Summer Foods This Week

This week's challenge from Laura McHugh East was to photograph summer foods. This is especially challenging for me this year, because the summer foods I love - hot dogs, ribs, corn on the cob, ice cream (oh, ice cream) - are all pretty much off limits to me.

My youngest left for college a few weeks ago, and I decided it was time to lose all that baby weight. After all, I've been dragging it around now for 17 years, give or take.

I am proud that I haven't done too much yo-yo dieting, which I have heard can be really hard on your body. Or maybe worse for my heart, blood pressure, etc. that I've just kept this extra 50-60 pounds around.

There is nothing like all your children finally being gone to have you feel "with yourself." No distractions of noise, schedule, fighting over the remote control. No worrying about whether they will get home by curfew, carry hurts from jilted relationships to the dinner table, whine about high school team members not pulling their weight. The drama quotient is low - so low as to be almost non-existent.

So I figured this is a good time to get back in shape. I'm doing it by teaming up with Jenny Craig. It was easy because I gave the departing daughter mountains of food that I can't eat, at least not for the next few months. She needs a stocked pantry, and I'm happy to just have those little blue boxes with exactly the right portions to help me manage my self-control.

Summer foods? The JC foods are the same - year 'round and they are surprisingly tasty. I am fond of the turkey burger, the southwest chicken and rice and the lentils and beef. I augment that food with my own salads and veggies, and some fruit. So here are my summer food photos:

I roast veggies every few days to put on my dinner plate as a bed or foundation for what's for dinner. That can be ravioli, carbonara pasta, swedish meatballs. I'm not overly fond of veggies, but roasting them is really good. I do eggplant and onions as staples, then whatever else might be fresh. Today it was asparagus and an orange bell pepper.

Fresh fruit is allowed, but limited to 1/2 cup twice per day. I have a small dish of fruit, usually cantaloupe, with breakfast. A beautiful ripe peach or plum is a great afternoon snack. The fruit is pretty to look at in this arrangement my mother made. She says if you cut the top off the pineapple and leave it upside down for 2-3 days, it will ripen and be really sweet. We'll see!

What are your favorite summer foods/drinks?