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By Christina Ricucci

Summer is my favorite time of year. The warm days, long nights and endless memories being made with good friends are all reasons why we love this time of year. One of my favorite parts about summer is the variety of delicious snacks that go along perfectly with a long summer day.

Because I dance a lot in the summer and need a lot of energy, I still eat healthy foods. My favorite snack is just about any type of fruit, especially in the summer because everything is extra fresh and there are so many different varieties! When I’m on the go, jumping from class to class, fruit is a great source of energy to keep me going throughout my busy schedule. Fruit has natural sugars which give you the proper energy you need rather than taking a quick bite of something processed and unnatural for your body. Fresh vegetables are another great choice. I love something I call “rainbow salad” which is an arrangement of all the vegetables I can find chopped and tossed into a colorful rainbow – purple and green cabbage, red and yellow peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower – really anything fresh and colorful, tossed with a lemon & lime balsamic dressing. It’s really pretty and fun to make for your family.

Stepping away from only healthy things, I think everyone has a passion for ice cream! Ice cream is a perfect summer treat every now and then, and it’s hard to pass up once in a while! Every summer I go to the San Clemente Beach with my grandma and we always stop at this amazing ice cream shop. I get a scoop of cookies & cream and my grandma gets pistachio. It’s always been a great memory for us, and that’s what summer is all about -a great time for us all to relax, have fun, cultivate memories and enjoy summer treats!