We are SO excited because we finally got a GRILL!!! We’ve been talking about buying one and setting aside money for one for quite some time, so it was a really happy day when we got it this week!
And it’s just in time because the hot, hot days of summer are here and the last thing I want to do is heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven every day. So this week, there is a LOT of grilled foods on the menu.
I planned our menu based upon the great markdown deals I’ve gotten at the store recently. Since I bought 7 dozen eggs at Kroger on Saturday, you’ll see lots of items with eggs in them on the menu. Plus, I got a great deal on kale, pineapple, and blueberries… so those are superstars on the menu, too! 🙂
Breakfasts
Breakfasts are a big deal at our house. Not necessarily because of what we eat, but because this is the one meal we’ve committed to eat together around the table pretty much every single day. We often don’t all eat lunch at the same time and sometimes dinners are a quick affair — especially if the girls have swim team or skating. But breakfast, it’s a given. We eat, we talk, we read together, we pray together, and we linger around the table. It’s been a beautiful addition to our schedule + a great way to start the day!
- French Toast Bake x 2 (made this weekend)
- Blueberry Muffins (made this weekend), Eggs
- Scrambled Eggs, Fruit x 2
- Oatmeal x 2
Lunches & Snacks
During the summer, we’ve been doing Make Your Own lunches. I have some assortment of the following items on hand and the kids and Jesse and I are responsible for choosing from the list of items to make our own lunches. It’s worked well this summer — especially because the kids are getting better and better at cleaning up after themselves, too!
Make your own:
- PB&J
- scrambled eggs
- hard-boiled eggs
- leftovers
- fruit
- veggies
- refried beans & cheese
- chips & salsa
- yogurt
- smoothies
- Kale Chips
Dinners
Jesse and I splitting up the cooking responsibilities for dinner this week. He’s in charge of everything that involves the grill. I’m in charge of everything else.
- Grilled Chicken, Grilled Pineapple, Rice, Kale Chips
- Sausage/Peppers/Onions/Summer Squash Skillet
- Smoked Salmon, Fruit, Broccoli, Rice
- Breakfast for Dinner: Waffles, Scrambled Eggs, Berries
- Chicken/Broccoli/Cheese over Rice
- Grilled Pizza, Fruit, Campfire Cones
- Dinner out
Related Menu-Planning Posts:
3 Quick & Easy Meals We Made Recently
Why We Stopped Making Family Dinners a Priority
YEARS of Past Menu Plans We’ve Shared Here
6 Ways We’re Keeping Our Grocery Budget Low
Why We More Than Doubled Our Grocery Bill
What’s on YOUR menu this week? Tell us in the comments!
Denise says
Try grilling peaches! We have discovered them this summer and they are delicious! Cut peaches in half and remove pit. Drizzle each half with honey and cinnamon sugar. Only takes a few minutes to grill. So good!
Crystal Paine says
Oh! Thanks so much for that tip!!
Jennifer says
Can you start posting your menus weekly again? Love it! 🙂
Crystal Paine says
YES! We’re in Arkansas all week next week at the lake with my family… but the following week (and most every week after that), they’ll be back again! 🙂
Jennifer says
You’re the best! 🙂 have fun on vacation!
Christine @ The (mostly) Simple Life says
We love grilling all summer! I can’t stand turning the oven on. It makes the house heat up like crazy. We marinate a bunch of chicken breast in balsamic vinaigrette dressing overnight and then grill it all up. It’s delicious and we eat it in paninis, quesadillas, and wraps all week. Enjoy your grill!!!
Crystal Paine says
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Bonnie says
Wow, I just made those muffins (my store had blueberries for $2/lb last week!), and they are soooo tasty! My kids devoured them 😀 I also love when you post your menu plan 😉
Crystal Paine says
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed them, too!
Uma @ Centsible India says
I have a detailed menu planned for the week for each day. I tried combined menu and it never worked for me as I guess I need straight forward answers and my mind stops thinking during meal prep 🙂
Shared it in my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Centsible-Indian-1460657600840612/
Crystal Paine says
Thanks so much for sharing!
Christine says
Crystal, do you do any of your famous “tweaking” to the french toast bake? If so, would you please share how you make it healthier. As is, the recipe is extremely high in saturated fat, cholesterol and carbs. Thanks 🙂
Crystal Paine says
Yes, of course I did! You know me too well. 😉
I used almond milk instead of regular milk.
I used half almond milk/half half & half instead of cream.
I used day old bread and hamburger buns I got marked down at the store.
I used a mix of coconut sugar + brown sugar.
And I used coconut oil instead of butter.
Even with all these changes, it was SO good!
Christine says
Thanks Crystal 🙂 I appreciate your sharing the changes.
Mary says
We love kale chips and found they come out even crispier if we line the cookie sheets with parchment paper first. It also makes for easier cleanup after.
We buy kitchen parchment paper in huge rolls from Costco for a fraction of what the grocery stores charge.
Crystal Paine says
Oh! Thanks so much for that great tip!
Jen says
We live Paleo, so our week consists of leftovers, chicken and zucchini zoodles with a sundried tomato walnut basil pesto, pizza spaghetti squash, turkey burgers and sweet potatoes, rosemary and garlic roasted pork with roasted carrots, and nachos made with plantain chips.
Mary says
We’re Paleo too and now I’m off to search for pizza spaghetti squash. We’re doing great buy DYING for pizza here!! Thanks for sharing your menu plan too.
Crystal Paine says
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing!
Rosanna says
We also haven’t had a grill for years. We’ve talked about it on and off, but never actually committed to saving up for one. Good for you for finally getting one!
Crystal Paine says
We’re SO glad we finally did!
Lynda says
Just curious what grill did you buy? I’m shopping for a new one too.
Crystal Paine says
We got a RecTec… Jesse did a LOT of research over the past year and talked to different people and decided that’s what he wanted. He LOVES it.
Stacy says
I hope you like the muffins!
Crystal Paine says
They are SO yummy!!
Rachel D. says
Your menu plan looks yummy! Hubby and I are on week 2 of our new diet… we are carb cycling. I posted our menu for this week:
http://livingbetteronedayatatime.blogspot.com/2016/07/carb-cycling-menu-plan-for-this-week.html
Crystal Paine says
Thanks so much for sharing your menu!
Ellie says
You have “Chicken/Broccoli/Cheese over Rice” listed on your menu – I’ve always wanted to make that combination since who doesn’t like those ingredients – but not sure how. Do you have a recipe or directions you could share? Thanks!
Crystal Paine says
I’m going to make a Chicken Gravy and then add in chopped chicken + chopped broccoli. We’ll serve it over rice and sprinkle it with cheese.
Marisa says
Yay, I love when you share your menu plans!
Crystal Paine says
Thanks so much!
Melissa says
Glad to see you’re backing to sharing your menu! I hope this is a permanent feature again!
We have an all Paleo week planned. I shared it on my blog:
http://www.momsplans.com/2016/07/menu-planning-for-july-23-2016/
Crystal Paine says
Thanks so much for sharing!
And yes, it’s BACK! Post coming next week with more details on why it’s back. 😉