We are SO CLOSE to fall. I can’t wait. This year has been such a dumpster fire and I’m absolutely treasuring any little thing we can look forward to. But, if we’re being realistic, we still have several more weeks of hot temperatures before spooky weather. If you’re like me, you left your enthusiasm for meal planning somewhere back in February. Here are a few easy meals we’ve had on rotation all summer that beat the heat and are easy to throw together. They require no oven (it’s too hot for that nonsense), simple ingredients, and they pass the family taste test.

1. Frito Bowls:

• Ingredients:
  • 1 bag of chili cheese Fritos (Upgrading from plain to chili cheese is a game-changer.)
  • Ground beef (amount depends on how many people you’re feeding)
  • Taco seasoning

Layer with Mexican fixins’ to your liking. We do:

• • Shredded cheese
  • Black beans
  • Lettuce
  • Diced tomato
  • Green salsa
  • Sour cream
• Instructions:
  • Brown the ground beef. Add taco seasoning. Layer ingredients in bowl in order listed.

2. Chicken Salad Croissants

• Ingredients:
  • Approx. 1/2 chicken breast for each person being served
  • Mayonnaise
  • Red grapes, halved
  • Walnuts or pecans
  • Salt & pepper
  • Croissants, sliced
• Additional options:
  • Pineapple chunks
  • Sliced strawberries
  • Tarragon
  • Craisins instead of grapes
• Instructions:
  • Boil chicken. Shred with forks or in a food processer
  • Mix in mayo until chicken is coated
  • Add halved grapes, nuts, salt, pepper, & any other preferred ingredients to taste
  • Serve on croissants w/chips or cut raw veggies

3. BLFGT (Bacon, lettuce, fried green tomato) sandwiches

• Ingredients:
  • Bacon
  • Lettuce
  • Green tomato, sliced
  • 1 Egg
  • Cornmeal
  • White bread
  • Mayo
  • Flour
  • Seasoning Salt
• Instructions:
  • Cook bacon in a skillet, set aside
  • Use skillet with bacon grease to fry tomatoes
    • Mix cornmeal & seasoning salt together in a small bowl
    • In a separate small bowl, whisk egg.
    • Dip tomato slices in egg, then cornmeal mixture, coating thoroughly. Fry in pan until breading starts to brown.
    • Toast bread. Spread mayo on both slices while still warm.
    • Assemble sandwiches and enjoy!

I hope these will spark some inspiration for your end of summer meal ideas. I also wrote a post about easy dinner recipes you can find here. What are your go-to summer recipes? Share them in the comments!