We are 1/3 of the way through the summer and I think my family has consumed about 7 watermelons.  We LOVE watermelon in the summer, especially really cold and juicy watermelon.

What are some of your summer traditions?

I eat by mood. During the winter, I love stew/soup and comfort food. In the summer however, I can’t eat heavy like that or it’ll put me in a bad mood. The soups, stews and comfort foods turn into smoothies, grilling and salads. Our grill broke and so while we’re shopping for a new one, we’ve been doing a lot of salads. If it were up to me, I could eat this everyday (or at least 3 days) of the week.

Spinach tortilla, seasoned chicken cubed or shreded, cheese of your choice, red-leaf lettuce, blended avacado, sour cream, medium salsa. Wrap it together and you have a wonderfully delicious burrito, perfect for the summer-nice and fresh!

Oh man, I’m such a SUCKER for marketing.  I love to read descriptions and adjectives on products.  I love to look and “oo and awe” over packaging.  It does not matter what the product is, I will read just about anything and I will drool over great presentation.  I’m a very visual person.  I only wish I had the ability to actually write, but since I don’t… I will continue to be sucked in by those who do have that talent.

This coffee is a prime example.  I’ve never bought this coffee and never even really paid attention to it.  But… this description totally sucked me in and I had to give it a try.  Way to go Allegro brand, you caught me!

The good news?  It tastes reeeeeeeally good!

I knew the boys and I were going to be on our own for a few days while daddy was traveling for work.  When that happens, I dislike cooking.  Partly because I don’t want to deal with toddlers turning their noses up at something new and partly because I’m just tired from the day and the last thing I want to do is cook.  I cook because I have to.  I enjoy it sometimes, but I’m definitely one that really has to be motivated.  The crock-pot is my bestest pal and I’ve got numerous cookbooks just for it, it’s fabulous!

With all that said, I did make something the other night that I didn’t have a recipe for, and most definitely didn’t slave over.  It was so simple and yet, turned out delicious and I know I’ll make  it again when daddy goes out of town.  There’s a ton of it and it can be eaten hot/cold.

Here’s the photo and just wait until you hear how few ingredients this takes and how simple it can be if you want it to be.

Does that not look great?  I’m not talking about the photo for a product photographer I am not, but the dish!?  Here’s the recipe, if you blink you may miss it.

Chicken.  I used 4 breasts and grilled them because I dislike boiled chicken.  You could boil it though,easily.  Shread.

Whole wheat Penne pasta.  You can use whatever you want though.  Cook it al- dente.

Grape tomatoes, cut in half.

Jar of pesto.  IF you’re feeling up for it, feel free to make you own.  I just used the jarred stuff.

Put everything in a bowl and mix!  Um…yup, that’s it!  Now, you want to be careful when you’re mixing not to destroy the pasta, but really…you can’t go wrong with this.  You can eat it right away,   or  you can even eat it from the fridge.  It’s pretty flexible and lasts a while since pasta (especially whole wheat) is filling.

So there you have it folks.  Simple and yet delicious.  If you ever decide to try it or a variation of this, let me know.