Whew! It’s been a particularly sweltering week in Minnesota. While the temps themselves haven’t been too high, the humidity has been just brutal. Luckily, by the end of the weekend things got to a more tolerable temperature. As you may have noticed, I’m now writing two blog posts per week! If you haven’t seen last weeks extra post about the highlights of my dietetic internship, you can find it here.
Whenever it’s really hot and humid out I totally lose my appetite. I tend to gravitate more towards salads when this happens and this week was no different! Monday night, I experimented with a shrimp orzo salad which turned out really well. I added fresh mint, dill, parsley and lemon juice and it hit the spot!
My family also tends to gravitate towards grilling when it’s hot out. Turning on the oven and even the stove when it’s so humid just heats up the whole house. Chicken, potatoes, and the shrimp from the salad on Monday were some of the highlights this week.
On Wednesday, I tuned into a webinar about lean red meat and the Mediterranean eating pattern. It was a really interesting discussion that highlighted new research around lean red meat and the Mediterranean eating pattern. The researchers found that a Mediterranean style eating pattern with a little more lean red meat can be just as beneficial as one with less. As with most things in nutrition though, more research is needed!
We had a very busy weekend this week too. Saturday morning, we went to my aunt and uncle’s house to help them move furniture. They’re getting new carpet, so all their furniture had to be moved out of the way! Afterwards, we got lunch at the Sunshine Factory in Plymouth. I had some really tasty crispy shrimp tacos (forgot a picture though). Then, we went to Sociable Cider Werks for their annual MarketFest. They had craft vendors from all over the Twin Cities area selling their wares which was really fun to see. It was extremely humid though, so I was happy to sit inside for a while enjoying some of their ciders. That evening, my parents and I met my older brother, Zach, for supper at Wok in the Park in Saint Louis Park. I had their fresh vegetable stir fry which was amazing.
Sunday was smoke and brew day! My dad and younger brother, Ben, started smoking some brisket and ribs in the morning with their new smoker. Then, my dad and I started brewing an Island Hopper IPA. We were rewarded at the end of the day with the smoked meat, sweet corn, roasted red potatoes, coleslaw, and watermelon for supper.
The temperatures finally seem to be coming back down to tolerable living levels which is much appreciated. Now, I’m off to get studying for my RD Exam!