The final school day bell has rung. The kids are happy that Summer is finally here. For our kids at home, schools out means no more homework, no need to wake up early in the morning, no more school uniforms and no need to pack school lunches… life is great during Summer!
I get that school lunches are often times a combination of sandwiches with veggies or again a salad with cold meat. Now that school is over, I doubt that they want to have sandwiches and cold meat for every lunch during Summer.
Prepping your weekly meals is very important during the Summer months. Let’s face it, Summer is over in a blink of an eye. Last thing you want, is to spend your Summer in the kitchen cooking away. You want to be able to enjoy the outdoors and the sun.
So, here are a few tips to insure your kids won’t be eating sandwiches for lunch and that will give you time to enjoy the outside weather:
Use the grill!
Everything tastes better on the grill. Whether you are using a propane BBQ or a charcoal grill, use these tools to your advantage. If you are making a whole chicken, why not make two! The left overs can easily be heated up for a great Hot chicken, or simply with a side of vegetables. If you are making burgers, make some extra patties. These are easy to reheat in the microwave at low setting, add cheese, pickles and you have left over burgers… always a kids favorite. Same with left over beef steak… saute onions and peppers and last minute, throw left over beef steak in the pan to heat up. Simply add this with BBQ sauce in a tortilla wrap for a quick hot lunch!
Plan, plan, plan your meals
If you think planning is important during the school year, think again! Planning of meals during the Summer period is crucial. You want to be able to plan out meals that will be quick, easy and that you can interchange easily due to weather conditions, because let’s face it, grilling under the rain is never fun!
Cook in the evening
Let’s face it, we want to be able to enjoy the sun! This is what we do at my house. For example, while I am writing this blog we have 2 chickens on the charcoal grill and a beef bourguignon in the oven. Both meals will be ready at 9pm. Once these will be ready, we’ll be able to slice up the chicken in portions sizes and store away the beef bourguignon for an evening meal and few lunch left overs. The plus side is that these meals need little attention while cooking so this leaves time for you to do what your heart desires… like writing and having a glass of wine!
Snacks… have plenty of snacks
Often times when it is hot outside, we tend to be less hungry. However, we still need to nourish our bodies. Have plenty of fruits and vegetables on hand so the kids can pick and choose. Prepare veggie bags and store them in the fridge for easy pick up. Same thing for fruits such has berries, stem cherries and grapes. Believe it or not, if it is available to them, kids will jump on these to eat. We also always have on hand cereal bars and apple sauce. Their sweet content make a great dessert, without the extra calories of cake or cookies.
Campfire can also be your cooking friend
If your area permits to have outside fires, use this to your advantage. Nothing says Summer like Hot Dogs! For me, nothing says Summer like Hot Dogs on a stick cooked on an open campfire flame… soooooo good! The kids will love evenings like these! Get the fixings out, vegetable and cheese tray, paper plates and enjoy time with family. For dessert, why not indulge the kids into roasted marshmallows or better yet, SMORES! Nothing says Summer like an outside fire!
Have a Picnic
I LOVE Picnics! For some reason, a sandwich tastes different when you are eating it at a picnic. Have these outings with your kids… this will give you a chance to clean out your fridge of left over veggies, cheese and cold meats.
Last, but not least: RELAX, nothing is perfect!
I admit, I want my family to eat less processed possible. However, let’s face it, life is short… we, as parents, have the right to enjoy life also. Don’t stress the small stuff! If you have a plan, you have healthy food choices on hand, it’s OK to have the occasional processed meal (like the campfire hot dogs!) and the ice cream for dessert. Great family fun!
Summer is short! We have to make the best of this season. Every season has something special. For me, Summer means, vacation, campfires, grilling, garden growing, picnics and most important thing of all, time spent with Family and Friends. Make the best of it!
Happy Vacation Everyone!
