the store-bought shortcut really simple meal plan
with all the summer produce!
Summer’s a time when we should opt for ease whenever and wherever we can, and we’re leaning into that HARD for this month’s really simple meal plan.
The five recipes included here all make use of store-bought shortcuts to save you time and effort in the kitchen. They’re also absolutely packed with summer produce!
Could you make a homemade green sauce for grilled chicken and vegetables? Yes. Could you save yourself that time and energy by buying a store-bought sauce like green goddess dressing or pesto, thus gifting yourself a few extra minutes to sit by the pool or beach, or read a book, or garden? YES.
The recipes and grocery list within the PDF below include the store-bought shortcut items. If you are in the mood to cook (i.e., if you want to make a homemade ginger marinade, Italian dressing, and/or green sauce), you can of course refer to the original recipes linked below for the full from-scratch version. But these store-bought shortcuts make this meal plan such a breeze to cook through and don’t at all take away from the quality of the food. So maybe give yourself the break?!
PS, if you’re new around here, click here for a detailed rundown on these meal plans!
PREP-AHEAD LUNCHES: mob wife salad (AKA an Italian chop)
Store-bought shortcut: We’re going to use a store-bought Italian dressing instead of making the DIY dressing from the original recipe.
My favorites are Primal Kitchen’s Italian Vinaigrette & Marinade, Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian, and 365 by Whole Foods’ Organic Italian.
Make it a good-all-week salad: The OG recipe calls for kale and romaine — a greens combo that I love! But to make it a good-all-week salad (meaning a salad that can hold up in the fridge for days) that you can prep once and eat off of all week, we’re going to swap the romaine out for another head of kale OR a bag of thinly sliced cabbage, both of which are hearty enough to hold up.
DINNER DAY #1: grilled chicken and vegetables with burrata and green sauce
Prep ahead: You can start marinating your chicken and veg up to 24 hours in advance.
Store-bought shortcut: We’re going to swap the homemade green sauce, which doubles as a marinade, for a store-bought sauce. You have options as to which! You can grab either a store-bought green goddess dressing, a container of pesto, or a bottle of chimichurri sauce — any of these would be great.
I love Gotham Greens’ Green Goddess Dressing and Pesto. I also like TJ’s Green Goddess and Chimichurri Sauce.
If you’re using pesto, you have the option to blend it to make it creamier. I also like to mix in a splash of clear vinegar like champagne or white wine vinegar!
I’m near the ocean right now and want to use fresh seafood instead: Swap the chicken out for peeled, deveined shrimp! It would be fab with this. Add the shrimp to skewers to make grilling easier and cook them for 3 to 5 minutes total, flipping halfway through.
Prep ahead: Start marinating your steak for dinner day #3 today or tomorrow. It can marinate for up to 48 hours.
DINNER DAY #2: 5-ingredient eggplant parm
Store-bought shortcut: This recipe was written with one built-in! We’re going to use a high-quality jarred marinara. My favorite marinara is Rao’s!
DINNER DAY #3: sesame-ginger grilled steak with an addictive cucumber pepper avocado salad
Store-bought shortcut: We’re going to skip making a DIY ginger marinade and dressing, and use a bottle of Makoto ginger dressing instead. Makoto is the GOAT ginger dressing, in my opinion, and it’s widely carried so I highly recommend this brand. But of course, if you can only find another store-bought ginger dressing, that works. If you can’t find any, see the OG recipe for how to make one from scratch.
Prep ahead: While you have your knife out… maybe go ahead and slice your vegetables and chicken sausage for tomorrow night? Store them in the fridge in these groupings, if you do: zucchini + squash together, sausage + tomatoes together.
DINNER DAY #4: 20-minute summer sauté
Store-bought shortcut: Using pre-cooked chicken sausage is one of my all-time favorite fast-dinner hacks. It comes with so much flavor baked in — all you have to do is heat and eat. Italian, roasted garlic, or even chicken & apple flavor would be delish. I’m not a big brand loyalist here but I do love TJ’s chicken sausages.
Another great shortcut you can use here if you have them in the freezer is cubes of frozen pre-crushed/minced garlic.
Here’s the whole plan in one Google doc and PDF. Included is a grocery list, all of the notes shown above, and the individual recipes tweaked to coordinate with the meal plan.
