Summer is here, and as the amount of sun and heat increases, my desire to spend time in a hot kitchen exponentially shrinks. Here are three easy dinners we’re enjoying on repeat right now. Two are pretty healthy, and the third…well, my opinion is that pizza is good for the soul, so that counts as healthy in my book.

The groceries to make these three meals cost about $65 total when purchased at my favorite store, Aldi. That’s not bad, considering these meals will feed a family of eight hungry people (plus one toddler who’s well on his way to eating as much as me). If you do the math, it comes out to roughly $20 – $21 per night, or $2.63 per person, per meal.

The meals are also very easy to prep in advance for those extra busy (or lazy) summer nights. I’ve also included a PDF below with a handy grocery list for each recipe. Enjoy!

Dinner #1: Poor Man’s Poke Bowls

Total Cost: $21

Cost Per Person (for 8 people): $2.63

These ahi tuna poke bowls are light and perfect for quick weeknight meals. They’re also easy to customize to your family’s tastes. We only eat meat once a week on Sundays, but on other nights we enjoy these bowls with a different protein source like tofu, quinoa, beans, or extra vegetables (yes, vegetables contain protein, but that’s another article…).

• 3 cups white rice
• 2 bags Specially Selected Ahi Tuna Steaks, thawed
• Juice of one lemon
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups sliced veggies of choice (we like mushrooms and bell peppers)
• 1 bag frozen shelled edamame
• 4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and halved
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil of choice
• 2 avocados, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Method:

1. Cook rice according to directions.
2. Sear tuna 3-5 minutes per side. Add lemon juice and salt about a minute before they are finished cooking.
3. Remove tuna from skillet. Add cooking oil of choice and saute veggies.
4. While the veggies are sauteing, cook the edamame according to directions.
5. Plate rice with sliced tuna, veggies, edamame, avocado, and hardboiled egg.
6. Drizzle sauce over rice before serving, or put sauce on the table so people can serve themselves (this is what we do since some of our kids prefer it without sauce).

No Place Like Home-style Pizza

Total Cost: $15 (for cheese pizzas)

Cost Per Person (for 8 people): $1.88

Aldi Take-n-Bake pizzas are a family favorite, but if I want to feel less lazy and more accomplished as a mom who wants to feed my kids homemade meals, I take the more time-consuming approach and use pre-made dough. Or more accurately, I delegate this dinner night to the kids, who really enjoy it.

The Aldi pizza dough is delicious and very affordable ($1.19 apiece at our store). Sometimes I’ll make my own pizza sauce, but the Aldi sauce is also good to have on hand. Again, you can customize and add your own toppings of choice. It feels silly even typing out the recipe because it’s so simple, but here you go:

• 2 Mama Cozzi’s pizza dough
• 2 16 oz bags mozzarella cheese
• 2 jars Reggano pizza sauce
• Toppings of choice (we like mushroooms and bell peppers)
• Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (optional)

Method:

1. Roll out pizza crusts.
2. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings of choice.
3. Bake according to directions.

Veni, Vidi, Vici Caesar Wraps

Total Cost: $23

Cost Per Person (for 8 people): $2.88

I was surprised at how much my kids loved these wraps the first time I made them, because they’re full of veggies and chickpeas. Even my kids who claim to adamantly dislike sweet potatoes ate these without a complaint. (I’m still not even sure they’ve figured out there are sweet potatoes in these wraps.)

I like to make the wraps early in the day and put them in the fridge to have as a quick dinner on nights when my kids have dance class. They store well and are a great option for beach days and road trips.

This recipe makes enough for one dinner plus lunch leftovers for my husband and me the next day. We love them served with fresh watermelon chunks and a cold LaCroix.

• 3 large sweet potatoes, cubed
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil of choice (we like Simply Nature avocado oil)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 head Romaine lettuce
• 2 cups Litte Salad Bar classic coleslaw
• 1/2 block Happy Farms feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 bags Pueblo Lindo burrito tortillas
• Caesar dressing of choice OR homemade dressing:
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Tbsp oil of choice

Method:

For the wraps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss the sweet potato cubes with oil, cumin, and salt.
3. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas and gently mix.
4. While the potatoes and chickpeas are cooking, prep the vegetables. We like to chop the lettuce and coleslaw finely so there aren’t huge pieces in the wraps.
5. Once the potatoes and chickpeas are cooked, let them cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Toss the lettuce, coleslaw mix, potatoes, feta cheese, and chickpeas in a large salad bowl.
7. For the dressing, put all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend it up for a minute or two.
8. Add about 1/2 cup of dressing (or more or less based on how much you like) to the salad and toss.
9. To assemble the burritos, put about 1/2 cup of the salad mix on the first third of a burrito. Fold the sides in over the filling, then roll them up.

Grocery List

Here’s a grocery list with all the ingredients you’ll need to make these meals. And don’t forget to subscribe to our blog below for more posts about budget dinners for large families. Bon appetit!