As we hit the heart of summer, many families find themselves needing fresh inspiration for easy family dinners. After countless burgers on the grill, quick takeout runs, or winging it altogether, it’s easy to fall out of a healthy dinner routine.
If you’re ready to get back to easy, healthy meals around the table (without spending hours in the kitchen) here are six of my favorite summer dinner tips that will save you time and reduce dinnertime stress.
Family Dinner Ideas to Save Time This Summer:
1. Make No Cook “Salad” Plates:
Think of this as a “choose your own adventure” dinner plate. It’s not a traditional salad but a mix of easy, wholesome ingredients pulled together with no cooking required. It also is a fabulous way to use up leftovers and minimize food waste. It is ideal for young children too 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 chips, whole grain crackers, or nuts for some crunch.
We don’t use every category each time. It really depends on what we have on hand and any leftovers. The goal is simply to mix things up enough to keep the meal interesting and packed with solid nutrition.
2. Batch Prepare Your Sides:
This is one of my favorite make-dinner-easier tips, and it’s especially great to put into practice during the summer season.
When you have a little extra time, batch-prepare some of your favorite sides that can be used throughout the week. In my family, I like to make a big bowl of salad (without the dressing), chop up some veggies like bell peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower, and cook a pot of rice, quinoa, or lentils (usually two out of the three). Sometimes I’ll also make a batch of hard-boiled eggs for quick, protein-packed snacks or to add to the plates I mentioned in tip #1 above.
All in, it takes me about an hour, and then I’ve got ready-to-go sides all week long. It makes dinnertime so much easier. If we throw some meat or seafood on the grill, I already have a salad, some veggies that can be quickly roasted or steamed, and a grain ready to go. Drizzle with a little dressing or a quick homemade sauce, and you’re done. It also makes it much easier to throw together a healthy lunch when working from home.
Having a few things prepped or cooked in advance goes a LONG way in reducing dinnertime stress and keeping your 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.
Using your slow cooker means you can skip turning on the oven, keeping your kitchen cooler and your energy up. And just because it’s summer doesn’t mean we want cold food every night. Sometimes you still crave a hot, comforting meal, no matter how warm it is outside.
Whether you’re at work all day or getting back from the beach or pool, walking into your home and finding a healthy dinner already done and waiting on the counter is a beautiful thing.
Need a little inspiration? Try one of 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 of 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 a few days later.
This strategy also helps set up you to take advantage of Tip #1 too.
Need some recipe inspiration that works well with this style of 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 possibilities are endless but the point is simple: reduce the number of nights you actually need to cook. Doubling up takes almost no extra time and pays off big when your week gets busy.
Yes, it takes a little planning (see Tip #6!), but once this becomes part of your routine, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!
5. Take Advantage of Online Delivery:
If you’re short on time or just need a break from the weekly grocery run consider treating yourself to delivery. For those with young kids at home or packed schedules, this can be a major time and stress saver.
Even using it once or twice a month can make a big difference. It might even help you stick to your budget by avoiding in-store impulse buys. Many delivery services offer promos for first-time customers, so the cost of delivery might be free when you give it a try.
It’s not something you have to rely on every week, but having it in your back pocket as a backup option can make a hectic week feel a whole lot easier.
Want to know more? Check out our post on 5 Benefits of Online Grocery Shopping for more tips and time-saving ideas.
6. And If Nothing Else, Have a Plan
One of the easiest ways to waste time, spend more money, and crank up dinner stress is by not having a plan. Don’t skip this step!
At the start of each week, take a few minutes to plan out your dinners and make a well-organized grocery list before stepping into the store. Not only will your shopping trip be smoother, but prepping dinner will actually feel more manageable—maybe even enjoyable—when you know exactly what’s coming. No more wandering the aisles wondering, “What are we doing for dinner?” which almost always leads to wasted food and money.
Use the tips above to get a simple plan in place for the week ahead. And if you want a little extra guidance, check out this post on Meal Planning: How to Get Started.
Of course, we know meal planning isn’t everyone’s thing—and that’s okay. If you’d like help planning your dinners, we’ve got you. Our weekly plans are customized to your food preferences, dietary needs, and what’s on sale at your local grocery store. You can try it out free for two weeks—no stress, no strings.
