Simple ideas for healthy meals and snacks this summer.
As the weather gets hotter, you may wonder what healthy meals and snacks you can add to your menu. Today, we’ll be discussing several healthy meals and snacks that pair well with the summer weather. As usual, fruit is a nice choice no matter what the weather is; however, there are many things you can do with it while involving family and friends. The US Department of Agriculture has a nutrition education page with a seasonal produce guide of fruits and vegetables. For a helpful tip, produce is less expensive when in season. This summer, some produce you can look forward to seeing includes strawberries, mangos, honeydew melon, blackberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, cantaloupe, cherries, and peaches. Now, let’s move on to some healthy meals and snacks you can make with these produce items!
When it comes to fruit, the foremost thing to do is to rinse/wash them well. They can be cut into bite-sized pieces and placed on wooden skewers to make fruit kabobs. For a simpler treat, they can be tossed together to make a fruit salad. With the addition of yogurt and some granola, a parfait is also an excellent choice! If a blender is available, the fruits can be blended to make a smoothie or juice (depending on its thickness).
Fruits aren’t the only tasty things you can eat. There are also pasta salad recipes that are easy to make. There’s a variety of available pastas and different ingredients that can be added. For example, sliced bell peppers, olives, banana peppers, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, and whatever else you may desire. You can cook the pasta according to the instructions, or however you like, then refrigerate it or let it cool to room temperature .
After it cools to your preferred temperature, you can toss it with the toppings and dressing of your choice. You can even keep it simple with a drizzle of lemon or some vinegar. As with the fruits, it’s a great chance to experiment with different ingredients as you never know what you may end up liking.
If you have any popsicle molds, or the like, and popsicle sticks, you can even freeze the smoothie/juice for homemade popsicles on a hot day. These are just a few of the ways to make fun fruit snacks that kids are sure to love. They can even participate in picking the fruits at the market, rinsing them, cutting them, etc. There are many different combinations you can make so feel free to experiment with whatever fruits you’d like for a healthy snack.
Although these are all nice ideas for healthy meals and snacks, it is imperative you pay close attention to the portion sizes, especially for those who are trying to lose weight. A good place to start is the nutrition label on the packaging of the ingredients that you use. For more information on understanding nutrition labels, take a look at our blog: How Do You Know If A Snack Is Healthy? Breaking Down Nutrition Labels. Also, pay attention to how the ingredients are cooked. For example, if you want to add chicken you can try baking or broiling it instead of frying. For those with gluten sensitivity, there are gluten free pasta options available at most store. Overall, it just goes to show that there are many different combinations you can make with these healthy meals and snacks.
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To your Joy and Health,
Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Blessing Bolomope, Student Intern
B.S. Nutrition & Food Science – Dietetics from the University of Maryland, College Park | 2020