Weeknight Meal Planner: 5/29/17

Hey, if you aren’t enjoying Memorial Day at the beach, you might as well enjoy a little taste of the beach in your burgers. Topped with fresh pineapple rings and a dynamic Beach BBQ sauce, this is the sweet-savory burger of your dreams. The two meat mixture is key here: The sirloin and has clean, distinctive flavor, while the chuck provides fattiness and keeps the burger juicy. Serve with grilled sweet potatoes and a simple green salad for a perfect holiday Monday meal. 

“Milanesa” refers to a cut of meat that’s pounded very thin, breaded, and fried—in other words, it’s grade-A comfort food. Here, we went with one of the more popular proteins for this traditional dish to make crispy chicken milanesa, and topped it off with a vibrant fresh slaw for a pop of bright flavor, color, and texture. Serve this tasty fried chicken dish with rice and/or a Strawberry-Avocado Salad.  

Since we skipped #MeatlessMonday this week, why not move it to Wednesday with these flavor-packed grilled tofu skewers? If you’d rather cook dinner indoors, you can also cook the tofu on a stovetop grill pan—just be sure to turn your oven vent on high, as the honey-based glaze is sure to create some smoke.If you don't have barley on hand, use rice, quinoa, or farro.

Shrimp Scampi, a no-fail family favorite, has legitimately never been easier—oh, and we upgraded it with veggies, too. All the flavorful magic of this recipe happens on the sheet pan: Roasting shrimp, cooking broccoli and tomatoes, and creating a vibrantly mouthwatering lemon-butter sauce. Once you pull all of the saucy scampi goodness from the oven, simply serve over cooked pasta  or polenta with crusty bread. 

Keep tonight feeling laid-back with this speedy and satisfying dinner. Naan breads are the secret to instant flatbreads (no rolling or baking of dough required). Look for whole-grain naan, such as Stonefire, and treat as you would a prepared pizza crust. Charbroiled broccoli rabe has a fantastic texture and bitter edge that makes it stand out on the flatbreads (it’s also a nice contrast to the cool, creamy ricotta). But if you don’t think the kids would be into it, you could use broccoli spears, asparagus, or even green beans instead. Serve with your favorite tossed salad for a no-fuss finish to Friday. 

Sometimes, a short week coming off of a long weekend can feel even longer than usual, so make sure you have an extra-sweet (normal-length) weekend by whipping up a batch of these next level crispy bars. in addition to the traditional buttery-sweet marshmallow and rice cereal base, we mixed in kettle-cooked potato chips for added crunch and a salty kick, upped the decadence with chocolate-covered peanuts, and added another level of sweetness with toasty graham crackers.