Hellobee

Even though our family is busy pretty much all year round, for some reason I always feel busier during the summer – which means that meals and cooking kind of take a back seat some nights! Honestly, I love a good quick and easy meal no matter what the season, but there is just something about trying to cook when it’s incredibly hot outside that I don’t find the least bit appealing! I love doing salads or sandwiches, but sometimes that can get boring or repetitive, so here are some of my go-to meals that are perfect for busy summer evenings and have Mr. PB&J and Mini’s seal of approval!

One Pan Cheesy Sausage Pasta – This is probably one of Mr. PB&J’s favorite meals of all time! I think he asks me to make this for him almost every week. I’ve basically got this recipe memorized, and it literally takes me less the 30 minutes to get it to the table. It’s super tasty!

Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs – This has been a life saver for me many times when I didn’t feel like turning the oven on to make meatballs! I also like the fact that because I’m using a crock pot, this turns into a “make ahead” recipe. Having dinner already started or almost finished when I get home always makes me happy! You can also sub the parmesan cheese out for some more breadcrumbs, add some BBQ sauce instead of marinara and have a completely different meal. I like to serve this with some whole wheat pasta and a veggie, but you can also put these on some rolls and have meatball subs.

Crock Pot Chicken and Black Bean Taco Salad – Mexican food is a huge favorite in the PB&J household, and we have at least one Mexican meal a week. I put this one in the rotation several months ago when I first found it on Pinterest. Again, I love the crock pot factor because it does all the work for me, and I get to come home to a delicious-smelling house. I was a bit leery of the dressing at first, but it is so good. It’s probably my favorite part of this meal! If you didn’t want to use lettuce, this could also be served over some brown rice or wrapped in a tortilla.

Sloppy Joes – This is another favorite of Mr. PB&J’s. He could probably eat this dish once a week as well! I stumbled upon this version a few years ago when I was looking for Weight Watchers recipes, and I loved how lightened up this version is. There are some extra veggies in this recipe that you won’t find in regular sloppy joes and I really like that, especially for Mini PB&J. Using a food processor helps to get this on the table super quick!

One last thing I wanted to mention is not to forget about your crock pot during the summer. I love using mine for meats like turkey, chicken, and pork. It’s a convenient and easy way to make things like shredded chicken for the salad above, but also for quesadillas, casseroles, or wraps. I also love using it for BBQ pulled pork or turkey; one of my summer favorites!

I’d love to hear some of your favorite fast summer meals!