Issue #30: Getting Organized for Summer with Easy, Make-and-Go Meal Ideas

Food prep that pairs well with outdoor adventures

The Problem:

The warm weather is here (we made it!!). Between attending outdoor concerts, park playdates, days and nights by the water, and hiking, many of us are spending more mealtimes outside and on the go, which requires an additional layer of planning and organizing when it comes to meal prep. After several evening outdoor hangouts resulting in our family scrambling (even more than usual) to figure out what the f*ck is for dinner, we decided to get proactive.

The Move:

Let’s get organized for summer by compiling a list of quick-to-prep, easily portable meals and snacks. This way, we can aim to have ingredients for a couple of these on hand each week when grocery shopping so that we’re never more than 20 minutes away from a meal that we can easily take to enjoy outdoors with friends and family.

Ideas for easy, make-and-go summer meals and snacks that pair well with outdoor adventures:

• Hummus and veggies

• Charcuterie snacks (such as salami, crackers, cheese, grapes)

• Homemade “uncrustable” PB&J sandwiches that you can make ahead and freeze (or store bought!)

• Cheese quesadillas with salsa for dipping

• Hummus “quesadillas” (sub hummus for cheese and add sautéed veggies of choice. I personally love these with roasted red onion and smoked paprika. So good!)

• Pizza quesadillas with veggies/meat of choice and marinara sauce for dipping (can you tell I like quesadillas?) ;-)

• Tortilla chips or sweet potato chips and guacamole

• Chicken salad

• BLTs (when you catch me at the farmers’ market in the summer, there is an 88% chance that I am on a mission to procure BLT ingredients)

• Cold pasta salad or pesto pasta

• Bean salad

• Quinoa salad

• Green salad (tip: toss all your ingredients into a lettuce tub for easy transport)

• Greek salad with pita pockets on side

• Whole fruit or fruit salad

• Green beans

• Frittata

Yum! There’s just something about eating outside in the sunshine that makes food taste better. Cheers to many a meal enjoyed outdoors this summer!