Start with Strawberry Toast

July 2, 2017

Summertime is the best time to go big on adding more fresh produce to every meal. This is the season of farmer’s markets, pick your own farms, road side stands and super affordable prices in the supermarket produce section.

ALDI supermarkets, with more than 1600 stores in 35 states, serves more than 40 million customers each month- and I’m one of them! Are you? Well keep a look out for more ALDI markets because many new stores are sprouting up. I’m delighted to be working with ALDI this summer to tell more folks about their focus on fresh foods and lots of organically grown produce.

As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I get really excited to share the happy and healthy benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables. Think of your plate as a showcase for good health by making sure you’re ‘painting’ at least half of your plates, bowls and platters with fruits and vegetables. Fruit bowls are fun, but I prefer adding nature’s fresh harvest to delicious recipes. Here we go! This photo is from my recent appearance on NBC Charlotte Today. (Don’t worry I’ll get to that super creative andfun recipe for watermelon pizza you see on the table.)

So, let’s get back to the strawberry toast. Avocado toast may be all the rage with food bloggers today, but why not slice up summer’s berries and rather than topping your cereal bowl…top your toast!

I like toasting ALDI SimplyNature Knock Your Sprouts Off 7 Grain Bread and adding a spread of creamy honey flavored goat cheese. (ALDI Happy Farms Preferred Goat Cheese Log). Then layer on sliced strawberries and sprinkle with ALDI Southern Grove chopped pecans. It’s a crunchy, creamy and sweet way to start the day and the perfect summer breakfast for families on the go.

Here’s the recipe from the ALDI website which is like a living cookbook of delicious and nutritious ideas.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Toast.

SUMMER SAVORIES

Now on to sweet and savory entrees for lunch or dinner! Making grilled chicken again? Of course you are! But, let’s add a touch of the tropics and create a refreshing Pineapple Avocado Salsa.

Cooking tip: Pound raw chicken breasts to create an even thickness and they’ll cook more evenly and be even more tender and juicy. I like to place the meat between two plastic cutting sheets and pound with a kitchen gadget called a ‘meat pounder’ I think. (: What a descriptive name! Does anyone know the real name?

Let’s get to that salsa! Buy a fresh pineapple- they’re really easy to cut up.

Slice off the leafy top and root end, then slice the spiny edges of the sides. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and you’ve got two easy pieces to work with. For the salsa, dice two cups of the fresh pineapple, add one cup of chopped cilantro, one cup of diced avocado, 1/2 cup of diced red onion, 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped. Cooking Tip: remove the internal ribs and seeds of the jalapeño, that’s where the heat happens!

The pineapple salsa is not only delicious, it’s super nutritious adding vitamin C, potassium and fiber to every bite. I’m making this recipe for my Fourth of July cookout! Click here so you can print out the recipe for Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Avocado Salsa.

Camp Cooking Healthy!

Get the kids into the kitchen this summer with recipes that could be part of your “Camp Stay at Home Craft Day!” Kids’ Health and Wellness is a priority for ALDI. In fact, over the next two years ALDI is investing more than $4 million dollars in Kids’ Health and Wellness Programs and has launched its own online grant applications program, ALDI Smart Kids. It gives local organizations the opportunity to request grants and gift cards that support youth programs focusing on education, physical activity, nutrition social skills and the arts.

Bet you never made a watermelon pizza! Click the link for the recipe on ALDI’s website:

Watermelon Pizza!