Happy Monday!  Every Monday as I write that to you, I think to myself that I really hope it does turn out to be a happy day.  I feel like Mondays have a way of being especially hard in the summers when we pack weekends full of fun activities and are able to get outside and enjoy the weather.  I try to make sure that I give myself some sunshine breaks during these summer days so I don’t wish the weeks away so much.  It’s not too hard to do that since it stays light outside until close to 9:30.  A few of my favorite things to do include: going for a walk or run, eating dinner outside, going to the pool, playing golf, and going for bike rides.

Another one of my favorite things to do in the summer is to make light and fresh meals that fill you up without feeling weighed down or bloated.  These rolls do the trick.  They take less than 15 minutes to make and the filling possibilities are endless.  We love to fill ours with fresh carrots, cucumbers, red peppers cilantro, and green onions.  I also had a little bit of salmon still leftover so I flaked that up and threw it in the mix.  You could use whatever you have in your fridge though.  The trick is to make sure that your veggies are cut into matchsticks so you can wrap them up nice and tightly.

The other things you will need to make these are these lovely little spring roll wrappers.

They look like hard plastic, but all you need to do is take one and rinse it in a little water (just run tap water over it, front and back) and it will soften right up.  Ours had some small cracks in them so we actually used two wraps for each roll and it worked perfectly.

And you’ll need bean threads.

These little guys give you the traditional spring roll texture.  I picked mine up in the asian section of the regular supermarket.  They didn’t have any directions (in English) on them, so I did a little research.  Just soak them in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 minutes.  Simple.

Then it’s time to assemble.  Rinse your rice paper, lay it in on a plate.  Pile some of the bean threads in the middle, then top it with your matchstick veggies.  Then fold one side over the other, fold the top and bottom in, and roll it up.

It takes a little skill to make them neatly, but they will taste good no matter what.  Using 2 pieces of the rice paper will help as well.

We dipped ours in a yummy spicy peanut sauce that the hubby made up.

Super simple, delicious and healthy!  We both ate 2 1/2 for dinner, but you could use these as an appetizer as well.  Yummmmmm!

Question of the day:

What do you do to help you get back in the groove on Mondays?

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

What’s your fave summer dinner?