peaches

Sweaters and hot chocolate be damned. Summer may be gone but my smoothies are here to stay. The produce section of my grocery may be looking a bit different lately but my freezer's frozen fruit selection is looking pretty good. Adding to my list of delicious breakfast drinks, I've turned once more to Victoria Boutenko's Green for Life book of recipes. Easy as ever, this peachy refreshment packs a flavorful punch while providing some essential vitamins and nutrients.

Ready to see the simple recipe?

FitSugar reader summer m shared her healthy breakfast in the Healthy Recipe Group.

Fresh fruit from the farmers market is the best. And Sunday mornings (the day after the market) are perfect for a fresh and simple breakfast of fruit, yogurt and granola. For this quick meal I mixed together some fresh strawberries, raspberries, peaches and fresh figs. Mixed the fruit together and topped my fat free plain Greek yogurt with them, a little Everything Granola and a drizzle of honey. Not sure it gets much better than this.

Sounds tasty and healthy! I would like to eat like this every day of the week — not just Sundays — but weekday mornings can be hectic. I'm wondering what you all had for breakfast this morning, and whether it differed from what you ate for your morning meal over the weekend.

This Summer, I've been all about mastering certain cooking techniques. First I tried out several variations of pasta with pesto. Then, I practiced my pie dough-making skills. Now I'm perfecting my grilled peach salad.

I made it in July, but wasn't totally satisfied with the outcome. The peaches were too ripe and instead of softly caramelizing them, the grill made them mushy. For my second try, I used this recipe. There's no cheese, instead the peach's sweet flavor is balanced by tart grapefruit.

The quick vinaigrette is a simple mixture of oil and grapefruit juice that lightly coats each of the green leaves. This grilled peach salad is less complicated than the first, but sometimes the most basic things taste better. I served it alongside a decadent pesto lasagna. To give this recipe a whirl, keep reading.

In the Winter, I always love to invite my friends over for a cookie swap or edible gift-making party. However, I've never done something like this during the warmer months — until now. Inspired by a new Williams-Sonoma book, The Art of Preserving, I'm hosting a canning party and I suggest you do the same. First select a date — preferably a relaxed time, like Sunday afternoon — then decide what you want to make at the event. Throw in some homemade snacks and you've got yourself a fabulous little party. At mine, I'll offer guests two nibbles in the form of a white bean dip with parsley oil and an oven-dried tomato tart with goat cheese and black olives.

What will we be making? Peach-rosemary jam and classic dill pickles! If this sounds like fun to you, check out these recipes, after the break.

Thanks to your encouraging words, this Summer, I've made it a goal to officially get over my fear of dough. I'm following ticamorena's advice, she says, "it's more about experience." Since practice makes perfect, I'm taking every opportunity I can to make dishes that involve dough. I made grilled pizzas, blueberry pie, and last weekend, this peach pie. Although I prefer pies with a lattice on top, as an exercise, I made a double-crusted pie. I followed the recipe to a T, and the dough wasn't that hard to roll out! Oh, side note: the pie is really good. You should make it. If you want the recipe I used, keep reading.

Get excited boozers, tomorrow is national tequila day! There's no better way to celebrate tequila than with a margarita. You could make classic margaritas, cranberry margaritas, jalapeño margaritas, or cherry margaritas, but since it's Summer and peaches are in season, I'm suggesting you make these sensational peach margaritas. I was a little worried that tequila wouldn't pair well with peaches and was totally surprised upon the first sip — it actually works wonderfully well! The sweetness of the peaches mellows the potent spirit. Trust me, you won't be disappointed: here's the recipe.

This Summer I've been all about throwing everything on the grill. I've made grilled bread and grilled cheese, so why not grilled peaches? Two years ago, I loved them as an appetizer, and last weekend I decided to try them out in a salad. Select peaches that are on the firm side because they will soften and caramelize while on the grill. Unless you want wilted greens, be sure to let the peaches cool before tossing them with the rest of the ingredients. This hearty salad is great with barbecued chicken or ribs. To see my recipe, keep reading.

When one thinks of the grill, proteins normally come to mind. However, I like to use the smoky barbecue to impart rich flavor on everything from vegetables to cheese to fruit. By placing circles of red onions and wedges of fresh peaches onto the grates, this recipe does just that. These charred and caramelized elements are tossed with crisp greens to create a salad that's scrumptious served with grilled chicken. Since salt and pepper are the only ingredients used to season the chicken, be sure to sprinkle liberally. Enjoy this uncomplicated meal on the back porch with a glass of white wine. Sound good? Here's the recipe.