Quick & easy summertime dinners....

[bas71873]

This is my first "real" summer as a SAHM (last summer doesn't count because we had just bought a foreclosure and poor DD was shuffled between grandparents while we painted, recarpeted, refloored, etc.). So, I am trying to come up with a list of easy summertime dinners so I'm not tempted to just "run and get something". It's just DD and I most nights of the week (DH travels), she's almost 7 and a really good eater. Eats just about anything, although she's not a casserole type. And I won't eat, nor will I cook, red meat, so anything with that is OUT. We also tend to be on the go or she's out playing with the neighborhood kiddos all day, so dinner will be late I suspect.

So here's what I have so far for easy summer dinners:

English muffin pizzas
Shrimp (she loves fried shrimp)
Chicken tendars
Spaghetti (her all time fav)
Breakfast for dinner
Chicken fajitas in the crock
Hot dogs
We both eat a lot of salad as our "side dish"

I guess I''m looking for some more "main" ingredient type things.

TIA!

 

[Disney_Ohana]

We love tacos so we have Taco Tuesdays every week

 

[MamaJessie]

tuna macaroni salad

 

[natashag76]

Another vote for taco night! Also, you can always do a baked potato bar, build your own sandwich (no cooking involved!). Or breakfast night with eggs and french toast...

 

[Bethany2008]

Some of our go to's:

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Marinated Chicken Breasts (BBQ, Italian dressing, teriyaki...ect)
Make your own baked potatoes (cheese whiz, broccoli, sour cream, bacon.. ect)
Taco in a bag

Also, you mentioned spaghetti... When we make it, we usually use a whole box of noodles and a large thing of sauce.. then with the left overs we mix them all together and bake it with bread crumbs on top... Mmmm I know she isn't really a casserole girl... but this is one of our favorites, and it makes 2 dinners, instead of one

That's all I can think of at the moment, hope it helps!

 

[dizneechic]

Another vote for Tacos, mine will only eat them made with ground chicken. Then the next day we make Taco Salad for dinner. For that its just basic salad (make your own or from a bag), add left over taco meat (warmed or cold), some crunched up doritos, and Catilina dressing. We toss it all in a gallon ziplock, shake and serve. YUM!

 

[Christinarella]

One of our summer go-to meals is chicken salad sandwiches. I use canned chicken breast, red grapes, pineapple tidbits, celery, slivered almonds, and poppyseed dressing. We eat it on croissants, with fresh fruits and vegetables for sides.

 

[alloyd1170]

Think cool-blts with potato or pasta salad, shrimp cocktail, second the chicken salad (egg salad, ham salad, etc), hot dogs, burgers on the grill, bbq chicken.....lots of salads (spinach with strawberries and balsamic vinagerette is my fav). There's also Little Caesars-can't beat a $5 ready any time pizza for the family!

 

[Mickeyorbust]

Orange glazed ham steaks

In a sauce pan mix together 1/4 cup sugar free orange marmalade (the kind with orange rinds mixed in)
4 tbs water
2 black tea bags
Bring to a boil
simmer for 5 minutes stiring constantly (should reduce pretty quickly)
add 1/8 tsp balck pepper
Remove black tea bags

Place one hamsteak on a broiler pan. Brush one side with orange glaze. Broil on top rack of oven for 5 minutes. Turn over, brush other side with remaining orange glaze and broil for 5 minutes.

This is DD8's favorite.

 

[dyna]

Sometimes I take my crockpot out on my patio an cook all day out there anything I'd cook in it in the house. Saves on heating up the house even crockpot heats up the kitchen an leaves it uncomfy.

OR I cook at night after the sun goes down an reheat in microwave when needed.

I fry up bacon an sausage for breakfast or breakfast for supper all I heat stove for at meal time is the eggs heat meat in microwave put waffles in toaster very fast an easy.

I make hamburger patties freeze them throw them on the grill frozen, usually with a tater an bit of onion an butter wrapped in foil cute the tater in bite sized pieces I don't even peel it just wash an cut it up on foil sprayed with pam, I keep chopped frozen onion in freezer. Microwave a veggie to go with the burger an taters or have a side salad


Summer time I chill my bowls for salad an keep slad in fridge till ready to eat too!

I individually wrap pork chops, steaks etc cook them frozen on the grill as well.

We eat a lot of macoroni salad, tater salad, egg salad sandwiches

 

[amtag]

This is my first "real" summer as a SAHM (last summer doesn't count because we had just bought a foreclosure and poor DD was shuffled between grandparents while we painted, recarpeted, refloored, etc.). So, I am trying to come up with a list of easy summertime dinners so I'm not tempted to just "run and get something". It's just DD and I most nights of the week (DH travels), she's almost 7 and a really good eater. Eats just about anything, although she's not a casserole type. And I won't eat, nor will I cook, red meat, so anything with that is OUT. We also tend to be on the go or she's out playing with the neighborhood kiddos all day, so dinner will be late I suspect.

So here's what I have so far for easy summer dinners:

English muffin pizzas
Shrimp (she loves fried shrimp)
Chicken tendars
Spaghetti (her all time fav)
Breakfast for dinner
Chicken fajitas in the crock
Hot dogs
We both eat a lot of salad as our "side dish"

I guess I''m looking for some more "main" ingredient type things.

TIA!

Could you post your chicken fajita in the crockpot recipe?? I am always looking for new recipes for my crockpot, I love throwing everything in there and coming home to dinner about done!

 

[jakoky]

Our new family favourite is a doctor oz recipe..it is for pasta alfredo and is very healthy...the sauce is made out of cauliflower...i have to say that EVERYONE in my house loves it, including 3 of the 5 of us who hate cauliflower...(only me and my dd like it alone)...

For just the two of you, you would cook 1/2 a cauliflower til it is really soft..while it is cooking, also cook up some onions, (sometimes i add some mushrooms), and then add in 1/2 cup of chicken broth into the onions....then put all of them into blender and puree them...pour over pasta noodles, add some parmesian cheese( i also add some mozza), season to taste and yummy...some nights we add chicken or pork (whatever we have)-i have double what i have told you for our family)

My husband carried his plate up the other night, and said "hard to believe something made out of cauliflower can be so good..lol..

Another favourite is chicken pasta caeser and garlic bread....

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Add us to the taco night list. DH is always away on Monday nights so most weeks DS and I have tacos made with ground turkey. Some weeks we add black beans & cilantro and have more of a taco salad thing, other weeks it is just straight up tacos.

We do turkey burgers quite often in the summer as well. We spice/top them differently depending on our mood. Current fav is pesto, mushrooms & goat cheese on english muffins! (In fact, that will be dinner Friday night!)

 

[bas71873]

Could you post your chicken fajita in the crockpot recipe?? I am always looking for new recipes for my crockpot, I love throwing everything in there and coming home to dinner about done!

Sure

Frozen boneless chicken breasts (I put them IN frozen)
Sliced green pepper (if I had red & yellow, I do those too)
Sliced onion

Then I either do a jar of salsa and leave it at that, or I do a jar of salsa and a jar of cheese dip (I like the white cheese dip by Tostitoes)


I cook it on low all day and the chicken just shreds up great to put in flour tortillas with cheese, lettuce, sour cream....whatever you like

 

[dizneechic]

Sure

Frozen boneless chicken breasts (I put them IN frozen)
Sliced green pepper (if I had red & yellow, I do those too)
Sliced onion

Then I either do a jar of salsa and leave it at that, or I do a jar of salsa and a jar of cheese dip (I like the white cheese dip by Tostitoes)


I cook it on low all day and the chicken just shreds up great to put in flour tortillas with cheese, lettuce, sour cream....whatever you like

We do this exact same thing and chunck the chicken and eat it over rice. Never thought to shred it for Fajitas!

 

[RMulieri]

Boneless skinless chicken marinated in gazebo room greek salad dressing and grilled---YUMMY even my daughter loves it and she is as picky as they come

 

[MoeFam]

Grilled Pizza- even a Jack's pizza tastes better off the grill, but we do ours homemade.
Shish Ka Bobs- or just chunk the meat and veggies and use a grill basket
The 365 Crockpot Blog has awesome ideas and my crock pot dosn't heat up my kitchen at all- love the Brown Sugar Chicken from there and then use the leftovers the next day in homemade egg rolls.
Lo Mein and Stir Fry are faves with our kids too.

 

[amtag]

Sure

Frozen boneless chicken breasts (I put them IN frozen)
Sliced green pepper (if I had red & yellow, I do those too)
Sliced onion

Then I either do a jar of salsa and leave it at that, or I do a jar of salsa and a jar of cheese dip (I like the white cheese dip by Tostitoes)


I cook it on low all day and the chicken just shreds up great to put in flour tortillas with cheese, lettuce, sour cream....whatever you like

GREAT - I will definitely do this, and I love putting the chicken in frozen, it keeps it from being dried out when you are ready to eat it!! Thanks again

 

[think-like-tink]

I'm going to have to try the pizza muffin thing. My friend makes those and she swears by them. we do crockpot tostadas. You make everything in the CP but the shell, lett and tom.

I have done cold plates, fave deli meat,cheese, crackers, cold veggies and fruit. My kids love it.

 

[bas71873]

I'm going to have to try the pizza muffin thing. My friend makes those and she swears by them. we do crockpot tostadas. You make everything in the CP but the shell, lett and tom.

I have done cold plates, fave deli meat,cheese, crackers, cold veggies and fruit. My kids love it.

MMMMMMMM.........explain how you do this please, recipe and all. YUM!!