In the summer I try to keep the cooking in the kitchen to a minimum, to cut down on the heat 😊 and I really enjoy grilling.  Living in the Midwest, we don’t cook outside year-round (although I’ve seen a few people out cooking with snow on the ground).  When I have a taste for grilled food in the winter, I use liquid smoke and use my indoor grill. (Indoor Grill)  No matter where I’m cooking, in the kitchen or on the grill, I try to keep it budget friendly.  Check out my blog post My New Menu Strategy for my meal planning tips.

With Summer meals I look for easy low prep, flavorful and budget friendly recipes.  I like pasta meals because they are so versatile.  In this pasta dish I used spaghetti noodles, shrimp, tomatoes, cilantro and drizzled it with homemade white wine vinaigrette.  The cost of this meal was less than $3 per person! It was really good!! This is my go-to meal because it is quick, easy, budget friendly and versatile. 

I’ve swapped the shrimp for grilled chicken and the spaghetti noodles for orzo pasta, put in different veggies and swapped the vinaigrette with olive oil.

My favorite grilled foods are chicken, shrimp, beef ribs and any type of grilled fresh veggies, especially corn.  Potato salad and deviled eggs are some of my favorite salad sides.

Ice cream is my all-time favorite Summer dessert, especially mint chocolate chip.  I’ve just recently started experimenting with grilled fruit and grilled pineapples are delicious!

What’s your favorite budget friendly Summer meal?