Weekly Meal Plan #4: Simple Summer Suppers

This week’s meal plan keeps things easy with a mix of cold pasta salad, grilled chicken skewers, foil-packet dinners, slow cooker meatballs, and fajita-style burgers.

It is a good week for hot summer days because you have a few meals that do not require much oven time. There is also a nice mix of chicken, beef, and meatballs so dinner does not feel like the same thing over and over.

As always, move the meals around to fit your schedule. If the weather looks good for grilling, use that night for the skewers or burgers. If you know one day will be busy, save the slow cooker dinner for then. Don’t forget to check out my Week #3 Meal Plan if you missed it!

The Daily Dinner Line-Up

Meal Prep & Money-Saving Tips

• Chicken crossover: Monday and Tuesday both use chicken. Buy a larger pack of chicken breasts, then cook some for Monday’s pasta salad and cut the rest into cubes for Tuesday’s skewers.
• Pepper plan: This week uses peppers in Monday’s pasta salad, Tuesday’s skewers, and Friday’s burgers. Buy a multi-pack if it is cheaper, then slice or dice what you need ahead of time.
• BBQ sauce double duty: Monday’s pasta salad dressing and Thursday’s meatballs both use BBQ sauce. Check your fridge before buying a new bottle.
• Foil packet prep: Cut the potatoes, carrots, and onion for Wednesday’s hobo packets earlier in the day. Keep everything in the fridge so the packets are quicker to assemble at dinnertime.
• Slow cooker dinner stretch: Serve the Pineapple BBQ Meatballs over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes to make them feel more like a full dinner. Leftovers are good for lunch the next day too.
• Pantry check: Before you shop, look for pasta, canned corn, black beans, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, breadcrumbs, rice, and spices. You may already have several of these ingredients on hand.
• Burger night savings: Ground chicken is used for Friday’s burgers, but you can use whatever ground meat is on sale. The toppings and spices will still give it that fajita flavor.

Easy Swap Ideas

• Pasta salad protein: Use rotisserie chicken, leftover grilled chicken, or any cooked chicken you already have for the BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad.
• Different pasta: Use rotini, penne, bowties, or another short pasta instead of fusilli.
• Milder skewers: Use less chipotle chili and adobo sauce if your family does not like much heat.
• Skewer veggies: Swap the yellow squash or red pepper for zucchini, red onion, mushrooms, or any sturdy vegetable that grills well.
• No grill skewers: Cook the Chipotle Chicken Skewers on a grill pan or under the broiler if you do not want to grill outside.
• Hobo packet meat: Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef for the Burger Hobo Packets.
• Hobo packet veggies: Use baby carrots, regular carrots, Yukon Gold potatoes, or red potatoes depending on what you have.
• Less sweet meatballs: Use a tangier BBQ sauce and reduce the brown sugar if you want the sauce less sweet.
• Burger cheese swap: Use cheddar, pepper Jack, or Colby Jack instead of Monterey Jack on the Chicken Fajita Burgers.
• Guacamole swap: Use sliced avocado instead of guacamole if that is easier.
• Bun option: Serve the Chicken Fajita Burgers in lettuce wraps for a lighter option.

Master Grocery List: Week 4 Dinners

Note: This shopping list covers all 5 main dinners. If you plan on making our weekly dessert bonuses, be sure to check those recipe links and add those baking staples to your list!

Meat

• 6 chicken breasts (2 for Monday and 4 for Tuesday)
• 2 lbs lean ground beef (for Wednesday)
• 2 lbs frozen fully cooked meatballs (for Thursday)
• 2 lbs ground chicken (for Friday)

Produce

• 3 red peppers (1 for Monday, 1 for Tuesday, and 1 for Friday)
• 1 bunch of green onions (for Monday)
• 2 limes (1 for Monday and 1 for Tuesday)
• 1 green pepper (for Friday)
• 1 yellow pepper (for Friday)
• 2 yellow squash (for Tuesday)
• 1 bulb of garlic (for Tuesday)
• 1 ½ lb package baby gold potatoes (for Wednesday)
• 12oz package of frozen crinkle-cut carrots (for Wednesday)
• 1 red onion (for Wednesday)
• 1 onion (for Friday)

Dairy

• 1 block of cheddar cheese (for Monday)
• 6 slices of Colby Jack cheese (for Wednesday)
• 6 slices of Monterey Jack cheese (for Friday)
• 1 container of sour cream, optional (for Friday)

Bakery

• 8 hamburger buns (for Friday)

Pantry

• 1 package of fusilli pasta (for Monday)
• Rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes for serving the meatballs (for Thursday)
• 1 can of corn (for Monday)
• 1 can of black beans (for Monday)
• 1 bottle of Ranch dressing (for Monday)
• 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (for Monday and Thursday)
• 1 can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (for Tuesday)
• 1 bottle of extra virgin olive oil (for Tuesday and Wednesday)
• 1 package dried onion soup mix (for Wednesday)
• 1 box of breadcrumbs (for Friday)
• 1 can of pineapple chunks (for Thursday)
• 1 bottle of pineapple juice (for Thursday)
• 1 package of brown sugar (for Thursday)
• 1 bottle of soy sauce (for Thursday)
• 1 container of guacamole (for Friday)
• 1 jar of salsa, optional (for Friday)

Spices and Seasonings

• Smoked paprika (for Monday and Wednesday)
• Paprika (for Tuesday and Friday)
• Cumin (for Tuesday and Friday)
• Chili powder (for Tuesday and Friday)
• Cayenne pepper (for Friday)
• Garlic powder (for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday)
• Kosher salt (for Wednesday)
• Salt and pepper
• Ground ginger (for Thursday)

Supplies

• Skewers (for Tuesday)
• Heavy-duty foil (for Wednesday)
• Disposable aluminum barbecue tray, optional (for Friday)

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To make your week even easier, I’ve put together a printable PDF pack of this exact meal plan and the complete master grocery list.

A little prep at the start of the week can make dinner feel much easier when everyone is hungry.