Summer season Meal Prep Concepts – A Wholesome Slice of Life
Summer season? What? Didn’t we simply enter spring? What’s next- Halloween get together snacks?
I’m not one to hurry seasons alongside, however a part of being a mother inherently signifies that you’re at all times attempting to benefit from the present season whereas concurrently planning the following. Signal ups for all of the issues come at the least a couple of months in superior and at present our summer season is beginning to refill!
Whereas I’ve these concepts in my head of lengthy, leisurely, vast open days, the truth is that even in summer season we normally keep rocking. Whether or not it’s time on the pool, climbing with pals, a trip, or appointments (Ok can be getting an expander quickly), our days usually refill and a bit of however of planning with meal prep can go a good distance.
One factor I really like about summer season is the plethora of recent produce out there. We’re a part of a weekly farm share and get to choose up recent produce from it each Tuesday. We hit up the Saturday farmers market after we can. And doing this implies I’m additionally decided to not let any of this treasured meals go to waste. So in the present day I’m sharing a couple of of my favourite simple and handy methods to prep meals to maintain maintaining a healthy diet all summer season lengthy!
Summer season Meal Prep Concepts
Is Meal Prep Protected within the Summer season?
Positive it’s! However there are a couple of elements to remember that will help guarantee it stays that method. Preserving meals saved on the proper temperature (lower than 40 levels Fahrenheit for chilly meals and better than 140 levels Fahrenheit for meals being served heat). With extra gatherings and picnics, that may be a difficulty, so it’s good to remember. I commonly use my journey gradual cooker for all these events.
Apart from that, the fundamentals apply. You need to be sure you wash your fingers, surfaces, and utensils totally and keep away from cross contamination. Additionally be sure you control expiration dates, equivalent to these in your favourite dressings and sauces, to make sure they’re nonetheless inside the ultimate date vary.
Why You Ought to Meal Prep In The Summer season
To scale back meals waste.
Everyone knows good meals isn’t low cost, so I’ve been attempting to do even higher about not letting any meals go to waste. Implementing a weekly leftover evening (or lunch as leftovers) helps, as does making meals you can throw virtually something into, like pasta, a soup, or topping a pizza. I’m even saving the ends of cucumbers and radishes to share with the chickens!
To economize.
Ditto to above. Once we waste much less meals it stretches additional and saves us cash. I additionally discover when I’ve meals prepped and able to go, I’m way more prone to rush residence for lunch reasonably than seize one thing out, which positively saves some money.
To be ready for final minute invites.
Need to meet us on the pool? is a a lot simpler request to say sure to when I’ve carried out some meal prep. I can throw collectively a fast salad or a sandwich or, truthfully, the children’ favourite, a snacky kind lunch very quickly. I used to be simply gifted this meals storage set and should admit, it’s fairly good for on the go meals! It’s stunning and unhazardous, sure, but in addition the little containers are nice for tucking dressing, hummus, tzatziki, pimento cheese, olives, and different accoutrements within the containers, making for straightforward summer season meals on the transfer.
To benefit from all of the in season produce and eat wholesome.
I’m certain my backyard can be exploding with recent produce quickly (simply placing that out into the universe) and I gained’t need to waste a little bit of it. Whether or not you might have a backyard, load up on the farmers market, or have a cart full on the retailer, it’s a good time of yr to benefit from in-season produce. One factor that at all times helps me waste much less is washing and prepping produce as quickly as I can after bringing it residence. I’m more likely to eat the radishes in the event that they’ve ben washed and trimmed reasonably than sitting within the fridge drawer of their authentic state.
This lends itself naturally to healthful consuming and makes me actually not need to waste a bit. Meal prepping encourages me to eat what I can and in addition take excellent care of the leftovers. Whether or not it’s freezing or canning, it’s good to not waste a bit.
How one can Meal Prep in Summer season
Whether or not you’re making summer season recipes or prepping the parts to throw collectively simple summer season meals, listed below are a couple of ideas and methods I do to assist benefit from meal planning in the summertime. These items make it simpler to eat a fast, wholesome lunch or throw collectively a satisfying dinner. In the event you want some inspiration for the breakfast hour, try these excessive protein breakfast meal prep concepts. And should you want fast and straightforward lunches for toddlers (and past), try these wholesome, kid-friendly wrap concepts.
Freeze Pizza Dough
Lengthy days exterior usually has us returning residence hungry and able to eat. One of many tastiest approach to feed the household is with pizza and protecting frozen dough (or parbaked pizzas) readily available makes this quicker than any supply spot might get to you anyway. Right here’s how one can do it:
Use your favourite recipe (I normally use this bread machine pizza dough). Make it and let it rise as standard, as if you’re about to make it in actual time. Kind into dough balls, every the scale you’d want for one pizza. Flippantly coat every dough ball with a bit of olive oil and wrap every ball individually in plastic wrap and place within the freezer. You too can choose to hoover seal it in case you have one. While you’re prepared to make use of one, switch to the fridge from the freezer for at the least 12 hours, as much as the evening earlier than. Then roll out and use as standard.
In the event you desire an excellent quicker prep methodology, right here’s what I do. I half bake our rolled out pizza dough, as if I used to be about to high it. Then I let the half baked crust cool fully. When cooled fully, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap (or vacuum seal) and place within the freezer. While you’re prepared to make use of one, switch to the fridge from the freezer for at the least a couple of hours, as much as the evening earlier than. Then high it together with your favourite toppings and bake as standard.
Make a Batch of a Grain
With all of the recent greens and grilled meats of summer season, it’s the proper time for lunch and dinner bowls. I discover it even simpler to throw these collectively when I’ve a hearty grain prepped. A number of of my favourite choices are quinoa, farro, and good previous vogue rice. Make a batch, let it cool, retailer within the fridge, and reheat the portion you want once you’re prepared for it. Bonus? Your physique has much less of a glycemic response to grains which were cooled after which reheated!
Make a freezer batch of meatballs
Gradual cookers are nonetheless nice in the course of the heat months and certainly one of my household’s favourite gradual cooker dinners is meatballs and marinara. Straightforward peasy. We purchase the meatballs from Butcher Field they usually’re nice however when I’ve the time I actually like making and freezing my very own.
So right here’s the thing- you may freeze them uncooked or cooked. I’ve carried out each and you may go both route, however know that should you freeze cooked meatballs, they will generally prove a bit of soggy when thawed. This isn’t an enormous deal should you simply plan to throw them into some marinara on gradual cook dinner, however if you wish to serve them on high of a dish or on a sub, you would possibly desire freezing them uncooked, then permitting them to thaw and cook dinner them recent.
Prep Salads in a Jar for Lunch all week
Salads in a jar are so enjoyable and handy. They take a bit of little bit of prep time, however should you try this earlier than per week of on the go park dates or pool days, then it’s completely price it. It’s really easy to seize a jar, a bowl, and a fork and lunch is completed! My favourite salad in a jar recipes are Greek Salad in a Jar and Southwest Salad in a Jar.
Make a New Dressing Every Week
I’m no stranger to purchasing salad dressings. I usually purchase Primal Kitchen’s, Garlic Expressions (sure it has seed oils however my complete household loves it so I generally I select to miss it), and dressings from our native market. Nevertheless, once I take the time to make my very own dressing I’m at all times fortunately shocked by how scrumptious and recent it tastes and the truth that it actually isn’t that tough. Summer season is a superb time to place forth the trouble for salad dressing making as a result of we normally are consuming so many extra recent salads. Make a batch of your favourite, or attempt one thing new, initially of the week and eat nicely all week lengthy!
In the event you’re a salad lover too, then you definately’ll need these tips about how one can meal prep salads and maintain them recent. Additionally, might I like to recommend my favourite do-it-yourself dressing. It’s so good!
Exhausting Boil Some Eggs
Hardboiled eggs are the proper summer season prep meals as a result of there are such a lot of prospects! Actually you may simply seize one and eat it as a snack, however you can too flip it into egg salad and eat it as a sandwich. You may slice them on avocado toast, make them into deviled eggs, or throw them on high of a salad for an additional protein enhance!
I do know everybody has the strategy they swear by, and that is mine: Place eggs in a pot and fill with water till the eggs are lined by at the least an inch’s price. Put it on the range over medium excessive warmth. In terms of a rolling boil, flip off the warmth and canopy the pot. Set the timer for 12 minutes. When the timer goes off, drain within the sink and rinse with chilly water. As soon as cool sufficient to deal with, peel. Take pleasure in!
Prep Veggie Burgers
Alongside the identical traces as prepping a grain for a bowl base, having veggie burgers able to go make wholesome meals a breeze. They’re such an excellent addition to a easy salad or served on a bun. You may freeze them each cooked and raw, however I are likely to desire freezing them cooked, because it’s quicker to reheat and eat. Three scrumptious veggie burger choices:
Make a Batch of Chickpea Salad
I’ve two chickpea salads that I fell in love with in the course of the days I used to be vegetarian and I nonetheless love them now! The primary one is a play on a traditional hen salad and this recipe for chickpea “hen” salad is simply perfection. The second is in Oh She Glows On a regular basis – I can’t discover it on-line nevertheless it’s a curried chickpea salad, so in case you have this cookbook, you have to attempt it! And if not, give a google seek for curried chickpea salad and see if you could find one which appeals to you. Each are scrumptious for a fast lunch, scooped on high of greens or eaten with a crunchy cracker.
Prepare dinner an Additional Protein
Not particular to summer season, because it’s a trick I take advantage of all yr lengthy, I discover it useful to make a bit of further of no matter protein I occur to be cooking for dinner. An additional hen breast grilled up the evening earlier than or a roast that’s a half pound greater than what we want for dinner is at all times appreciated the following day once I’m attempting to throw collectively a fast and balanced lunch.
That sums up a few of my favourite summer season meal prep ideas; I hope it was useful or inspiring or on the very least bought you a bit excited for all of the attractive summer season produce heading our method! This yr I hope (plan?) to do a bit extra with canning, because it’s a ability I need to enhance upon for when my backyard produces abundantly (once more, placing it out into the universe ;)). Completely satisfied consuming!
