2025 Summer – Meal Plan
July 14, 2025 — by Carol in 2025, Summer 5, From Scratch, Meal Plan, Weekly Dinner
☀️ Season Week #5: The Season Starts… with sweat, sunscreen, and salads that slap
This week’s menu is brought to you by the letters H and U (for HOT and UNHINGED). It’s mid-July in Florida, and we’re just trying to make it to Friday without needing a second shower after standing in the kitchen. Salads take center stage, cold prep is queen, and the oven gets a strict time-out. Spoiler: no casseroles were harmed in the making of this menu.
📅 What’s on the Summer Week #5 Meal Plan:
🍴 Monday Dinner:
🍽️ Monday Dinner: Best Steak Salad
Start the week with steak because why not? Grilled beef, crunchy lettuce, pasta for texture, and a tangy dressing make it dinner-worthy salad perfection.
🍴 Tuesday Dinner:
🍽️ Tuesday Dinner: Rice and Ham Salad
A cold, creamy rice salad that you make ahead so Tuesday night feels like winning.
🍴 Wednesday Dinner:
🍽️ Wednesday Dinner: Southwest Chicken Crunch Salad
Crisp lettuce, smoky chicken, and a rainbow of veggies all tied together with chipotle and ranch. It doesn’t match last year’s version, so no photo this time.
🍴 Thursday Dinner:
🍽️ Thursday Dinner: Thai Salad with Ginger Ground Meat
Sweet, salty, crunchy, and just the right hint of heat — this one’s like a vacation in a bowl.
🍴 Friday Dinner:
🍽️ Friday Dinner: Dill and Shrimp Salad with Rice Salad and Ginger Garlic Cucumber Salad
Cool, fresh, and full of texture — Friday’s meal is a whole plate of summer chill.
🍞🧁🍰 This Week’s Extras:
🧏♂️ Bread: Small Batch Dinner Rolls with Maple Butter
Just the right amount of comfort carbs to mop up anything (or eat warm with butter because you’re worth it).
🍰 Dessert: No Bake Strawberry Pie
Cold, creamy, fruity, and not a single oven beep required. It’s summer’s answer to “I need something sweet but I refuse to bake.”
🍊 Snack/Other: Sunshine Citrus Cookie Cups
Zesty little muffin-like cookies filled with orange cream cheese frosting. Because Thursday deserves a treat too.
🌡 Weather Forecast:
Average: 92°/73°
Translation: You’re not turning the oven on unless you absolutely have to. And even then, you’ll question your life choices.
📋 Season Week 5 Game Plan:
- Monday: Steak gets you through the Monday chaos. It’s hearty but still cool thanks to the salad base.
- Tuesday: You already made the ham salad. Just scoop and serve.
- Wednesday: Salad + rolls = happy tastebuds with minimal effort.
- Thursday: Thai salad feels different enough to wake you up midweek. Cookie cups for dessert? Don’t mind if we do.
- Friday: Seafood trio keeps it fresh and fun. Shrimp, rice, cucumber… no sweat (literally).
- Weekend: Leftovers or frozen favorites. No rules. No regrets.