Hi friends! We’ve been in Pittsburgh for a couple weeks staying with my in-laws to bridge the gap between camps and school, and my father-in-law (who loves to cook) and I have had fun picking out seasonal recipe favorites from my blog to enjoy with the family. Here are some of the meals we’ve enjoyed while here!
First up was one of my absolute favorite summer grilling blog recipes: Honey Lime Chicken with Grilled Peach and Corn Salad.
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The salad features fresh herbs and the chicken comes out really juicy (there’s a cilantro lime marinade that does double duty as the salad dressing for simplicity) and flavorful – the kids actually even ate it!
So good. You must try this recipe if you haven’t yet!
I used some of the leftover chicken and cilantro vinaigrette for a big salad the next day for lunch, too.
Another old favorite we enjoyed was my grilled Greek Lamb Burgers with feta. We decided on regular buns instead of pitas, and topped them with sliced cucumber, tomato, arugula, and tzatziki! Plus watermelon on the side, yum.
We made plain lamb burgers (without the mix ins) for the kids since we didn’t think they’d like the Greek variation.
We’ve had phenomenal weather in Pittsburgh btw – it’s been so nice to dine outside and not be drowning in sweat every second. It has been a REALLY hot and humid summer in DC, though I think it cooled down there as well since we’ve been gone!
The last fANNEtastic food fave that we plucked from the archives to enjoy together was my Grilled Pork Tenderloin Tacos with Salsa Verde. This was as fresh, summery, and flavorful as I remembered it being – everyone loved it (well, except the kids, ha). I went back for one more!
As for non-fANNEtastic food (but still delicious) meals, another night we had some yummy grilled chicken, veggie, and sausage kabobs.
Served with rice, caprese salad, and watermelon.
We also had a yummy cedar plank salmon (similar to my Lemon Dijon Sheet Pan Salmon, just made on the grill and with dill instead of other herbs) with rice, zucchini and squash, and tomatoes roasted with breadcrumbs, parmesan, and garlic.
Leftover salmon salad for lunch the next day, plus some pickled cucumber and onion, chickpeas, and avocado.
Grilled pork chops were another night’s dinner! Served with sweet potato and sautéed spinach.
My mother-in-law also made us a really good Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken one night from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook. Delicious! I love anything lemon.
Clearly, we ate well while in Pittsburgh! We also went out to dinner a couple evenings with the fam, and had two dinner playdates at our friends John and Erin’s house. Riese adores their 3 girls and always has a blast when we go over there, and Wes loves their playroom, so everyone is happy!
The first night we ordered tacos, and the second time we went over John made us some delicious Mediterranean bowls with pearled pasta, sautéed cauliflower, pesto, mozzarella, crispy chickpeas, and cucumbers and tomatoes. Yum!
I LOVE crispy chickpeas on salads/grain bowls – they add such a nice crunch. (See also: my Vegan Kale Caesar Salad recipe with crispy chickpeas.)
Most lunches while in Pittsburgh were leftovers/salad creations featuring leftovers, but my father-in-law and I also put together some yummy picnic lunches to enjoy while out having adventures with the kids. Crackers, cheese, deli meats, hummus, smoked trout, raw veggies, fruit, boiled eggs, etc. etc.! The more options the better to make sure the kids weren’t hangry. 🙂
It’s been fun to ride out the end of summer here with family. Matt’s younger brother Drew and his wife Morgana were also here visiting for a few days and it was so nice to get to be together, especially since we missed them at the beach this year!
Riese especially loved their visit, romping around the house with Uncle Drew, hanging out at the pool, and attempting to style Aunt Morgana’s hair. 🙂
We are sad to say goodbye to “Grams and Pop Pop” and head home this weekend, but it will also be nice to usher in the fall back-to-school energy vibes and to get back into a routine. As a Virgo, back to school season has always been my favorite. 🙂
In case you need some ideas for packed lunches or snacks for your family’s back-to-school situation, here are some posts that may help:
Until next time, friends! Have a great weekend.
