A summer meal plan rotation is just what you need so that you can prep, forget and enjoy it! Here is why you should keep a meal plan rotation and how to get started.

Why Keep a Meal Plan Rotation

  1. Affordable– budgeting for groceries is a million times easier when you stick to a meal plan
  2. Saves time– leaving you able to enjoy the summer more
  3. Don’t get bored– Some people stick to the same few meals everyday, Kyler keeps us from doing that so I like to make a list of all the foods we like, categorize them by type (soup, salad, smoothies, Crockpot, BBQ, etc) And then we pick them out on a week-by-week or month-by-month basis

How to Start Any Meal Plan Rotation

The way I started my meal planning rotations is by first listing all the meals to make. Never mind what season it is or how much your grocery budget is that day. List what you like and what you can cook. Next, I like to categorize by what kind of recipe it is- soup, crockpot, salad, chicken, pork, etc. (As you will see below). Then, on 1-2 week basis or a month to month basis, I review the type of whether we are going to have (in Montana that is pretty important in the winter), and I ‘randomly’ pick what we’re going to have on the menu. When I meal plan, I try to pick recipes that have similar ingredients

  • BBQ sauce for BBQ chicken or pork
  • If I’m doing chicken fajitas, I can use leftovers for fajita pasta and/or salad.
  • If it’s going to be really hot, what veggies taste best on the grill or in the air fryer?
  • What ‘staples’ do you need for a variety of salads? Lettuce, cucumbers, beans, dressings…

BONUS TIP: When it’s blazing hot out, and you don’t want to use the oven (because why would you do that when it’s 100 degree!?) Try buying a rotisserie chicken from Costco, or their ribs, and just incorporate it into all your recipes without using the stove or using it as little as possible! We recently had a record heat way in Montana and that’s exactly what I did. It was a game changer. Crockpots are also a great substitute. Airfryers are just like replacing an oven because it takes no time to preheat, but it still makes the kitchen hot.

I’m going to update this post throughout the summer and keep it sticky- be sure to signup for updates!

The Summer Meal Plan Rotation Grand List

Chicken Dinners for the Meal Plan Rotation

Beef

  • Burgers- on the grill
  • Kebabs- on the grill. Fresh veggies skewers with meat and set on the grill!

Turkey

Chicken Fajita Salad

Pork

Salad/Buddah Bowls

Smoothies

Blackberry & Honey Smoothie

Fish

Your Potential Meal Plan Rotation for 1 Week

  1. Chicken Fajita
  2. Fajita Pasta (made from fajita leftovers)
  3. Grilled Pork chops, applesauces, and green beans
  4. BBQ Chicken, salad and keto-roll

All My Recipes Here

Check out this other blogger’s roundup of Summer Recipe ideas.