Heat Wave

What is the best way that you survive a heat wave?  I have been doing my best this week to be creative with my cooking or lack there of.  We are in day four of a stifling heat wave here on the east coast.  Every day the temperature being in 90's with a real feel hovering around 100 degrees.  And when you leave in a place without any air conditioning there is a definite lack of motivation to turn the oven on or to stand at the stove.  Easy out could be simply to go out to dinner each night and relax in the cool air conditioned environment of a local restaurant.  Well besides getting expensive sometimes our schedule just does not work for that.  This summer finds my husband keeping his part time job while lucky enough to have gotten a nursing externship.  For the last two days its meant full days at the hospital then having about an hour and a half at home before heading back out to job number two. I love him for his work ethic and motivation to keep going, especially since being a teacher myself that is off right now.  However this schedule doesn't leave a lot of time for a meal out.  So like I said it's time to get creative for meals.  Here are some ideas that I have been coming up with.

1- Antipasti:  a classic Italian platter consisting of cold sliced meats, cheeses, olives, roasted peppers, and other cold delicacies.  Served with a loaf of crusty bread.

2- Crockpot Salsa Chicken: 1 lb boneless chicken breast, 1 jar of salsa, 1 small can of diced green chilis, place all in the crockpot and cook 5-6 hrs on low or about 3 on high.  Last half hour shred chicken and place back in crockpot with 1 15 oz  can of black beans and 1 cup of frozen corn. Serve in tacos shells or over rice.  **crockpot cooking is good on hot days as it does not cause much extra heat as a stove or oven would.

3- Salads:  Using fresh summer vegetables to create big entree size salads.  Add some chopped rotisserie chicken for some protein.  In our house we love to add some chopped fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, watermelon etc..) to our salads also. ( which in this heat can help keep you hydrated)

4- Sandwiches:  Using sliced meats stacked with leafy greens and vegetables can become a satisfying meal.  Tuna is also another classic sandwich that will make an appearance in our menu this week.

If you have other suggestions for a quick no cook dinner please share it as the weather will not break for another couple of days!