Summertime Meal Plan Madness
In just a short time, it will be summer, and then you’ll have more free time, right? Well… I think that every year, and every year it proves me wrong. Friends have said the same: just when you thought things would slow down, social commitments are increasing, the kids are home from school, and it’s too hot to want to stand over the stove. So what gives? How can you stay on track with a meal plan when everything in the world seems to be pulling you away from the kitchen?
Thankfully, all hope is not lost! There are proven strategies that can help you follow a meal plan, keep up with your meal plan goals, and even help you stay on budget. Here are 4 of my personal favorites.
1. Try the farmer’s market. If you have a local farmer’s market, check it out! For one thing, it’s a fun family outing that doesn’t cost any extra, and you get to do some grocery shopping. My local farmer’s market offers special activities for kids, tasting samples, and often even live music! While I know I’m very lucky to be living in easy driving distance of such a thing, many farmer’s markets are great opportunities to be entertained. The vendors are great sources of information about ways to cook and eat foods you haven’t tried. If you don’t know something, ask! The vendors want you to enjoy their products, and if you think everyone else knows what’s going on at the farmer’s market, I can assure you that I see something new almost every week. Ask a farmer – they love to share what they know!
Additionally, check for vendors offering a CSA. That stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and my husband and I have been delighted with what we’ve gotten from a farm near us. With a CSA, you generally pay an up-front amount to get a box either weekly or monthly, full of fresh, seasonal, locally-grown produce or meat. I love our CSA, because it lets me skip the grocery store in favor of healthy, nutrient-packed veggies I didn’t have to grow, plus, I know they have only traveled a short distance to get to me. Picked at peak freshness, the produce is often healthier than what I can get at the large chain grocery store. My money stays local, and I get better food. That’s a win all the way around.
2. Plan around your schedule. I know I say this all the time, but if you know you’re going to be busy and won’t have time to cook a full sit-down dinner, rely on salads or sandwiches! (Once again, the farmer’s market is a great resource!) My slow cooker is one of my best friends during the summer, because I don’t have to stand in the kitchen when I’m already hot and would rather be doing something else. Thanks to the bounty from the CSA box, we eat salads at least 2 or 3 nights a week in the summer. It’s not cheating, it’s using resources. It keeps our meal plan on track, because we’re not eating out, and it’s an absolute joy to crunch into some fresh, crisp veggies.
If you’re trying to balance your schedule and your meal plan, the only way not to let one go by the wayside is to make them work together. If you can make the meal into an activity, like grilling outdoors together, great! If not, a sandwich in the car on the way to the game is just as good, and keeps you in line with your meal plan goals.
3. Schedule at-home days. It’s tempting in the summer to be out of the house every single day, doing activities, running kids back and forth, and making your summer look enviable on social media. But we don’t have to fall for that! Scheduling days where nobody has activities, or friends over, or events that take them outside the home means you can sit down to a meal together. It gives you more time to plan for those days, so you can have a larger, fancier meal than a great big salad (unless you want a giant salad, and I’m right there with you if you do) and slow the pace of the summer. Taking time to enjoy being together, being in your home, and savoring a meal together can be a wonderful part of life, and even if nobody else ever knows about it, that’s motivation on its own.
4. Plan for snacks! Another one that I know I say all the time. But seriously, if you have kids running around the house way more than through the school year, they’re going to be grabbing a snack. If you’ve planned for that and you have snack food available, you can not only save money by staying out of the drive through but you can also influence what kind of snacks they’re choosing. If you have fruit, crackers, and hummus that’s easy to grab, they’re less likely to be gravitating toward more expensive, less healthy choices, like chips that are mostly air and are going to make them hungry again in five minutes. (Seriously, who is filling the chip bags like this??) Having good options available means you’re already able to budget for the snacks your family will eat, and keep you from being surprised by sticker shock at the end of the month.
These aren’t all your options! You can get creative and come up with all kinds of ways to stay true to your meal plan goals, even through the busy summer months. I’d love to hear your ideas! Send me an email at alyssa@alyssasyellowhouse.com and share your ideas with me!
Making it through the summer without going way over budget or throwing out the meal plan can be tricky, but it is possible. With a little forethought, you can have a successful summer, even with a meal plan. Slowing down and being intentional can make the summer far more memorable and enjoyable than dashing around trying to do it all, and stopping at every restaurant along the way. Summer is about to kick off, and I’m planning to enjoy it. While I wait for your emails, I’m going to grab some carrot sticks and hummus and head to the park to read under a shade tree.