What are your short cuts and quick nutritious summer meals?

[OceanAnnie]

I am just looking for ways to be prepared this summer so when we are coming and going I have something in mind instead of a fall back plan of eating out.

My biggest thing is dinner! After all kinds of activities, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking! So one thing that helps me is to make double batches of a meal and either freeze one or turn it into something else for later in the week. It just helps to have something on hand and ready.

What are you short cuts or tips for summer and eating on the run?

 

[LJSquishy]

I generally cook everything from scratch but occasionally we need something QUICK!

I like to make paleo quiches because you can put anything in them...cubed ham and broccoli, asparagus and feta (not paleo), etc. I make the crust with almond meal and it's delicious. Quiches are quick to assemble and inexpensive because of the eggs.

Also, salad is a go to meal for us. Whether it be grilled chicken with strawberries and walnuts, or taco salad, it's always quick to prep the meat.

Before going mostly paleo, I used to make tortilla pizzas on the grill. I remember they had pesto, zucchini, yellow squash, and mozzarella...and maybe tomato? It's been a few years but those always hit the spot! I think it's an old Rachael Ray recipe.

Burgers, grilled chicken, etc, are all quick meals and so is spaghetti. We just had spaghetti last night...simmered the sauce while I sautéed the mushrooms and zucchini, browned a small amount of ground beef, combined, then cooked some pasta for my husband. I just ate the sauce which was very thick.

 

[MSSANDRA]

We like having extra grilled chicken breast on hand. They can be used on salads and wraps and just as a main meat for dinner. Grill up a few packs at a time to use for a few days or freeze. We also like roasted veggies. Potato, broccoli, carrots, anything ! Just put cut up veggies on a baking sheet, toss with a bit of olive oil and season and put into a 450 oven till as tender as you like them. Easy, fast and a great way to use summer veggies. We eat a lot more meatless dinners in summer as we add fresh corn on the cobs and all those other good veggies.
Lots more sandwiches for lunches in summer. Homemade chicken/pasta salad, and tons of fresh fruit. Strawberries are in season here right now!!!!!

Our occasional winter desserts are pretty much given up for late night ice cream runs and we like smoothies and shushies too.

We grill a lot and just add salads and those roasted veggies.

 

[worm761]

I think the key is to plan. Know what days you will be busy and prep everything before you go out for the day or have something easy to make.

Our go to quick meals are burgers or kebabs. Chicken or sausage and then lots of veggie kebabs on the grill. If all else fails, subs are another go to for us.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

Our favorite quick summer meal (and with 1 kid in baseball and the other in soccer all summer, we NEED quick) is taco salad.

Ground beef (not taco seasoned,) shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, canned, rinsed black or kidney beans, sliced black olives, dressing and tortilla chips for scooping (we use sprouted blue tortilla chips due to some gluten sensitivity.)

We usually let each person assemble their own salad so they can include their own preferences and their own dressing. We usually use ranch dressing, but some of us prefer salsa and sour cream instead of dressing or bleu cheese or western dressing.

 

[clh2]

Some of our summer favorites -

Just about anything that can be grilled. It is just DH and me, so we grill a lot of stuff, and then use the "rest" for leftovers.

Also - cold salads that can be prepared in advance are great - i.e. we like tuna/macaroni salad; a chicken salad with apples and grapes (can also be used in wraps); chef's salad; and taco salads.

With the chef and taco salads, it is easy enough to prepare all individual ingredients, and then put them out, and let the family prepare their own masterpiece. This keeps the lettuce from getting soggy/wilted.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thanks for all the ideas! I think it is key to have some quick things on hand. Tortillas, romaine lettuce for wraps and salads, sub rolls, etc would go a long way.

Even knowing that, throwing it all together and remembering to putting it in the cooler is another matter!

Sometimes we are heading out the door and I say to myself, "oh yeah!Darn!"

 

[worm761]

Fajitas are relatively quick and easy. The grocery stores around here have produce already chopped up for you if you need that done too.

 

[msmama]

We eat a lot of sandwiches in the summer. Also lots of raw veggies and fruit as side dishes. I prepare all fruits and veggies when I get home from the store so it's just grab and put on a plate.

I also try to plan 2 meals of anything when I do cook. So if I'm making grilled chicken Monday I make enough for stir fry on Wednesday (as an example). Or I'll make spaghetti one night and have pasta salad later in the week.

We are not super busy in the summer I just don't like being near a hot stove.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Thanks! That's a good point.

Sometimes in a pinch we will go to the grocery to pull together a quick meal, entree and fruit. It's healthy and cheaper than fast food. I don't always remember it though. Funny what a hungry brain will do!

 

[pjlla]

Yogurt parfaits for dinner (make-your-own "bar" with a big tub of plain greek yogurt, vanilla, cinnamon, honey, chopped fruit, granola, sliced almonds), pulled pork or beef in the crockpot, meatballs in the crockpot, make-your-own-salad bar (greens, cukes, tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms, hummus, hard-boiled eggs, nuts, cubed cheese, beans, etc), egg sandwiches (chickens are laying well in the summer and we have no shortage of eggs from our local suppliers), anything on the grill (so we don't have to heat up the oven in the summer), and if it is really not and no one wants to cook (or eat), then crackers and cheese and fruit~!...................P

 

[ericstac]

some of my favorites are

flatbread pizzas, tacos, burgers, lean hotdogs, and panini's or grilled sandwiches.. also "Breakfast for dinner" where I will make like french toast or biscuits and gravy etc.. always a hit

here are some of my creations.. I do a lot of instagram and youtube about food and macro nutrition.. i love food

 

[SDSorority]

I. Love. This.

All great ideas!!

I love my crock pot- throw some meat in there in the morning and it's done by dinner time. In fact, I'm totally going to do that with chicken tomorrow.

Other quick meals are chili with chips, salads (taco salad, egg salad, chicken salad, pasta salad, quinoa salad, 3 bean salad, regular salad with some meat added to it...), sausage and peppers, "breakfast for dinner" things like omelets or pancakes.

Check out my youtube channel for lots of quick recipe ideas! https://www.youtube.com/user/Anniesimplelife

 

[OceanAnnie]

Okay, I am going to the websites. Love blogs and youtube! The food pics are awesome!

I tried a lime Newman's own salad dressing as a marinade on chicken tonight. It was really good! I think next time I'll have it with pineapple and maybe some mandarin oranges over rice. It was a hit w/ salad though.

Thanks again for all the ideas!

 

[wishesuponastar]

A short cut for me is to serve lots of fruit like watermelon and strawberries as sides and corn on cob. Have to go read the thread for ideas

 

[aliceindisneyland]

I know OP asked for "nutritious" but I finally got honest with myself after two nights in a row when the kids wanted to keep swimming until it was definitely too late to cook the meal I had planned. We spent over $30 each night on take out. This can't go on all summer, and summer is a long season here!

1. I bought a pack of nitrate free hot dogs and buns and put them in the freezer - $5.50 for our Emergency Food! The hot dogs are junk food for sure, but not any worse for us than take out!

2. This week I've been prepping everything for dinner in the morning, and we don't go swimming until I know I can get dinner together in less than 15 minutes when we get back...or we can have the hot dogs!

 

[sheetz]

I like to make meals ahead of time. Soups, chili, and stews are great made in advance and reheated. For summer a cold pasta salad is good, too. If you like Japanese curry that's another very quick and easy meal using curry roux blocks that you can buy in Asian markets.

 

[sk!mom]

We eat dinner late (around 7:30 usually). Since we are all used to that, it doesn't feel too late to cook. My biggest tip is plan ahead. I plan simple things for the busiest days. We eat most meals from scratch and use only fresh fruit and veggies. I often prep the veggies earlier in the afternoon so that I can get the meal together quickly.

We like salads a lot in the Summer. Caesar with pasta, Vegetarian Taco, Caprese, and Spinach with berries, almonds, and blue cheese are favorites. We normally have salad a couple of times a week. We like lighter meals when it's super hot.

Wednesdays are busy for us and that is normally the day that I grocery shop. Our preferred store, HEB, has really good fresh pizzas in the deli. They are very large with a regular price of $9.99 but they are $3 off on Wednesdays. It's probably our least healthy meal of the week but it's quick and easy on the day I need it to be.

 

[havaneselover]

Trader Joe's frozen turkey burgers are my go-to food (year round). I can have them cooked in 10 minutes, they're cheap ($3/4) and a decent source of protein.

 

[canadianjovigirl]

I keep lots of salads that I premade (just don't mix the dressing on it until ready to use) - pasta/potato/tortellini etc along with lots of chopped up fruit and veggies in the fridge, that way its easy to throw some premarinated meat on the grill and just grab sides from the fridge.

There's times where we are just tired from swimming and just eat the salads/fruit/veggies along with some sliced sandwich meats - kids call that cold plates

My kids also like chef salads with some diced ham or chicken on it and hard boiled egg on it and then just do up some garlic toast and they are good to go.

Another quick meal for us is pasta and sauce - they love angel hair pasta with pesto or spinach ravioli tossed with olive oil and parmesan cheese.