Note: for 2015 I am republishing our monthly menus from 2014 and adding in new published recipes when appropriate. I hope you are able to use these seasonal menus as a starting point for your own family menus.
August is full-on summertime here in the Pacific Northwest – school doesn’t start back until Labor Day and the weather is usually reliably sunny and warm (although you never know here, really…). Our grill sees the most action now and our whole family is pretty much in agreement that the garden vegetables taste best grilled so it’s not unusual for us to eat them every other day. In between we’re making salads, quick stir-fries, or easy frittatas that only use the stovetop or broiler. The only time I use the oven is in the mornings to make bread – because when the tomatoes are coming on, you’ve got to have grilled Easy Artisan Bread to eat them with. SO good.
Here are some August dinner menu ideas that again take advantage of seasonal produce, yet are quick and easy to prepare. They are really what our family eats and enjoys, so I hope you will find some ideas for your family here, too!
Rotisserie chicken, Easy Homemade Pita Bread, Sesame Seed Hummus, Authentic Greek Salad
Tostadas made with Homemade Refried Beans, leftover rotisserie chicken, lettuce, cheese, onion, etc., served with homemade Pico de Gallo and/or Salsa Cruda
Chicken Caesar Wraps (using last of rotisserie chicken), heirloom tomato salad
Asian Slaw, Spicy Chicken Noodle Salad (use grilled chicken)
Smashed Garlic Burgers with Jalapeños {Brew Pub Style}, chips, pickles & carrots
Grilled chicken-zucchini skewers (sprinkled with Basic Spice Rub & served with Tomato Chutney), Easy Grilled Potato Planks, Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Tomatoes
Grilled pork chops with Rhubarb Chutney, Caesar Slaw, Grilled Artisan Bread & fresh tomato slices
Slow cooked pulled pork, chicken, or beef (whatever’s on sale) soft tacos, Spicy Cumin Lime Coleslaw
Slow cooker ribs finished on grill with Chipotle BBQ sauce, Zucchini, Corn, and Tomato Saute, Tuscan White Bean Salad
Thai Grilled Pork and Vegetable Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing
Summer Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Green Beans, grilled chicken, Zucchini and Feta Fritters (made early and reheated on the grill)
Greek Tuna and Tomato Salad, Grilled Garlic Green Beans, and grilled Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread
Summer Corn and Bacon Tart (made with a super easy press-in-the-pan crust), grill leftover artisan bread to serve with Fresh Tomato Bruschetta Topping
Easy Grilled Vegetables, Swiss Chard and Sausage Frittata, Tomato and Feta Salad
Greek Style Grilled Beef Lettuce Wraps, Pita (homemade if you have time), Hummus Made With Sesame Seeds
Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Tacos with Chipotle-Yogurt Sauce, chips & pico de gallo
Grilled salmon, grilled garden vegetables
Sausage & Corn Stuffed Zucchini, sliced tomatoes, green salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Italian Sausage Pasta Primavera (using seasonal green beans, red peppers, zucchini & onion)
Garden Stir-fry with pork (green beans, zucchini, peppers & onions), rice
Note: our family’s menu always has a couple of standards: Saturdays alternate between burgers on homemade buns (or pigs-in-blankets) & fries and homemade pizza; Sundays are mostly on-your-own leftovers (if nothing is available, a quick pasta is made using our frozen roasted tomato sauce or pesto).
If you need more ideas for menu planning, you can always check out these articles in our archives:
- Menu Planning 101 (dinners)
- 5 steps to frugal menu planning
- Seasonal cooking through the year
- Weekly family menus
- Monthly dinner menus
I hope you enjoy and are able to use some of these favorite family meals of ours. You can follow me on Pinterest for even more simple, seasonal and from scratch dinner ideas!
I stumbled across your blog looking for weight loss solutions and eating real and whole foods. I’m so glad I did! I like what I’ve read so far. I have a question about the portions size, you say you just cut your portions in half. Is this from what you typically ate or from what is recommended ? Because that can make a big difference. Also when reading through your recipes, which sound delicious and easy by the way, you list the serving amount, but how many are your serving? What would a serving for just an individual? For instance your Caesar wraps, makes 8 servings, are 2 a serving for one person?
Thanks for sharing your weight loss story, it all seems so practical and commonsense. Off to read more of your menus and recipes!!
Thank you, Paula, I sure hope my story and tips are useful to you! I’ve answered this before, too, so I think I need to add it to our next ebook that’s coming out. 🙂 I cut MY portions in half – whatever I was eating previously. Since I knew the weight I maintained at those portions, it made sense to me that cutting those in half would help me lose some pounds. And it did. 🙂
The ‘servings’ that are listed in recipes and on packages are just guidelines – there’s not a one-size-fits-all serving size. For instance, my 6-ft, 190 lb. husband eats 3 times what I eat – and he’s lean and muscled. And I’ve found that for most recipes, the “servings” are simply a guide to either 1) the number it produces or 2) what a group might eat. So if it said serves 4 and I needed 6, I’d know double it (even though I didn’t need 8, just to be sure there was enough).
In your example of the wraps, they make 8 wraps. Which I should clarify on the recipe – wraps, not servings, so thank you. 🙂
Hi Jami from another Oregon gardener and writer. I was intrigued by the possibility of sending in a post to one site and having it propagate to four others! Now that is what I call good gardening. My primary goal with my site is as a home for all creative endeavors including–I hope–a second book. However, as I continue to work on that, I get a huge amount of pleasure from my garden. And what a summer we’ve had, eh? A little bit too hot for my taste, but the tomatoes and the squash sure are happy. The Dahlias too. Please add my link to your grouping. Many thanks Jami! With much appreciation, Susie T. in Portland, Ore. http://www.life-change-compost.com/summer-pleasures/
Nice to meet you, Susie! Yes, the garden is going crazy and it’s all happening weeks earlier than I’m used to – we’re already swimming in tomatoes and the gravenstine apples are all ready and the plums are looking like they’re ready. Whew. What fun to have you link up! The party is open to links Tuesday-Thursday and then we pick some for the features, etc., so be sure to link within that time frame so we can see your garden. 🙂