Easy, Protein-Packed Recipes to Cook This Summer
Happy summertime! We are getting into our routine (or lack of routine) here. The heat is settling in and we don’t know about you, but some days we have no energy for prepping meals or cooking dinner. But it’s good to have a few strategies and recipes in your back pocket to tackle mealtimes for those days when you don’t want to cook but still need a nutritious and filling meal. Today we’re sharing some tips, tricks, and recipes to ensure you stay fed this summer on the hottest, busiest, or laziest summer days.
Grill Ahead
If the weekend has arrived and you’re planning to grill dinner, consider throwing some extra protein on the grill to help you through the week. Try a simple marinated chicken (we really like this one) or some turkey burger patties (these are a cinch to throw together quickly to have for easy lunches or dinner another evening during the week). You can also grill lots of vegetables to have on hand for breakfast with eggs, in a salad, or thrown in a piece of pita bread with a little greek yogurt and drizzle of tahini. We like to combine 3-4 pounds of vegetables cut into similar sizes plus ¼ C. olive oil, salt and pepper and throw into the grill basket. Once they’re off the grill, combine with lemon juice, minced garlic, and fresh herbs.
Make Ahead
If you have time on the weekend, consider making a dish start to finish to have on hand for later in the week. We love to make a quick egg roll in a bowl (this recipe comes together in 15 minutes) and to divide into containers for grab and go lunches or dinners during the week. We also love this pasta dish made with chickpea pasta and optional cooked chicken or ground turkey added in! Lettuce wraps also come together in a flash and will keep for days in the fridge.
Quick Cook
This is the season for quick cooking. If you have the bonus of a toaster oven or air fryer, skip heating up the whole kitchen and take advantage of simple, quick meals. We have been hooked on these hot honey salmon bites in the air fryer. Or making open face toasted sandwiches in the toaster oven or under the broiler. Currently our favorite is to slice bread and top with grilled chicken slices, zucchini, pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella. After toasting, add some arugula, little olive oil and spicy peppers. The current chop salad trend is also a lot of fun.
No Cook
On the hottest day, skip the cooking all together. Opt for simple wraps, baguette sandwiches, or a cold salad. This tuna salad served in red peppers is protein packed and comes together quickly for an easy lunch or dinner. We’ve had it in rotation all summer. We also love assembling a clean out the fridge grazing board. This is a good chance to use up the random leftover bits in the fridge. Start with protein, basically any protein you have (think grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs, edamame, cottage cheese). Then fill in with vegetables and fruit. Next finish off with some crackers, slices of bread, cheese and simple condiments or dipping sauces. Blanching vegetables like asparagus and then plunging them into cold water makes for fun, crunchy veggies to dip in a quick aioli or simply dress with some lemon juice.
We’d love to hear from you! What are you cooking this summer? Do you have any favorite recipes in rotation right now? Give us all of your simple, delicious recipes and tips in the comments!