A few weekends ago, I was eating pickles, and A walked in and asked if I was doing my summer eating thing. The answer is yes. I don’t like to eat in the summer. I stick to foods such as cucumbers and popsicles—low-calorie, no cooking involved. It’s a balance, because these thing can get expensive. Pickles segue into olives, followed by hummus, then cheese. Individually, it’s a small splurge here and there on a nice, brainy-looking French cheese or a small olive bar expedition. But when one of those things only lasts a day, because it’s all I eat, yeah, pricey. So I’ve boiled it down to a list of budget-friendly essentials that can last for days (A’s diet—RED MEAT—not included):
- Tomatoes
- Canned black olives that you can eat off your fingers
- Pickles
- Avocado
- A block of regular old grocery store mozarella
- Pasta
- Mushrooms
- Cucumber
- Plain yogurt
- Frozen blueberries
This list can be mixed and matched into salad, pasta salad, warm pasta salad, whatever. The yogurt can become a creamy salad dressing, soup (when mixed up with the cucumber), or a base for the blueberries. Try the Layla Summer Eating Plan (TM). You’ll feel refreshed and summery, and so will your wallet!
Layla Schlack 