s Monday Message from Kids Eat Right shared the tip to help prevent food poisoning http://www.eatright.org/kids/tip.aspx?id=6442470559.
During college I studied food safety, and was also able to work with it in several previous jobs. It is definitely something to be taken seriously! Here are some helpful tips for food safety during the summer:
– Use separate utensils for all foods – this helps prevent cross contamination (especially between raw & cooked meats like grilled chicken)
– WASH YOUR HANDS! – With so many people eating from a buffet style scenario, this is extremely important. Try having a bottle of hand sanitizer at the beginning of the food table and make it a habit to clean hands before beginning to chow down.
– Keep cold foods cold – This is especially important for mayonnaise based salads, like potato or pasta salads. Use the FDA’s rule of thumb – if a food that requires refrigeration is at room temperature for more than 2 hours, do not eat it. If the outside temps are sweltering more than 90 degrees, change that rule to only 1 hour.
– Cook meat thoroughly! – If you’re grilling, try to keep a food thermometer nearby and be sure that hamburger patties & chicken are cooked all the way through. Ground beef for hamburgers should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160F, and chicken should reach at least 165F. Be sure to check the food in several spots too!
One thing you can do to help reduce the risks from mayonnaise-based salads, as well as reduce the calories!, are to swap the mayo for oil and vinegar. Here is a recipe from Self.com for Sheryl Crow’s (yup – the singer!) Roasted Potato Salad with Sweet Corn & Cider Vinegar. It’s a lighter, healthier option for your summer outings and could easily become a staple at future BBQs.
Roasted Potato Salad with Sweet Corn & Cider Vinegar
http://www.self.com/body/recipes/2011/07/sheryl-crow-roasted-potato-salad-with-sweet-corn-and-cider-vinegar
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2.5 lbs unpeeled red potatoes, diced into ½” cubes
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp canola oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1.5 cups roasted fresh corn
1 cup diced celery
2 tsp garlic powder
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
First, to cook the corn if you are using corn on the cob:
Soak unhusked ears of corn in water for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat oven to 375°. Cook ears in a shallow pan until kernels are tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool. Remove and discard husks and silk; slice kernels off cob. Three ears of corn should yield about 1 1/2 cups of kernels. If you have a little more, all the better! If you prefer to grill the corn in the husks, simply pull back husks to remove silk, then close husks back over ears of corn. Grill until kernels are tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool; shuck; slice kernels off cob.
1. Heat oven to 425°. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Toss potatoes and onion with canola oil in a bowl; season with salt and pepper; spread evenly on baking sheet.
3. Bake until crispy yet fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
4. Return to bowl; add corn, celery and garlic powder.
5. Whisk olive oil and vinegar in a bowl; drizzle over potatoes and onions; toss to coat well. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours; stir in basil before serving.
And of course, the fitness portion! This month I’d like to review: The Firm Express
This is probably my favorite workout DVD set that I own. With a busy schedule, as I mentioned last post, I enjoy short workouts that are easy to fit in. The ‘express’ in the title definitely promotes that! This set includes 13 separate DVDs. They advertise one week of each cycle, doing only 3 20-minute workouts each week. This is definitely a great place to start, but I sometimes do it more often (maybe finishing one cycle then moving onto the next all within week one) – only if I’m feeling ambitious. Here’s the run down on the program:
Cycle 1 – Ignite
Cycle 2 – Accelerate
Cycle 3 – Turbocharge
Cycle 4 – Overdrive
Each cycle has 3 DVDs – first, a 20-minute sculpting workout to target and firm muscles. Second, a 20-minute cardio workout to get your heart pumping & body moving. Third, a 20-minute cardio+sculpt combined workout to really focus on both burning calories and building strength. The cycles get a little more intense as you go, but all of them are fun & challenging. There is a different trainer leading each cycle as well, which helps to keep you motivated in different ways.
The final DVD included is a Kick Start Your Metabolism workout, with a shortened version of the cardio+sculpt videos (about 10-15 minutes total) and a short abs workout.
What I like best about this workout program is it does not get boring or mundane, and it actually does feel effective. It’s fun to be able to see your progress from day one until day 30 – and the kit itself comes with some tools to help you follow the exercise plan as well as recipes to try. Definitely a great buy!
What are some of your favorite summer recipes? Does anyone plan to try out the new potato salad at any upcoming picnics? I’d love to hear what you think of it!
Until next time,
Karla
This is probably my favorite workout DVD set that I own. With a busy schedule, as I mentioned last post, I enjoy short workouts that are easy to fit in. The ‘express’ in the title definitely promotes that! This set includes 13 separate DVDs. They advertise one week of each cycle, doing only 3 20-minute workouts each week. This is definitely a great place to start, but I sometimes do it more often (maybe finishing one cycle then moving onto the next all within week one) – only if I’m feeling ambitious. Here’s the run down on the program:
Cycle 1 – Ignite
Cycle 2 – Accelerate
Cycle 3 – Turbocharge
Cycle 4 – Overdrive
Each cycle has 3 DVDs – first, a 20-minute sculpting workout to target and firm muscles. Second, a 20-minute cardio workout to get your heart pumping & body moving. Third, a 20-minute cardio+sculpt combined workout to really focus on both burning calories and building strength. The cycles get a little more intense as you go, but all of them are fun & challenging. There is a different trainer leading each cycle as well, which helps to keep you motivated in different ways.
The final DVD included is a Kick Start Your Metabolism workout, with a shortened version of the cardio+sculpt videos (about 10-15 minutes total) and a short abs workout.
What I like best about this workout program is it does not get boring or mundane, and it actually does feel effective. It’s fun to be able to see your progress from day one until day 30 – and the kit itself comes with some tools to help you follow the exercise plan as well as recipes to try. Definitely a great buy!
What are some of your favorite summer recipes? Does anyone plan to try out the new potato salad at any upcoming picnics? I’d love to hear what you think of it!
Until next time,
Karla