The following is a guest post from momAgendaCOMM blogger Shell Roush.
School is almost out and the weather is about to get hot. While meal planning happens all year long, summer meal planning looks a little different than it does during other seasons. Schedules are more flexible in the summer and there’s more fresh produce available which makes for easy meal planning.
Keep Side Dishes Simple. With so many fresh fruits and vegetables available at the Farmer’s Market in the summer (or maybe even in your own backyard), don’t feel like you have to make complicated side dishes. Serve the fruits and veggies raw or simply cook them with a touch of added butter, salt, pepper, or other seasonings.
Start a Crockpot Night. Make use of your crockpot at least once a week. This is an easy way to have dinner ready as soon as you walk in the door from a day at the office or the pool with the kids. Plus, you don’t have to make the house uncomfortably warm by turning on the oven when you cook using the crockpot.
Host a Grill Night. Another night that makes meal planning a snap is adding a weekly rotation of grill night. Take advantage of the nice weather and eat outside, picnic-style.
Create a Salad Day. Once weekly, plan to make a salad for dinner. Whip up a traditional salad or plan a healthy veggie salad or even a pasta salad. Salad dishes are very easy to plan for and prepare, especially in the summertime.
Get the Kids in the Kitchen. Without the burden of nightly homework, kids have more free time in the summer. Create a schedule for them using your momAgenda desktop. Kids will enjoy the opportunity to make some decisions surrounding meal time and it will take the burden off of you for the evening! While they might only manage sandwiches and fruit salad at the beginning of the summer, their culinary skills will improve when given the chance.
Get Inspired via Pinterest. Create specific boards that you can always reference, making meal planning super easy. Start various recipe boards for crockpot meals, grilling ideas, salads, and any kind of recipe your kids can make. These boards will quickly become your go-to place for meal planning success.
Shell is a former teacher turned work-at-home mom. In her free time and when she’s not breaking up wrestling matches or ducking LEGOS courtesy of her three young boys, you can find her on her personal blog Things I Can’t Say.