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For many families one of the hardest things to fit into our busy schedule is eating healthy on the go. Summer time is no different, especially since no one likes to spend the hot afternoons in the kitchen and miss an afternoon swim at the pool. Here are a few things my family has tried and found to be successful:

--Always keep healthy snacks and drinks available. I try to leave a case of water or juices in the back of the car along with some pretzels or granola bars. Of course, this trick doesn’t work when the summer heat brings my car temp up to 100 degrees, but for about 8 months of the year it allows us always to have a snack and hydration on hand, and eliminates costly and unhealthy impulse buys.

--When cooking meals that freeze well, double up and freeze one dish for next week. Even better, organize a dinner co-op with some neighbors or friends and share the burden of cooking. I did this last year with some neighbors and it cut my cooking time down to 2 days a week, lowered my grocery bill, and the variety of food made my family very happy!

--Make snacks such as cereal trail mix (cereal squares, dried cranberries, and cashews) then package in individual serving storage bags and you always have a power booster ready to go to soccer practice, the pool, or work.

--Find out which neighborhood restaurants and grocers carry “ready to go” family meals. For my family, Zoe’s chicken dinner, Picadilly’s meals to go, or Whole Foods prepared selections are great options for healthy quick dinners.

I know I don’t have this one mastered, so if you have some creative solutions to eating healthy on the go let me hear from you. My family thanks you.