Weekly Meal Plan: An Easy Summer Menu

September is only a few weeks away, which has me dreaming of pumpkins and sweaters and cool mornings. Reality: it is currently 1,000 degrees in Atlanta with no end in sight. (Seriously?!?)

The last thing I want to do is make a ton of meals this week that will heat up my kitchen for hours on end. So I’m keeping it light and easy and filled with summer deliciousness .

Maybe you will find inspiration in something on the menu this week!

• Sunday: Instagram-inspired Pesto Tortellini Salad with Roasted Shrimp. I saw this quick and easy recipe for cheese tortellini with squash and modified it by swapping the squash for cherry tomatoes and frozen corn and adding some protein in the form of roasted shrimp (just 6-8 minutes in the oven on 400 with a little olive oil, salt and pepper). It was so good – my husband asked to put it in our regular rotation!
• Monday: I do grocery shopping on Mondays, so many times I pick up a pre-made Costco meal for dinner to keep it easy. This week, I’m thinking maybe their street tacos or Asian wraps with peanut sauce.
• Tuesday: it’s MYO or leftovers because I’ve got an evening meeting.
• Wednesday: Skinnytaste’s Balsamic Roasted Veggies and White Bean Pasta. This is a new recipe for me, so I’m looking forward to trying it. To add some protein, I’m going to add some rotisserie chicken meat. Stay tuned for the review!
• Thursday: Air fryer salmon with microwave corn on the cob and green beans (or maybe a salad). Air fryer salmon is one of my new favorite ways to fix it! It’s super easy and delicious without heating up the kitchen or creating a ton of mess to clean up. And microwaving corn on the cob is a cinch! I’m on the fence about whether or not I will pan cook or roast the green beans…guess I’ll just see what way the wind blows when the time comes.
• Friday: Dinner out with friends!
• Saturday: Grilled hamburgers, chips and whatever leftover fruit and veggies need to be eaten. You can use your favorite recipe for burgers, but I like to use 80/20 ground beef and mix it with a couple or three glugs of Worchestershire sauce and some steak, BBQ or multi-purpose seasoning (I typically use a Kinder’s flavor or a bit of my dad’s homemade rib rub). I make my patties from that and they grill up with delicious flavor. Serve it on a potato roll with whatever fixings you like.

So there you have it! A simple week of easy, light summer meals that require minimal (if any) oven or stove time in this crazy summer heat. Maybe you will enjoy one or some of these recipes for yourself or your family.

If you try any, let me know what you think – wishing you all a great (and cool!) week ahead!