a really simple meal plan v.11
what to cook this june!
We’re so excited about this month’s meal plan!! It’s packed with beautiful and delicious summer meals that are easy enough to execute any week this month — but also special enough to save for a summer vacation, if you’re looking for a menu for an upcoming beach trip, lake week, etc.
We’re doubling elements throughout the week and meal prepping whenever possible to consolidate time in the kitchen/at the grill. And as always, we’ve worked in a wide variety of proteins and veggies (hi, summer produce!!) throughout the week.
ENJOY!
xx
Caro and Molly
PS: Click the PDF or link below for a grocery list organized by section in the grocery store. If you need to edit yours for any reason (to sub an ingredient or cut some meals from the lineup), copy and paste it into a new Google doc or phone note and edit as needed.
link to printer version
DINNER DAY #1: Blackened fish taco bowls
Instead of the lime cilantro rice, make a DOUBLE BATCH of this coconut rice. We’re going to make pork and peach bowls with half of it later this week, so once it’s cool, pack half in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. Save any other leftovers you have from this meal too — slaw, salsa, rice… they’ll all be great with lunch tomorrow!
If you have the time and are in the mood to meal prep even more, you can go ahead and assemble tomorrow night’s dinner and keep the skillet covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it tomorrow.
LUNCH DAY #2: Easy bean quesadillas
Grab a can of black or pinto beans and drain and rinse them. They’ll be the base of your quesadillas (use 1/4 cup-ish of beans per quesadilla). Add whatever veggies you have in the fridge/freezer (1/4 cup-ish of veg total per quesadilla) plus 1/2 cup-ish shredded Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mexican cheese (freshly grated will get meltier, but pre-shredded is totally fine). Good veggie options include frozen corn, diced zucchini or squash, red/yellow/orange bell pepper, diced onion, chopped spinach… You can also just stick with beans and cheese.
Use a large (burrito-size) tortilla, add shredded cheese to half, pile it with beans and veggies and a pinch of kosher salt, add more cheese, and fold the other half of the tortilla on top. Cook it in a large nonstick skillet over medium/medium-low heat until the cheese is melty and the outside of the quesadilla is golden (turn down the heat if it’s starting to brown too much). Serve with any leftover elements from last night’s dinner and sour cream if you have some.
DINNER DAY #2: Skillet zucchini lasagna
This is such a delicious summer meal that’s filling and absolutely filled with nutrients. If slicing and salting the zucchini feels like too much effort, read the “what to cook when you really don’t feel like cooking” note for shortcuts.
LUNCH DAY #3: Leftover skillet zucchini
This recipe makes a huge skillet of food. It’s more than my family (2 adults + 3 little kids) eats in a meal so we always have and eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. If you think your family will eat the whole thing, make bean quesadillas again with the leftover tortillas, or grab a bagged salad kit while you’re grocery shopping.
DINNER DAY #3: Summery pork and peach bowls
You already cooked the rice for this meal! Pork tenderloins typically come in a pack of two, so go ahead and marinate and cook the second tenderloin (no need to double the marinade) and store it in an airtight container to have a yummy protein on hand for lunches the rest of the week.
IF YOU’RE FEEDING A FAMILY OF BIG MEAT EATERS: You may want to cook three or even four pork tenderloins. The goal is to have enough pork for dinner tonight + two days worth of lunches. One tenderloin is about a pound and will feed two to three people one meal — do the math based on how many people you’re feeding (and how much meat they typically eat in one sitting)! If you’re cooking three or four tenderloins, double the marinade so they all get well coated.
LUNCH DAY #4: Balsamic pork salad
Chop up leftover pork. Add it to a bowl of mixed greens with shredded Cheddar, chopped almonds (or cashews, peanuts, pistachios, pepitas…), and some thinly sliced red onion (you can cut into the one you’ll use tomorrow). No measurements needed, just eyeball it.
Go ahead and make this balsamic basil marinade/dressing that we’ll use for tomorrow night’s dinner. Pull out 6 tablespoons of it and put it in a jar. Add a few splashes of water (about 2 tablespoons) and shake. This is the dressing you’ll use for this salad and the salad component of tomorrow night’s dinner.
The rest of it is your chicken marinade for tomorrow night’s dinner. Keep it in the bowl you made it in, add the chicken, cover it, and store it in the fridge until tomorrow.
DINNER DAY #4: Marinated veggies with burrata
This is a favorite vegetarian meal from the archives! If you want meat with it, you can reverse-marinate cooked chicken, shrimp, leftover pork, or whatever you’re in the mood for in the same marinade you’re using for the veggies! See the “let’s talk about reverse marinating…” note for more info.
LUNCH DAY #5: Cuban sandwich
Slice leftover pork tenderloin very thinly. Melt some Cheddar cheese (or Swiss if you happen to have some) and warm the pork on a potato bun. Add mustard (yellow or whole-grain) and pickles. Serve alongside any leftover veggies you have from last night.
DINNER DAY #5: Balsamic basil chicken sandwiches and/or salad
You’ve already marinated the chicken and made the salad dressing! If you don’t want another sandwich today, go the salad route. Leftover burrata would be a great sub for the salad’s goat cheese, if you want to avoid buying another type of cheese.
I can't wait to try some of these!!!
These are some of my favorite WTC meals… the balsamic chicken marinade + dressing is in our regular rotation and I never tire of it!!