Fun Summer Recipes

            As EG girls, we are always on the go, especially in the summer months! Whether it’s taking a beach trip with your family, studying abroad or shopping with your friends, there are so many fun things to do in the summer time. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to cook during these busy summer months, but cooking your own meals is a great way to build a new hobby and eat healthier, and for some of us (me!) living away from home for the summer, we have to! A girl’s gotta eat! That being said, I wanted to share a few fun and simple recipes I’ve made at my apartment this summer that were a huge hit with my friends.

 

Goat Cheese Pasta

            Lately I’ve been obsessed with goat cheese. The creamy texture tastes great as a topping for salads and I recently discovered that it’s perfect on pasta also! This super easy pasta recipe is a great summer staple. Here is my make-shift recipe:

 

-       Your favorite type of pasta (I like whole wheat rigatoni or spaghetti)

-       Crumbled goat cheese

-       Cherry tomatoes

-       Boneless skinless chicken breasts

 

Cook the pasta as you normally would, strain and while still warm, stir in the goat cheese. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half; I like to sautee them in a little bit of olive oil and garlic before adding to the pasta. Then, slice your grilled chicken and add to top it all off. The fun thing about this recipe is you can use as much or as little of the ingredients as you want! I like mine with a lot of goat cheese!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

            I had a handful of overripe bananas in my fridge and wasn’t sure what to do with them, so I came across this super simple banana bread recipe and everyone loved it! I tried to make mine a little healthier by using sugar free cake mix and dark chocolate chips, but you can get creative with it! Add peanut butter or blueberries, the possibilities are pretty endless! You’ll need:

 

-       3 or 4 overripe bananas (the blacker, the better)

-       1 box sugar free yellow cake mix

-       Dark chocolate chips (or whatever other toppings you like)

 

Mix the cake ingredients together like you normally would. Then, mash your bananas (their texture will be very soft and easy to mash) and stir into the cake mix. Next, add your toppings – I used about a cup of dark chocolate chips in mine, and mix in. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. The smell coming from the oven alone will make your mouth water!