Summer Dinners ~ You Still Have to Eat Even if It’s HOT

Our weather has been insane… it’s been over 100 almost every day and we haven’t even gotten to the “hot” part of Summer yet. The best way I’ve found to make sure we still eat, and don’t overheat is to use the grill and the crockpot. 🙂 Here’s a recipe I made last week, that I didn’t think was going to be very good. My sister in law raved about it, but it just seemed too easy!

Feel free to use the cheap packets… there’s no need to spend a lot ~ the flavor is the same. 🙂

Crock Pot Pork Roast

What you need:

1 packet dry ranch dressing mix

1 packet dry italian dressing mix

1 packet dry gravy mix

1/2 – 1 cup water

1 pork roast

Here’s what you do:

About 6 to 8 hours before you want to eat dump the 3 mix packets in the bottom of your crockpot.

Add the water and mix.

Add the roast ~ roll it around a couple times to coat.

Cook for 6 to 8 hours.

Bang. That’s it.

This roast turned out so delicious I couldn’t even believe it. The liquid turned into a delicious gravy and we were in heaven. I made some brocolli rice to go with it, but mashed potatoes would have been perfect ~ the gravy was quite good.

The crock pot didn’t heat up the house, and by the end of the day when I was exhausted I didn’t have to think about dinner. Win/win.

We’re going to be using the crock pot and the grill again quite a bit this week…

Here’s the Summer Dinners on our Menu this week:

Grilled Pork Chops
cheesy potatoes
green beans

Grilled BBQ Chicken
potato salad

Quesadillas (Hanna’s pick)
Rice and beans

Crock pot Chicken Cacciatore
over pasta with salad

Spaghetti
Salad and bread

Chef Salad (no cooking YAY)

Shish Kabobs

We’ll also be snacking on lots of fruits, and drinking lots of water to stay cool!

What about you? How do you get through the heat of Summer and still get dinner on the table? I’d love to hear your tips! We’re linked up with OrgJunkie.com for Meal Plan Monday.

photo credit