Summer Meal Plan #10
Four low-effort dinners and a make-ahead lunch to get your family through the end of summer chaos
If your family is anywhere near the back-to-school transition, you know the vibe: everyone’s schedule flips upside down and suddenly “what’s for dinner” feels like the hardest question of the day. This week is built for the chaos. We’ve got a marinade you’ll want to make on repeat, a five-ingredient fish taco that tastes way fancier than the effort it takes, a no-recipe flatbread night that uses up leftovers, and a full breakfast-for-dinner spread because sometimes pancakes are the answer. Plus a make-ahead lunch so you’re not scrambling at noon either. Low time commitment, high payoff.
DINNER #1: Coconut Grilled Chicken Thighs | Prep time: 20 minutes - overnight | Cook time: 10 minutes | Serves: 4
We’ve become completely obsessed with the flavor that this marinade packs. We’ve recommended it before with skirt steak, which we do often, but the original recipe is for chicken thighs and you’re going to love it! We like to serve it with rice or rice noodles and an easy veggie like roasted broccoli or a cucumber salad.
Notes:
Make extra: the recipe calls for 2 lbs of chicken for 4 servings. Depending on how much your family eats, you may need to add an extra 1/2 -1 pound of chicken to have enough leftover for Dinner #3. There is plenty of marinade, so no need to scale if you add a little extra chicken!
Marinate it early: We like to throw this together the night before or the morning that we are going to have it. It gives the meat tons of flavor and makes dinner time super easy.
Spice Level: This recipe has a tiny bit of heat, but not a lot. For most people this should be fine, but if you are sensitive to spice, you may want to cut back on the chili paste!
Only baste if you want: The recipe calls for pouring the excess marinade into a pot and brushing it on when the chicken is cooked. While that is delicious, we often skip this step to avoid the extra dish.
