Savoring the Last Days of Summer

Late Summer Memories, Family Traditions & a Fresh Take on Pasta Primavera

There's something about early August that always makes me want to slow down and soak it all in.

We're savoring those final trips to the beach, lingering a little longer at backyard barbecues, and enjoying iced coffees before they inevitably give way to warm pumpkin spice lattes, cozy sweaters, and crisp autumn mornings.

The gardens are overflowing, the farmers markets are bursting with color, and before long another summer will become a collection of cherished memories.

This time of year always takes me back to my childhood.

Growing up, the weeks I wasn't away at summer camp were almost always spent with one set of grandparents or the other. My younger brother and I were fortunate to experience two very different worlds, each of which shaped my love of food in its own way.

One was in the heart of South Philadelphia.

I can still picture neighborhood kids running through open fire hydrants on hot summer afternoons while my brother and I joined right in. We'd spend hours playing on the front stoops before taking the bus to the Italian Market with my grandmother. She knew everyone, and every trip felt like an adventure.

Back at her South Philly rowhome, she somehow managed to grow cherry tomatoes and fragrant basil in the tiniest little concrete garden. I loved picking them fresh before heading inside to help prepare dinner.

The other world was my grandparents' home in Southern New Jersey, where more than an acre of land became our summer playground.

My brother and I spent countless hours swimming in their pool, helping my Grandpop in the vegetable garden, and proudly carrying baskets of fresh produce into the kitchen for my grandmother.

And then there were the family dinners.

Those evenings weren't reserved for special occasions. They were simply part of life.  Aunts, Uncles and cousins were often present or extended family, neighbors and family friends would often stop by (sometimes invited, sometimes unexpectedly), pull up a chair, and join us around the table. There was always enough food, always room for one more, and always another story to tell.

Looking back, I realize those meals taught me something that has stayed with me ever since.

Food isn't just nourishment.  

It's connection.  

It's tradition.  

It's one of the ways we love one another.

The Roots of My Love for Fresh Food

If you were to ask where my passion for fresh fruits and vegetables comes from, I would tell you that it certainly wasn't because someone told me they were healthy!

It came from picking them alongside my grandparents and helping to prepare and enjoy them together.

Fresh vegetables weren't a side note in our family. They were simply part of everyday life.

So was pasta.

I can still picture my grandmother making homemade pasta - especially my favorite, hand poured/crepe like manicotti - while her tomato sauce laced with fresh torn basil leaves and garlic, or as she always called it, "gravy," simmered on the stove.

For the record, I never recall her making Pasta Primavera...

The vegetables were usually served roasted as a side dish or in a fresh salad dressed very simply with EVOO & Red Wine Vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.

But in my memories, the two always belonged together.

A Fresh Take on Family Traditions

As I've gotten older, I've realized I don't have to leave those traditions behind.

I simply get to reinvent them!

Today, my non-celiac gluten sensitivity has encouraged me to explore new ways to enjoy the comforting meals I grew up loving.

Some nights that means chickpea or lentil pasta for extra protein and fiber.

Other times it's spaghetti squash, zucchini "zoodles," or shirataki noodles.

The ingredients may have changed, but the feeling hasn't.

That's exactly what inspired this month's Protein-Packed Pasta Primavera.

It combines two things that remind me most of my grandparents...

The homemade pasta my grandmother lovingly prepared.

And the beautiful vegetables my grandparents grew in their gardens every summer.

It's not a recipe that I recall they ever made…It's a recipe inspired by everything they taught me.

Nourishing the Future

As meaningful as these memories are, they've also become a reminder that our health is something we nurture over a lifetime.

I watched both of my beloved grandmothers experience painful physical limitations and suffer with various illnesses as they grew older.

While none of us can predict the future, those experiences inspired me to care for my own health in ways that I pray will help me continue doing what I love for many years to come - alongside the people that I love.

I want to continue hiking mountain trails.

Swimming in the ocean.

Traveling.

Strength training.

Cooking for family and friends.

And someday, I hope my daughters (and God willing, maybe even my future grandchildren) remember our family kitchen and the memories made there with the same warmth that I remember my grandparents'.

That's what sustainable wellness means to me.

Not chasing perfection.

Not giving up the foods we love.

Simply honoring where we've been while making choices that support where we're going.

From My Kitchen to Yours

This month's Protein-Packed Pasta Primavera celebrates everything I love about late summer.

Fresh seasonal vegetables.

Comforting pasta.

Simple ingredients.

And meals that bring people together.

I hope it inspires you to revisit one of your own family favorites and ask yourself:

"How can I honor this tradition while nourishing the future version of myself?"