Weekly Meal Plan: Outdoor Cooking
A meal plan of outdoor cooking recipes. Great for hot summer days when you really don’t feel like turning on your oven!
Fire up the barbecue, it’s finally grilling season! For this week’s meal ideas, I’ve got five recipes that you don’t have to cook indoors, desserts included. Keep this meal plan in your back pocket for those hot summer evenings when you really don’t want to heat up your house but you still want to eat delicious food!
THE MENU INCLUDES
- A variety of outdoor cooking main courses, most of which you can have on the table within an hour of when you get home from a busy day at work.
- Yummy no bake dessert ideas that can be made ahead for easy after-dinner treats or lunch box snacks.
MEAL PLANNING SUCCESS
Of course, there are a few things you need to remember to make this kind of thing work for you and your schedule. Sometimes I hear people say that meal planning doesn’t work for their lifestyle, and usually, it’s because they don’t do at least one of the following.
- Make sure you have all the groceries! It is crucial to go through the plan the weekend before, to make sure you have all the ingredients and are ready to go when the work week starts and life gets crazy. I have tried to make sure ingredients are simple and on-hand in most pantries, but there’s always going to be a few things missing!
- Review and change the order you prepare the suggested recipes to suit your needs. For days you know you will be running errands or taking kids to activities, plan the meals with the lowest prep and shortest cook times. Save the slightly more involved recipes for evenings when you can breathe.
- Plan ahead. Look at the recipe for the next day the night before, and see if there’s anything you can do to get ready. Even chopping vegetables the day before will make you feel in control and give you that precious extra few minutes to get out the door on time.
- Take meal planning seriously! If you know what’s in your pantry and what your plans are for feeding your family at least a few days in a row, you will find that dinner will become far less stressful. I’m including the link for my FREE printable meal planning toolkit to help you really get organized and set up for success
Now, let’s get planning! I’m so excited to present this week’s meal plan full of outdoor cooking recipes. These are sure to get you and your family through the week well-fed and stress-free.
Monday
Take your classic burger up a notch with these Jalapeño Bacon Cheddar Burgers. Pair them with this Creamy Cheddar Macaroni Salad, the perfect summer pasta salad! And finish up with these Peanut Butter Balls, a no-bake dessert perfect for hot summer evenings.
Main Dish: Jalapeño Bacon Cheddar Burgers
Side Dish: Creamy Cheddar Macaroni Salad
Dessert: Peanut Butter Balls
Tuesday
My Coconut Lime Grilled Turkey Noodle Bowl is fresh, delicious, healthy, and perfect for summer evening suppers! Then serve this Easy No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake as a light and delicious dessert.
Main Dish: Coconut Lime Grilled Turkey Noodle Bowl
Dessert: Easy No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
Wednesday
These Chicken Kabobs are marinated in a tangy lemon garlic dressing. Load them up with your favourite vegetables and get grilling! Serve with a side of steamed rice if you feel it is necessary, and then finish off with delicious Pink Lemonade Pops for dessert.
Main Dish: Lemon Garlic Chicken Kabobs
Side Dish: Steamed Rice
Dessert: Pink Lemonade Pops
Thursday
It isn’t really an Outdoor Cooking Meal Plan until steak gets mentioned! Try marinating your meat in this delicious and Easy Steak Marinade that will make your steaks flavourful and tender. These BBQ/Campfire Roasted Potatoes make an incredibly tasty side dish, along with my All Green Salad with a Creamy Avocado Vinaigrette to get your veggies in. All cooked outside to keep your house cool and fresh! And my Rhubarb Cloud Dessert feels like the perfect dessert to finish off an evening of barbecuing.
Main Dish: Easy Steak Marinade
Side Dish: BBQ/Campfire Roasted Potatoes
Salad: All Green Salad with a Creamy Avocado Vinaigrette
Dessert: Rhubarb Cloud Dessert
Friday
This BBQ Turkey Breast with a Brown Sugar Rub and BBQ Sauce is a perfect summer barbecue dish! My Rainbow Pasta Salad complements it perfectly, and this 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fluff Dip (yes, I love peanut butter and it shows) is used for dipping fruit, cookies, or cake and is the perfect start to your weekend.
Main Dish: BBQ Turkey Breast with Brown Sugar Rub and BBQ Sauce
Side Dish: Rainbow Pasta Salad
There you have it: five meal ideas full of healthy, delicious food that don’t involve turning your oven on. Happy summer grilling everyone!
Have a delicious day!
