The start of spring always seems to cause a shift in our meal plans and prep routine. We crave fresher foods and easy meals that give us more time to enjoy the warmer weather. Let’s try a spring kitchen reset so we have the right ingredients on hand to change up our springtime menus.
Warm Days, Cool Nights
Early spring days are the perfect time to use up those frozen casseroles and other prepared foods from early winter. After all, stews, soups, and similar frozen foods may lose their quality after six months or so of storing. Pair these warm, comforting dishes with fresh salads and seasonal sides of tender greens or spring vegetables.
Pantry Clean-Out
It’s also the right time for a pantry reset. Use up older items that have been shifted to the back of your pantry. Or find opportunities to use them in more seasonal recipes. Maybe you have canned goods from the chili and stew recipes you meant to make on a cold day. They can become ingredients for fresh salsa or a unique rice dish to serve alongside grilled lean meats or fish. Or maybe you still have cans or cartons of broth that won’t be used until the next soup season. If so, look for other recipes to use them in, like unique pasta or skillet dishes.
Seasonal Menu Change
Spend less time in the kitchen and more time outdoors, enjoying these early spring days—move the cooking outside! It’s fairly easy to replace sheet pan recipes with dishes prepared on the grill. Slice, season, and/or marinate veggies and meat or chicken in the morning (wait until afternoon for delicate fish). Then grill the vegetables along with extra protein to use throughout the week. Add grilled foods to greens, flatbreads, quinoa, whole grain wraps, and more for easy, simple meals. Push aside heavier sauces in place of lighter marinades that use fresh spring herbs. And try new dishes that celebrate the season—early spring asparagus, carrots, and tender greens are all good choices.
Spring Grocery List
Spring is a busy season, and you want meals that don’t have you stuck in the kitchen working too hard. To create new menus, you’ll need a new grocery list, full of ingredients that bring fresh, easy meals together. Look for Guiding Stars-earning options that help you cut some corners, without compromising the nutritional quality of your meal. Here are some helpful, star-earning items to add to your list:
- In produce: pre-prepped packages of onions, zucchini, and tomatoes (for kebabs), fresh Pico de Gallo or salsa, packaged/pre-washed baby potatoes, mini cucumbers, baby carrots, mini sweet peppers, pre-washed greens
- In meat & seafood: 94% turkey burgers, 90% lean beef burgers, pre-cut cubed meat and vegetables for kebabs or fajitas, skinless chicken breast, frozen shrimp, fresh or frozen fish fillet
- In fresh foods: hummus, guacamole, multigrain pizza dough, taboule salad, pre-packaged fresh bean salads
- In the aisles: tuna in water, pink salmon pouches, pizza crusts or flatbread, microwavable grain pouches, marinades, salsa, low-sodium refried beans, no-salt-added canned beans
- In the frozen section: frozen vegetables and fruit, edamame, cauliflower rice, vegetable “fries”, assorted Guiding Stars earning vegetable blends
Check out these additional tips for switching up your springtime meals.