Summer Sweetness!
Summer is almost officially here, and this past week it certainly felt like it! Between having a treat lunch on the local pier followed with some ice cream for dessert early in the week, and two trips to the beach with the kiddos, it has certainly felt like summer is in full swing!
As I learned with having a beach pass to an amazing, very kid-friendly local beach last summer, "beach mornings" can be a little hectic...and "hectic" is an understatement. My biggest lesson learned was to PLAN.AHEAD.
If I know we're going to the beach the next day, I start packing the day before. Packing as in the beach bags are ready to go, the kids swimwear and sun-tan lotion are laid out in their rooms the night before, the car is packed with any sand chairs and beach toys that are coming, and if possible, I pack what I can of our lunch the night before. Tonight's post is about that lunch...it used to be I packed whatever was fast-forget healthy. A bag of chips, some cookies, and a sandwich. OR, because there's a snack concession stand at the beach, sometimes we'd just grab lunch there, which consisted of a hot dog and some fries. While this isn't necessarily a bad indulgence from time to time, it's not necessarily the healthiest choice when you're going to the beach 3+ days a week.
So this summer, I decided things are going to be a little different. I will still pack some of those treats for the kids, but we're going to have some healthier lunches packed for mommy. So now to figure out, what is healthy and yet easy enough to make and take (and eat) at the beach? Hmm, salads for sure, but your traditional salad can tend to get old real quick, especially multiple days a week for several months. Plus, a basic salad isn't always the most filling for me. So I let my fingers do some walking, and discovered what looked like a DELICIOUS solution! I adapted it from a Cooking Light recipe, and call it the "Summer Power Salad". I didn't want to make enough to serve four because I wanted to make sure I liked it first, so I cut all the ingredients in half and made just enough for my mom and I to have a serving. I will definitely be making this again, and in fact would recommend this as something to make if you're planning on hosting or attending any bbq's or get-togethers this summer! I am not usually a fan of fruit in my salad, but figured it was time to keep trying new things and am so glad I gave this a try! Looking forward to more beach days with this in my cooler, and next time I will definitely make the full serving to let the kiddos give it a try, too. First week in healthy beach-eating challenge complete, and a success! :D
