Still been another one of those weeks here, honestly. Not gonna lie, I am struggling even to write, which says a lot. I don’t ever get to where I am completely blank on things to talk about or write! (You know me, I am a full detailed yacker folks!!) But when you are too exhausted to think, the simple ritual of country cooking can steady a weary mind.

I can say, though, that this week our son Tyler turned 17 on the 28th of July. It was a Tuesday. I asked him what he wanted to do on the night of his birthday. All he wanted was for me to make him a ham loaf dinner and have his best friend, Tate Hill, and girlfriend, Irelyn Kiessling, over to hang out and ride their dirt bikes.

It had been a while since I had really gotten down in my kitchen like this. I turned on Frank Sinatra radio, and got busy. It was like therapy for me. There I stood in my kitchen window, started to prep each recipe while watching all our wildlife come in to eat their early dinner.

I made two ham loaves, macaroni and cheese, seasoned burnt broccoli (he likes it crispy), homemade canned peaches, and two pans of sticky buns. It’s a birthday tradition for my kids to have their own personal pan of sticky buns on their birthday. It sure was a spread and felt good to be cooking a large meal like that. I feel like summer meals like this are so heavy. I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m hot, it’s harder to eat. Unlike fall, where those big comfort meals hit the spot.

I haven’t even been able to lunch prep lately. Typically, I have things ready that keep me focused on my weight loss journey and help me to stay right on track. I often love making a breakfast sandwich for brunch. Combining breakfast and lunch makes things so much easier, but today I got home from work at 1 p.m. and thought, “Now what in the world am I going to make for lunch?” In my garden was this big beautiful green cucumber. My first one of the season. I cut it up into small chunks and thought about making a cucumber salad type thing. I knew my cucumber had to be cold, though. So after chilling my cucumber, this is what I put in it.

• 1/2 cucumber chopped, chilled
• 1 Tbsp ranch dressing
• 2 Tbsp crumbled bacon
•.5 ounces shredded sharp cheese
• Sprinkle of pepper

I mixed it up real good and tasted it because I wasn’t sure if I would want another tablespoon of ranch or not. I try to keep my calories lower if I can. (And yes, I measure.)

Honestly, it was perfect. I had a Greek yogurt, plum, and chicken with it, and let me tell you – I had a hard time trying to finish it all. It was extremely filling! I love to get high food volume for lower calories. 200 calories for a nice-sized bowl of this cucumber salad. It was too easy and too yummy not to share. Perfectly light and satisfying for August. August!? Gee whiz, that came fast.