This is how our summer is going to roll. Quick and easy and with as much prep work done as possible. It seems like our summer afternoons and evening just disappear. Well, considering we have to turn in for the night early with little ones. Anyways, we are a family that loves to be active and outside. But this means, mom (cough, me) has to be the bad guy and pull everyone in to get cleaned up, eat and bed before major breakdowns happen. My hubby, well he would just let them play outside until they literally collapsed from exhaustion, which they probably would like as well.
The good news, usually they are all hungry by the time they come in so I can win back their hearts a little. And trust me, I don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove all summer. That’s where the prep comes in. I knew we were going to be having a couple of chicken dishes this week so I just went ahead and placed chicken breasts in the slow cooker with a few cups of chicken broth at the start of the week and now I have cooked, shredded chicken that can be used hundreds of different ways!
There is no better feeling than looking in your refrigerator and seeing food prepped and ready to eat with little time required. It makes my heart go pitter-patter! More sun and more pool time makes for one happy momma. Yes, I am still a pool rat and proud of it! Needless to say, I was able to relax a little better at the pool knowing that I had supper ready to go. Veggies chopped, chicken cooked, all I had to do was cut and shred the remaining ingredients and assemble.
The star of this show was the roasted corn, pepper and mushroom salsa. Full of bold, savory flavors it brought everything together nicely. Plus if you make extra you can use it with eggs for breakfast, shredded chicken for a snack or to top other grilled meats. See how easily you can turn one meal into many?
Folks I will tell you, it is all in the planning. Thinking about the next meal before it arrives and you are ravenous as well as your kids. We all know, don’t let your kids get too hungry. That is when disaster strikes! A well fed family equals a happy family so think ahead, have a plan, and make it easy!
- Salsa:
- 1 cup corn
- 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil or butter
- Cilantro
- Lime Juice
- Salad:
- 2-3 cups shredded chicken seasoned with taco seasoning
- Avocado
- Lettuce, chopped
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Cheese, shredded
- Lime Juice
- In a skillet, heat oil or butter over medium heat.
- Add chopped pepper and mushrooms, saute until tender.
- Add corn and continue cooking until cooked through and slightly browned.
- Remove and place in a bowl.
- Top with cilantro and lime juice.
- Assemble salads with chopped greens, avocado, tomatoes, seasoned chicken, cheese and salsa.
- Squeeze with fresh lime juice.