As we are now in the height of summer, many of us need some inspiration for family dinner ideas for the summer months. We most likely have had our fair share of cookouts, burgers on the grill, or just winging dinner altogether. If you are feeling the need to get back to basic healthy dinners around the table yet need some ideas and time-saving tips, we have some tips for you.
Family Dinner Ideas to Save Time This Summer:
1. Assemble No Cook Dinner “Salad” Plates:
One of my core ways to get a quick, healthy dinner on the table during the summer is to do a “salad” plate. It is not a salad in the traditional sense but more of a collection of healthy foods assembled on a dinner plate. Depending on what you use, this is almost always a no-cook dinner, and it is a fabulous way to use up leftovers and minimize food waste. It is also ideal for young children as most of it is finger food and easy to eat. This has become a family favorite dinner.
A mix of some proteins, veggies, fruit, and something with some crunch will provide variety and a good boost of nutrition. I also try to select items requiring little chopping so meal prep is quick. A typical plate in our house might include a bit of the following:
- Proteins (1 to 2 per plate): Leftover proteins from dinner, such as grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, chickpeas or beans, or maybe even some leftover tuna salad from lunch. If we have salsa on hand, I might spoon a bit of that alongside the proteins for extra flavor.
- Veggies (3 per plate): sugar snap peas, baby carrots, asparagus spears, bell pepper slices, broccoli or cauliflower florets, greens with a simple dressing
- Starches/Grains: sweet potatoes, lentils, quinoa, brown or black rice. We might also drizzle these with salad dressing and add some fresh herbs.
- Fruits: berries, apple or pear slices, kiwi fruit, or your favorites.
- Fats/Dips: sliced avocado, cheddar cheese, some nut butter (for dipping fruit), nuts such as pistachios or almonds for some crunch
- Optional: whole grain pita chip or whole grain crackers
Not all the items above are included, as it really depends on what is on hand and what we have for leftovers. The point is to vary the items enough to make the meal interesting and provide lots of solid nutrition.
2. Batch Prepare Your Sides:
This tip can be used year-round but is especially helpful during the summer.
When you have time, batch-prepare your favorite sides that can be used throughout the week. In my family, I try to make up a big bowl of salad (without the dressing), cut up some veggies such as bell peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower, and also make a pot of rice, quinoa, or lentils (usually 2 of the 3). Sometimes, I will also do a batch of hard-boiled eggs to have ready for quick protein-packed snacks or to add to the plates outlined in #1 above.
All up, it takes me about an hour, and I then have ready-to-go sides during the week. This makes dinner so much easier! If we throw some meat or seafood on the grill for dinner, I already have a salad, some veggies that can be quickly roasted or steamed, and a grain ready as the sides. Drizzle with some dressing or a homemade sauce, and your work is done. This also makes it much easier to put together a healthy lunch when working from home.
Having these items prepped or cooked in advance can go a long way toward reducing dinnertime stress and keeping time in the kitchen to a minimum.
3. Bring Out Your Slow Cooker
Do you think your slow cooker is just for the cooler months of the year? Slow Cookers are a busy family’s best friend during those long days of summer. By making use of your slow cooker, you don’t need to heat up your oven, keeping your kitchen cooler. Also, just because it’s summer doesn’t mean we want to eat cold food every night of the week; sometimes you still want a hot meal regardless of the temperature outside.
Then, whether you are at work all day or coming back from the beach or pool, coming home to a healthy dinner on the counter, ready to be served, is a beautiful thing!
If you are looking for some inspiration, try these easy family dinners using your Slow Cooker:
Filipino chicken recipe: slow cooker chicken thighs
https://thedinnerdaily.com/slow-cooker-veggie-enchiladas/
4. Pick One or Two Nights to Double Up Cooking:
To save time, and keep active cooking time to a minimum, consider cooking double the quantity of your main sources of protein a couple nights a week. For instance, if your weekly plan involves a roast chicken, make two. Have one roast chicken the first night, then save the second to make up a batch of fresh chicken salad or chicken Caesar salad another night. If you are grilling pork tenderloin, grill two pieces and use the extra to make Pork and Salad wraps for an easy meal later in the week.
You can also do this with your favorite seafood. For instance, if you normally buy 1.5 lbs of salmon or shrimp for dinner, up it to 2.5 lbs and cook it all the same night. Put away the extra fish for Fish Tacos or a Salad Plate (see #1 above) a few days later.
This strategy also helps set up you to take advantage of Tip #1 too!
If you want a few additional ideas of recipes that work well with this style of meal planning, here are a few to get you started:
https://thedinnerdaily.com/easy-chicken-slaw-with-apples/
Easy Fish Taco Bowls Recipe (for Easy Dinners!)
Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce
The ideas are endless but the point is to minimize the number of nights you actually have to cook. This process takes almost no extra time and will save you a ton of time later in the week.
You do need to plan this ahead (see Tip #6), but once this becomes part of your routine, you will wonder why you never did this before!
5. Take Advantage of Online Delivery:
If you are short on time or just need a break from the weekly trips to the store, try treating yourself to having your groceries delivered. For those of you who have young kids at home, this can be a considerable time and stress saver.
Even if you use this just once or twice a month, it will save you significant time. It may also save you money by limiting in-store impulse buys. Many delivery companies offer promos to give their service a try, so you may even find that the cost of the delivery is free. At The Dinner Daily, we have a delivery integration with Kroger and Kroger-owned stores, and you can read more about how easy online grocery shopping can be here: 5 Benefits of Online Grocery Shopping
6. And If Nothing Else, Have a Plan
One of the biggest ways to waste time, money, and increase stress levels is to avoid having a plan. Don’t skip this important step! At the beginning of the week, plan out what you will do for dinner and your other grocery needs, and do not step inside your store until you have a well-organized list. Not only will you find shopping so much easier, but you might find preparing dinners for your family is actually pleasant when you know what you are doing ahead of time. No one likes wandering around the grocery, wondering, “What are we doing for dinner?”. Try using some of the tips above and get your plan in place for the week ahead. Also, if you are looking for some additional guidance on meal planning in general, you might be interested in this article: Meal Planning: How to Get Started
Of course, we understand meal planning can be time-consuming and might not be your thing. If you would like help planning your dinners, we know a thing or two about that. We would be happy to provide you with a dinner plan for your family that is based on your food preferences and what is on special at your local grocery store. You can check us out with a free two-week trial by clicking here: Try it for free!
