A few weeks ago, I shared our meal planning routine and this week I thought I’d finally share a few of the dinners that find their way into our meal-plan on a regular basis. We ate out a lot when my family was here (which was mostly due to a lot of traveling) and I am currently so over eating out and can’t wait to get back into our cooking routine.
This is a list of some of our summer meals, because it’s hot as hell here in the Central Valley, which means that in our apartment without central air, I am avoiding turning on the stove (let alone, the oven) as much as I can during the summer months.
+ Shredded chicken or ground turkey burritos. We add black beans, chilies, bell pepper, and some shredded cheese.
+ One pot pasta (adapted from this recipe. We skip the cream cheese, but add some olive oil, parmesan and fresh halved grape tomatoes when it’s cooked. It’s delicious!).
+ Salad with turkey-zucchini meatballs (adapted from Skinnytaste That the same recipe as for burgers, I just make them into small meatballs and serve them as a side. I also skip the garlic. The salad is a simple mix of lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, corn, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.)
+ Vegetable quesadillas (adapted from this recipe. The only thing I do different is that I use a light cheese blend (mozzarella, monterey jack, and cheddar) and then prepare the quesadilla with one tortilla and fold it over. It makes less of a mess.)
+ Baguettes (Tuna for me, Ham for J). Not much to explain here: fresh baguette, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and whatever else you like.
+ Turkey Burgers (adapted from Skinnytaste. I skip the garlic, but sometimes add a little goat cheese for extra flavor. We usually serve a side of salad or tomatoes.)
+ Macaroni salad with Nürnberger sausages. (I make macaroni salad with a yogurt-based dressing and add peas and bologna. The Nürnberger sausages are from Trader Joe’s and remind me of home.
+ Caprese salad. That speaks for itself: tomatoes (I use either grape tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine), mozzarella, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pepper, salt. Done.
+ Big mixed salad (with chicken (optional)). We use lettuce, tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, bell pepper, and whatever else is on hand. We sometimes add croutons. The dressing is a simple vinaigrette with a bit of goat cheese.
If we don’t feel like cooking, we either get take out (it happens) or we’ll have, what we like to call, a “German dinner”. Whole grain bread with tomatoes, cheese and onions or cold cuts with a side of grape tomatoes and/or (German) pickles, which honestly – if I solely made the decision – would happen much more frequently. Cooked meals are so overrated.
Of course, this is not a comprehensive list. There are other meals that we rotate in, but those 9 are pretty much regulars on our meal plan during the summer months.
What are your go-to meals during the summer? Inspire me! I am always looking for new things to try!
This post is part of my ‘daily life‘ series where I talk about how we do things around here! Find the last post here.
Marie
August 17, 2015 at 7:48 amOh this all looks so good! Sadly I cannot eat some of these because of the mayo, cold cuts, sausages (stupid cholesterol). I have, however, made the turkey balls for Matt and he really liked them! I’ll need to try the pasta one (without the cream cheese) and the chicken soft tacos.
Tina
August 17, 2015 at 1:00 pmSo fresh and delicious! So far since we’ve moved in, we’ve had… brats & noodles (couldn’t get the Kraut jar open!!), ground turkey tacos, crust-less quiche with the leftovers from the tacos, chicken tenders & fries, chicken tender salad, rotisserie chicken & beans, and lots of soups and salads in between. I will finally make salmon & brussel sprouts this week. (:
Tina
August 17, 2015 at 1:00 pmDo you not like garlic?
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
August 17, 2015 at 2:43 pmWell I will say that there is A LOT more variety to what you eat compared to what I eat. ;) I tend to make the same things over and over again! I only make about 2 meals a week, though. The rest of the week I either eat eggs with toast, or avocado on toast or leftovers of some sort. Lately I’ve been making a lot of marinara sauce with basil from my patio and I eat that on top of pasta but will have it on spaghetti squash once that is in season. I’ve also been using my crock pot. Crock pots are NOT summery but they don’t heat up my kitchen! :) I should eat more salads but I’ve been kind of lazy when it comes to meal prep lately as I feel like I haven’t been home much and when I am home, I am so tired (probably from marathon and triathlon training). But this post is inspiring me to think a bit more about expanding our meal options during the week!
Jenny
August 17, 2015 at 8:42 pmYour meals look yum! One of my favourite go-to meals is pumpkin ravioli, with wilted spinach and grilled salmon and two of my favourite no cook meals are a can of salmon mixed with Cajun seasoning added to a simple salad, and Greek salad.
Holly
August 19, 2015 at 12:20 pmThose all look fantastic! We eat a lot of sandwiches/wraps in the summer. Topher has recently discovered a love of tacos, so we eat those fairly often too. When it’s too hot to cook we order pizza – or go to my in-laws :) They have AC!
Sandra
October 4, 2016 at 5:02 pmDelicious!! We love German dinner and breakfast!