It’s summer and the kids are home more – whether they’re home from public or private school, co-op, or college. Mine still take some classes and participate in various day camps – and for the first time, my middles have overnight camps!
One of my biggest concerns for summer (and all the time) is food.
For whatever reason, the kids seem to eat more – quantity and frequency. They’re probably growing and more active and the sunshine and warmer temps make them hungrier.
Our local libraries provides lunches for kids under 18 and I think that’s great! When my kids go to events and classes at our libraries, they are pressed upon to take the food and some of it they like.
I’m struggling to keep us in Gatorade and Body Armor in the flavors we prefer!
Since our summer schedule is a little more hectic and sporadic, I have to think about meals differently.
My college kid has a part time at a local grocery store and often has to take a quick lunch to eat during breaks.
My son has elite baseball games and tournaments and we often travel and need to bring snacks and meals with us – because sometimes they’re in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere.
My kids are pretty independent and know their way around the kitchen. They can make their own healthy meals and often do so. I also want to provide easy options for when we’re in a rush or have different schedules. I’m super impressed when they make quesadillas, little pizzas, fried rice, or homemade ramen!
We love bento and other fun containers to keep foods fresh and cold for lunches and snacks on the go.
What our meals look like every week
Breakfast:
- Hot and cold cereal cups
- Oatmeal cups
- Grits with cheese
- Organic poptarts
- Dinosaur eggs oatmeal
- Bolthouse protein shakes
- Breakfast lunchables
- Croissants, English muffins, bagels for sandwiches
- so many eggs (my husband has a coworker with chickens, so we get about 4 dozen a week!)
- Frozen sausage links (we love the Jones brand and I stock up at the commissary or Costco.)
- Frozen pancakes, waffles, French toast sticks (We like Kodiak)
- Nature Valley almond butter biscuits
Lunch and snack items:
- Tuna and salmon pouches and these fun new lunchables from Walmart or Costco
- Annie’s mac and cheese
- Ramen and noodles (my kids prefer organic pouches for quick and easy but often make their own homemade ramen with leftovers!)
- Indian pouches with lentils or chickpeas
- Rice and beans pouches
- Canned soups and chili (Annie’s is a favorite)
- Spam (we lived in Hawaii for three years)
- Hillshire Farm ham, turkey, and salami
- Lunchables – Oscar Mayer uncured ham, Hillshire Farm, and Kroger Simple Truth
- Tortillas and naan for quick wraps and pizzas
- Peanut butter crackers – the variety packs also have a yummy cream cheese one
- Protein granola bars and protein brownies – Clif, Kodiak, Luna, Kroger, and Meijer brand
- bananas, apples, grapes, oranges
- Nuts in ready to go packs
Dinner:
I try not to stress over having dinner later in the summer. I prefer we eat together as much as possible. I am often thwarted by baseball games and the kids’ other activities.
I’m making many slow cooker meals for when my son has baseball games or my daughter works late or has aerial gymnastics class. We can eat whenever we each get a chance, and often still mostly together.
We also do a lot of grilling year-round (some favorites are burgers, tritip, and salmon) and we love big salads.
Resources:
- The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes
- The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz
- The Great Cholesterol Myth, Revised and Expanded: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won’t Prevent Heart Disease–and the Statin-Free Plan that Will by Jonny Bowden and Stephen T. Sinatra
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
- Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes by Mark Bittman
- VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good by Mark Bittman
- In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
- The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Melissa Hartwig Urban and Dallas Hartwig
- 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous: The Easy and Delicious Way to Cut Out Processed Food by Lisa Leake
How do your meals look in summer?
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Even though my kids are all grown, our summer has been very hectic, too. But I remember those days with kids and all their activities. It is a challenge. I applaud you for trying to eat together as often as you can. But it does get harder, doesn’t it? Hope it’s a great summer for your family!
Summer is the one season that usually slows down enough for us to all linger over dinner together. My boys are all on their own for breakfast and lunch year round but I do make sure to have healthy foods prepped and ready to go like fresh cut strawberries, hummus in single serve containers, etc.