This weekend is Labor Day, so we’ve got your cookout essentials covered. Plus some easy meals to get you through the rest of the week, after you’ve gotten back from your 3-day weekend. Because re-entry is hard.
So, grab your pen and make your grocery list, then stock up on the ingredients you need to make next week’s dinners run smoothly!
At top: Grilled chicken kebabs at Feel Good Foodie; blueberry crumble at Saving Room for Dessert
Up your burger game with these spinach and feta burgers at The Speckled Palate. They add a little extra boost of flavor — and nutrients — to your Labor Day cookout, without a ton of extra effort. Of course, the kids will probably prefer theirs plain, but if you chop the spinach up really small they might not even notice it’s in there.
Whether you’re bringing these grilled chicken kebabs at Feel Good Foodie to a cookout or just need an easy dinner later in the week, these will be a crowd pleaser. Plus, after a big meal over the weekend it’s nice to save some money by cutting up just one or two chicken breasts to share across the whole family.
This Yucatan Shrimp at Shock Munch would make a great appetizer for a party or goes great over noodles and olive oil with just a little bit of lemon juice. It’s a simple, fresh meal that works for picky eaters too — because they can just eat the plain noodles, ha!
Related: All the Labor Day recipe ideas, every single one: burgers, sides, drinks, and of course, ice cream
If you’ve had your fill of meat so far this week, try these cauliflower tacos with chipotle romesco sauce at Minimalist Baker. Of course, you could also make the same recipe with chicken instead of cauliflower if that doesn’t tempt you. But you should seriously try them; they’re so good.
After Labor Day is over, I start to feel the pull of fall, and for me that means comfort food. Like these meatballs in mushroom gravy at The Frozen Biscuit. Her recipe for from-scratch meatballs looks delicious, but if you want to avoid beef in your diet you could also use Gardein’s vegan meatballs in the frozen section — they’re legit good.
This blueberry crumble at Saving Room for Dessert is a yummy late-summer dessert. It’s simple, you can probably make it with what you already have on hand, and it’s easy to carry to a party. We can’t wait to whip this up.