I totally forgot that yesterday I was picking up the girls, which meant we had a later start to dinner than usual. So much for my sticky rice and baked tofu idea.
What I did last night is what I do a lot of nights in the summer. I basically went through the fridge and pulled out an assortment of (mostly cold) items to serve. Last night it was hummus with whole grain pita chips, cantaloupe, the last of our steamed broccoli, yogurt and salad. The girls have fun little compartmentalized plates and they enjoy putting a food item in each one. I also served them strawberry frozen fruit bars for dessert.
This feels a bit like cheating, but it's often too dang hot to cook and as I look at the array of food being served - they're clearly getting the right kinds of nutrients: healthy proteins, fruits, veggies.
If I planned ahead for these nights, I could offer a little more variety - perhaps making a wider array of cold salads or dips that could sit in the fridge for a few days. So, I might be hunting down some ideas for that. I know that Isa Chandra Moskowitz's new cookbook Appetite for Reduction contains a lot of creative salad ideas.
I'm curious: what are other folks' go-to quick summer suppers like?
Two of our go to meals are a Mexican quinoa salad with fresh cilatro, lime vinagrette, corn, black beans and roasted poblano. The boys also love an Israeli coucous salad I make with sundried tomatoes, carrots, olive oil, vinegar, and whatever chopped greens I have on hand. And of course we can never go wrong with hummus and crackers.
ReplyDeleteThe Mexican salad sounds great!
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