夏天如何吃得好、过得爽还花得少？

I wilt in the heat. Maybe it’s because I don’t live in very hot weather the majority of the year and my body doesn’t have much time to adjust. Regardless, this wilt-in-the-heat lady lives in a house now with no AC and very bad air-flow, which is an unfortunate combination.

天气一热，我就没劲。也许是因为一年中有大把的时间我并没有生活在炎热的地方，所以身体没有时间来适应它。再者，这位很怕热的女士住在一栋没有空调的房子里，加上空气的对流又差，真是不走运。

It’s tempting to simply eat all of your meals out, but really that’s not in our budget, and it’s hard to find really good food out on a budget. So I put together some ideas on how to stay cool and eat well at the same time.

下馆子吃饭很诱人，但是花销却不在我们的预算范围里。要找到好吃的并且还要把花销控制在预算内，这是件很难的事。在此我汇总了一些点子，这些点子能让我们既能过得爽又能吃得好。

1. Take advantage of summer’s bounty

好好享受夏天带来的恩赐

Much of summer’s produce is both cooling and hydrating. Think cold watermelon, juicy tomatoes, and refreshing berries. On a really hot day, stick the fruit in the freezer for a super-cooling treat that takes very little work! Cucumbers, greens, and other vegetables also can be delicious with no or little cooking when prepared in a yummy way, and really do seem to help keep you cool.

夏日里的多数产品是清凉又含水。想想冰镇西瓜，多汁的西红柿，清新可口的浆果。在炎热的夏日，用小棒戳着从冰箱里拿出来的水果，美美地享受一顿凉爽之意，而这只要随意动动手就好。不需多少材料和工夫，只需一点黄瓜、青菜及其它蔬菜就可以做成可口的美食，而且真的能让你感觉凉爽。

2. Eat outdoors

到户外吃

If you also don’t have AC, I’ve found that eating outdoors under the shade of a tree in a preferably forest-y area is much more comfortable. One very hot day, I loaded up our lunch, snacks and lots of water, and headed to a nearby park that contained plenty of trees and shade. Not only is the shade cooling, but the type of natural plants that grew under the trees retain moisture, making it a cool place to be. We stayed there for four hours — a record for us! If you have a well-shaded backyard, then even easier! Picnics at parks, the beach or mountains can bring a welcome relief from the glare of the sun.

如果你没装空调，我认为到户外用餐，比如在树荫下会舒服多了。有一次天很热，我带着午餐、零食和饮用水等到了附近有树又有树荫遮阳的公园里。在树荫下很凉爽，而且那种生长在树下的天然植物能锁住水分，使得树荫成了一处凉爽的地方。我们在那里待了四个小时，对我们来说是一项纪录了。如果你家后院树荫茂密，那就更容易了。在公园、海滩边或山上野餐，会带来一种愉悦的放松，让我们免受了耀眼的阳光。

3. Eat your heavy meals earlier in the day

早一点吃大餐

While it’s important to continue to get good nutrition all year long, really warm weather can take away your appetite. Eating your heartier meals early in the day can really help ensure you are well nourished, plus it’s not so hot to work in your kitchen earlier in the day.

全年都能持续不断地吸收良好的营养，这对我们的健康来说是很重要的。然而天气炎热却会让你食欲不振。在大清早吃得丰盛一些能保证营养的良好摄入，而且在大清早下厨也没那么热。

4. Use your slow cooker

文火慢炖

Putting a meal in the slow cooker saves you from needing to heat up the kitchen later in the day. Put it in your basement or on the porch to keep it even cooler in the house.

用文火慢慢炖着，可以省去在傍晚时分到厨房里加热。放在地下室或是在门廊上能让它们凉的更快。

5. Make smoothies

做些沙冰

When I am too hot and tired to cook or eat, I’ve found making smoothies helpful in getting something in our stomachs, refreshing us, and they are simple to make.

当我感觉又热又累而不想做饭或吃饭时，我发现沙冰爽口又提神，而且做起来很容易。

6. Just buy part of your meal out

叫些外卖

During our recent 90-degree-plus week, I sometimes grabbed a box of cooked organic white rice for the girls and then made a salad, and open a can of high-quality seafood for our dinner. Super simple and definitely not fancy, but certainly not as expensive as eating our whole meal out. Combining simple at-home recipes with a few “take-out” items could save you money, time, and make eating at home (preferably in the shade) more enjoyable.

在最近的高温天气里，有时我为女孩们备了有机大米蒸饭，做了一盘沙拉，开一罐品质优异的海鲜食品，这些就成了我们的晚饭。极其简单，却并不花哨，而且这跟我们出去吃相比并没有贵多少。几盘家常小菜，配上几道外卖，这样的组合既节省了金钱和时间，又为在家吃饭增添许多乐趣。

7. Sleep during the heat; eat dinner at 7 or later

在炎热的时段里睡觉；在7点或7点以后吃晚饭

In some countries where it is common for it to be uncomfortably hot during the afternoon, they have long traditions of sleeping during the afternoon and then eating a late dinner once it has cooled down. While not all schedules would allow this, if you can swing it, a nap and a late dinner would be wonderful during the hot weeks.

下午炎热又令人心神不安，这在某些国家是常见的现象，他们有一个由来已久的传统，就是在下午这个时段睡觉，而吃晚饭的时间会晚一些，因为那时会稍微凉快一些。然而不是所有的行程都允许这样进行，如果你能做些调整，中午打个盹，晚一点吃晚饭，这种过法在炎热的日子里是很不错的。