Menu Plan Monday--Summer Cooking

One of the things about the summer heat that gets to us day to day cooks is that it is just way too hot to cook! It is easy to get that lazy feeling from the heat, or dread turning on the oven, and end up going through the drive thru or ordering pizza. But there are ways to beat the heat and use it to your advantage. Here are few things that have helped me be able to get dinner on the table, even when the temperature is in triple digits.

Slow Cooker/Crockpot:
Crockpot cooking has a lot more benefits than just helping to save time. If you want a great meal without having to heat up the kitchen, you can't beat the crock pot. You can throw the ingredients in first thing in the morning and let them cook slowly all day, resulting in a homestyle meal and a cool kitchen. These wonderful kitchen appliances also use a relatively little electricity, which is nice when trying to keep that bill high enough.

Grill:
Using a propane or charcoal grill outside is the perfect option for a hot summer day. Not only can you avoid heating up the kitchen, but grilled food by definition is lighter and lower maintenance that a creamy casserole or hearty homecooked meal. Some marinated grilled chicken or steak, a few potatoes pre-baked in the microwave, and some corn on the cob and you have an entire healthy meal that can be made outside.

Lighter options:
Consider a few days a week that you can prepare lighter summer foods that are still family-filling choices. Soup, sandwiches, and salads of course are great options. Bring picnic foods to the table with side dishes like potato salad, macaroni salad, fresh fruit, etc. Not only do most of these foods require little heat to prepare, but they are also less "heavy" which is very important when you feel like you are melting from the summer weather.

Stay cool!

Menu Plan 8/2-8/8

Monday:
breakfast~croissants
lunch~spicy black bean soup
dinner~chicken cacciatore

Tuesday:
breakfast~cream of wheat
lunch~pasta
dinner~crock pot taco casserole

Wednesday:
breakfast~scrambled eggs with ham and cheese
lunch~mac n cheese
dinner~bbq pork sandwiches, coleslaw, macaroni salad

Thursday:
breakfast~banana bread
lunch~quesadillas
dinner~crock pot chicken and veggies

Friday:
breakfast~crumb cake
lunch~topped french fries
dinner~pizza, salad, breadsticks

Saturday:
breakfast~parfaits
lunch~leftovers
dinner~french toast

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~roasted chickens, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn


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