Summer Meal Plan #9

Flexible, no-stress dinners for all kinds of summer fun — plus breakfast meatballs you can make ahead and forget about

Is anyone else having feels about summer coming to a close? We’re squeezing in all of the summer fun which means some weeks the last thing we want to do is stand over a stove for an hour. This week is all about meals that flex with you — a no-cook night you can build together as a family, a bright and speedy shrimp dinner, meatballs you can prep ahead and forget about, and a sandwich that travels as well as it eats at home. Nothing here is fussy, and most of it doesn't require a recipe so much as a vibe — use what you have, swap what you don't, and don't stress about getting it exactly "right."

DINNER #1: Thai Summer Rolls | Total time: 20 minutes | Serves: 8 rolls
These summer rolls are a great way to pack in a variety of veggies, use up scraps of produce in your fridge, and really adjust them to your preference. This can even be a fun meal to get the whole house involved and make their own version of them if that works for your crew. This is a big win for a no cook night and feels a bit unusual in our houses!

Notes:
Don’t stress: Nothing in this recipe requires precise measurement. Even the peanut sauce. Feel free to eyeball it, use what you have or what you like. This calls for leafy greens, we would just use the same one you use on the focaccia sandwiches!
Swap the sauce: You can use store bought peanut sauce, thai chili sauce, sriracha mayo, or any other sauce you like!
On rice paper: working with rice paper can be a little tricky if you haven’t used it before. When you soak it for 30 seconds or so, it should go from brittle to soft and flexible (like pasta) and will be a bit stretchy when you wrap the rolls. If you don’t want to roll them you could absolutely serve this over rice noodles.
Add protein: We like to add sauteed shrimp or leftover grilled chicken to these if we are looking for a little more protein! If you are a tofu eater you could also play with adding sliced tofu here!
If you have leftovers: the best way to store these is wrapped in a wet paper towel in a tupperware.