TL;DR: Beat the summer heat with these four no-fuss dinner ideas: savory waffles with creative toppings, veggie boats filled with creamy meat mixture, healthy fruit-based “ice cream” sundaes, and an easy walking taco variation using your favorite chips. Perfect for busy parents and picky eaters!
Whoever said summertime living is easy probably didn’t have kids – or at least wasn’t trying to figure out how to feed them. Meal planning during the regular routine is hard enough, but doing the meal prep to make healthy dinners for your family during your chaotic summer schedule can feel as impossible as getting your kids out of the pool.
Whether you’re too busy running from swim lessons to day camp to piano practice to plan a proper meal or the relentless heat has wilted your will to cook, these four simple summer dinners can help. Not only do they require very little (or no) slaving over a hot stove, but they’re also fun enough that your kids may even pitch in to put them together. Use them to help you chill out a little this summer – and be sure to check out Parent Lab’s “Meal Planning – What’s on the Menu?” kit for great ideas on how to bring your family to the table in any season.
When the temperature rises and your kitchen’s way too hot to turn on the stove – don’t! Grab your trusty waffle maker instead. While waffles are generally considered breakfast fare, they’ve recently been turning up as a sidekick for fried chicken on dinner plates everywhere. Of course, fried chicken doesn’t have to be part of the deal (since it’s probably too hot to stand over a pan of bubbling oil), and luckily there are a variety of other ways to enjoy savory waffles for dinner:
You can use your favorite waffle batter recipe or pancake/baking mix to prepare your waffles – even if it includes a little sugar. Any sweetness will only add to the deliciousness – and your kids’ delight – of this clever and easy summer dinner concoction.
Set sail for a dinner adventure with adorable and easy-to-make veggie boats that may even get your picky eater “going green.”
Pick from these vegetable options:
Next time the sun zaps your appetites and you’re looking for a light and refreshing summer meal, indulge your kids with this healthy twist on ice cream for dinner.
Top with heart-healthy nuts, rolled oats, granola, flaked coconut, chopped fresh or dried fruit, crushed graham crackers or peanut butter sandwich crackers, rice krispies or another healthy cereal like shredded wheat.
This take on everyone’s favorite Frito Pie mixes things up – literally!
Of course we want our kids to eat healthfully – but we also want them to develop healthy relationships with food. According to registered dietician Carol Danaher of the Ellen Satter Institute, there are no rules about which foods you can and cannot serve your family – as long as everyone gets the same thing. The Satter Institute does suggest you follow the USDA MY Plate Initiative guidelines and fill half your plate with veggies and fruit and the other half with grains and protein, but you won’t ruin your kids forever if you serve Burritos in a Bag on a hot summer night. Just reinforce those healthy eating habits with a fruit-filled breakfast in the morning.
Preserve These Special Moments
Capture your meal memories with Era! Whether it’s your kids’ delighted faces when they see waffle sandwiches for dinner or the proud moment they help create their first veggie boat, Era makes it easy to save and share these precious family memories. Download Era today and start documenting your family’s culinary adventures.
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