Family Summer Game Plan

Two of my kiddos just finished school this past week and now we enter Summer break yay!  As excited as I am for summer, it is my favorite time of year, I can see I have a little apprehension about this summer, considering the Covid-19 situation the entire world has been navigating through. 

Usually I work up a summer to do list and summer bucket list, because I know having a family summer game plan helps your family make the most of your summer!  On this blog post you can download a free summer bucket list to personalize with your family and free summer daily to do list printable.  

For years, we have had season passes to Raging Waters our local swim park and many years we have had season passes to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.  We typically participate in the "Kids Bowl Free" summer program, we typically attend $1 Summer Movie Program, which we probably won't have this year.  I don't do a complete hour by hour schedule I usually do a daily schedule for example.  Monday home day, Tuesday park/movie day, Wednesday swim day, Thursday bowling/library day, Friday swim day.  Having some sort of schedule at least gives us an idea of what we have planned for the week. We usually schedule a camping trip, lake days, and a couple of nearby road trips during summer break as well.  

There are many benefits to having some kind of summer schedule, it eliminates the never ending questions from the kids "what are we doing today?"  It gives the kids something to look forward to, they each have their favorite day for some it's swim day, for another it's meeting friends at the park day.  A game plan helps ensure that we actually do something, the days seem to go by faster and faster, and it is very easy to let the days, and then weeks go by filled with nothing.  Summer break really does go by too quick.   It is important to have a game plan in place because many families across the country are in the same boat, so if you want to order a backyard pool for example many are sold out or have an estimated ship date for August, yeah that is too late.  Even puzzles that we have ordered have taken a much longer time to get to us.  So now is the time to plan out your summer and order whatever summer fun things you need.  

While I can foresee this summer will be different, I still think it is extremely important to have a summer game plan or even more important.  I know as a parent you probably are already feeling a little drained, and you probably do not want to think about scheduling out summer.  I get it!  We are going into summer and have been cooking all the meals, we are entering summer and have already had to think up of ideas and activities to keep little ones occupied these past months.  Many parents are juggling working from home, many have other hardships that they are experiencing, it feels a little daunting.  On top of all that we have to deal with the still many unknowns.  I understand I have had those "fend for yourself" days, we've had cereal for dinner days and go ahead and play on that tablet because mom is done days.  We really don't know what back to school will look like, many do not know when they will go back into the office and not be telecommuting.    

Typically there is this built up anticipation from the kids to "be home" for summer break, they look forward to Lego building, backyard trampoline fun and spending time at home, but since we have already been home for the last two months, I don't sense that same anticipation and excitement from them in this season.  They are excited to be done with "distance learning" and the book work, but I don't see the same excitement that I typically see from them about summer.  

I don't think your summer has to be elaborate to be fun, with a little planning and including the kids in that planning I think summer can still be fun, a good old fashioned summer, just like we had growing up.  Schedule a brainstorming session with the family maybe at your next dinner around the table. Build your own Summer Bucket List, and again I get it, we have already camped in the living room, made s'mores, done chalk art, did canvas painting and sometimes with kids they will say we already did that.  Encourage your kids with the importance of planning and preparation, how you want to have the supplies to accomplish the things they want to do.  Maybe it's something bigger like a DIY project, redecorating their room, maybe it's making sure you have t-shirts and paint to do a tie dye project.  

So rather than give you a free printable of an already made Summer Bucket List, there are a ton of those out there, I am giving you a BLANK one.  If you have their input and it's what they want to do I think you'll have greater success at scratching off those Summer Bucket List Ideas.  

One thing I am certain of is we only have a limited amount of summers with our kiddos, so I intend on making the most of them.  I might have to remind myself everyday through summer break to savor the simple things and not pull my hair out, that is okay.  I love this song by Dillon Chase about 18 Summers.  I plan on playing it when I have one of those "I am done" moments.  

I also want to encourage you to schedule in some education stuff, I know, I know, everyone is done with school so am I.  My kiddos love their screen time as much as all the other kids, but I do plan on having them read daily, play some educational games, I also have some workbooks that I will have them do before screen time.  Even if it is coloring, I want them to do something before they get on their electronic devices.  My boys love these Sticker Puzzle Books, that we found on Amazon here is a link to Sticker Extremely Cute Animals. We have a family puzzle we are working on and even now what I have been doing, is everyone has to for example complete 5 pieces before screen time, sometimes I set a timer, everyone has to work on the puzzle together for 10 minutes before they hop on tablets.  

One of my game plans is to try and have them do crafts, games, activities, cleaning their room, and backyard play up until lunch.  I am going to try and keep screen time play for the afternoons when it is too hot to play in the backyard and once they have completed certain things.  Here is a FREE Printable I made for our family!  Summer Daily To Do List

Here are some older summer blog posts I've shared:

How to Keep Kids Cool and Hydrated During Summer


Homemade S'more Ice Cream

8 Tips for a Stress Free Summer 

Free and Cheap Things to Do This Summer

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www.BlogAboutItAll.com. 

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Corn Succotash

One of my favorite menu items at the Cheesecake Factory is the Cajun Chicken Littles which is regularly served with mashed potatoes and fresh corn succotash.  This plate is easily shareable, that is often what my husband and I opt for, we share so we can save room for Cheesecake.  

When we want to eat a little lower in carbs, we ask for double the succotash and skip the mashed potatoes.  While corn is higher in carbs and not on our regular Keto eating plan, we are not strict Keto and do indulge in corn once in awhile.  

I had some bell peppers and zucchini at home so I thought I would make a copycat version of this delicious veggie medley.  This is an easy and delicious side dish to make.  It is so bright and colorful and feels like you are eating the rainbow.

What you need:

Red Onion

Zucchini

Red Bell Pepper

Orange Bell Pepper

Yellow Bell Pepper

Corn 

Garlic Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Butter to saute

Dice the red onion, zucchini, and bell peppers.  I cooked two ears of corn in my Instant Pot while I was dicing all the other ingredients.  Corn on the cob cooks up fast in the Instant Pot with only two minutes of cooking time.  I did a fast release and then used my Pampered Chef Corn Cutter, which I Iove by the way.  I bought this corn cutter years ago while attending my sister-in-laws Pampered Chef party and it is still one of my favorite kitchen tools.  

I first saute the red onion in butter on the stove top just a bit, next added in all the diced veggies except the corn.  Since the corn was precooked, I just added the corn last when I was ready to serve.  

If I had a jalapeno on hand I would of added a diced jalapeno I think that would add a nice spice.  We served this along side steak and it was so yummy!  

During the summer months corn, bell peppers and zucchini are easily available and on sale, which make for a budget friendly, crowd pleasing side dish.  

I hope you will try this bright, beautiful and simple side dish, add it to your menu it sure won't disappoint!

Thank you for reading happy grilling, if you’ve enjoyed the content you’ve read above please share with your friends. www.BlogAboutItAll.com.

Grilling Season-May National BBQ Month

May is National Barbeque Month, we love grilling it all, chicken, pork, beef, seafood, veggies and even fruits! BBQ makes for an easy dinner everyone enjoys.    With Memorial Day right around the corner I thought I would share about a new BBQ Rub we recently tried and some links to Patriotic posts I've shared before, hopefully to help get you excited and in the mood for grilling.  

I was discussing with a friend how it doesn't feel like it is almost summer, we usually attend our local annual Memorial Day Parade and then barbeque at home after with friends and family.   While we will not have an annual parade this year due to social distancing, we can still make it festive, fun and celebratory, gathering around a delicious BBQ Meal and adding patriotic red, white and blue touches at home.

I love using red, white and blue colors to brighten up our platters, desserts and even drinks.  Not only is it fun and festive there are some great RED summer fruits that happen to be some of my favorites, like watermelon, cherries, and strawberries, yum!   Added bonus these fruits make for a healthy dessert.   

We love grilling season, the warmer weather and enjoying our dinner meal outside is a nice change.  Another reason I love barbequing, it is very simple. Meats and veggies with your favorite spices and rub, on the grill it goes, no heating up the kitchen with the stove or oven.  I also love grilling because it is easy to grill up a variety of meats and there is something grilled that everyone in our family enjoys, so even with picky eaters there is no complaints when BBQ is on the menu.  

My husband and I love trying new flavors, we were recently gifted delicious seasonings and rubs from "A Cajun Life".  I love the Mesquite BBQ Rub, just the right amount of smoky flavor and spice to make your dish taste Cajun! It's perfect on all types of meats, roast vegetables, pulled pork or shrimp. They have a chicken rub which is flavorful and delicious, seafood rub and more.  Need some grilling inspiration check out their Instagram at @ACajunLife.

We loved using the All Purpose Cajun Seasoning on our shrimp and apple sausage skewers, they came out perfectly flavored.  All the the rubs are flavorful and not salty, they have NO MSG, which I appreciate.  Firing up the grill definitely has me looking forward to grilling all summer long!

Here are some other Patriotic themed posts I have previously shared I hope you'll enjoy a festive Memorial Day Weekend.  These Patriotic ideas also work for 4th of July too!

DIY Patriotic Shirts
http://theblogaboutitall.blogspot.com/2017/05/diy-patriotic-t-shirts.html

Patriotic Party Menu Post
(Red, White & Blue Drink, Red White and Blue Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Patriotic Oreos, and more)
http://theblogaboutitall.blogspot.com/2018/05/patriotic-party-menu.html

Patriotic Jello Cups
http://theblogaboutitall.blogspot.com/2017/05/patriotic-jello-cups.html

Six Summer Entertaining Tips
http://theblogaboutitall.blogspot.com/2018/05/6-summer-entertaining-tips.html

Thank you for reading happy grilling, if you’ve enjoyed the content you’ve read above please share with your friends. www.BlogAboutItAll.com.

May is National Egg Month

Did you know know May is National Egg Month?  Here at our house we love eggs!  We enjoy eating eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Breakfast burritos are definitely a breakfast go to around here, they are perfect with my homemade salsa.  

We also love omelettes, fried eggs, migas, egg bake casserole, and especially since I have been eating Keto, eggs are pretty much added into the daily menu in some way.

What are migas did someone wonder?  I call them a Tex-Mex breakfast because my mom is from Texas and we grew up eating migas.  Basically you fry up strips, or torn pieces of corn tortilla in some oil, set them aside, make your eggs scrambled how you like them, my kiddos love plain scrambled eggs and cheese with the fried corn tortillas added and folded back in the scrambled eggs.  I like to add more filling (diced onion, tomato, cilantro, before Keto I'd add in some fried diced potatoes).  YUM!!  You add in the fried corn tortillas while the eggs are still coming together, the eggs coat and surround the crunchy pieces of fried corn tortilla, migas are so yummy and make for a filling breakfast.  

You can add hard boiled eggs to salads, a fried egg on top of hamburgers, deviled eggs make the perfect healthy mid-day snack to help curb your appetite.  I recently made hard hard boiled eggs in my Instant Pot, you can find out how here: https://bit.ly/2VQNvef.

Here is the recipe for an Easy Breakfast Egg Bake, this is an older blog post that I hope to update with better photos soon, but nonetheless this egg bake is perfect for brunch or to make ahead and enjoy all week long.  Click here for recipe: https://bit.ly/2KTjJiB.

A few years ago for National Scrambled Eggs Day for Dinner I shared some easy egg recipes on Good Day Sacramento (Feta Cheese Egg Boats and Mason Jar Omelettes).  You can find those recipes here: https://bit.ly/2VRKdHS.

Eggs are a great way to change up the weekly dinner menu!  Do you have a favorite egg recipe?  I would love to try it, you can e-mail me at theblogaboutitall@gmail.com.

I love using Nest Fresh eggs and having them delivered right to my house using Amazon Fresh!  I also often pick them up at my local Save Mart Supermarket.  NestFresh was the first egg to become Non-GMO Project Verified. NestFresh also employs a national network of regional farms to produce and supply farm fresh eggs in a local and sustainable system. You can enjoy your scrambled eggs knowing that your ingredients are of the best quality.  Using NestFresh eggs means knowing freshness is always ensured and the chickens are well nourished and roam cage-free to their pleasure – NestFresh believes healthy chickens lead to healthy eggs.  You can find a ton of delicious egg recipes at NestFresh.com and on their Social Media. 

My boys get so excited when they see eggs on the menu for dinner, and I love it too, because they are easy to cook up, no matter how you enjoy them.  

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