Mommas!! Summer is here, and while the ease and relief of no school work or schedules washes over us.. the never ending snackage, the questions, the boredom, is not something we look forward to, right?? Right.
I have teenagers, and I still have to come up with a plan so I’m not constantly in the kitchen, but also so my family doesn’t fill their summer with a ton of junk food. We just came back from vacation, and are READY to eat some good for us food.
Tip 1: Smoothies. Easiest anytime meal. We either make a Low Carb Chocolate PB smoothie, or a low carb coconut berry version. I, in fact, have now typed up the recipe for my son so he can make one anytime he wants. Praise the Lord, and also, why did I wait so long?
Tip 2: Have a bin of mom approved snacks in the fridge and pantry. We are doing low carb as much as possible, so our fridge bin includes (or will include) berries, string cheese, celery with Boursin cheese or peanut butter, salami/pepperoni, already made bacon, carrots and ranch, etc. Our pantry bin has (or will have) macadamia nuts, beef jerky, low carb crunchies like theses oven baked cheese crisps, or oven baked broccoli florets from Traders.
Tip 3: If you have older kids, put on your headphones and some loud music, and tell them not to bug you unless they are bleeding or dying. Survival mode, yo. (Psst.. I’m doing this right now, as I type 😉 )
Here are a few Easy Summer Suppers that work well for us. 🙂
- We just had this one last night. Pot Roast.. seems like a fall dish, but it’s all savory, melt in your mouth delightfulness and can be used for so many things. Pop this in your crock or Instant Pot, so you won’t heat up the kitchen. Shred up and serve this over a bag of Southwestern salad mix, or taco shells if you aren’t low carb. Easy!
- Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks. I follow this recipe loosely. I use garlic olive oil to keep it easier, no mincing required. And I just pour the sauce over the cooked chicken so I don’t have to dirty another bowl. Make your hubs grill this up and serve with a big ol’ salad!
- Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki. Guys, there is no recipe. I slice up chuck steak thinly, and sauté it with garlic, salt and pepper. I toss in 2 bags of frozen broccoli and cook until heated through. Pour Trader Joe’s Soyaki sauce over the whole thing and serve over rice. My teens LOVE this, and it takes minutes. (Especially if you use your InstantPot for the rice portion) This is also fantastic with chicken or salmon. And, I’m really trying to get my fam to fall in love with cauliflower rice. It hasn’t happened yet. I will let you know when they are woo-ed. 😉
- Steak and Caesar Salad. Again.. there isn’t a recipe because Trader Joe’s makes the BEST Caesar salad kit. Grill up some top sirloin, or rib eye, slice thinly, make the salad, and serve it. I’m ALLLLL about making life a little simpler at the end of the day. Also, fantastic with chicken or salmon.
- Fractured Tacos. This is very much a simple taco salad. But I have a few hacks for you. First, my friend recommended nacho flavored chips, with Catalina dressing, and OHMYGOSH the combo is to die for! I can’t do corn chips, so Siete grain free chips are my crunch of choice. I do also have to thank my MIL Cheryl for her Fritos version, and the name of the meal. If I tell my husband we are having Taco Salad.. meh. If I tell him we are having Fractured Tacos, he’s all in. I guess the name is important. 😉 Also.. this is THE best dinner to take to a new momma, or a sick friend. The only cooking required is taco meat. Everything else is mostly already prepped. Bagged lettuce, pre-shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, Catalina, chips. I bring it over to every new momma and all the hubbies are glad for the Fritos and sour cream. Yes, and amen.
- This one is still a family favorite. And it’s literally 3 ingredients and one pan. Chicken, veggies, bacon. Done. Make it!!
- This Chopped Antipasto Salad is a new one we will be trying this summer. I have a few that don’t like artichokes, and a hubs that doesn’t love black olives, so I leave everything out for everyone to make their own version. No cooking required, mommas!
- These Goat Cheese Burgers with zucchini fries.. this will be a big test for my boys, but I believe they can do it. We can do hard things, like try goat cheese, boys!! I’ll report back. 😉
- We love Greek Chicken, so I’m thinking this one will be a winner!
- Another one pan wonder filled with healthy roasted veggies, which we all know is the best kind of veggie.
Listen.. we don’t always eat healthy, but when we do, I post about it so I can remember and be motivated again when I re-read it.. lol. We are trying to aim for 90/10 success rate over here. Hope this helps your summer suppers go a little easier for you.
