The season of barbecues and grilling is upon us, friends!
We are officially moving into the high 90’s, and there’s no end in sight. Such is life in Sacramento during the summer months! We get an average of 22 days of 100+ degree temps every year, according to the National Weather Service. That first day might be tomorrow!
And fortunately, I’ll actually be able to enjoy the weather this weekend: included in this weekend’s agenda are at least two barbeques, Concerts in the Park tonight, and a pub crawl tomorrow. All of a sudden, my social life has seemed to perk up! Funny how a little bit of sunshine will do that 🙂
If you’re curious whether I followed my “Getting Back on Track” meal/exercise plan for the week, I actually did pretty awesomely! All of my meals were more or less planned out [except last night I ended up having fries before dodgeball T-shirt pickup, and a salad after…I was supposed to have chicken, fries, and veggies. Not too bad, right?], and I stuck with the workouts. I surprisingly managed to run 2.7 miles on Wednesday at a 9:15 pace (my longest/fastest run since my 5K in March), and did a pretty killer arms & core workout yesterday. I’m definitely feeling like I’m back on track, though we’ll see if I can carry it over into the weekend full of food, booze, and fun!
In celebrating all of our social lives becoming active again, I decided to put together a little collection of summer recipes. Some are recipes I developed, and others are recipes I’ve pinned over the last year or so. Some are entrees that would be perfect for dinner tonight, others are sides that will make you the hero of any barbeque. I’ve got desserts and drinks too! Enjoy!
Main Dishes
Fried Green Tomato BLTs with Spicy Ranch Spread – I made these on my birthday weekend this past year and they would be perfect for a summer meal on the balcony!
Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce Chicken Salad – That sauce sounds out of this world!
Salmon with Lemon, Capers & Rosemary – This Giada recipe is the first fish dish I ever made, and it’s been my go-to ever since! Cooking salmon in foil packets on the grill is foolproof and so delicious.
Spicy Smoky Black Bean Burgers – My most popular recipe, and one of my favorites. Once you get the hang of it, making veggie burgers at home is really easy.
Grilled Veggie Tacos – The perfect summer meal. I made this so many times last summer!
Asian Turkey Burgers with Spicy Lime Mayo – This recipe has been pinned on one of my boards for over a year now. I think it might be time!
Side Dishes/Appetizers
Southwestern Quinoa Salad – definitely a recipe that should be in everyone’s repertoire!
Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Corn & Avocado – Finally I can make zucchini ribbons, now that I have a microplane!
Roasted Garlic Hummus – Now that I’ve perfected my hummus recipe, I am totally going to make it all summer long!
Grilled Corn & Cheddar Quinoa – I couldn’t believe how delicious this was. Possibly my favorite quinoa dish ever.
Roasted Red Pepper, Artichoke and Olive Pasta Salad – Ashley has managed to develop my most perfect ideal pasta salad EVER!
Desserts
photo courtesy of Heather Christo Cooks
Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake – I’ve never made an icebox cake, but they sound so easy and perfect for warm weather…no oven required!
Orange Creamsicle Cookies – Quickly becoming my signature cookies! I am looking forward to revisiting this recipe this summer and updating my pictures.
Zucchini Almond Chocolate Bites – My favorite thing to do in the summer is sneak zucchini into everything. These bites are a perfect vehicle!
Coconut Shell Fruit Popsicles – What a cool idea. I might have to do this now that I got a huge amount of coconut oil in my Blend swag bag!
Drinks
photo courtesy of A Beautiful Mess
Whiskey Lemonade with Honey – Whiskey and lemons is a favorite combo of mine. It’s like a warm weather hot toddy!
Watermelon G&T – It sounds a little labor intensive to make the watermelon syrup…but I have a feeling it’d be worth it.
Iced Green Tea Mojito – What a cool idea. The healthiness of the green tea totally cancels out the alcohol right? AND there’s green stuff in it. It’s healthy!
Raspberry Beer Cocktail – This sounds like a hangover waiting to happen…and a delicious one, at that.
Citrus-Strawberry Green Tea – So you all can’t say I only included alcoholic drinks 🙂 Though this does sound like it’d be great with a splash of vodka!
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What is your favorite thing to make in the summer?
What are your plans this weekend?
Blonde Ambition 
Jealy of your weather!! I’ll trade you rain and 60’s for sunny and 90 anytime!! I love making sangria and guac in the summer. That’s pretty much what I live on in July and August 🙂 No big plans for this weekend – a little grilling, a little vino and a lotta sleep!
Yes!! Sooooo much guac 😀
I’m not sure I could handle the 100+ days but I really do love the mid 80s. Have a great weekend- it sounds promising to me 🙂
I think mid 80s is perfect too! I lived in Southern California during college and it was like that all.the.time….amazing!
omg girl all of these sound amazing. now i’m really craving a nice, cold fruity cocktail. hmmm. 🙂
Some great recipes there! I want to try the Zucchini Ribbon salad. It is now officially winter here in Australia so I’m all about my soups and hearty meals at the moment 🙂
I so wish it was summertime though
These all sound scrumptious! 🙂
Oh man, I haven’t had an icebox cake in YEARS. I need this in my life. Also, good call on veggie tacos and bean burgers – I’ve gotta add that to my repertoire as well!