Bye Bye Summer
Hello, old friend…
Seems like forever since I’ve had a yogurt bowl! In the mix…
- 1/2 cup nonfat Chobani greek yogurt
- 2 drops liquid Vanilla NuStevia
- banana
- 4 strawberries, sliced
- 1 tbsp. wheat germ
This friend, however, I can never live without…
It has magic powers. Makes me into a morning person 
Not quite magical enough though. I was really slow going this morning from back pain again. Can’t blame the Back2Bollywood dance this time! Something shifted in my back during my run on Sunday. I didn’t think much of it at the time. It seemed okay and I finished the 4 miles in good time. Later in the day, the pain hit and continued through the night into today. I took a rest day and popped Advil, so I’m hoping to be back in action for my run tomorrow!
We had a family day around the house spent mainly getting ready for school tomorrow 
Waaaaaahhhhhh! I think I’m the only Mom who is sad to see the kids go back. We had such a great summer and I don’t want it to end! The daughters, on the other hand, cannot wait to get away from me.
They will love me one day.
I brought back another old friend for lunch … turkey wrap!
With a twist…
I’ve wanted to try these tortillas for years! I finally picked them up on my last trip to Trader Joe’s. They certainly are different looking than other tortillas I’ve tried…
Not quite as pliable as a wheat flour tortilla, so it is necessary to warm them before filling…
After 30 seconds in the microwave, it was ready for the goods – a salty mix of turkey, wasabi mustard, baby spinach and pickle. Along with a Gala for some sweetness…
Although different, I liked the texture of the brown rice tortilla. Instead of being soft, it had a slight chew to it, similar to the texture of pasta that is cooked al dente. It was fun to eat! I would definitely buy them again.
My hunger level was very mild all day. I didn’t feel up to an afternoon snack, so I went without and made an early dinner instead – Tomato Pesto and Asparagus Pizza…
Asparagus was only allowed on part of it because of you know who. I did make a separate plain cheese, too
I cooked the pizzas on a baking stone in the grill and it came out unbelievable!!! The key to a great pizza is the level of heat and most conventional ovens don’t reach the 600 degree temperature needed. But, the grill can reach close to that concentrated heat with the baking stone inside, so it’s the next best thing to a pizza oven!
I topped the dough with pesto made with fresh tomatoes, almonds, basil, garlic and olive oil (here’s the recipe I use for Pesto Alla Trapanese) , then sprinkled with 2 oz. finely shredded mozzarella and fresh asparagus. It was AMAZING! Bubbly cheese, mild pesto flavor and a slight crunch of fresh asparagus atop a crispy dough…
I served the pizza with a Grilled Eggplant and Arugula Salad drizzled with my Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette…
Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. good balsamic vinegar
- 1 small clove garlic
- 6 basil leaves
- s + p to taste
Place tomatoes, vinegar, garlic and basil in food processor. Puree until smooth; stream in olive oil while processor is running. Season to taste. Makes about 1 cup.
A delicious end to the holiday weekend. Bye-bye summer 
Have a great day, everyone!
What was your favorite dish this summer?
Questions? Email me! aloserforlife@gmail.com
22 comments
I have never thought to put asparagus on pizza like that! Great idea.
End of summer, boo hoo. Where did it go, Marisa? Your tomato vinaigrette looks incredible and I’m going to try it…with one change. Think I’ll roast the tomatoes. What do you think?
I’ve always wanted to make a pizza on my grill with my pizza stone but just never got around to it. Maybe today is the day! Got the cheese, got the stone, got fresh tomatoes, and I can send hubby down to the corner to the pizzeria for some fresh dough, unless he can stop at Wegman’s for some whole wheat dough, if they have it.
Yum!
I think I fell in love with overnight oats and iced overnight coffee this summer ! The pizza sounds very yum !
I think you need to come cook for me, you can put asparagus on whatever you like! LOL Everything looked just delicious. I am in a bit of a food rut. I think I need a course on new healthy foods or something. I just seem to be tired of everything.
You make the mundane sublime……. LOVE!
I’m also a bit sad that summer is ending…
Favorite summer dish? Anything and everything with tomatoes… I LOVE perfectly ripe tomatoes, right off the vine… I’ll miss them, too…
Have a great week!
I’d like to order a case of Marisa’s Fresh Tomato Vinagrette please.
That pizza looks amazing! Now, I definitely want to try putting my pizza stone on the grill! Thanks for the idea. I’m actually looking forward to the end of summer, which in NC is about the end of November. LOL!
Love the look of the asparagus pizza! clev!
Also, thanks for the review on the TJ’s tortillas!
Favorite dish this summer? Probably avocado/blue cheese/cranberry salads – YUM!
Pizza – yum! Hope your back is okay. Do take extra time if you need to so a niggling shift in your back doesn’t turn into something that will take a lot longer to heal.
Best thing this summer might have been my honey fluff, even though that isn’t really dish (although I could eat a dish of it).
Wow, your kids start late – all the schools here opened on August 23! You guys had a great summer though!
I think my favorite thing I grilled this summer was corn on the cob – love how it gets charred. I think I pretty much grilled about 5 out of every 7 days this summer – I believe that is a new record for me!
I have never seen a brown rice wrap! How interesting!
I love pizza on the grill – you can also grill it directly on the rack and it tastes amazing. I love my pizza stone though and use it all the time.
I think blueberries are my favorite part of summer – and I am so glad they are gone.
the pizza looks great!!
This post totally inspired me to make a yogurt bowl too…but I didn’t have all that good stuff so I used cornflakes, Yoplait Light and a bit of flaxseed. Still pretty tasty and had a bit of a crunch to it. Awesome!
I’ve never tried the brown rice wraps. You’ve just inspired me to get them next time I’m at TJs. Woop! Love blogs for that exact reason.
your wrap is so beautiful! most of your sandwiches and wraps are so gorgeous! They make me salivate.
grilled anythang
from pineapple to salmon.
and Im so ready for fall foods.
which are, waitforit, grilled anythang
from pineapple to salmon.
Your pizza looks incredible! Like 5 star restaurant kind of incredible!
i think my mom was always sad to see us go back too
your pizza looks amazing by the way. the crust looks perfect! i’ve never heard of a tomato-pesto but i bet that would taste great. basil + tomatoes…you can’t go wrong!!
Thanks for the review of the brown rice tortillas! Thanks for the tip on warming them a little before filling!
The pizza looks amazing! Neat idea to add asparagus to it! Never would have thought of it as a pizza topping! Very creative! Love the presentation as well!
asparagus on pizza. you always have the best food ideas!
[...] so I just heated up some leftover pizza for lunch from our Friday Night Pizza party The grilled pizza on the baking stone is a big [...]