Let me be perfectly honest with you: I failed at last week’s meal plan. Trying to cook (even no-cook) dinners on vacation while traveling with kids was not my best planning at all. The silver lining is that coming back from vacation to an empty fridge is the best clean slate for meal planning; there are no leftovers to use up and I can put almost anything on the meal plan.

This week is packed with five meals that are getting me excited to cook and eat meals at home, but are also summer-centric with tomatoes, corn, and some slow cooker prep to keep things tasty and cool. Here’s what a week of dinners to give me my summer meal-planning mojo back looks like.

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Everyone needs a go-to recipe for summer cookouts and potlucks, and this fresh cucumber salad is absolutely the answer. Crunchy cucumber slices, sharp red onion, and fragrant fresh dill are tossed in a tangy sour cream dressing for a summer side that’s impossible not to fall for. It pairs well with whatever’s on the grill — burgers, hot dogs, chicken, or steak — and I guarantee your family and friends will ask you for the recipe.

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Perhaps one of the most coveted looks in kitchen design right now is the modern farmhouse vibe. Championed by the likes of Chip and Joanna Gaines, the look is popular for its timeless charm, rustic finishes, and lived-in appeal. One of the hallmarks of the style? A nice, deep farmhouse sink.

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Tossing some chicken on the grill is an easy dinner solution just about any night of the week throughout the summer months. But once you’ve got that covered, how do you round things out in order to call it dinner? A simple side or two should do the job and satisfy the crowd. We gathered some of our most favorite recipes to serve alongside grilled chicken, all of which are no sweat to prepare. From flavor-packed salads to crisp and caramelized grilled vegetables, here are our 17 of our best.

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She was standing in front of me in the IKEA checkout line. Dressed casually chic in cute jeans and carrying a brown leather purse just the right amount of broken in. In her hands was one item: a rolled up rug. (It was the LOHALS, a $140 jute area rug.) The key words here being “one item.”

This woman had the power to brave the housewares temptation juggernaut that is IKEA and emerge with a single purchase. I had deep and immediate admiration for LOHALS lady.

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You can’t beat the convenience and affordability of frozen vegetables, so naturally I’ve been on a mission to make a bag of frozen broccoli taste like a million bucks. And, you guys, I finally nailed it. This easy technique will have you buying frozen broccoli in bulk because yes, these florets really are that good.

You’ll roast the florets in a very hot oven (450°F), top them with Parmesan cheese, and finish the dish with a generous squeeze of lemon juice. The result of your (very minimal) effort is the fastest side dish suited for just about any dinner.

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After five very successful seasons of Fixer Upper, Chip and Joanna Gaines have become a force in the home-renovation industry, responsible for introducing the word “shiplap” to even the least handy among us. The lovable banter between the two is infectious — not to mention the wow-worthy makeovers they pull off every episode. Our favorite part of each show? When the new kitchen gets revealed. It’s often the most dramatic change, when dated, well-worn cabinetry and blah tiles get swapped for a brand-new cooking space.

We love nearly every kitchen makeover on Fixer Upper, but we were able to narrow this list down to five of our favorites.

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One of my biggest complaints about meal kits is that they never seem to result in enough food. (I have a hungry, hungry husband!). So when HelloFresh officially launched its Dinner 2 Lunch program — with the idea that you cook once and eat twice, turning the extra dinner ingredients into the lunch for the next day or two — I was dubious. I rarely have leftovers, let alone enough to make two (!) lunches for later.

I ordered this sausage pizza dinner (it starts with a flatbread and becomes a pasta lunch) and gave it a try. Keep reading to find out how it went and what I thought.

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Welcome to Kitchn’s series My Superpowered Morning, where we show you how interesting people use their morning routine to help them fuel the rest of the day.

In a world full of perfect #selfies and over-styled food shots on Instagram, illustrator Mari Andrew’s account is remarkably human for someone with almost 900,000 followers. Her drawings are sometimes funny (like with this hilariously accurate depiction of food trends), but more often than not they deal with heartache, grief, and navigating how to be an adult. In just a few strokes of a pencil or brush, she is eerily good at making you feel less alone.

Mari (pronounced MAHR-EE, in case you were wondering) didn’t start out as an illustrator. In 2015 her dad passed away and she was going through a terrible breakup, and she needed a creative outlet to cope. So, she picked up drawing and started an Instagram account where she posts every day. Her work resonated with people and it quickly grew in three years. This year she published her book Am I There Yet?, which is a heartwarming extension of her account.

I got to visit Mari at her studio apartment in New York. We talked comfort food, Bossa Nova, and how her morning routine sets the tone for the rest of the day.

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