During the summer months, you are probably less inclined to eat heavy, hot meals, and are looking more for lighter fare. 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. 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, like cherries, grapes, apples, or watermelon. Place the pieces of fruit in a bowl and enjoy it now, or put them in a plastic 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 favorite caesar dressing. Mix caesar dressing, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, pepper and parmesan cheese in a bowl.
Once it’s 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 obviously great for you and will give you some great nutrients in just under 15 minutes. All you need is ¼ a head of cabbage (sliced very thin into a shred), ½ a medium sized onion sliced, one red bell pepper sliced, ½ cup of broccoli, ½ tablespoon of minced garlic, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, ground pepper, a chopped sprig of basil, 3 tablespoons of soy or teriyakisauce.
Place the oil in the pan. Heat the pan until it’s 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!
