July! Just when I was finally getting the hang of June….
The school year went incredibly fast. Too fast. I don’t know if it’s because it was my first year of freelancing (which is going MARVELOUSLY well, thanks so much for asking!) or because both boys were at the same school for the first time in a long time, which made for smoother logistics, or…what. I refuse to believe it’s because I’m getting older and therefore feel that time moves differently. Nope. Not happening.

But however it happened, my little boys finished 2nd grade and Kindergarten just a couple of weeks ago, and now they’ve already got a week of summer camp and a family mini-vacation to Great Wolf Lodge under their belts. Summer is here. Tiny tomatoes are popping up on the stands at the farmer’s market, lobsters are back in season, and we’ve even taken our first trip to the beach for the year.

July will be much more laid back than June, I think, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing on our calendar. Far from it! In fact, this is a short month, menu-wise. For several days in the beginning of the month, I’m planning to be visiting with family and being a bit out-and-about, so there’s a solid week where I haven’t got to plan for a single dinner. After that, it’s really very simple: Think of what people like to eat when it’s hot (not much!), throw in a bunch of cold suppers that can be made ahead (mainly for evenings when L. has his summer orchestra rehearsals and needs an early meal), make sure to account for our local seafood share on Saturdays, and voila.

Yup. This is a short-but-sweet meal plan, filled with only things I really want to cook and eat this July. What better way is there to say hello to summer?

July 2015 Meal Plan

WEEK ONE:

Wednesday, 7/1: Lamb burgers and zucchini fries
Make it GF: Serve the lamb burgers on a bed of greens
Thursday, 7/2-Thursday, 7/9: Not meal planning! Enjoying summer with friends and family.

WEEK TWO:

Friday, 7/10: Fend night/Kids Cook
Saturday, 7/11: Burgers and potato salad
Make it GF: Omit burger buns and serve on a big bed of vegetable slaw
Sunday, 7/12: Grilled chicken with blueberry chutney, yellow rice
Monday, 7/13: Steak fajitas
Make it GF: Use corn tortillas
Tuesday, 7/14: Chopped salad

WEEK THREE:

Wednesday, 7/15: Grilled salmon sandwiches
Make it GF: Make salads or corn tortilla wraps instead
Thursday, 7/16: Grilled pizzas
Make it GF: Use your favorite gf crust substitute or make grilled eggplant rounds topped with your favorite pizza toppings
Friday, 7/17: Fend night/Kids cook
Saturday, 7/18: Local seafood
Sunday, 7/19: Grilled chicken drumsticks and wild rice salad
Monday, 7/20: Gazpacho and quesadillas
Make it GF: Use corn tortillas
Tuesday, 7/21: Sesame noodles with chicken and broccoli

WEEK FOUR:

Wednesday, 7/22: Lamb meatballs and cous cous salad
Make it GF: Use quinoa instead of cous cous
Thursday, 7/23: Chicken or pork ratatouille grill packets
Friday, 7/24: Fend night/ Kids cook
Saturday, 7/25: Local seafood
Sunday, 7/26: Ribs and rainbow slaw
Monday, 7/27: Pasta with summer tomato sauce
Make it GF: Use your favorite GF pasta, or substitute zucchini noodles
Tuesday, 7/28: Farmer’s Market sloppy joes
Make it GF: Use the sloppy joe filling to stuff baked potatoes

WEEK FIVE:
Wednesday, 7/29: Grilled chicken caprese and vegetables
Thursday, 7/30: DIY Salad night
Friday, 7/31: Fend night/Kids Cook