3 Light and Healthy Summer Meals to Stay Cool in the Kitchen

During the summer months, you are probably less inclined to eat heavy, hot meals, and are looking for more lighter meals. The good news is that not only are these lighter meals much more pleasant to eat in 90 and 100-degree summer heat, but many of them are very healthy as well. Another bonus? It gets you using and eating all that gorgeous veggies you are growing in your homestead garden!

Here are some light, healthy meals to enjoy during the summer.

Fruit Bowls

People seriously underestimate the power of eating fruit, not just in health, but due to how easy they are to put together. When you eat fruit, it helps your body to carry on all sorts of essential functions that help with your digestive health. That means that not only is a fruit bowl a low-calorie option, it provides a good amount of antioxidants and vitamins.

All you have to do is cut a cantaloupe in half and hollow out a bowl shape and cut up the cantaloupe that was removed. Cut up other fruits you enjoy (and bonus points if they are in season!), like cherries, grapes, peaches, nectarines, blueberries or watermelon. Place the pieces of fruit in a bowl and enjoy it now, or put them in a storage container to save for later.

Caesar Skewers

Caesar salads are a great light meal for pretty much any occasion. This version will have some tomatoes added to beef up the weight of the meal just slightly, so you’ll get a bit more lycopene. Lycopene is a chemical responsible for a healthy, plaque-free
circulatory system. Of course, the chicken will deliver a good amount of protein.

All you need are:

6 – 8 leaves of baby romaine lettuce (with one thinly sliced into a fine
shred),

8 oz of seasoned grilled chicken,

1 diced roma tomato,

2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese,

a pinch of ground black pepper,

and 2 – 3 tablespoons of your favourite caesar dressing.

Mix caesar dressing, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, pepper and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Once it is mixed, arrange reasonable amounts of the mixture onto each skewer or the remaining lettuce leaves. Now you can have a delicious chicken caesar you can eat with your fingers!

Summer Stir Fry

Here’s a super quick, easy stir fry that you can try. The veggies here are probably ready in your garden, are obviously healthy for you, and will give you some great nutrients in just under 15 minutes. All you need is:

a head of cabbage (sliced very thin into a shred),

a medium sized onion sliced,

one red bell pepper sliced,

1 cup of broccoli,

1 tablespoon of minced garlic,

4 tablespoons of olive oil,

ground pepper,

a chopped sprig of basil,

3 tablespoons of soy or teriyaki sauce.

Place the oil in the pan. Heat the pan until it is visibly hot but not so hot that oil burns or smokes. Toss in the broccoli and cook until it browns then add the peppers, onions and cook until the onion brown. Toss in the cabbage and garlic stirring very frequently until it browns a bit. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil and sauces. Let it cool and serve!

Some other summer meals my family enjoys are smoothies, greek platter with greek salad, pita and tzatziki, cooled chicken souvlaki skewers, and all sorts of versions of buddha bowls and salad bowls. Some of our favourite recipes are listed below.

Related Posts:

• Garden Veggie Mason Jar Salads with Homemade Dressing
• “Grilled” Romaine with Roasted Chicken Salad ~ Recipe
• Orzo Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Capers
• Garden Fresh Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze
• 8 Ways of Making Use of Excess Cucumbers with Bonus Antioxidant Salad Recipe
• 9 Unique Ways to Use Extra Tomatoes (with Bonus Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomato Recipe)

What are your favourite summer meals to stay cool in the homestead kitchen during hot summer days?

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