Five Meals for Your Family Table Week 35

So we are enjoying our last two days on the lake before school...and protesting the end of Summer! But I guess we still need to eat, so here are five meal ideas for our family table this week.

one

I guess Labor Day signals the last Summer hurrah....sigh. One last time to grill up some hot dogs! On the menu is a hot dog bar... the perfect meal for a big party. This is a pic I found on Pinterest, but my girlfriend does the same thing. Grill up a bunch of dogs and put out a bunch of toppings. Place a few cards that highlight how to build your dog. You might have a Southwestern dog, Chili Dog, Chicago dog....it's a simple way to make hot dogs a little more exciting!

two

This Roasted Vegetable Tortellini never gets old. In fact in the Summer it gets even better with all the great summer veggies and you can grill instead of roast. Another bonus... it comes together in no time. Take 4-5 cups of your favorite veggies. You can use almost anything! A few of our favs are zucchini, onion, broccoli, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, and asparagus. Chop into bite size pieces and toss with EVOO and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes or place in a grill basket and grill for 15 minutes. Toss with some tortellini or your favorite pasta. A sprinkle of cheese... feta, parm or goat are our favorites and dinner is done.

three

These Mediterranean Chicken Pitas are the answer for a quick mid-week dinner. You can set it up as another "build your own" and the Tzatziki sauce mixes up in no time! They can be made ahead of time and you can take them on the go if the kids are running to their after school activities during the dinner hour!

four

We made these Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs a few weeks ago and they were just so good. Something about grilled pineapple....

Pineapple, chicken, BBQ and veggies come together to make these kabobs so full of flavor!

Cut 1lb boneless chicken, 3 bell peppers, half a pineapple and a red onion into some larger bite size chunks. Thread them in alternating flavors on a skewer (this made about 8 kabobs). Brush the chicken with some of your favorite BBQ sauce and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning often (until chicken cooked through).

five

Keeping it simple and ending the week with a grilled pizza and salad bar!

Grab some whole wheat or whole grain naan or flatbreads for your crust. Lay out lots of topping options and grill over low heat for 5-6 minutes, until the cheese begins to melt. While the pizzas are cooking, build your salads. Be sure to put out veggies in lots of great colors! Build your own dinner is a favorite in our house!