Eating Healthy this Summer

Eating Healthy in the summer is not easy. Long days of adventurous play. Gorgeous weather and time together that you cannot pull yourself away from. That gorgeous weather turning blistering hot leaving you unable to turn on even a stove top burner. Summer has some of the best, fresh and clean recipes, so using these tips will enable you to stay healthy, keep your time together going, and make your life so much easier.

Plan Ahead

Choose one day to plan out the meals each week. Every Sunday night I sit down and find some new recipes and then throw in some I know well to make my week flow more easily. Knowing what you will make ahead of time and having a plan will save you time and ensure you eat a more balanced meal each day.

Make it Easy

Choosing simple recipes, especially in the summer, is essential to actually following through with cooking. By the end of the day, I am fried. Dinner time is when the craziness of the day starts to catch up with me. Be an adventurous chef when you are feeling energetic, but keep most days fast and fresh. I choose meals that take no longer than 45 minutes to prep and cook.

Go for Convenience

The grocery stores are making it easier to eat fresh, but stay convenient. While I am not an advocate for always buying extra packaging, choosing the pre-chopped vegetables will save you some time. You can even use a spare hour to chop all your vegetables for the week. These vegetables will pack a better taste and more nutritious punch than their frozen counterparts.

Grill Everything

It’s too hot to turn on the oven. Well at least in our house that is not air conditioned. Don’t feel bad. I like to breath fresh air. We grill all year long, but finding ways to grill just about anything becomes a fun challenge in the summer. Our favorite out of the box recipes are grilled pizza and stuffed mushrooms. Literally anything you can put into a cast iron pan. Check out some of these surprising grilling recipes from taste of home.

Get the Kids involved

If your kids are anything like mine, they wont just magically leave you alone for an hour so you can cook. This is one of the reasons I am forced to include them. The main reasons is I want to include them during dinner prep is so they know how to cook and so they have a healthy relationship with food. My kids have been by my side observing/helping since day one, well week 2 actually, because mama deserves rest after that ordeal. Here are some ways you can get them helping with food.

• Let them help choose the recipes
• Bring them grocery shopping and allow them to choose a new fruit or vegetable to try.
• Wash and scrub veggies
• Let them measure and pour
• Brush oil/butter with a pastry brush
• Get them their own age appropriate chopping utensils. We love this doggie knife that is safe, but still cuts. Our kids use these starting at 2 years old.

Yes it is going to take longer, so it doesn’t have to be an every night thing, but it will be so worth it.

Give Yourself A Break

Eating cereal or getting take out does not make us bad parents. Cooking is a fabulous way to model a healthy relationship with food, but balance keeps us sane. I especially encourage cereal to enjoy an extra long day of fun exploring outside. Anytime together is creating beautiful memories.

Join me this week for a virtual class with Personal Chef Debbie Brosnan of The Effortless Kitchen. She will be teaching how to make sesame noodles. a delicious summer recipe that can be served hot or cold. A perfect recipe for eating healthy this summer. Kids are more than welcome to join in!

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Classes are Wednesday June 17th at 6:00pm and Saturday June 20th @ 12:00pm

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View my blog on the easiest Summer Makeup here.

Keep Blooming! Bekah