NICE AND SIMPLE HEALTHY SUMMER RECIPE

 

Quick and easy suppers

Summer brings a wealth of fresh produce and the opportunity to fire up the grill. You can make these 8 filling seasonal meals easily and quickly, giving you plenty of time to enjoy sun and fun!

Grilled Shrimp "Souvlaki"

This Greek dish combines seafood, veggies, and plenty of herbs for a delicious, fiber-packed Mediterranean meal.

Ingredients: Large shrimp, lemons, olive oil, dill, oregano, Greek yogurt, garlic, cucumber, pepper, cherry tomatoes, whole-grain flatbreads, red onion, romaine lettuce

Calories: 353

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided, plus additional for brushing grill
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 3/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 2 cucumbers (about 1 pound)
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 small red onion, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick rings
• 4 whole-grain flatbreads
• 8 small romaine leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat grill.
2. Rinse shrimp, and pat dry. Stir together 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon oil, and 1 tablespoon each dill and oregano in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp, and toss to combine. Marinate, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
3. Stir together 1/4 cup yogurt, half of garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon dill in a serving bowl. With a vegetable peeler, cut cucumbers into lengthwise ribbons, discarding the largely seeded core. Toss cucumber ribbons with yogurt mixture and pepper, to taste.
4. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup yogurt with remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon dill, and remaining garlic in a small serving bowl for raita sauce. Season with pepper, to taste.
5. Toss tomatoes and onion with remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in a bowl. Grill shrimp with tomatoes and onion in a lightly oiled well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or grill pan, turning once, 5 minutes or until shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, tomatoes are softened, and onion is golden brown and tender. Transfer to a plate; cover and keep warm.
6. Grill flatbread until golden brown and slightly crisp. Transfer to 4 serving plates; top evenly with cucumber salad, shrimp, onions, tomatoes, and romaine, if desired. Serve with raita sauce.

8 HEALTHY TIPS FOR THE SUMMER

In the warmer, longer, lazier days of summer, the living may not be easy, but your life probably feels less chaotic. Even adults tend to adopt a "school's out!" attitude in summer. That's why this is a perfect time to improve your health in a fashion so seasonally laid back you'll barely notice the effort.

To get you started, WebMD went to eight health experts in fields such as diet, fitness, stress, vision, and oral health. We asked them this: If you could only suggest one simple change this season to boost personal health, what would it be? Here are their top eight tips.

1. Give Your Diet a Berry Boost

If you do one thing this summer to improve your diet, have a cup of mixed fresh berries -- blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries -- every day. They'll help you load up on antioxidants, which may help prevent damage to tissues and reduce the risks of age-related illnesses. Blueberries and blackberries are especially antioxidant-rich.

A big bonus: Berries are also tops in fiber, which helps keep cholesterol low and may even help prevent some cancers.

2. Get Dirty -- and Stress Less

To improve your stress level, plant a small garden, cultivate a flower box, or if space is really limited, plant a few flower pots -- indoors or out.

Just putting your hands in soil is "grounding." And when life feels like you're moving so fast your feet are barely touching the stuff, being mentally grounded can help relieve physical and mental stress.

3. Floss Daily

You know you need to, now it's time to start: floss every single day. Do it at the beach (in a secluded spot), while reading on your patio, or when watching TV -- and the task will breeze by.

Flossing reduces oral bacteria, which improves overall body health, and if oral bacteria is low, your body has more resources to fight bacteria elsewhere. Floss daily and you're doing better than at least 85% of people.

4. Get Outside to Exercise

Pick one outdoor activity -- going on a hike, taking a nature walk, playing games such as tag with your kids, cycling, roller blading, or swimming -- to shed that cooped-up feeling of gym workouts.

And remember, the family that plays together not only gets fit together -- it's also a great way to create bonding time.

5. Be Good to Your Eyes

To protect your vision at work and at play, wear protective eyewear. When outdoors, wear sunglasses that block at least 99% of ultraviolet A and B rays. Sunglasses can help prevent cataractscataracts, as well as wrinkles around the eyes.

And when playing sports or doing tasks such as mowing the lawn, wear protective eyewear. Ask your eye doctor about the best type; some are sport-specific.

6. Vacation Time!

Improve your heart health: take advantage of summer's slower schedule by using your vacation time to unwind.

Vacations have multiple benefits: They can help lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones such as cortisol, which contributes to a widening waist and an increased risk of heart diseaseheart disease.

7. Alcohol: Go Lite

Summer's a great time to skip drinks with hard alcohol and choose a light, chilled alcoholic beverage (unless you are pregnant or should not drink for health or other reasons).

A sangria (table wine diluted with juice), a cold beer, or a wine spritzer are all refreshing but light. In moderation -- defined as one to two drinks daily -- alcohol can protect against heart disease.

8. Sleep Well

Resist the urge to stay up later during long summer days. Instead pay attention to good sleep hygiene by keeping the same bedtime and wake-up schedule and not drinking alcohol within three hours of bedtime.

It's also a good idea to avoid naps during the day unless you take them every day at the same time, for the same amount of time.