Summer is here, which means vacations aren’t far behind. We all know that drinking lots of water, sticking to fresh fruits and veggies and lean meats, and exercising as much as possible are the keys to a healthy life. So why is it so easy to fall into bad habits during the summer? I know for me that it’s especially easy when I travel to indulge way too much on treats and let exercise plans fall to the wayside. Let’s be honest, too much free time means extra time to be lazy!

1. Load up on healthy summer fruits and veggies.
Blueberries, blackberries, plums, peaches, corn, eggplant and green beans are all at their peak. Use the fruits frozen in smoothies with Greek yogurt, or with just a dollop of whipped cream for dessert. Veggies are perfect for grilling, seasoned with just a little olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.

2. Swap iced green tea in for sugary sweet tea. 
As delicious as sweet tea can be in the summer, all that sugary tea leads to empty calories. Green tea is full of antioxidants and has been shown to speed up metabolism.

3. Keep hydrated! 
One of my favorite ways to remind myself to drink water is to use technology to my benefit. Use a smartphone app to track the amount of water you’re drinking each day. Some even let you set an alarm reminder.

4. Pack your beach cooler full of healthy snacks.
Beach time can be super tempting with barbecue, ice cream, hot dogs, and so many more temptations that lurk near the sand. Pack a cooler full of better-for-you alternatives such as hummus and veggies, yogurt, fruit, sandwiches on whole grain bread, nut butter and celery, and of course, lots of water.

5. Trade your beef burger for lean turkey.
This grilling staple can be easily transformed to a much healthier alternative. Lean ground turkey dramatically decreases the fat and calorie content and still tastes great. Pair it with a whole-grain bun to up the nutrition factor. Pile on the veggies, or be daring and try some fruit toppings. Grilled pineapple is a favorite!

6. Don’t skip breakfast, even if you’re sleeping in! 
When you’re sleeping in an hour or two, it’s easy to let the most important meal of the day slide. Greek yogurt & frozen fruit smoothies, overnight oats, or nut butter on whole grain bread are easy go-to breakfasts.

7. Keep a food journal.
Download an app for your phone or keep a small notebook with you. If you write everything down, along with calories per serving, you’ll think twice before eating that triple scoop ice cream sundae with all the fixings.

8. Stay active! 
Outdoor activities abound during the summer months. There’s so much to choose from. Summer is perfect for Frisbee, walks around the park, and the obvious choice-swimming!

9. Put that grill to work!
Grilled food (when seasoned with just fresh herbs and lemon/lime juice) is low in calories and fat. Serve your BBQ sauce on the side instead of slathering it on top and you’ll save some extra calories there, too.

10. Stay balanced. 
Should you completely deprive yourself of all those fun summer treats? Not at all! If you’re on vacation in Hawaii, by all means, indulge in some local favorites. Visiting Italy? Definitely try the pasta and gelato!

To me, the best hot dog in the world is a dog at the OSU football stadium during game time. I am sure many sports fans think their home stadium has the best, but for some reason I look forward to it every year. It is nothing special. Maybe it is the atmosphere, weather and excitement of watching the Bucks play that help increase the flavor. Either way, I look forward to it.

While doing research on different hot dog ideas for this blog, I came across some fun facts. In 2016, consumers spent more than $2.4 billion on hot dogs in U.S. supermarkets. I had thought that hot dogs were not as popular as when I was young due to the “clean eating” trend that has taken over, but based on the stats from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, their consumption continues to grow.

It varies from state to state and from city to city, but Los Angeles residents consume more hot dogs than any other (more than 36 million pounds), beating out New York and Philadelphia. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport consumes SIX times more hot dogs, (725,000) than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined.

On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times. During peak hot dog season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs. That’s 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period. Los Angeles Dodger fans consumed 2.6 million hot dogs in 2016. Across the major leagues, fans enjoyed 19.4 million hot dogs during the 2016 season.

Top Hot Dog Consuming Cities 2016

Los Angeles

New York

Philadelphia

Boston

Phoenix

Chicago

Atlanta

Detroit

Washington, DC

Tampa

It seems that few things are left from my childhood memories, so I’m glad to see that this one American food pastime is still around to enjoy however we want. All of our Bellisari’s sauces and spreads will work well on hot dogs. Here are some unique ideas when entertaining for Memorial Day.

Heat gas or charcoal grill. Place hot dogs on grill over medium heat. Cook uncovered 10 to 15 minutes, turning frequently, until hot. Remember that there are all types of buns so experiment with those as well. You can brush the bun or the dog itself and top with these unique products.

Saigon Dog - Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce and top with Saigon Slaw

Calabrian Pepper Dog - Calabrian Pepper & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread, jalapenos and top with crumbled queso blanco

Fig Dog - Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread and top with caramelized onions and goat cheese

Balsamic Shallot Dog - Warm Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread and toss with cooked diced bacon. Spread generously and enjoy!

Today’s graduation party is much different than when I graduated. It seems now that multiple kids/families get together and have one party instead of multiple parties. That doesn’t mean that there still aren’t a lot of parties to attend, it just means there are not quite as many. What it means for the host is that many guests make the circuit to all those parties and don’t tend to eat as much when they do come. Keep that in mind when planning the menu. There is no need to break the bank. Plan your party accordingly and remember these tips.

When it comes to finger foods, expect that each guest will eat between 6 and 10 hors d’oeuvres. To keep things within budget, plan to serve larger quantities of inexpensive apps, such as dips and crudités. Multiply your number of guests by 5 to calculate how many servings to make. Homemade bean-based dips—great served alongside pita chips and crudités—can be made for less than $4 for a batch that feeds 12. Hearty and healthy, chips and dip are perfect for filling up a crowd—plus, dips can be prepared ahead of time, and you can never make too much.

Having saved some money by going the chips-and-dip route, you can now splurge on smaller quantities (about a quarter of all hors d’oeuvres) of more luxurious apps such as sushi or tenderloin bites. Because there are fewer of these, and chilling is required, serve them sporadically throughout the duration of the party to make them last. Meatballs are a killer dish that can be made ahead, and they are incredibly easy to prep. Make turkey, pork, beef, or even vegetarian varieties and serve them with a trio of sauces. Guests will get full fast.

Roasting a chicken or pork shoulder for pulled meat sliders is an easy and budget-friendly way to feed a large crowd: Meat sliders can be made ahead, or the meats can be served buffet-style so people build their own sliders and stuff them with a custom selection of condiments. DIY sliders are fun to make and will also keep guests busy rather than overeating.

For dessert, I recommend baking batches of cookies and brownies. Both are speedy make-ahead options, and they’re easy on the wallet, too, at about $5 a batch. Most importantly, they’re huge crowd-pleasers. To make the brownies a touch more glamorous, use cookie cutters instead of a knife to cut them. Seasonal fruit makes a colorful, budget-friendly complement to a spread of brownies and cookies or other desserts.

Drinks

Often a multigenerational gathering, a graduation party can present some challenges when planning the drinks menu. The best (and most affordable) option is to forgo a full bar, and instead set up a table with punch-style drinks that can be made ahead of time in big batches. Best of all, these can be served either alcohol-free or with a splash of wine or spirits. A keg of your favorite brew is an economical way to appease beer drinkers, but cans or bottles can also be offered in ice-filled buckets or tubs. Supplement the options for nondrinkers with pitchers of lemon and cucumber-flavored water, or iced tea. And regardless of what you serve, keep in mind that you can never have too much ice, so be sure to stock your freezer.

You can expect that within the first hour each guest will have about 1½ drinks, and then one drink after that per hour. It’s safe to assume that each guest will end up using up to three drinking glasses, so buy or rent glassware accordingly. A smart way to keep track of glasses is to ask guests to use a drink marker. Not only will these funny little figures help guests keep their eye on their drink, but they’ll also add a little more character to the party. Most importantly, don’t forget to place a big sign in the yard so guests can easily find the house.

Guest food and drink estimates and data via Epicurious

With the warmer weather approaching, now is the perfect time to plan your Spring/Summer Mexican menu. As I learn more and more about Mexican cuisine (I am obsessed with Rick Bayless BTW) I find myself making more and more of it at home. There are so many cultural tidbits that I didn’t know and love learning. For example, did you know that tacos are traditionally served on soft corn tortillas? In regular taquerías, each tortilla is reinforced with a second one, just in case you have leftover meat.

Your tacos can have all kinds of meat, and it seems that the simpler they are, the better they are. Recently I had lunch at Los Guachos which is a small taquería here that serves authentic al pastor. Al Pastor is rubbed pork put into a tall vertical spit, similar to gyros, and shaved off for tacos. This is typically not easy to find so the alternative, carnitas, can be just as yummy! Carnitas are pulled pork which can be quite juicy when made correctly. Authentic chicken tacos are rolled and fried and are made with pulled chicken, and not grilled. Grilled chicken is left for fajitas. One thing I recently learned that I was not aware of is there is a big difference in the vegetables you put on your taco versus fajitas. Traditional tacos are topped with chopped cilantro and white onions. Leave the peppers and onions for the fajitas and remember to cook them with the meat. Tacos are typically not topped with dairy, no cheese or sour cream are usually added, and sadly neither is guacamole.

Limes are also an important part of Mexican cuisine. Depending on how addicted you are to limes (do not accept lemons), it’s up to you if you want to squeeze a bunch or none at all. Be sure to roll them under your palm on the counter before cutting to burst open some of the individual segments and get the juices flowing. Remember to save some of the lime slices for the tequila. Studies suggest a shot of tequila before mealtime can stimulate the appetite and aid digestion. So sip away, alternating your tequila drinks with a glass of water to remain hydrated. Always choose a high-quality tequila by looking for 100 percent agave on the label. Skip the sugary margarita mixes and mix your tequila with a calorie-free club soda and a lime for added flavor. Remember, it is your party and you can create your tacos any way you want! I love avocados and put them on everything! Here is Bellisari’s version of our favorite taco.

Saigon Brisket Tacos

Servings: 12

Ingredients:
2 lbs brisket
2 avocados
1 jar Bellisari's Saigon Street Sauce
¼ cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 cup onion
4 scallions
2 Tbsp. chipotle chiles canned
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 pre-made pico de gallo
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. seasoning salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
24 corn tortillas
1 can beer

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, brown beef in 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Once all of the sides are browned, remove brisket to a plate. Add onions to pan and sauté until lightly browned. Then add beer and deglaze pan. Meanwhile, rub brisket on both sides with minced garlic and salt, then chipotles.

Remove beer and onion mixture from heat and carefully lower meat into pot and cover tightly with lid. Place in a 350°F oven for 3 hours.

Remove brisket from oven, pull it out of the pot and place brisket on a cutting board to cool. When it’s cool enough to touch, shred meat with a fork and your fingers and transfer back to remaining cooking liquid in pot. There won’t be much, maybe a cup. If there is more than one cup in the pot, pour some off.

Mix in lime juice, cilantro and scallions. Stir the meat with the Bellisari's Saigon Sauce and other ingredients until well combined. Add salt to taste. Serve the meat mixture in warm corn tortillas topped with pico de gallo and cubed avocado.

We’re holding a special giveaway for Bellisari's one year anniversary!

To enter: Submit your favorite recipe of your mom’s or motherly figure in your life (along with a picture) and the winner will get our six-pack gift box set and the recipe will be featured on the Thursday of Mother's Day week!

To submit: email us at info@bellisaris.com with the recipe and attach the picture. Or comment on our Facebook post with the recipe and attach the picture with the comment.

We look forwarding to seeing your favorite recipes from mom!