Summer BITS of Healthy Fun
The extraordinary WITS team has been hard at work all year, and now summer is here — time for a well-deserved break! Read on to hear from a few Chefs, Coaches, and Program Managers about how they are planning to keep healthy WITS habits a part of their summer fun, from delightful infusions of veggies to exciting bursts of exercise.
Errol Jones | WITS Coaches Program Manager, NYC
“Summer’s all about taking care of myself, physically, mentally, emotionally: eating healthy food, understanding what fitness I need for my lifestyle, preparing for the exciting growth happening at WITS, and staying in the game as a coach and working with kids!”
Errol and his wife just bought their first apartment in Brooklyn, and they’re looking forward to exploring a newfound sense of freedom and bringing the community closer into their lives. He’s befriended the co-op board, pet shop owner, local pub, hairdresser, gym members — no surprise if you know Errol. His ever-present gratitude and kindness for others can now extend to the garden he now has at his new home. He’s growing lots of vegetables: tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, thyme, sage, and more!
In addition to feeding himself and his community well, he wants to spend the summer valuing the wellness and self-care his body and mind need so that he has the energy and enjoyment to keep up coaching and doing what he loves. For now, this means having a better routine at the gym. WITS’ expanding Coach for Kids program means Errol is eagerly anticipating an active fall with kids back in school!
“You’ve got to take care of yourself, that’s what matters most.”
Ricardo Diaz | WITS Chef Liaison & RDN
When Ricardo thinks of summer, he thinks of the bountiful produce of farmer’s markets! There is a lot of produce available, and it can be bought in bulk, so now’s the time to get excited about all of the colors both savory and sweet! In particular, berries and stone fruits are at their peak. Ricardo is especially keen on the wonderfully fresh strawberries and plums right now (check out this recipe for plum clafoutis, also featured on BronxNext). Lots of healthy treats can be made with fresh fruit all around. Ricardo also looks forward to grilling fruit, peaches in particular — it’s such a unique flavor, and he encourages everyone to add their favorite flavors into dishes this summer.
Also on Ricardo’s mind are tomatoes, his favorite summer vegetable. Coming in at the peak of the summer harvest, tomatoes are a signal that everything else is in abundance, too. He’s thinking about turning some into tomato sauce so that he can hold onto some of the flavor for a preserve later on in the winter. Preserving foods is a great way to lengthen summer treats into the colder months!
Another keeper recipe from this online year is a marinated salad mix. Coleslaw and cabbage, potatoes, leafy greens, and more are great to rub with some vinaigrette dressing and/or marinade, and then that all sits so the flavor sinks into the vegetables. It can be served warmed up or just cold/refrigerated (especially to beat the summer heat).
His favorite summer activity is biking, though spending time outdoors in general has been a great way to ease back into social life safely and get a good dose of vitamin D. Sunlight is necessary for skin health and the body’s ability to function well and at its best. Even just a walk outside at the end of the day is a great way to get in some sunlight.
Cameo Fucci | WITS Chef
Cameo offers a recipe for Burst Cherry Tomato Salsa as a tasty treat!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 oz cherry tomatoes
- Half bunch scallions, chopped
- Half bunch cilantro, chopped (no stems)
- 2 Tbsp goat cheese or mashed avocado
Method: Add olive oil to a small sauce/sauté pan and put on medium-high heat. Once warm, add the cherry tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes or until beginning to slightly char. Turn heat down to medium-low and cover. Cook for about 5 more minutes until you notice the tomato skin beginning to tear and the tomatoes beginning to pop. Take off the heat and add to a mixing bowl. Slightly smash the tomatoes with the back of a spoon to break them up. Add in your scallions, cilantro, and crumbled goat cheese or avocado. Mix; add a little lemon juice to your taste preference. Pour into a small serving dish and dip with your favorite chips, put over pasta, or eat however else you’d like.
Wendy Siskin | WITS National Program Director
Summer has always been Wendy’s favorite season — it has her birthday month and also brings many memories of competitive swimming throughout childhood. Her favorite summer activities all include a water theme! She loves shared time with friends and family, like kayaking with her nephews, which provides both a great workout and an exciting adventure. This is followed up, of course, with a rewarding swim in the pool or ocean to cool off and then a healthy, delicious meal to replenish and hydrate.
Wendy also has an affinity for summertime BBQs, which can absolutely be a healthy option! She shares a recent BBQ meal of cauliflower steak, grilled corn salad and eggplant, a lentil bean patty, and papaya salad. Yum!
Her words of advice for this summer: “Try new challenges as often as you can. You will always learn something about yourself. And you may find your new favorite activity or food that keeps your body, mind, and spirit happy and healthy!”
Kisha Figueroa Cromarite | WITS Chef Liaison
Right now, Kisha is really into pickling and the process of fermenting foods, which has led to lots of fun experiments with friends, including an incidence of very bubbly sauerkraut (a good sign — that means the food is very much alive and the culture is active)! She’s looking forward to the abundance of produce that the summer offers and is learning about fermentation to preserve foods so that she may enjoy them beyond the summer and into the fall.
She’s also looking forward to air-pruning tomatoes in her garden. The process involves putting plants in pots with holes so that they may breathe more, and the roots grow very quickly and healthily. It’s a very cool process and makes the plants able to soak up more nutrition and increase their yield, as well as live longer, going with Kisha’s summer theme of preservation.
Overall, Kisha gives the advice to be proud of what you eat and to celebrate the joy of a colorful vegetable spread across the table! It’s good to be excited about the fresh produce you love to eat, as well as slowly tweaking comfort foods to be more nutritious, which Kisha is now doing with her mother’s candied cassava dish. Simple replacements like coconut oil instead of so much butter and adding just a little bit of sweetener like maple syrup make the recipe more healthy and just as yummy. She’s hoping to continue cooking for her extended family this summer in a health-conscious way, even if it’s not something that everyone is used to or similarly excited about (yet). She wants to spread good health to the people she loves so that they may learn to appreciate her thoughtfulness and build healthy habits, too. “You have to prepare good food for the people you love.”
Jamel Brundidge | WITS Coach
Jamel is most looking forward to early mornings with the sun shining, no better time to enjoy the outdoors! Enjoy part of his routine for “explosiveness” and training for personal fitness:
Hydrate and stretch first!
3-4 laps of light jogging around a track (if there’s no track available, a 10-minute jog anywhere works just as well)
Mountain climbers: 30 seconds, 2 sets
Squat jumps: 10 reps, 2 sets
20-yard sprints, 3 times
40-yard sprints, 2 times
2 laps of walking the track
Cool down and of course, rehydrate!
A good workout, indeed. Why not take a stretch and give it a try?
We are so proud of everyone — our WITS team and extended students and families — for persevering this school year. Stay healthy, nourished, and active, and enjoy some summer fun!