High Maintenance Mom

It's hot here in Northern California and I have to be a little more creative with our food choices since our doctor wants the kids to gain some weight. More on that another time as I've spent quality time in Whole Foods buying the highest fat food I can find only to have my husband and I eat it. "Don't like that", says N. "It's a cheese puff, everyone likes cheese puffs, try one", I say wondering what I'm doing. This evening we had toast with cream cheese, frozen bananas, and a fruit smoothie. I've also put most of their lunches in the freezer so they will stay cool until lunchtime (at school)...

Here is a short list of some of the items we eat at home or pack for lunches when it's hot.

• Shaved ice with syrup - I have a manual machine with four cups for freezing water. The kids love it during the summer. We also like ice cream and popsicles. Sometimes I make the popsicles or I use ice trays to freeze juice.
• Watermelon and lots of other summer fruits. Along with water and milk to stay hydrated.
• Frozen fruit - I buy frozen mango, berries, and anything else I can find. If the chunks are big or too hard like the strawberries, I cut them up before serving them. I left lots of big chunks of mango in B's lunch for tomorrow because they will thaw more slowly. We also freeze bananas in the summer when they turn brown. The kids love frozen banana slices.
• Frozen yogurt tubes. If you freeze them overnight they are fun to eat frozen and they can also help keep a lunch cool. Tonight I am testing freezing a Yo Baby yogurt container for B.
• Homemade jello wiggles
• Frozen vegetables - I keep them in the freezer until the last minute. During the winter I often pack the veggies in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
• Cold pasta salads and sandwiches.

Please let me know if you have other ideas for fun summer food. Oh, and if you haven't tried the new Neutrogena spray sunscreen, I highly recommend it or something like it. Since my kids are often in motion, it's an easy way to cover their bodies. My only issue is that the smell makes me want to use it outside instead of inside 30 minutes before going out. I'm trying to spray the kids before school so they're ready to go outside later in the morning. Because the spray has alcohol in it, I use something else on their faces. The Neutrogena spray is available at Costco.