Week of Weeknight Meals: August 2026

The boys are back in school and while this came along with a whirlwind of emotions, there are undeniably some upsides for me from a work perspective. School days = Work days for me which opens up more time for blogging and the resurrection past blog series that have fallen to the wayside. Hooray!! I’m back at it today with a my Week of Weeknight Meals series!

I began this series years ago to provide a glimpse into what a one week of dinners looks like for our crew each month. Pictures are snapped right before we eat — no fancy food photography allowed — and, as always, nearly every single meal is easy to make and not too time intensive. Last week our meals included everything from fish taco bowls and air fryer chicken to tofu fried rice and even a simple microwavable pouch meal. Hopefully something will pop out at you below if you’re looking for some dinnertime inspiration!

Week of Weeknight Meals: August 2026

• Monday: Air Fryer BBQ Chicken + Southwest Salad

This meal was a breeze to throw together and we loved it! I just marinated chicken drumstick medallions in barbeque sauce all day before sprinkling them with garlic salt and cooking them in our airfryer at 370 degrees for about 20-22 minutes. (FYI for anyone who lives near a Harris Teeter, I swear by the $5 1-pound packs of organic pasture-raised chicken drumstick medallions from Smart Chicken. They tasted just like chicken thighs and you cannot beat the price.) On the side was a simple southwest salad made with lettuce, cheddar, crushed tortilla chips, salted sprouted pumpkin seeds, avocado and southwest ranch dressing.

On the boys’ plates:  Chicken, spinach and cucumber slices with ranch for dipping, tortilla chips, pear slices

• Tuesday: Tofu Fried Rice

The air fryer came to the rescue again on Tuesday night! After marinating cubed firm tofu in teriyaki sauce (we love this tofu!), I cooked it in the air fryer until the outsides were nice and crispy. I then added it to fried rice I made with cooked rice tossed with a bag of frozen stir-fried cauliflower rice. I added a little extra soy sauce and ginger to give it a little more flavor and then drizzled teriyaki sauce over the top before serving.

On the boys’ plates: This meal was once I knew the boys would not like at all so they had quesadillas with green beans and orange slices.

• Wednesday:

Ryan had a work dinner on Wednesday night so I kept things extra simple and heated up a pouch of organic lentil and quinoa stew I ordered through Thrive Market. I added some extra leftover chicken and beans to the mix to beef it up a bit before sprinkling it with cheese and digging in.

On the boys’ plates: ALDI Simply Nature organic white cheddar macaroni and cheese, carrots and grapes

• Thursday: Fish Taco Bowls

We were fortunate enough to leave Key West last month with bunch of fish from Chase’s birthday fishing trip. We’re slowly making our way through our freezer stash and on Thursday night I used some of our thawed snapper to make fish taco bowls. They were easy enough to make — I just baked the fish in the oven after sprinkling it with taco seasoning — and then we added an assortment of toppings including caramelized onions, avocado, lettuce, rice, black beans, cilantro and a cilantro lime ranch drizzle.

On the boys’ plates: Deconstructed fish tacos with sliced strawberries and carrots and ranch/hummus (depending on the kid) for dipping

• Friday: Grilled Flank Steak with Asparagus and Biscuits

We grilled out on Friday night! I marinated flank steak in a simple marinade that included soy sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice and olive oil and then he grilled it while I prepped some asparagus and homemade biscuits using Pamela’s baking mix.

On the boys’ plates: Ryan grilled the boys hot dogs along with our steak that they had with the biscuits, cucumber slices and watermelon

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Have you made any slam dunk dinners lately? Please share below!