Summer’s Coming; Stock The Refrigerator

On the calendar, it’s penciled in for Friday morning: the last day of school. By noon it will officially be summer. Kids will stream out of classrooms, appetites whetted for fun.

Appetites for food will know no bounds, either. Your kitchen is their domain now. Refrigerators will slam more often. Cupboards will be left open. The sink will fill with dishes.

My, my, you will say to yourself, it’s going to be an interesting summer.

A little planning will help things run more smoothly. Get your youngsters’ mornings off to a healthy start. Make sure there are a couple of full cereal boxes on hand, and healthy bread for toast. Keep pancakes, waffles and reduced-fat sausage in the freezer. Watch those bananas on the counter; if they get too brown, no one will eat them.

Keep an eye on liquids. Have a pitcher of water in the refrigerator. Stock the freezer with lemonade mixes. Keep a bag of ice in the freezer for those hot days when the ice cube trays are empty.

Make plates of raw veggies to serve with favorite salad dressings. Plan outings to farmers markets and to fields to pick fruits and vegetables.

Post a list of snack foods on the refrigerator. Have crackers, pretzels, popcorn, granola bars and fruit available. Listen for the ice cream truck and splurge once in a while.

Organize protein foods. Check the jar of peanut butter periodically. Hard-boil eggs for egg salad sandwiches and deviled eggs. Purchase lower-fat cheeses and lunch meats, or deli meats as an alternative.

Plan picnics for park outings and hikes. Stock up on shells for tacos, buns for hamburgers and barbecue sauce for chicken.

It’s going to be a great summer for kids and parents. Fix some good food, organize some activities and have a summertime blast.

Turkey Tortillas

From “Betty Crocker’s Easy Low-Fat Cooking” (Macmillan).

4 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1 teaspoon packaged taco seasoning

4 flour tortillas

1/4 pound cooked deli turkey

Thinly sliced tomatoes

Lettuce leaves

Mix mayonnaise with taco seasoning. Warm tortillas in microwave. Spread mayonnaise mixture on tortillas. Layer with thinly sliced turkey, a tomato slice and lettuce leaf. Roll up and serve.

Yield: 4 tortillas.

Nutrition information per serving: 185 calories, 4.1 grams fat (20 percent fat calories), 11 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrate, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 703 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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