A Plan For Easy Summer Eating

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Summer’s almost here and school’s almost out—do you feel the rush of the time crunch as much as I do? It seems like it was just a few short weeks ago that I was putting winter scarves and hats away and now I’m getting out shorts and thinking about whether or not everyone has a bathing suit that fits. For if there’s one thing that kids keep us, it’s busy.

From clothing and shoes to cleaning the house—and, ahem, cooking meals, it’s all in a day’s work as a parent. Just think—now that school’s almost out and the school cafeteria will be closed, there’ll be extra mouths to feed at lunchtime. Or extra lunches to pack as the kids head off to summer camps, vacations, road trips and warm weather excursions—all activities that need to have bodies robust and powered up. But I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, eh?

This Memorial Day weekend is a great time to kick off some new and improved mealtime habits. For if you’re like me, I often get a glimmer of an idea, but then it seems to gradually fall by the wayside as life seems to take over. Like when I was keeping a fresh container of carrots and celery to munch on right inside the refrig—front center shelf. Or when I was buying fresh veggies twice a week so that I could include a wide array. Or when I kept a variety of bags of frozen veggies ready for the grabbing. Whatever happened to those new leaves I had so-called 'turned over?'

Life. Yep, life stepped right in, and brought me back to reality—with the demands of family, house, work and meals. For we all know what it’s like to be busy, busy, busy. Sometimes too busy to take care of the basic necessities that help to keep life running smoothly like a well-oiled machine. Then I got a good night’s sleep, made a to-do list and re-grouped.

My plan?

Soft flour tortillas.

Yeah, you read that right—but can it really be that simple?

You betcha.

What I love about these nifty rounds that can be kept in the refrig (with extras in the freezer) is in two words:

Flexible. Adaptable.

And since breakfast and lunch are the meals that seem to give me more of a daily challenge (oh, what to make when everyone’s in a hurry—or what to suggest when they don’t know what to make), I’ve found that soft flour tortillas are ideal for making easy, quick breakfasts and lunches. And that’s a winner for the activity of a busy, fun summer.

Here are a few of our favorite combinations—just start with one tortilla, fill with desired ingredients, roll ‘em up and go:

Breakfast
• Egg & cheese
• Egg, cheese & pepperoni
• Bacon* & egg
• Cream cheese, apple butter & grated apple
• Cream cheese, grated apple & thinly sliced kiwi
• Cream cheese & jelly

*Bacon is easy and fast when cooked in the microwave between two sheets of paper towel—3 slices take only 2 minutes.

Lunch
• Ham & cheese
• Turkey, American cheese & lettuce
• Any lunchmeat, cheese & your favorite veggies are a go
• Veggie wrap: lettuce, grated carrot, red pepper (thin slices), olives—with a slice or two of cheese and dollop of ranch dressing
• Quesadillas: Spray non-stick skillet with veggie oil spray, add tortilla and top with refried beans and grated cheese; top with another tortilla. Heat over medium heat until golden and flip to other side. Serve with sour cream, salsa & lettuce
• Quesadillas variations with black beans & cheese, or lentils & cheese