When you’re looking for a quick (and cool) way to cook dinner during the hot summer months, grilling can become the go-to technique. It’s a healthy, relatively easy way to put a meal on the table in a flash—as long as you do it right. Here are a few things you should take into consideration when you’re grilling.

Take the same precautions outside as you do inside. Wash your hands often. Use separate utensils on raw meats and cooked. Use soapy water to wash cutting boards, knives and other surfaces that come in contact with raw meats.

Avoid charring meats. This includes poultry, fish and red meat alike. Studies have shown that eating charred or burned meat may increase cancer risk. Cancer-causing chemicals are created when meat is burned. To avoid creating a charred crust, marinate your meats, flip your burgers and steaks often, try grilling at lower temperatures, keep the grill clean and consider covering your grill with foil.

Marinate and baste your meats and veggies. Not only does marinating and basting make your grilled foods more flavorful, but marinades can also help remove chemicals that can turn into the cancer-causing compounds in charred meat.

Keep meats refrigerated. This will prevent them from spoiling in the summer heat. To be safe, don’t pull those burgers out of the refrigerator or cooler until it’s time to toss them on the grill.

Cook foods thoroughly. Keep a thermometer handy and make sure all your meat is cooked to a safe internal temperature before you pull it off the grill.

Keep cold food cold and hot food hot. If you’re serving salads that need to be refrigerated, return them to the cooler as soon as you’re done dishing them out. As for hot foods, eat them immediately or keep them in a warmer until it’s time to eat.

Now go ahead and get grilling!

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

I keep hearing and reading that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I just can’t seem to squeeze it into my busy morning routine. Can you recommend some simple, on-my-way-out-the-door breakfasts that I can eat on my way to work?

Starting your day with breakfast is very important. It gets your metabolism going and boosts your energy for the day. If you don’t have time to sit down and eat a good hearty breakfast, try one of these on-the-go morning meals. They can all be purchased in single servings or made ahead of time and portioned.

Breakfast Bars

If you’re purchasing breakfast bars for a quick morning meal, stick to ones that are low in added sugar and high in fiber. For healthy homemade version, try the recipe below:

Oat and Almond Bars
Makes 24 bars, about 155 calories each

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 inch pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix the oil, honey, vanilla and egg until well blended. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the oats, flour, sugar, almonds, wheat germ, raisins and salt until well mixed. Using a rubber spatula, stir the liquid mixture into the oat mixture until well combined.

Scrape the mixture into the lined pan and pat the mixture out evenly. (It may help to wet your hand to keep the mixture from sticking.)

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are pale golden. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack, cooling about an hour until completely cool.

When cool, use the foil to transfer the baked oat sheet to a cutting board. Cut the sheet lengthwise into 4 bars. Then cut each bar into 6 pieces. To store, keep in an air-tight container at room temperature. Keeps up to 2 weeks.

Breakfast Sandwiches

You can usually find these in the frozen food section, but watch out for ones that are high in fat or sodium. You can also make them yourself using the simple recipe below.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
6 whole grain English muffins, toasted
6 slices low-fat cheese

Instructions:

Coat the bottom of an empty cottage cheese container (or microwaveable container of similar size (about the diameter or an English muffin) with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, whip one egg. Place in the microwave and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until egg is firm throughout but not over cooked. Allow to cool for a minute or so. Slide a knife along the edge of the container and flip the egg out onto a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining 5 eggs, until you have 6 egg “patties”.

Assemble the sandwiches by placing one egg patty on one half of each English muffin. Top the egg with one slice of cheese and cover with the other half of the English muffin. To store for quick breakfasts, wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place all six sandwiches in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Place in the freezer.

To reheat, remove one sandwich from the plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Let stand for 1 minute before eating.

Smoothies

A number of yogurt brands have started offering yogurt smoothies so they’re easy to find in the store and drink on the go, but again, you’ll want to check the ingredients for added sugar. If you want to make them at home, try adding your choice of ingredients (fruit, milk, juice, yogurt, nut butter, etc.) to your blender’s pitcher and putting it in the refrigerator the night before. Then all you have to do is put the pitcher on the base in the morning and give it a quick blend. You could also blend everything, pour it into a travel cup and put it in the refrigerator ready to go the night before. Just grab it from the refrigerator on your way out the door.

Other Ideas

Anything that includes whole grains and some protein and can be easily carried with you makes a great on-the-go breakfast idea. If you’re still stumped or want some variety, try one of these:

• Small homemade bran muffin and an apple
• Slice of homemade banana bread and a cheese stick
• Whole-grain crackers with peanut butter and a piece of fruit
• Peanut butter and jelly on whole grain toast
• Hard-boiled egg, whole grain crackers and a piece of fruit

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

Vitamin D and the sun go hand-in-hand, and now that the sun is finally shining a bit more, it’s a good time to learn more about this important nutrient and how to make sure you’re getting enough of it. Here’s the scoop.

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is actually found in several forms. Humans need two forms of the vitamin—vitamin D2 and vitamin D3—to keep their bodies running in peak form.

Why is Vitamin D so important?

Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium, building our bones and keeping them strong. Recent research also suggests that vitamin D may help protect against diseases such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, some autoimmune diseases and certain types of cancer.

Where can I get Vitamin D?

Vitamin D can be found naturally in several foods:

• Fatty fish like herring, salmon, and tuna
• Fish liver oils like cod liver oil
• Eggs

Both vitamin D2 and D3 are often added to foods such as milk, yogurts, cereals, and breads, as well. And of course, as we often hear, vitamin D3 is produced when our skin is exposed to sunlight—specifically Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. This means that in order for skin to produce vitamin D, it needs to be uncovered or unprotected. Don’t let fear of a vitamin D deficiency keep you from slathering on that sunscreen, though. Just 10 to 15 minutes of direct exposure a couple times a week can produce all the vitamin D your body needs.

How much should I be getting?

The recommended Daily Value of vitamin D for adults is 400 IU. One serving of salmon (3.5 oz) provides almost the entire recommended 400 IU, while one glass of fortified milk provides about 100 IU. As mentioned above, spending time in the sun for several minutes a few times a week, in some cases even with sunscreen on, will also produce plenty of vitamin D.

If you’re concerned about your vitamin D intake, contact a Registered Dietitian or speak with your doctor. There are screening tests that can be performed to determine if you have a vitamin D deficiency and treatment options are readily available.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."