By Kathleen Connelly
You can feel it in the air, can’t you? Summer is coming and it is going to provide us with an abundance of opportunities to better our health! My family, just like a lot of us here in Fishers, is in full swing with spring sports, end-of-the-year school functions and planning for our summer break. The other week when we had two baseball games at the ballpark, dance rehearsal and soccer I thought to myself, “This is crazy – sandwiches again!”
I know there a lot of moms just like me who want to provide their kids with good, nutritional food and sometimes trying to accomplish that with a hectic family schedule is difficult. However, there are ways! Prepping and planning for what you want for your family’s health is just as important as the actions themselves. If you know it will be a busy week, cook a larger meal on the weekend and then put leftovers in the fridge or freezer for a different night.
On Sunday, decide what meals you will cook during the week and make sure you have the items needed for each meal. Last Sunday, we ate from a more dinner-like menu at lunch and had a lunch-type menu for dinner since we had football games that evening. Sometimes I even cook a meal for the following evening at night after the kids go to bed. One of my prepping activities for the week is to chop vegetables and bag them up so they are ready to go for lunches. Have you tried the Fishers Farmers Market? It is now being held each Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon at the Nickel Plate Park. It is a great way to pick out fresh and organic products to use in next week’s meals. Take the kids along and let them help make some decisions. My kids love getting involved in choosing what fruits or vegetable we have for the week!
Trust me, I know how busy life can get but there are ways to make our health a priority. Start trying to prep in advance for meals, pre-pack snacks and lunches and visit the Fishers Farmers Market. Lastly, give yourself a break! Even I need to remind myself some weeks that having sandwiches are okay because the kids think it is fun to have a picnic dinner!
