Sweet Summertime

Today’s guest poster is so fun ~ Sami of the Freckled Foodie!  I LOVE her energy and zest for life….oh and she eats AMAZING food – seriously, who doesn’t want these Kabobs?!

Oh and today is her BIRTHDAY so be sure to leave her a comment wishing her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Thanks again for Guest Posting Sami!

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Hey there! I’m Sami, the face behind the Freckled Foodie, a blog where I share my love of nutritious foods and fitness! Before I begin this guest post, I’d like to thank Danica so much for thinking of me! When she asked me about guest posting, I was ecstatic! I’ve been a huge aficionado of Danica’s Daily since the time I started my own blog and I’m honored to write a post for her! Hopefully she’s having a BLAST on vacation right now.

In terms of food, right now I’m loving up the most seasonal, fresh produce that summer has to offer while I still can! There are SO many great, nutritious foods at peak flavor right now like peaches, berries, squash, zucchini, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, pears, okra, and apricots! Each of which are complete powerhouses in the vitamin & mineral departments! The possibilities are truly endless, and I’ve been contemplating different ways to get creative in the kitchen using the goods from the local farmers market!

One of my favorite summertime meals utilizes the art of grilling and makes for a versatile, healthy combination of flavorful produce and protein! Can you guess what I’m talking about?! Let me give you a hint:

Got it yet?

How about now.

There we go!! Kebabs! I love that each person can customize their own meal choosing their own variety of veggies and meat. To round out the meal, all you have to do is steam some brown rice for along side the skewers! It’s almost like a “stir fry”. For some reason, I think grilling and roasting vegetables really brings out the flavor in comparison to other vegetable prep methods! It’s totally quick and easy, with very little clean up! Simply string along some meat and vegetables on a skewer; My favorites are shrimp and chicken, but you could use beef too! We used zucchini, pineapple, tomato, red onion, squash, peppers, and mushrooms for veggies/fruit!

After skewing the ingredients, it’s marinating time!

If you’re looking for a sweet/teriyaki marinade, try combining soy sauce and sugar free syrup with a dash of chili powder! If you want something light and refreshing, I recommend lemon juice and garlic powder! If you’re not into creating your own, you can pick up store-bought too! You’d be surprised to find that salad dressings work well, also! I like Kraft Light Zesty Italian! I usually let them soak for about 30 minutes in the marinade and then additionally baste them while they’re grilling to retain moisture!

If you don’t like the grilling idea, you can always try foil packs in the oven, too! Same concept only without the skewers and grill! Personally, nothing beats grillin’ in the summertime! So take advantage of all the great super foods that summer has to offer and fire up the grill tonight!

Thanks again so much to Danica for letting me guest post for her!

XO.