11 Summer Food Hacks For Moms to Spend More Time Outside and Less in the Kitchen

In the summertime when the weather is fine, the last thing you want to be doing is standing in the kitchen, missing out on all of the sunshine. That's how the song goes, right? If you want to spend your sunny days outdoors with your kiddos rather than inside prepping snacks and meals in the kitchen, we've got some clever tips for you.

Scroll through for 11 food hacks that will save your Summer.

01

Hull strawberries with a straw.

They don't call them strawberries for nothing! Get the middles and stems out of the way by sticking the straw all the way through — that way, you can make sure none of it goes to waste!

02

Avoid popsicle drippage with cupcake liners.

Punch the popsicle stick through the liner and there you have it — a mess-free popsicle experience.

03

Up your s'mores game.

Take s'mores to the next level with cookies, rather than graham crackers, as the outside layers.

04

Give your slow cooker a workout.

In the hot Summer months, crock-pot recipes are the perfect solution to keeping your house cooler (no oven heat!) while still making delicious and hearty meals for your family.

05

DIY watermelon popsicles.

For a fresh frozen treat, put watermelon slices into the freezer with popsicle sticks in the rind for easy holding. (You can also do this with fresh, not frozen watermelon.)

06

Use a cupcake liner to keep bugs out.

Protect open cups of water and juice from thirsty bugs (with a death wish) with a cupcake liner through a straw resting at the top of the glass.

07

Spiralize your hot dogs.

This simple technique makes the dogs cook all the way through faster and ensures crispy edges. They also look so much more fun for your little visual eaters!

08

Make popsicles in bathroom cups.

If you don't have a popsicle mold, you can use bathroom cups to freeze the popsicles in, then remove them before serving.

09

Cut kernels of corn off the ear using a bundt pan.

A bundt pan has another handy purpose: it provides the perfect place to balance an ear of corn for cutting and an easy way to collect all the corn kernels that fall right off.

10

Cut watermelon more efficiently.

Even though everyone loves pretending their half-circle watermelon slice is a big smile, they're hard to eat and the juice gets everywhere. Cut your watermelon in half and then cut in a grid-like format throughout to make tiny watermelon rectangles for little hands and mouths.

11

Cook hot dogs for the whole gang.

Instead of wrestling with slippery hot dogs on the grill, stick a couple of skewers through the raw dogs and place the whole "kebab" on the grill for easy cooking and flipping.