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In the summer, farmers' market produce is the ideal base for healthy, satisfying, AND diabetic-friendly meals. Low-carb is the name of the game, so we like to rely on lean meats, fresh fish, low-starch veggies, and the natural sweetness of fruit to keep our menu lively. Remember: The grill is your friend, adding big flavor to all sorts of ingredients without needing extra oil, salt, or sugar. Read on for the recipe inspo.
Sheet Pan Mediterranean Snapper: The American Diabetes Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week, and this luscious snapper recipe is one you'll want to devour again and again. Flavored with citrus, capers, and za'atar and topped with low-fat Greek yogurt, it's an elegant meal no matter what diet you're sticking to. (via Hummusapien)
Cucumber Tomato Salad With Chickpeas and Feta: For a salad that will fill you up, add fiber-rich chickpeas to the mix. Combined with low-fat feta and ripe cherry tomatoes, you have a refreshing meal that tastes good and will make you feel A+ too. (via Kalyn's Kitchen)
Cherry Balsamic Grilled Pork Tenderloin: This dish gets its subtle sweetness naturally from aged balsamic vinegar and pureed cherries. There's a healthy dose of antioxidants from the dark stone fruit, which pairs well with lean, juicy pork tenderloin. (via Give it Some Thyme)
Chilled Avocado Zucchini Soup: Lush avocado lends body and richness to this plant-based soup. Serve as a summery starter at your next dinner party. (via Simply Quinoa)
Low-Carb Cauliflower Rice: Searching for a low-starch side dish can feel like an uphill battle. Luckily, with this recipe for low-carb cauliflower rice under your belt, you'll never be left wondering how to complete your meal. (via Sweet Peas and Saffron)
Homemade Chimichurri Sauce: Just a little bit of this bright green sauce goes a long way. With a heart-healthy olive oil base, chimichurri will liven up lean grilled chicken, pork tenderloin, and tofu all season long. You can even use it as a salad dressing. (via The Cookie Rookie)
Grilled Chicken Kebabs With Pistachio Gremolata: Yogurt-marinated chicken stays juicy on the grill, even when you crank the heat to get those gorgeous grill marks. And pistachio, parsley, and lavender gremolata is what will keep you going back for another bite. Just make sure to use low-fat yogurt and reduce the amount of olive oil to suit your dietary regimen if needed. (via Hello Glow)
Grilled Salmon in Foil: Fish is healthy and scrumptious, but cooking it isn't always in your olfactory best interests. Instead, try cooking it on the grill. A foil packet ensures your salmon stays moist. (via The Roasted Root)
Italian Pesto Zoodle Salad: When you have a noodle craving that can't be tamed, whip out your spiralizer and get ready to enjoy this satisfying meal. Three-ingredient pesto vinaigrette coats each bite of fresh zoodles, roasted peppers, olives, and artichoke hearts. (via Sunkissed Kitchen)
Thai Cauliflower Rice Salad: Cauliflower rice and shredded carrots make up the base of this salad. It's a welcome departure from plain old lettuce, and the avocado dressing on top makes it taste positively indulgent. (via Cotter Crunch)
Tuna Tartare: A fusion of tuna tartare and poke, this cool appetizer is just what you'll want to serve on hot summer nights, along with an ice-cold glass of sparkling water, of course. (via Simmer + Sauce)
Whole Roasted Fish: Is there anything more striking than a platter of whole-roasted fish served with lemon and herbs? It's a surprisingly easy recipe to master, but no one will guess when you bring it to the table. (via Gimme Some Oven)
Spicy Dill Dip: If you struggle to get your daily intake of veggies, a creamy dip is your best friend. The key is using low-fat Greek yogurt and sour cream so you stay within your dietary guidelines. And when you add plenty of herbs and a diced jalapeño for flavor, you won't miss the fat. Slice up your favorite veggies and dunk away. (via Spend With Pennies)
Low-Carb Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes: Finding diabetic-friendly dessert recipes can be a challenge, but this tangy-sweet dessert fits the bill. Almond meal is used instead of flour, and the cupcakes are sweetened with Swerve to keep things low-sugar and low-carb. (via All Day I Dream About Food)
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This article has been updated from a previous post.
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Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures