Summer Go-To Meals, Please Share Yours!

[OceanAnnie]

I don't feel like cooking in the summer. That's just the way it is.

My "go-to" meals revolve around cooked rotisserie chicken. I usually pick one up weekly in the summer. There is so much you can do with it. I'll make chicken salad, chicken enchiladas (quick) and some other dishes that don't come to mind right now.

What are some meals your family loves that either you don't have to cook or is a quick fix? Thanks!

 

[JerseyJanice]

I'm big on picking up a rotisserie chicken from Costco, but it lasts only one meal around here. I serve it with canned chicken gravy, Flaky Layer Grands and a salad. My guys down it.

I like to get hero sandwiches from my favorite Italian deli. Sometimes, they sell rice balls too.

The other meals we eat a lot in summer are hamburgers and/or hot dogs or London broil on the grill with corn-on-the-cob and salad. There's always plenty of watermelon around here too. My son eats enormous quantities of it.

 

[emer95]

One of my favorite summer meals is white pizza. Sometimes I make it on the grill. If you want to make it super easy, get pre-baked mini pizza shells from the store. My grocery store sells 8 to a pack and they're really good. I grill them lightly on both sides, pile on the toppings, then return them to the grill long enough for the cheese to get melty. Lately I've been getting more fancy and making a homemade crust, but it's delicious both ways.
For the toppings, I put on:
Italian salad dressing
Sliced tomatoes
thinly sliced onion
fresh basil
feta cheese

It's unbelievable how good it is! Even my meat-and-potatoes loving husband LOVES these pizzas!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sandwiches, fresh veggies, fruits.

Kids are eating peanut butter/jelly, ham, etc...

I also made hard boiled eggs for egg salad or snack.

We also make egg sandwiches, with scrambled egg, ham, cheese, on toasted bread for breakfast.

I try to make things high protein because you just don't want to eat much.

Then we have the fresh veggies, like the corn on the cob, salads, fresh ARK tomatoes are in, etc...

 

[coliebird]

Anything on the grill in the summer - hamburgers, steak, sausage, chicken breasts (marinated in either italian dressing or bbq sauce), fish (though I'm pretty much the only one who eats it). Add some veggies, salad and an easy side like baked potatoes or fries baked in the oven. An easy side that the kids LOVE is tuna salad mixed with elbows and peas.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Lots of great ideas, thanks guys.

I should have added, I'm looking for portable things too. We are going to be on the go a lot. I don't want to eat out very often because it isn't the healthiest and it's expensive. And if you order something healthy it's usually even more expensive. Double whammy!

I can keep things hot or cold for a couple of hours. For some reason I feel better about the hot things. We're okay if hot stuff is just warm. But some cold stuff can get dicey quick (to me anyway). I do keep a cooler with water (fruits & veggies too). It's the cold salads I'm leery of.

I do make PBJs, assorted sandwiches, wraps. I'm thinking about making some different stuff. Maybe stromboli and wrap them tightly. I have to think about it in advance or I'll go to the default mode and fix the same old stuff.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Do you have a pool or beach membership where you're bringing dinner?

When we belonged to the swim club, we often had pizza delivered there on the pizzeria's special night (usually Tuesday). I used to bring big, meaty salads in my cooler. I'd make a chef's salad, antipasto, or chicken with caesar, and keep the dressing in a container on the side until we ate. It was easier to keep everything chilled that way, plus the salad didn't get wilted from "marinading" in the dressing for hours.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Do you have a pool or beach membership where you're bringing dinner?

When we belonged to the swim club, we often had pizza delivered there on the pizzeria's special night (usually Tuesday). I used to bring big, meaty salads in my cooler. I'd make a chef's salad, antipasto, or chicken with caesar, and keep the dressing in a container on the side until we ate. It was easier to keep everything chilled that way, plus the salad didn't get wilted from "marinading" in the dressing for hours.

Yes. Lunches too.

 

[jazzielady]

Wilted lettuce!