Sweet Summer Salad with Blackberries & Raspberries

One of my favorite things about summer is the fresh fruit and veggies.  I love making fruit salads to pair with a grilled entree.  Here is a fruit salad recipe that you must try.

Summer Berry Fruit Salad
- 1 package of raspberries
- 1 package of blackberries
- 1 package of strawberries, sliced
- 1/2 TBSP cider vinegar
- 1/2 TBSP honey
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Salt and pepper, lightly flavored

Rinse and drain all the berries.  Slice the strawberries.  Combine all into a medium size bowl.  Drizzle with cider vinegar.  Season with the spices.  Gently fold all ingredients together.  Some of the raspberries will fall apart and add extra juice to the salad.  Serve and enjoy.


There are other ways to enjoy fruit that doesn't involve co-mingling other fruits.  I'm a big fan of smashing food groups together in a salad.  Lettuce, tomato and cucumber are too predictable.  Sometimes you have to liven it up a bit with peppered bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, or edamame.

Last week, I wanted to do something with our raspberries and blackberries.  Since I am not a baker... the only logical solution was to throw it on a regular salad.

Give this salad a try, you might be surprised...

Summer Salad with Blue Cheese
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/2 blackberries
- Chopped lettuce of your choosing
- 1 stick of smoked string cheese
- Blue cheese dressing
- Salt and pepper

Drain the fruits and veggies.  Cut the string cheese into bite size pieces.  Combine and enjoy.


You can incorporate your own favorite ingredients.  This salad would also be great with sliced almonds or walnuts to add some crunch.

After eating the salad, I noticed that the blue cheese dressing had a "wheat" warning under the nutritional information.  Although "traces of wheat" won't harm me, I probably won't be using this dressing again.  If you are looking for a dressing that isn't store bought, try my Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe (found at the bottom of the post - written before my gluten free days).  It will pair very nicely with the berries and smoked cheese.

Hope you all are having a great summer!  Take care, readers.

Copyright 2012 Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.

Sweet and Spicy Pork - An Irresistible Marinade

Tired of eating tasteless pork chops?  This marinade can be used on chicken or any cut of pork.  There is also a small amount of oil in the recipe, which makes this a figure-friendly meal.

Sweet Balsamic Marinade
- 2 TBSP orange marmalade
- 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Cajun spice (Optional... but definitely recommended)
- Salt and pepper

Mix the ingredients into a small bowl.  Whisk thoroughly.  If you prefer the marinade to be thicker... it is optional to add more oil or marmalade.  In a shallow baking pan, add the pork or chicken.  Cover the meat with the marinade and then cover with saran wrap.  Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.  Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until pork is cooked through.

This recipe will pair very well with Red Beans and Rice.  You can also add veggies or salad as an additional side dish.  Cabernet wine will compliment the spiciness very well.

Enjoy!  Have a fantastic weekend readers.

Coming Soon:  Healthy Turkey Burger Wrap


We could all use a hint of more time!
Copyright 2012 A Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.

Low-Cal Eating: 3 Quick Tips and Recipes

I recently started a new workout plan with "NBC's Biggest Loser Workout" for Wii.  Forecasting even a small weight loss goal or trying different exercises has been less than exciting, as I have suffered from severe chronic back pain for more than a decade.  It's true that a body in motion stays in motion... so I picked up the Wii workout on a whim.  It has been fantastic thus far.  And I love that it's interactive.

One of the many features of the Biggest Loser Workout includes short video tips for exercising, lifestyle and diet.  I decided that I'd share some of the healthy eating tips with my devoted readers.  The lunch and dinner option came straight from the brain of this lady.  I cannot claim to be an expert on low-calorie diets, but I am working on gaining more knowledge.

Low Calorie Snack:

Cinnamon Apples - 70 calories
- 1 medium sweet apple (recommend Gala or Macintosh)
- 1/4 TBSP cinnamon
- 1/2 TBSP water
- 1 teaspoon sugar (or sweetener)

Chop the apple into bite size pieces and place into a microwavable bowl.  Add the water, cinnamon and very small amount of sugar or sweetener.  Stir.  Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.  Delicious and nutritious!

Low Calorie Lunch:

Hummus and Turkey Sandwich - Approx. 230 Calories
- Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins (100 Calories)
- 3 pieces of turkey lunch meat
- Leafy greens or lettuce
- 2 TBSP of hummus (I have been enjoying the Sabra Spicy Hummus)

I'm not sure that this requires much instruction.  If you don't know how to assemble a sandwich... we have bigger problems.

Low Calorie Dinner:

Balsamic Dill Salad with Tuna - Approx. 300 Calories
- 1 can of tuna
- 1.5-2 cup of leafy greens or lettuce
- 1/4 medium sweet onion, julianed
- 1/2 fresh tomato, julianed
- 1 tsp of dried dill
- 1/2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper

Combine together in a bowl and enjoy!  It tastes great and was filling too.  Not satisfied yet?  Add a yogurt or the apple snack from above.


Thank you for taking the time to read some of my healthy eating tips and recipes.  If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to email them to me directly at hintofthyme@gmail.com.  I wish you all happy, healthy eating!  Have a great week.



We could all use a hint of more time!
Copyright 2011 A Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.

Grilling Desired, Family Inspired

Can you smell that?  You know that it's summer when you catch the fragrance of charcoal grills and burgers in the air.  It's a scent that is associated with relaxing and enjoying warm weather. 

Over the Father's Day weekend, I took a trip back to my home town of Milwaukee to visit and get some much needed family time.  I was even more excited to do one of my most favorite activities.... cook with my Mom. 

We started planning the menu only a couple days before the "Father's Day Party" at my parents house.  I was craving something grilled but wanted anything other than the typical burger or brat.  We decided to make vegetable skewers, BBQ chicken and salads for the sides.

Here are a few recipes that would be great for a 4th of July party.  It's quick, easy and probably more "figure-friendly" than burgers.  We hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did.

Mara and Denni's Sweet Broccoli Slaw
- 2 packages of broccoli slaw, rinsed and drained (usually found by the pre-packaged lettuce)
- 1 cup of dried cranberries
- 1 cup of scallions, sliced
- 1/2 cup of sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/2 TBSP celery seed
- 1/2 cup EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper

In a separate bowl... whisk the sugar, EVOO and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing and almonds over the broccoli slaw right before serving (otherwise you will have a soggy slaw).  In a large serving bowl, mix the broccoli slaw, cranberries, scallions and celery seed.  Serve and enjoy.

Balsamic BBQ Chicken Skewer (courtesy of Cuisine At Home)

- 1/2 cup onion, diced

- 1 cup balsamic vinegar (regular... not aged)

- 3/4 cup ketchup

- 1/3 cup brown sugar

- 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

- 2 TBSP Dijon mustard (not yellow.. trust me on this one)

- Salt and pepper

It has been a while since I've followed a full recipe, but this one looked too good to change.  I found the recipe for "Balsamic Sauce" in the Cuisine At Home magazine - "Cuisine Tonight: Grilling".  It will impress the heck out of your guests.  Plus, you're allowed bragging rights to say, "I made the BBQ sauce myself". 

It was very easy.  Mix the ingredients together and stir.  Brush the chicken after it has grilled about 10 or 15 minutes and is no longer raw.  If you put the chicken on a skewer... be sure to leave space between the chunks of chicken so that they grill evenly.

My sister, Megan, helped to skewer the chicken.
She was a good helper.

We also made vegetable skewers; which included red onion, zucchini, green and red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, mini Yukon gold potatoes, and mushrooms.  My Mom suggests brushing a mixture of balsamic vinegar and olive oil on to the vegetables after they have been grilled.  Delicious!

On the side, we served a bean and veggie salad made by my aunt.  I also found an amazing loaf of cheese bread at the bakery in Wal-Mart.  We all loved it, so it's highly recommended. 

Mom and I grilling together on Father's Day.

It was a fantastic day filled with quality family time and delicious summer food from the grill.  I hope that these recipes will be included in your summer memories too.  Have a great weekend, readers.

We could all use a hint of more time.

Copyright 2011 Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.