WIAW #18: Sweet Summer Eats

 

Welcome to another WIAW. It was muggy and rainy, so I took it as a sign I needed a rest day, and focused on food instead. And Sasha, and studying (*cough* maybe not enough *cough*). I mean, it took Sasha awhile to want to come inside after her morning walk, my only exercise. We barely beat a big storm into the house! Afterwards, there were a lot of sweets to beat the heat, starting with a breakfast treat. 

 

 

Taking a break from my waffle’wiches (but not my waffles), I had two toasted Van’s Gluten Free Blueberry Waffles with butter and Maine maple syrup alongside scrambled eggs. I usually go for savory eggs, with lots of cheese, veggies, and/or turkey or smoked salmon, but they’re also scrummy with syrup. Of course there was some decaf iced coffee and water to wash it all down. To follow, a Greek yogurt with peanut butter and some more blueberries mixed in. Always loving those summer berries! Nothing beats the wild berries in season, but it’ll be another couple weeks for the best of those to arrive.

 

 

 

Lunchtime around 1pm meant my go-to salad with shrimp, feta, dolmades (rice and veggie grape leaves) and honey mustard dressing. I keep eating it because I’m at my parents’ house studying for the bar this summer, so the fridge is always stocked with all of these Costco staples! Plus, shrimp and salad are both summery, and it is a refreshing and balanced meal. I didn’t snap a photo, so this one is a re-use, but you get the picture (I’m hilarious, right?) Afterwards, I had a few afternoon study snacks. A Yoplait Whips! Greek yogurt, and a peach the eating process of which might accurately be described as ‘Alyssa and the Giant Peach’. Anyone else a huge Roald Dahl fan as a kid? Anyway, this one was the size of BOTH my fists. Ever eaten Costco peaches or apples? No idea what makes them so big! I gave in to the inevitable juice running everywhere and ended up eating this over a bowl. 

 

 

I was peckish again by 4pm, so nibbled on a Fruttare banana and milk bar.

 

 

 

For dinner, I started with my usual salad with honey mustard dressing and feta cheese. The main meal was a smoked gouda and caramelized onion chicken burger with Manchego cheese melted on top, along with a couple of dolmades and that scrumptious seaweed salad I’ve been munching on a lot. Afterwards, a bowl of summer strawberries.

 

 

 

For dessert, I had two scoops of Cherry Vanilla ice cream, followed by more summer fruit in the form of a handful of dark chocolate covered berries. I have always loved dark chocolate blueberries especially, ever since we used to go on family trips to Maine where we raided the Stonewall Kitchen factory store and the Harry & David stocks. 

 

 

 

My dad picked up a bag of the Kirkland “Superfruits” at Costco recently and they are amazing as well. The blueberries are little and all sink to the bottom of the bag so you kind of have to go fishing for them, but the cranberries are good too and the cherries are ginormous. I often start to have one or two as a snack, then go for another, and before I know it I’ve eaten a dozen, so I just take a handful now and then put the bag away. I’m kidding myself otherwise. Honestly, any kind of chocolate for me needs both quality AND quantity – I admire the restraint of people for whom one square of dark chocolate is satisfactory, but it isn’t me at all!

 

 

 

What are your favorite sweet eats for summer?

 

 

 

 

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