With school on the horizon, I’m looking forward to the weather cooling down a bit and my garden slowing down. I’ve loved sharing the gardening process with my kids. It’s been rewarding to work alongside them through planning, planting, watering, weeding, growing and harvesting. Our trips to the Farmers’ Market and grocery store have been more meaningful as my kids make the connections between what we’re growing and what the farmers around us are growing. It’s also reaffirmed how important it is for us to use the produce we’ve grown in our garden in our everyday cooking.

To help you use your garden’s bounty, we’ve paired all of our garden treasures with each of our products:

Zucchini - Balsamic, Shallot & Black Garlic Spread

Squash - Saigon Street Sauce

Grilled Bell Peppers - Barista Sauce

Jalapeños - Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread

Cucumbers - Calabrian Pepper & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread

Green Beans - Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread

With the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, many chefs have begun to create dishes to reflect the Brazilian cuisine on their menus.  Because Brazil is such a melting pot of cultures and customs – its cuisine is similarly varied.  Fruit is grown well in the tropical and subtropical regions and therefore used extensively, even in savory dishes. Mangos, papayas, guavas and pineapples are all favorites to Brazil and pair well for breakfast, lunch or dinner with any item.  For breakfast, Pao de queijo which is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, are made with tapioca flour, eggs and grated queijo Minas (cow's milk cheese) and rolled into small balls.  These breakfast treats are also shared throughout the day stuffed with a variety of meat fillings.

While appetizers typically refer to starters of a meal for many of us – they mean a completely different thing in the Brazilian food culture.  In Brazil they also refer to food commonly available from street vendors.  These Street Vendors play a major role in food offerings throughout regions in Brazil and can be found extensively through all communities. One popular street snack is Acaraje which is a deep fried patty of crushed black eyed peas and pureed onion deep fried in palm oil and sliced open and stuffed with dried shrimp, bread, and nuts.

Brazil and Argentina both claim to be the barbecue champion; in Brazil the most popular cut is Picanha which is lightly seasoned and typically grilled over charcoal or wood.  Many other main dishes use a very traditional base of rice or beans, or both – since they are readily available throughout all regions of the country.  Feijoada which is a hearty stew of black beans, sausages, beef, pork and beans, is widely found throughout Brazil.  This traditional dish can take up to 24 hours to prepare and is commonly found in restaurants on Wednesdays and Saturdays to alleviate Brazilians from having to prepare it at home.

There is a variety of fun and tropical cocktails that Brazilians enjoy but one that is most well know and is considered Brazil’s National Cocktail is Caipirinhas. This refreshing drink is typically made with fresh mint, caster sugar, cachaça liquor- which is fermented sugarcane juice, crushed ice and lime but can also be made with any of the fruits of the region, pineapple, mango, etc.

Invite friends over to watch the Olympics and prepare some of Brazil’s most interesting cuisines and cocktails. I will be sharing Bellisari’s version of Brazilian Shrimp Stew for #TreatYourTastebudsThursday which will pair perfectly with a Caipirinhas cocktail! Stay tuned!

With the influence of cooking networks in our culture, the casual diner has become much more educated with expectations that force chefs to be more creative and develop unique flavor profiles that no one else has tried. These expectations have also carried over to both the craft beer industry and the gourmet ice cream industry as well.  At first glance, you might not think of pairing beer and ice cream together, but once people taste these combinations they can’t help but to notice how well the different flavors complement one another. Many chefs and brewers have partnered together to develop these combinations that seem to satisfy both the sweet and savory palates. The complex flavors they are incorporating such as coffee, fruits, spices and even chocolate all seem to pair well not only with the malt, hops and yeast but also with the cream in the ice cream.

I recently spoke with Laura Oldham, Co-Founder of the Columbus Craft Beer Alliance, who hosts several large events annually to showcase the growing craft beer industry, to give us her take on the surge of craft beer brewers and the unlikely pairing of beer and ice cream.

“Like with food, people are more conscious of what they are drinking and expect the quality of the ingredients going into craft beers to be just as important as what goes into their food. Many Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewery, which gives the consumer the ability to see how the beer is brewed and with what ingredients," she stated. “Craft beer is generally made with traditional ingredients like barley and hops, but interesting and non-traditional ingredients are often added for distinct flavors, which provides limitless possibilities for the unique styles that can be created. Different styles of beer can be paired with a wide range of foods, including ice ream. Many restaurants are creating craft beer floats on their dessert menus for a twist on the traditional root beer float.”

Many brewmasters are creating ice cream flavored beer like New Belgium’s Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Beer. Frozen Pints has some unique flavors they have captured in the ice cream arena; Honey IPA, Brown Ale Chip, Milk Chocolate Stout. When I asked Laura what she thought may follow next in the food/beer pairing she stated that The Columbus Craft Beer Alliance is currently pairing craft beer and doughnut tastings for brewery tours throughout the city. I will be sure to check that out!

So....if you're like me you're going to "cheat" this coming weekend with all the Fourth of July picnics, parades, barbecues and camping, so you need to have a plan.  We have a big family get-together where we camp, play games, watch an outdoor movie and EAT! That includes the traditional S'MORES!!

For me, I'm already thinking of getting back and getting the bad food out of my diet. I do try to limit what I can, but even after a few slip-ups, I can tell a total difference in how I feel. Sluggish, tired, workouts not as great, feeling the need for more sleep than normal, headache, etc. This is all a repercussion of the sugar and increase carbs I allowed myself to consume!

My plan of action is getting back on my normal routine for sticking to a healthier eating plan. These are my main steps each week to living a healthier life:

1).  I prep! This means preparing my food ahead of time each week for each day. 

2).  I watch servings! For instance, healthy fruits and vegetables equals one fistful (that would be enough fruits and vegetables to amount the size of my fist), lean proteins one palm full, low sugar carbohydrates half a fistful and healthy fats the size of my thumb.

3).  I make sure I get protein every morning which keeps my brain functioning well throughout the day. This will usually follow or proceed a workout. Typically, I will consume a protein shake (one scoop of protein, half water, half almond milk, ice and two generous handfuls of spinach).  The bullet does its magic then "wha-la"! Super yummy!

4).  I do not eat after 6 PM!

5).  I will not have alcohol!

6).  I drink water generally with organic lemon juice. I drink half my body weight in ounces each day.  Tip: purchase a 40+ ounce bottle, make it up in the morning and drink on it all day!

Performing these simple steps can set you back up to being successful after a night or weekend binge!

One last thing, I get back on my workout schedule! Make workouts a must, just part of your normal routine! YOU - Body – Mind – Soul will be happier and function better!

Jennifer Seiler, MSN, FNP, AOCNP Hematology Oncology Nurse Practitioner

-J2 Wellness Center  

I grew up in a small suburb of Columbus and the 4th of July is very serious business in our town.  Two weeks out people start lining up their chairs on the parade route and even rope/tape them off so they are ready to go. There seems to be a “code” that is adhered to and the chairs seem to remain safe and sound until the big day arrives. A week out, the city will paint red, white and blue stars on the street and that is when you know that summer is officially here.  To outsiders and transplants this seems CRAZY and somewhat cult like.

Can you imagine waking up the 4th of July to a car with a foghorn outside your house yelling “wake up, wake up, time for the parade” as it drives through our streets.  Well, that is reality.  This small town parade has the OSU alumni band, floats and even small planes that advertise overhead.  On every corner there are parties with cookouts and alumni events, many getting ready for their reunions that typically happen that weekend.  It brings such a sense of community and traditions that continues year after year.  Family, friends, food……Happy 4th of July!