July & August Meal Plan

Beans simmer away on the stove. Tomatoes and peppers rest on the cutting board ready to be chopped. Cucumbers ferment in jars on the counter. Chicken marries with flavor in the fridge. Basil awaits its transformation into pesto. The summer kitchen is rich and full of flavor. I’m sharing my simple, seasonal, yet flexible meal plan so you can gather ideas for your summer kitchen too. Grab a glass of iced tea and settle in!

I would consider myself an old-fashioned cook. You’re probably not going to find me in my kitchen preparing a Half Baked Harvest recipe. Instead, I’m usually making meals that don’t have names and I hardly measuring a thing.

I’m using staple ingredients from my deep pantry, pairing a simple protein, a starch and/or a grain, and (most of the time) a veggie to make a meal. I shop and cook seasonally, so I’m not buying fresh tomatoes or berries in winter and in the summer I’m cooking based on what’s coming out of the garden and the local farmstands.

I use fresh milled flour in all my baking and I believe real bread is a health food. I’m becoming fond of the idea of serving some sort of bread and butter with every dinner, and I like to have good yummy sides, because that is what will stretch the meal into leftovers. We have homemade pizza every friday and a homemade sweet treat most evenings. And I love having a good yummy drink in the afternoon and snacks to keep blood sugar up, both of which I also make from scratch at home.

Now that things are coming in from the garden, our family table is graced with delicious meals and fresh flavors, while still sticking to simple basics. I’m choosing things that won’t heat up the house and that I can batch cook when possible. Here’s what I have in rotation right now:

Protein

  • Grilled chicken

    • I like to do a simple marinade of salt, pepper, garlic, worcestershire, dijon, lemon, crushed red pepper

    • This bbq rub is excellent too

  • Grilled burgers

  • Meatballs

    • Italian

    • BBQ

  • Taco beef or chicken

Starch/Grain

  • Pasta

    • Macaroni salad

    • Pasta salad

      • Pesto pasta salad—Blend 1 avocado with homemade pesto, toss with cooked noodles, corn, and garden tomatoes, salt to taste, extra parm if desired

      • Simple vinaigrette goes wonderfully over any noodle and veggie combo—1/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, a clove or two of garlic, drizzle of honey, squirt of dijon mustard, chopped oregano (or any other fresh herb), salt and pepper

    • Italian/red sauce

  • Potatoes

    • Roasted rosemary potatoes

      • Roughly peel, chop, boil in salted water for 8 minutes. Toss with tallow and chopped rosemary. Roast at 450F for 20 mins, stir, cook another 10-20 mins til golden and oh so crispy

    • Potato salad

    • Avocado oil potato chips

      • Love keeping a big costco bag of these on hand for an easy side when having sandwiches, snack plates, or anything other meal that needs a “little nibble” with it.

  • Rice

    • Plain with salt and butter

    • French onion

      • caramelize onions in butter then cook rice in bone broth or meat stock

    • Cilantro lime

      • cilantro, lime juice, salt, and a touch of butter or avocado oil after cooking

  • Bread

    • Burger buns

      • I also use this recipe for dinner rolls

    • Ciabatta

    • Tortillas

      • 1 cup sourdough starter, 3/4 cup of water, heaping 1/3 cup of lard or bacon grease, about 3 1/2 cups of fresh milled flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder

    • Garlic/cheesy bread

      • I’ve been making this on the ciabatta recipe above…delicious! I like adding pepperoncinis or pickled banana peppers for a kick

Veggie

  • Garden green beans

    • Bacon, red onion, almonds

    • Salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder

    • Steamed plain, if the meal already has enough flavor

  • Garden coleslaw

    • Vinegar

    • Creamy with homemade mayo

    • Cilantro lime with sour cream for tacos

  • Fresh garden salsa

    • Any sort of combo of tomatoes, peppers, corn, beans, peaches, mango, onions, cilantro, lemon/lime, salt, and maybe a dash of chili powder. Can’t go wrong here.

  • Tomato cucumber onion salad

Sauce/Dip

  • Jalapeno “ranch”

    • 1/2 avocado, sour cream or yogurt, cilantro, lemon and/or lime, clove of garlic, jalapenos, salt in a jar. Immersion blend. Serve on tacos, scrambled eggs, with grilled chicken, etc.

  • Classic ranch

    • Sour cream or yogurt, dried minced onion, garlic granules, salt, dill, chives, mixed to taste

  • Tzatziki

    • I typically leave out the shredded cucumber and serve sliced garden cukes to dip with chicken and naan, or toss it with thinly sliced cucumbers and red onion as a side.

  • And of course I always keep condiments on hand— ketchup, mustards, a good organic bbq sauce, and homemade mayo.

Snacks

  • Hard boiled eggs/devilled eggs

  • Cheese and fruit

  • Kefir smoothie

  • Yogurt and fruit

  • Veggies and homemade ranch dip

  • Banana bread/muffins

Drinks

Desserts

As you can see, there is a lot of variety that can grace the menu even though I’m using the same pantry staples over and over—chicken, ground beef, rice, potatoes, flour, cheese, milk. Herbs and veggies from the garden leave simple meals feeling fresh, full, and vibrant. Let me show you how the menus come together…

  • Cilantro lime chicken

  • Rice

  • Tortillas

  • Tomato, pepper, corn, bean salsa made with garden veggies

  • Jalapeno ranch

  • Mini meatballs

  • Pasta with olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, parm

  • Garlic bread on ciabatta

  • Steamed garden green beans

  • Grilled chicken

  • Avocado pesto pasta salad

  • Cantaloupe & blueberry fruit salad

  • Potato chips

  • Grilled burgers

  • Homemade buns

  • Roasted rosemary potatoes

  • Garden tomato, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and cheese for topping

  • Grilled chicken

  • Rice

  • Tomato and cucumber salad

  • Naan

  • Tzatziki

  • BBQ chicken

  • Macaroni salad

  • Coleslaw

  • Green beans

  • Rolls & butter

  • BBQ chicken pizza with leftover chicken

  • Veggies & ranch

The combinations are endless. I hope this inspires you this summer, and that you’ll share what your menus look like this season in the comments!

Blessings be upon your Summer Kitchen 🤍

—Kaetlyn

Kaetlyn AnneComment