9 Simple Summer Dinner Ideas for Your Family

I've been cooking like crazy now that Summer is here.  My crew seems to be hungry 24/7 so I'm always fixing a meal, cleaning up a meal or prepping for the next meal.  I really do love to cook so I'm not complaining.  It just takes a lot of extra time and planning to be ready to feed my family all day long.  I have some really simple dinner ideas to share with you this month!  

These nine meals are all crowd pleasers with my crew - ages 3 to grown ups.  The kids loved these meals and so did the adults.  And they are all quick prep meals which feels perfect for this time of year.  Win-win for everyone!

Let's get started!  I hope you find a meal idea or two that you can try with your own family.  

My best meal prep tip has been that I have made a little extra each night at dinner and saved the leftovers for my lunch the following day.  It feels so good to have a nice and easy lunch to heat up for myself in the middle of a busy day.

 1 // Breakfast for dinner

I tried something new and it was a big hit!  I cut up a can of cinnamon rolls into bite size pieces and baked them in a 9x9 pan.  It took longer to bake than the usual 8 minutes the whole rolls require.  Then I drizzled the icing on top.  My family almost died and went to heaven.  They LOVED this meal so much.  I served ham & cheesey scrambled eggs, little smokies and fruit. 

 

Leftovers for an easy lunch the next day:

 

2 // Italian Nachos

Spread all of your favorite pizza toppings on tortilla chips and melt the cheese in the oven.  Dip your nachos in marinara.  Yum!  We like turkey pepperoni, turkey sausage crumbles and mozzarella cheese.  Kevin loves black olives, onions and peppers.  The kids just like meat and cheese. 

3 // Keilbasa sausage with sides

My family loves the Uncle Bens Long Grain and Wild Rice mix so much.  It's the easiest side for about $1 and I usually make two boxes for my crew.  I roasted broccoli and onions and served the keilbasa with fruit.  I just slice it and brown it in a skillet.  Kevin and I love the chicken apple sausages from Sams and the kids love the turkey Keilbasa.  This meal is so easy and so good!

4 // Roast & sides

I like to pick up the Hormel Roast Au Jus packages for dinner.  One will feed our family if I make sure to have hearty sides.  I served it again with our favorite Uncle Ben's rice, green beans and onions and cantaloupe.

5 // BBQ Chicken Naan Bread Pizzas

I love the small naan bread at Aldi - it makes the best pizza crust.  I used canned chicken, our favorite bbq sauce and cheese/onions on top.  Bake the pizzas until the cheese is melty and serve with easy sides like baby carrots and apple slices.  My kids don't love the bbq pizza so I make them cheese pizzas or toast plain naan bread for them.

6 // Burger Night

Kevin's back to grilling now that the weather is nice.  Olive requested his burgers for her birthday dinner.  He made smash burgers for us on the Blackstone and they were so good!  We had all the toppings and I made yummy sides of roasted potatoes that my kids dip in ketchup like fries, mac & cheese and fruit.  I love when Kevin takes care of the meat on the grill and I can do the sides quickly inside.

Leftover lunch the next day:

 

7 // Brats & Hot Dogs

Most of us like grilled brats and the boys like hot dogs.  Kevin grills them all on the Blackstone and I made sides - corn on the cob, fruit salad and tator tots.  We also discovered a mulberry bush nearby so we made some mulberry lemonade to go with our dinner.

8 // Charcuterie Board

We had another yummy charcuterie board!  I added our favorite pepperoni breadsticks and cleaned out all the fruits, veggies, crackers and cheese we had.  This is our favorite combo - something everyone loves to eat!

9 // Carne Asada Pulled Pork

We are still loving this Sams Carne Asada Pulled Pork. It's delicious for taco night and it's such an easy main dish to heat up and serve.  It's delicious leftover, too.  It's about $13 a container for one big dinner and a couple of leftover lunches.  

The adults love to make soft tacos and the kids do a mix of taco bowls or nachos.  I make all the usual taco toppings and serve corn on the cob or fruit or both!  I look forward to this meal every time we have it and the leftovers are delicious!

Did you find a meal you'd like to make for your family this summer?  I hope so!  Leave me a comment and let me know what your family would enjoy!