School's Out

Today is the first official day of summer in our house. Yesterday was DS12's promotion ceremony...he is now a middle-schooler and our elementary school days are over. Transitions are rough around here, especially for him, but life moves on whether or not we're ready for it.

Here in the Northeast, we've been stuck in a dismal, rainy, cool pattern for weeks. I know the rest of the country is sweltering, and while I don't envy anyone the extreme heat, I'd like to see the sun. The summer is short enough around here as it is, so we do feel a bit cheated if we're still stuck inside in late June.

Summer Little League baseball marches on, however, rain or shine. If games were cancelled every time it rained this year, the season would be non-existent. Most games are played in the early evening, which wreaks havoc with the dinner hour. Too early to eat before, too late to cook afterwards. It's always a pain, every summer. The only good thing is that the rest of the schedule is clear...no homework, school events, etc., so if I can just go with the flow dinner-wise, all is well.

So today I ventured out to food shop with summer in mind. Healthy, last-minute meals, or pre-cooked-and-then-reheated dinners, as well as easy lunches, were my goals. Food shopping has become both easier and more difficult as I've ditched almost all processed foods. For the most part, I can avoid many of the center aisles of the store, with the exception of pastas, canned and dried beans and some other items (like tuna or cereal). That leaves dairy, meats, and produce.

I always buy too much produce (vegetables especially), and then have to scramble to cook things before they sit too long in the fridge. Greens, especially, get slimy quickly. Today I bought both swiss chard and broccoli rabe, and cooked them immediately (a simple saute) so we'll have some green vegetables ready for the next two nights. I'm still mulling over the accompanying starches and proteins, but it feels good to get the vegetables done so I don't have to rely on frozen, which just feels wrong this time of year.