Summer Vacation

Every August we head to the Island of Nantucket off the coast of Cape Cod.  It’s become one of our favorite spots and a great place where we have shared many wonderful family memories.

There are so many reasons we love this quaint little island but here is a list of what we love most.

Biking

We leave our car on the mainland, rent bikes and bike to the beach almost daily.  I love that we all get a bit of exercise and really the bike paths are such a great way to enjoy this very picturesque island.  Biking daily allows us to indulge a bit more in some of our favorite treats too!  It’s all about balance, right?

On the bike trail to Madaket we make a stop to feed the turtles!  There are HUGE snapping turtles and many spectators waiting to feed them with some raw chicken legs.

The Juice Bar

The Juice Bar has just about the best ice cream we have ever tasted.  The best part is  the warm, freshly made hand rolled waffle cones and cups.  My personal favorite is chocolate peanut butter cookie dough.  Oh, yeah!  Rich and indulgent: a perfect vacation treat!

Cisco Brewery

After a day of biking and beachin’ it, a cold beer tastes pretty great.  We love the  Whales Tail at Cisco Brewery.  The atmosphere here is relaxing and they host live music at night.

Sea Scallops

I love sea scallops and Slip 14, one of our favorite Nantucket restaurants makes a fabulous Cobb style salad topped with seasoned and seared scallops.  This was my favorite meal on the island this summer.  Delicious! Searing scallops is easy and makes a great entrée or topping to a salad.  {See recipe below for this simple scallop recipe}

Force Five Candy Store

My brother Mike shared this hidden gem with us.  Located in the back of this water sports store, the candy store is jammed with sugary treats.  I know I am a nutritionist but the kid in me just has to make a visit here once during our visit!

Bartlett’s Farm

We venture to Bartlett’s on our way to Ladies Beach. We stop here and grab some yummy sandwiches and enjoy lunch on one of their outdoor picnic benches. Bartlett’s Farm also has a cart in town which sells it’s fresh, local produce.  Which I can vouch, is also, very tasty.

Right down the road, from Bartlett’s farm off a dirt road is Ladies Beach. Biking on the sandy road can be a bit slippery, but the wonderful beach at the end of the road is worth a bit of skidding around.  Here we are arriving…

And diving in…

This is my favorite beach on Nantucket.

Hydrangeas

Against the picket fences, adorning window boxes and even sold on the roadside, the hydrangeas are so beautiful on the island.  On Main St, this sweet looking jeep is decked out with flowers galore-all for sale! Beautiful!

Beachside Drinks and Food

Jetties Beach is close to where we stay on island and is a nice calm beach with a large sand bar.  A great place to toss the ball and get cool at the same time.  After relaxing a bit, we head over to grab a light dinner at the Jetties beachside cafe and enjoy a  pre-dinner beer.  Love sitting in these beach chairs waiting a bit for a table to free up for us for dinner.

‘Sconset and the Sankaty Light

The Sconset bike trail is the longest about 7 miles outside of town.  But we think it’s worth the trip.  A bit quieter on this side of town and the Sankaty Lighthouse is worth a peek.

 This trip had a great bonus celebrity sighting!

It’s not unusual to spot a few celebrities on the island of Nantucket, this trip while waiting for our ferry we spotted Lance Armstrong and Senator John Kerry, both had just finished up the first leg of the Pan Mass Challenge.  My son, Brennan sat with Lance for a quick pic. Don’t they look like they are just hanging out together?

Here is Lance’s bike on the ferry.  Very cool.

On another exciting note…

In just two weeks, I am off to Australia for a conference on the FODMAPs approach, a diet approach that has been very helpful for my patients with digestive disorders. Seeing this sign in Nantucket showing the distance to Melbourne made me realize just how far  Russ and I will be traveling! Yikes!

Try this tasty recipe when you get a chance! YUM!

Seared Sea Scallops

4 servings

Serving size: 4 scallops

1 to 1,1/4 lb. (16) sea scallops

1 TB. olive oil

1 TB. butter

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. thyme, ground or 1 TB. Fresh thyme leaves, optional

1.   Rinse scallops with water, and pat dry with paper towels. Trim muscle on side of scallop.

2.   In a medium skillet over medium heat, combine olive oil and butter.

3.   In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and thyme. Sprinkle [1/2] of herb mixture over one side of scallops.

4.   Place scallops herb-side down in the skillet. Season the other side of scallops with remaining salt mixture.

5.   Cook scallops for about 1 and ½ minutes. Flip over scallops, and cook for 1 and 1/2 more minutes. Be sure scallops are no longer pink and fully opaque.