August Menu Plan – Cool Summer Meals And Grill Menu

When the hot weather hits, you need ideas for cool summer meals. This August menu plan is packed with grill-friendly dinner ideas and simple August recipes to keep you as cool as a cucumber.

Planning a monthly menu doesn’t have to be difficult. This post will give you plenty of summer meal ideas for building your own monthly meal plan.

Text August monthly menu plan grilling and hot weather recipes on white background over image of grilled vegetables on wooden platter.

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Why Make a Monthly Menu Plan for August?

I don’t know about where you live, but here in Michigan the summer has been HOT. Most mornings, my husband & I just ask each other, ‘What do we want to grill tonight?’

We usually decide on plain grilled chicken, sometimes hamburgers — most often served with raw vegetables. Once in a while I’ll turn on the a/c in the house and cook something with pasta or potatoes.

I’m going to be totally honest here and admit that I was not going to make a monthly dinner menu for August.

If you check out my June menu plan, it pretty much covers what we eat during the summer. That menu also served us well during July, so I figured we would go with it for another month.

Then I started to think maybe we could try something a little different with the chicken that we usually just lightly season and grill. So I turned to Pinterest and started searching for summery-type chicken meals.

I discovered some delicious-looking recipes that would make perfect light meals for summer, and I decided a new monthly meal plan for August was definitely a good idea. Let me tell you, my printer got a workout this month!

August Monthly Meal Plan

You’ll notice I don’t plan a dinner for every single night. I’ve learned to leave nights open for leftovers and restaurant dinners.

Most dinners do not have a side dish listed. This is because it’s either an all-in-one meal, or my plan is to serve raw or grilled vegetables with the main course. August is usually our month to grill loads of zucchini and corn on the cob.

The highlighted links you see in the menu will take you directly to the website for each recipe. I’m always pinning new recipes, so following my Pinterest board for main dish recipes is a great idea if you’re looking for dinner inspiration.

1. Grilled BBQ chicken leg quarters

2. Grilled cheeseburgers

3. Grilled chicken burgers

Two grilled chicken burgers are displayed on a white plate, garnished with herbs and grill marks, accompanied by sliced tomatoes in the background.

4. Grilled Foil Packet Loaded Cheese Fries

5. Grilled BBQ B/S chicken thighs

6. Grilled Arnold Palmer Chicken

7. Grilled Fajita Chicken Kabobs

8. BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken and Veggie Bowls

9. Grilled kabobs — We usually use Italian sausage, mushrooms, onion, peppers, and interweave with bacon.

Sausage and vegetable kabobs on grill for August dinner.

10. Grilled Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

11. Grilled Easy Tin Foil Sausage and Veggies Dinner

12. Sausage, Potato, and Green Bean Foil Packets

A close-up of a foil packet meal featuring sliced sausage, roasted baby potatoes, and green beans, seasoned with herbs and black pepper. The dish is placed on a wooden surface with a striped cloth in the background.

13. All-Purpose Buffalo Chicken

14. Honey Sriracha Chicken

15. Lexington Grilled Chicken

16. Outdoor fish fry, homemade onion rings, sweet potato fries

17. Oriental Chicken Salad

A plate of Asian chicken salad featuring fresh romaine lettuce, tender chicken pieces, slivered almonds, and crunchy rice noodles, all served on a white dish. The salad is lightly dressed, providing a crunchy and refreshing texture.

18. BBQ Chicken Salad

19. Tostadas — Make these “refried” beans in the crockpot to use on them.

20. Nachos

21. Smothered boneless skinless chicken breasts

August dinner idea of grilled chicken breasts smothered with sautéed mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers in a rich sauce, served on a white plate.

22. Fried cabbage w/sausage or ground beef

23. Easy Chicken Parmesan Bake — My new favorite easy dinner!

24. *crockpot meal* Red Beans & Rice

25. Deviled Chicken Thighs and glazed carrots

26. One Pot Spaghetti with Sausage Sauce

A pot of spaghetti with a hearty sausage and tomato sauce, garnished with fresh basil leaves.

27. White Chicken Enchilada Pasta

More ideas: A Full Year Of Monthly Meal Plan Ideas For Easy Meal Planning

Monthly Meal Plan Frequently Asked Questions

What is our monthly grocery budget?

When I first wrote this post in 2016, my monthly grocery spending for all of our food would naturally land around $400, some months a little more or less. This amount fed 3 adult-size people very well.

Updating to account for 2024 prices and the fact that my husband now does quite a bit of the grocery shopping, we spend at least twice that amount.

Doing one big monthly grocery shop at 1-2 major stores (like Aldi) and only popping into the local store once or twice for milk and produce can save hundreds of dollars compared to shopping more often. We’ve started moving back to that style of shopping after a few years of more random multiple-times-per-week shopping.

During the summer when I originally wrote this post, my older son was home with us for a few months. We love that boy, but after he went back to college, my husband was happy to have leftovers again for his lunches. 😉

What do we eat besides dinner?

Breakfast – Honestly, we’re not really breakfast people.

I’m a homemade iced coffee drinker during the summer — more often I just let coffee get cold and make it the lazy way rather than the Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Iced Coffee way. (As long as it’s sweet and creamy caffeine, it’s all the same to me.)

Sometimes my husband makes eggs and bacon on the weekend, maybe once or twice a month. And sometimes I make a pot of steel-cut oats or rolled oats that provide breakfast for several days.

Lunch – Leftovers, pb&j, lunchmeat sandwiches, crackers & cheese, wraps. Sometimes I’ll get all healthy-ish and make a salad.

Summer grilled vegetables on wooden plate.

Snacks – Fruit, crackers, nuts, tortilla chips.

I usually don’t make desserts. If we’re craving something during the summer, we might go on a little ice cream buying binge. Or I’ll make some chocolate pudding to use up milk. Anything to keep cool!

What do I use for planning meals?

I keep these monthly dinner ideas as a base. Then, when it’s time to plan, I grab my Essential Meal Planning Printables to keep myself organized and make the process EASY.

Favorite Kitchen Items for Easy Summer Meals on the Grill

OXO Good Grips Grilling Tongs and Turner Set — My husband loves these for grilling. He says the tongs grip better than some other brands we have tried. I love that I can throw them in the dishwasher.

Used upside-down, these 13×18 plastic sheet pan lids are perfect for holding meat to thaw in the fridge and to hold seasoned meat for transporting to the grill for cooking. Place one of these aluminum half sheet pans underneath to provide stability — and you’ll have a clean tray for bringing in the food after it’s grilled.

Try these silicone basting brushes for spreading sauces while grilling. They’re a little shorter than some of the fancy mop-style brushes, but my husband likes using them and I like knowing I can get them *really* clean in the dishwasher.

We keep things pretty simple when it comes to kabob skewers. These 17″ stainless kabob skewers are similar to the ones we use, but might be just a little nicer IF they’re actually dishwasher-safe. We have to wash ours by hand, and it’s not my favorite thing to do.

More Meal Planning and Meal Prep Inspiration

Summer Dinner Ideas: 38 Easy Summer Meals You’ll Want To Make On Repeat

Quick Food Prep Routine for a Week of Easier Meals

30 Quick And Simple Summer Meals (Plus Easy Summer Food List Ideas)

September Dinner Ideas – Back to School Easy Meals List

3 Amazing Ways Weekly Meal Planning Changed My Life

January Menu Plan


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Collage of delicious grilled and summer meal ideas with the text '27 Delicious August Meal Plan Dinner Ideas' and 'Cool Summer Meals & Grill Menu'

Updated July 28, 2024

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12 thoughts on “August Menu Plan – Cool Summer Meals And Grill Menu”

  1. Looks like lots of great new recipes. I had to laugh about your husband now has leftovers for lunch again since your son went back to college. When our son-in-law is visiting, there are NEVER leftovers for another meal! 🙂 If you’ve never posted on the #overthemoon link party, I’d like to invite you to do so. I am a co-host and we go live at 5 pm CST on Sunday!

  2. Our family loves chicken and always looking for new ways to prepare and serve it. Thanks so much. Will be pinning so others can see these recipe links. Thanks for joining us at Let’s Get Real Link Up.

    1. Welcome! I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself here… that’s my goal. 🙂 I just popped over to your blog and it’s beautiful! Makes me hungry! Thanks for visiting.

  3. I always look forward to our monthly menu plans!! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner linky – and don’t forget to leave a comment – if you comment and your post is featured next week, it will also get pinned and tweeted!

  4. lifesmoments16

    This looks like a wonderful meal plan for August. Can I come eat at your house? LOL. I have never taken the time to do a monthly meal plan. I’ve considered it several times. I have this annoying trait where if I plan to eat something that by the time it comes to cook it by the end of the day I can’t eat it because in my mind I’ve ate it a hundred times already.

    1. Hi Crystal! Your comment made me laugh! “…ate it a hundred times already…” In my mind I’ve MADE it a hundred times, which for some reason makes cooking it easier. Even though I have this monthly list of meals, I don’t usually plug them into certain days more than 4-7 days out. It feels flexible, but having all of the food on hand means I can change my mind and make something different on any particular day if I REALLY want to. And of course you can come eat at my house!

  5. Julie – so great to see you here at #overthemoon! I know our readers will appreciate this post! I get so tired of trying to come up with something for dinner every night. this post helps!

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