Crisp lettuce in a summer salad, a bowlful of berries bursting with flavour – fresh fruits and vibrant vegetables really start to shine at this time of year, so it’s the perfect chance to discover the joys of stocking up on what’s in season.
The fantastic thing about buying fresh produce is that, with little (or even no!) cooking time, you can easily transform your favourite fruits and veggies into colourful, tasty meals to enjoy on those warm summer nights. Plus, if you’re following Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, most fruits and vegetables are Free Foods, so you can enjoy them in unlimited amounts – with no weighing, measuring or counting.
While all of the seasonal superstars below are easy to find in your local supermarkets, if you’re one of the many of us trying to make our food shops last longer, summer is a great time to try growing your own fruit and veg – especially as it’s National Allotments Week! And you don’t need acres of green space to get started – even a window box or a small pot on your patio will help you on your way to enjoying fabulously fresh fruit and veg to brighten up your slimming campaign.
Whether you’re heading to a local market, ordering a fruit-and-veg box delivery or getting green-fingered in the garden, these are the picks of the season for this month…
August veggies
There’s a bumper crop of versatile veggies to enjoy this month. Peppers are coming into season just in time to add a hit of flavour to your summer soups, pack your stir-fries with filling power and play a starring role in our recipe below. Broccoli is back on the menu, too, ready to serve as a crunchy side with your roast dinner or as a colourful swap for rice when it’s been grated or blitzed into grains – perfect for sneaking some extra veg into your Slimming World curries! With these crop stars in your vegetable drawer, you’ll never be short of ways to live life on the veg:
Beetroot
Broad beans
Broccoli
Lettuce
Mangetout
Peppers
Sweetcorn
Rocket
Our Free roasted stuffed peppers are a great way to freshen up your lunches – and they’re packed with store-cupboard staples, too!
August fruits
Fruit picking is a brilliant way to keep the kids busy during the summer hols, and there’s an exciting bunch to choose from this month, from juicy apricots and peaches to a bounty of berries. Fill your basket with these sweet superheroes and you’ll be ready for a summer that’s bursting with fruity flavours:
Apricots
Blackberries
Cherries
Peaches
Raspberries
Redcurrants
Strawberries
With seasonal strawberries, creamy yogurt and crushed meringue, our slimming-friendly Eton Mess is the perfect sweet treat.
What’s in your basket this month? We’d love to see your seasonal stash, so send us your photos and let us know what you’ve been making with your fruit and veg on social using #theSlimmingWorldblog.