Creative Summer Lunches!
If you're a parent with children at home during the summer months, you may have run into an age-old problem...weekday lunches. If you usually pack your child's lunch during the school year instead of having them eat the school's lunch offerings, you may already have this mastered. Much has been written about school lunch inadequacies, so we don't need to pile on, but as parents, we can do so much better for our children. It's our time to shine! Left to their own devices, your children may be inclined to choose junk food over healthier alternatives. That's where conscientious parenting and meal preparation comes in.
Here are a few things that might help take the stress off midweek lunches:
1. Have a plan - There are numerous meal planning resources online. 15 - 30 minutes a week dedicated to planning can help make meal prep less daunting. It also makes grocery shopping easier. Check out FoodSocial.io for meal-planning ideas from a host of recipe creators.
2. Ingredients - Choose quality ingredients for more flavor, more nutrients, and more value for your food dollars. It's summertime — find a farmer's market and a fruit and veggie source you can trust. Ask questions about pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, etc.
3. Use those leftovers - Leftovers don't have to be relegated to the back of the fridge. Bring them up to the front to incorporate into your lunch plans. Some foods like casseroles and soups taste better on day two. On weekends, make extra for weekday lunches so you don't have to scramble to make entrees. If you already have burgers, steaks, chicken, or chops waiting for you, it makes meal prep quick and easy.
4. Tools - Kitchen tools like the air fryer and instant pot multi function cooker should be used to hasten food prep. You can also cook a whole week's worth of lunch proteins with a pot roast, chicken breasts, Salisbury steaks, soups, pulled pork or any other meats.
5. Container Portions - If you really want to up your game, take a few minutes on Sunday evening to prepare lunches in portion controlled containers. Stackables are handy for this and can be organized in the fridge. You can do the same thing for healthy snacks - sugar-free meat sticks, sliced apples, ants on a log, carrots, cheese, jerky, etc.
6. Heat & Serve - We all have days when we don't want to cook. We have a whole category dedicated to healthy, heat and serve foods. We've done the cooking, you just need to heat it up. Browse our wide selection of options: BBQ Ribs, Shredded Beef, Sugar-free Hickory Smoked Sliced Brisket, Pot Roast and Gravy, Brats, Adobo Meatballs, Franks, BBQ Pulled Pork, and MORE!
Remember, if you have children, you have helpers. Put them to work in the kitchen, helping with preparations. Not only will you be teaching them a valuable skill, but many hands make light work. Please share your own ideas and tag us (@uswellnessmeats) on Instagram or Facebook!
Well Wishes, Team USWM
