Seeking Ideas for Dinners to Take to the Pool

the best meal... hot or cold

1 pkg cheese tortellini - cooked, rinsed with cool water
1 or 2 tomatoes diced
fresh mozzarella, diced... I usually get 1 big ball

Mix it all together with just a dab or so of Paul Newmans' Baslamic Vinigrette

it's sooo yummy as a meal of it's own or as a side... Good Luck

i remember when we were kids that my mom used to boil hot dogs and put them in a pitcher/thermos and take that to the beach with rolls, macaroni salad and ketchup packets... they were still hot when we got there to eat. :) have fun!!

-L.

If you like salads, a chefs salad would be great. Buy cold cuts,roll them and dice them up in the salad.
You could also buy the precooked chicken and put in on a salad.
good luck

How about cold fried or oven baked chicken? You could make a side of Spinach Couscous Salad to go with it:
1 box Near East Garlic and Olive Oil Couscous
1 bag washed baby spinach
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Directions:
Replace the water called for when preparing the couscous with the same amount of chicken stock. When stock comes to a boil throw in the baby spinach and let it wilt, then add couscous and seasoning. When couscous is done throw in the toasted walnuts. Then just let it chill to desired temperature in a sealed container.

I went to a family reunion this weekend and had some very good pasta, bean and cous-cous based salads. They were wonderful although I'm not sure if they'd appeal to a 4 year old.

I would like to suggest you check out FoodNetwork.com. The Food Network is on TV and the chef's/cooks have wonderful ideas for any occasion or season.

My favorites are: Easy Entertaining, Everyday Italian, Barefoot Contessa, Semi-homemade with Sandra Lee, and of course Rachael Ray with 30 minute meals.

If you go to the web site you can do a search for try: summer, beach, beach food, etc. You'll find pages and pages of recipes from different cooks that have shows on that network.

D.
I'm 60 years old, work full time, been married to the same man for over 38 years, have two grown sons and one daughter-in-law.

pasta salad...throw in grilled chicken, cheese, veggies...
chef salad or grilled chicken salad. wraps with grilled veggies...tuna pasta salad with veggies thrown in. good luck!

I was thinking you could take egg salad or tuna in a bowl and make sandwiches, if you haven't tried that yet. You could make a tuna casserole. That is good served warm or cold. Make a macaroni or potato salad. If the pool is at a park and it has a grill, maybe take some hotdogs and cook them there. I don't know what your son likes or will eat, but you could try a 3 bean salad or even deviled eggs. Make a taco salad. I cannot think of much more at this time, but those are just a few of the ideas that I have.
I hope this helps at least a little.

One of my favorite summer time meals is very easy to make and tastes great even cold! I love to make pasta with grilled chicken, tomatoes, and mozzarella. I use whole grain pasta, cut up grilled chicken, and cut up tomatoes. I buy little mozzarella balls from the groecery store and cut them in half. I chop up basil and garlic and put it in the food prodessor with olive oil, and then pour it in with all the other ingredients and mix it together. YUM!

We have cold dinners in the car about 3 times a week during the school year. My kids love it when I make a meatloaf during the day and bring sandwiches (with ketchup of course) for them to eat for dinner. I have also made chicken and pork cutlets into sandwiches, pork tenderloin that has been marinated, I also have thermoses that I can put mac & cheese in and it stays warm. We eat tons of fruit in the summer and lots of cheese. Good luck.

Don't forget ham. You can cut a chunk into sticks or cubes. It adds salt back into your body after hot days in the sun. Works well as a kabob with pineapple cubes and cherry tomatoes.

How about salads with grilled veggies, chicken, or shrimp? Or a cold pasta salad?

Quiche sprung to mind immediately. If you use a pre-made pie crust all you have to do is add scrambled egg, a little milk, some grated cheese and whatever veggies or cooked meats you like in it and bake until cooked all the way through (1/2 hour to an hour at 350 degrees, depending on thickness. Then let it cool and serve cold. What a great topic!

Hi G.,

I also have a 4 yr. old and he likes to eat Pasta Salad. You can pack that full of healthy things and I think that makes a great dinner! My daughter also loves veges ( I know, not the norm! LOL) I buy those Baby Corns, cut up some raw veges, add some black olives and you can also offer dip or salad dressing, add some grilled chicken strips or fingers and you have dinner!

I hope this helps! Have a Great Summer!

R. : )

Hi G.,
I hear you! Last week I finally decided no more cold cuts! I had chicken breast that I sliced in half. Grilled them in zesty italian dressing then put them in the fridge. Put them in bulkie rolls and you're good to go! Really yummy, super simple and just a bit different. We had pasta salad with it. You could also throw in some fruit and dip (kids love dip of any kind) for color.

A big pasta salad is always fun - pack it with lots of chunks of salami, cheese, veggies, cherry tomatoes, etc. and dress it with Italian Dressing. It only gets better the longer it sits.

We also love sushi...kid style. (so, no raw fish. ;-)) We like to make up little rice balls out of seasoned rice (season about 3 cups of cooked rice with a mixture of 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup rice vinegar and a pinch of salt, boiled together in the microwave.) Then, you can bring toppings of whatever the kids like and they can just pile it on top of the sushi. These are awesome with tuna salad, or crab salad (made of mock crab and mayo), or slices of ommelet on top.

As long as you have a good cooler, you can take fruit salad, make a pasta salad using Italian dressing, or bring grilled chicken breasts, either in a salad, on a bun with lettuce and tomato, or by themselves. You can grill the chicken ahead of time, or you can use the premade strips from the store.

What about a pasta salad with cut up cheeses, veggies and italian dressing? You can even add chicken or ham, or even a tomato/basil/mozzarella salad?

Chicken cutlets, fried chicken wings and legs, fruit salads, Tuna fish, veggie salads with or without hard boiled eggs.

Hi G.,

How about a nice Chinese chicken salad? There are a lot of peanut sauces sold by the bottle now (assuming you don't have any peanut allergies in your family), and if you just throw it together with some cut-up chicken, angel hair pasta, and a bunch of fresh veggies (peppers, pea pods, carrots, broccoli), you'll have a very yummy main course!

Hope this helps!

-Jen

I just want to thank everyone for all of these great easy recipe ideas! I'm going to try them for dinner for my family!!

you could make a great pasta salad with leftover chicken and fresh veggies!

Fried chicken & coleslaw or pasta salad. Meatloaf sandwiches. You can also make hot sandwiches like meatball subs and wrap them up in heavy duty tin foil, they will keep for a few hours outside of the fridge and should still be warm when you unwrap them.

We also spend a lot of time at the beach and make pasta salads, with or without meat, grilled meats with salads and fruit and/or cheese. We also buy snacks in bulk at Bj's or Costco, which saves us a fortune at the snack bar.

We tend to eat a lot of "ethnic" foods in the summer - and have had tacos on the beach, cous cous salads, tabouleh, lamb, chicken, naan bread and curries with rice, etc.

We do have a pyrex take thing that has a heat pack in it, or use a thermos for the part of the meal we want to keep hot (cooked early in the day)then put the rest in the cooler.

Not sure which pool you go to, but you can get a small propane grill at Wal mart for about $30, and cook in the parking lot on it at some places.

Check recipezaar and epicurious dot com for cold dinner ideas - you can do a search based on what you have on hand.

S.

What about making Kabobs? You could make meat and veggie ones that are great warm or cold. You could also make fruit ones for desert and take along fruit dips for dipping. I have been packing coolers to go to the beach all summer and just thought of the Kabob idea the other day. It all comes on a stick and is easy for the kids to eat. I don't have to worry about a plate or their sandwich baggie blowing away! Have a fun summer!

What about "Garbage Bread" You take pre-made pizza dough and roll it out into a large circle as if you were making a round pizza. Add cheese and any toppings you might put on your pizza (minus the sauce) roll the dough towards you and pinch at seams. Place seam down on a large baking sheet and poke several holes in the top using a fork. Bake at 450 until golden brown. This can be eaten warm or cold. Hope this helps.

Megan
Working mom of a 15 mon old girl.

Hello G.-
Here are some ideas that work for us:
- whole wheat tuna pasta salad with shredded carrots, black olives, finely chopped celery and sweet onion, frozen peas or mixed vegetables (pre-cooked and cooled), chopped cucumber, dill and lots of mayo. This dish gets all of your veggies, grain and protein in one dish. My kids love it.

- different containers of chunked or thick slices of cooked chicken breast, fresh cucumbers, cherry tomaotes, chunks of cheese, carrot sticks, fresh fruit and "dipping" (like ranch dressing). This sounds like a typical salad type thing but I think it is all in the presentation. Your son can take what he likes and may enjoy the dipping, as my kids do.

- Any variation of a wrap; fill them up with deli meat, chicken salad, shredded lettuce, etc... slice and poke with a toothpick (just like they do for caterinig; make a fruit salad, too

I hope this helps. Sometimes just hearing what other people do is enough to help us be more creative. I look forward to reading what other mom have to suggest!
Happy Summer!
C. in Rochester

Here is one of our family favorites:
Taco Salad
Cook 1 lb of ground beef, drain the fat then add taco seasoning and water (amount per seasoning pack). Stick the meat in the fridge to cool. When you are ready to go, mix the cold meat with lettuce, scallions, shredded cheese (mexican or cheddar or taco flavored), tomatoes (optional at our house) and catalina dressing. Grab a bag of tortilla chips to go with the salad. My brother and I usually fight over who gets the last serving. Enjoy!

One of my family's favs is as follows:

1 lb grilled or sauted sausage
1 lb al dente cooked pasta (I like tri-colored)
1/2 c. chopped onion (I like red onion)
1/2 c. chopped celery
2/3 c. asparagus
olive oil/vinegar
pepper/oregano/parsley
fine grated cheese (I like parm cheese)

1) cook sausage and cut into bite size pieces
2) Saute onions, celery, asparagus in olive oil till crisp
3) Mix meat, veggies, and al dente pasta in a large bowl
4) Toss lightly with spices, olive oil (per preference - may have enough from sauted veggies), vinegar and squirt of lemon.
5) Chill
6) Top with cheese prior to serving.

This is great with other fresh veggies like broccoli or califlower. May sub italian dressing for spices and o/v combo. This works just as well warm, but is best (IMO) after about 24 hours to marinate. It travels well and parm does not need the intensive refridgeration of shredded chedder (which I have used too).

I went down to the beach this weekend and the day before I made two spanish omlets well I cut them up in square pieces and the kids love it!!!! :) Easy recipy also.

crackers with turkey, ham or roast beef

fruit, pb and j

grilled cheese sandwiches

panini ( grilled cheese with grilled turkey )

pasta salad,

salad pizza

fluffernutter, with nuttella

tuna casserole,

baked ziti

chicken cutlets are AWSOME

tomatoe salad

fresh mozzerella with tomatoe slices, basil and balsamic vinegar

rotisserie chicken with stuffing

rotisserie chicken in a salad

chicken pot pie

quiche

bagels

pizza

chicken nuggets

M

Corn & Black Bean salad is one yummy idea. Here is a link to that recipe and more from my summer salad file posted in Bedford Magazine.
http://www.bedfordmagazine.com/Media/PublicationsArticle/...
Also, think Quinoa!! Delicious, very versitile and super healthy!
Have fun!

Tacos and put the hot meat in a thermos, use wraps or nachos instead of hard tacos, less messy! Price Chopper or Hannaford
has whole chickens bring one and use salad dressing to use as dips in small paper cups with fresh veggies as sides to dip as well. Make fresh fruit kabobs and use yogurt or chocolate sauce for dipping. If you have a tall thermos put hot cooked hot dogs in hot water in it. Keep an eye out at yard sales for those old tall thermos ones!! In a short one you could put meat sauce.
The tip is put boiling water in thermos for 5 minutes to get them really hot before you put hot food in them. To clean baking soda and lemon with water and a baby bottle brush.

What about Chef Salad with a side of Cucumber and celery and carrot sticks.. the kids I babysitt Love that for lunch and its cool and easy to take with you. I have also had luck with Chicken salad its easy to make and its a nice change. Here is one of my favorite Summer Recipes:
What You Need
8 oz. ziti pasta
1 lb. cooked ham, cubed
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

What You Do
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large bowl, mix together the drained pasta, ham, peppers, onion, and tomatoes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, beef bouillon granules, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and 1/2 cup of reserved pickle juice. Fold into the salad and toss gently until evenly coated. Chill overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Serve near room temperature.

Hope this Helps!

What about cold chicken. Roasted, breaded, or fried. This is a great picnic. You can even pack old salads like macaroni or potato.

How about Pasta Salad. You can add tomato, cucumber,squash,black olives,cheese,croutons or any other specialty you may have to the spaghetti. A little Italian dressing to keep it all from sticking and you have a nice meal. Have some cut up melon or a fruit cup and you have your veggies and fruit for the meal.