Treats for summer

Ten treats? How about 100? No? Okay, ten...but not in any order.

My new diet is wheat free, soy free, sugar free, low carb and lean proteins, so here is what i am treating myself to this summer:

1. Watermelon. I love it ice cold. No salt, no feta, just melon.
2. Corn on the cob. I get it once a year and it has to be the local kind.
3. Non fat, sugar free fro yo. From Cabots in Newton.
4. Nectarines!  Non of the hassle of a peach, but all the juice.
5. Grilled...anything. PC is a grill master and has turned out bison steaks, tuna, halibut, scallops and chicken that is mind blowing.
6. Zucchini. I am a zucchini addict. Grilled, sauteed, in stews, on salads...
7. Popsicles. Sugar free, but i love them in the summer.
8. Iced coffee. We drink gallons of this a week.
9. Late nights on the back deck. PC and i sit there and dream about whats next for us.
10. Camping...we love our summer house ( coleman tent) and cant wait to run away for a quick camping weekend on our favorite lake.

Too hot to breathe...

Someone at the library today said " its too hot too breathe" and i agree! 100 degrees here in Boston,  with our usual humidity (90% or so it feels) .

Too hot to knit.
Too hot to work.
Too hot to clean.

Thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow, and a reprieve is expected sunday.

Tempers are short. AC units hum.

158 days until christmas.

Its all about perspective round here.

Super Secret Iced Coffee

Ok, wow. So many want to know my secret to ah-mazing iced coffee. And i am sure several of you have said- she cold brews.

Nope.

The best iced is made HOT, then cooled slowly.

First, our coffee maker has a "strong" setting, which you need for this. Each pot will be 10-10.5 cups.

Start with 12.5 cups water, cold, in the brewer. Then add 15 tbsp. Yup. 1-5. Of coffee to a filter. Brew strong. 

Cool for a few hours on the counter and then in the fridge. We add vanilla syrup and skim milk. 

Yummmm.

Oh, and the secret? Our brand of coffee.... ;)

Ten on Tuesday-feelin hot, hot, hot!

  Ten on Tuesday

Beating the heat....hmm. I kinda hate the summer. Especially here in the Northeast, it's never the temps that get me....you guessed it! It's the humidity. I hate that feeling like you are wading through a cup of hot soup. Your hair goes wacko, your shorts stick to you, and you never feel "right".  And, Boston is on it's third heat wave (+90F for three r more days) in 2013. 

But, I do know how to stay cool!

1. Air conditioning. Find it. Stay there. Malls, shops, friends houses...
2. Find a hill. Sunds silly right? My parents live on a hill and there s always a breeze.
3. Popsicles! Cool, low calorie instant cool. 
4. Icy water...I love ice.cold.water in the heat.
5. Iced coffee. I have a secret recipe that is to die for and make a double batch every night!
6. Municipal pools. We have some great ones in the greater Boston area...and a day pass is cheap. Cheaper than the beach.
7. Tank tops and shorts- my summer wardrobe. The less clothing, the better.
8. Sunscreen! Nothing makes you hotter than a sunburn.
9. Cool showers. This house hasn't taken a warm shower in weeks! 
10. Ponytails. Pig tails. Braids. Get that hair up and off your neck!

Wheat-free Me

  I am appealing to all of you...I need some help. In recent years, I have developed insulin resistance due to my PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome). Meds help, a little, but major dietary changes are needed: no soy, no sugar, low carb, no wheat, lean protein, limited fruits. Do you have a fave recipe that fits this? Please share! 

***i am not gluten free- wheat free, I can have barley, rice, quinoa, rye. BUT, they have a ton of carbs, so are a once-a-month-meal treat.