Current Summer Favorites

July 10, 2015 by Jess Branco 2 Comments

It’s common for me to go through phases where I’m obsessed with a specific thing, whether it be food, exercise, or a certain activity. This is especially true during the summer.

Luckily for me, I’ve changed a lot since my not-so-healthy days in college, when all I really wanted was an alcoholic drink, fast food and perhaps a big ol’ bag of chips (disclaimer: I do still love chips!). But now, I’m more of a fan of finding fresh, healthy foods, workouts or outings that make me feel better, on the inside and out.

Currently, I’m all about:

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  Coconut-flavored Siggi’s topped with fresh berries

  Siggi’s yogurt: Siggi’s makes an Icelandic style skyr yogurt that is just heavenly! It tastes like a creamy, velvety dessert, but it’s mostly just protein in a convenient to-go cup. In fact, even the label on each yogurt cup says “more protein than sugar.” You can get them for around $2/cup and at Whole Foods, select Stop & Shop stores, and even some Market Basket locations (for my New England readers out there). I like to top mine with fresh berries and/or granola.

• Fresh herbs: A few weeks – eh, more like months! – ago, I started from scratch my own herb garden. Recently, they’ve grown a bit and I’ve been able to transfer my herbs over from a starter kit to their own individual planters. I’ve never realized how much flavor they can add to any dish or drink. My personal favorite: mint-infused water with lime and strawberry. So refreshing!

• Grilling: It’s finally summer, which means one of my favorite things is being able to grill almost any main dish/protein. From turkey burgers, to chicken skewers, and even swordfish steaks, the grill adds a whole new layer of flavor that you just can’t replicate on the stove. And as a major life win, I just learned how to work an outdoor grill, so I’ll be getting to work on more grill-based recipes soon! 
  

  Grilled swordfish steaks – check out those grill marks!

What are some of your favorite foods, exercises, or summer activities that you currently just have GOT to have? Share in the comments below!