{"id":11410,"date":"2012-06-05T13:26:51","date_gmt":"2012-06-05T18:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankymouse.com\/?p=11410"},"modified":"2012-06-05T13:33:33","modified_gmt":"2012-06-05T18:33:33","slug":"the-monday-menu-kid-friendly-summer-lunch-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/2012\/06\/05\/the-monday-menu-kid-friendly-summer-lunch-series\/","title":{"rendered":"The Monday Menu: Kid-Friendly Summer Lunch Series"},"content":{"rendered":"


Summer is just about here, and so as part of Eat Well, Spend Less<\/a>, we’re looking at ways to get your kids involved in the summer menu and kitchen play. From shopping to fun recipes, this Monday menu features lunch and snack ideas for the summer.<\/em>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nThis conversation could go one of two ways: 1) Summer is a great time for getting the kids in the kitchen because you’re free from all the school activities, homework, and summer sports, OR 2) Summer is a hectic time filled with inconsistent schedules, vacations, and summer camp and programs that make it hard to get in the kitchen with the kids.
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I personally think that summer is a mix of both. I have some weeks that fly by and other weeks that drag on forever during the summer months, and so this post is specifically dedicated to the dragging weeks. The ones where somehow no one is involved in summer camp, the kids are home, the weather is warm, and you’re sitting there staring at each other and wondering what to do.
\n
The following are ideas of what to do and what to make with your kids to kill the boredom and make lunchtime or snacktime a treat for those long, languid days of summer. It doesn’t have to be this week or next week or even the week after. In fact, it doesn’t have to be a full week at all, if you just don’t have a full week available. Split the days up, make a point of it, and try spending a few hours here and there this summer getting your kids involved.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n


Monday \u2013 <\/strong>Lunch:<\/em> Ranch Chicken Salad in a Jar<\/a>
\nSnack:<\/em> Red, White and Blue Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries<\/a>
\n
Tuesday \u2013 <\/strong>Lunch:<\/em> Arugula and Chive Baked Egg Cups<\/a>
\nSnack:<\/em> Frozen Fruit Skewers with Yogurt Dip<\/a>
\n
Wednesday \u2013 <\/strong>Lunch:<\/em> Buttermilk Chicken Strips<\/a>
\nSnack:<\/em> Freezer Bag Ice Cream<\/a>
\n
Thursday \u2013 <\/strong>Lunch:<\/em> Easy Macaroni and Cheese<\/a>
\nSnack:<\/em> No-Sugar Popsicles<\/a>
\n
Friday \u2013 <\/strong>Lunch:<\/em> Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits<\/a>
\nSnack:<\/em> Apple Chips and Sun Butter Bites<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\nIf you’re looking for more kid-friendly recipes, Aimee has lots of Easy Recipes Kids Can Cook<\/a>. There’s a little something for everyone in this post. Be sure to check out Katie’s tips for getting the kids involved<\/a>, too, when you’re there for the no-sugar popsicles listed above. Carrie’s lessons start at the supermarket, and she shares all the fun things she does to make grocery shopping a learning experience<\/a>.
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If the thought of having the kids in your space stresses you out, Mandi has a few tricks to help you overcome the stress of having little ones underfoot in the kitchen<\/a>. Tammy has lists and tips to help you get everything done and keep them all fed<\/a>, while Jessica is starting to give up control to include her kids<\/a>. Amy’s points on managing a gaggle of kids are also important when there’s more than one helper in the kitchen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more menu plans:<\/center>\"orgjunkiempm1\"<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summer is just about here, and so as part of Eat Well, Spend Less, we’re looking at ways to get your kids involved in the summer menu and kitchen play. From shopping to fun recipes, this Monday menu features lunch and snack ideas for the summer. This conversation could go one of two ways: 1) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,41],"tags":[612],"class_list":{"0":"post-11410","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-menu-planning","7":"category-the-monday-menu","8":"tag-eat-well-spend-less","9":"entry","10":"has-post-thumbnail"},"mv":{"thumbnail_id":null,"thumbnail_uri":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11410"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11424,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11410\/revisions\/11424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}