Summer Meal Planning

by Kris Francefort

It’s summer – time for casual, light and nutritious eating! Here are a few tips to make meal planning a breeze.

MAKE IT FRESH & EASY

Hot days call for cool meals featuring the season’s best fresh fruits and veggies.

Pick what’s in season (and on sale) then build a meal around it.

Grill outside to reduce clean-up and keep your house cool.  Try these lightened-up grilled dishes:

• Veggie burgers – make your own or stock up on frozen varieties (check the label for whole food ingredients and no added chemicals).
• Eggplant and Zucchini – Slice into rounds or strips, season with homemade or oil-free dressing and grill until just tender.
• Portobello mushroom caps make a hearty meal. They’ll soak up flavorful sauces or dressings, are great by themselves.
• Pizzas with homemade or premade whole-grain pizza crusts, flatbreads or tortillas and load up on seasonal product toppings.
• Fruit salad – lightly grill fruit then toss with fresh orange juice and zest.
• Avocados – Lightly brush peeled and pitted avocado halves with oil-free dressing, grill over indirect heat until just browned, top with chopped tomatoes and fresh lime juice or salsa.

NO TIME TO COOK? THEN DON’T!

Raw summer fruits and veggies are packed with seasonal flavor, no cooking required.

Smoothies are a great way to get delicious, cool nutrition:

• Buy and freeze fruit when it’s in season (and often at great prices). Used in place of ice, it thickens your drink and is a great way to use fruit before it spoils.

• Set up a Do-It-Yourself Smoothie Bar with fresh on-hand ingredients and experiment!

• Toss in that handful of healthy leafy greens and use up beverages already in your fridge such as fruit juice or non-dairy milk.

• Freeze any leftover smoothies into ice pops!

Summer salads are easy and so fresh! Make your own by tossing salad greens with raw corn kernels,
diced summer squash, sunflower seeds, sliced strawberries, and fresh blueberries.

Picnic at Home — Grab high-quality, fresh,, ready-made salads, slaws, loaves of whole-grain bread, and olives. Set the patio table, spread a blanket on the lawn, or meet up in the kids’ tree house to dine!

MAKE IT AHEAD OF TIME

Clean, chop and store vegetables and fruit to have on hand throughout the week or for handy snacks.

Batch-freeze portioned staple items, like cooked quinoa, rice, and beans to use during meal preparation.

Prepare double recipes – serve one now and stash extras in the freezer.

5 DAYS OF SUMMER MEALS

Pasta with White Beans and Summer Squash + Mixed greens with oil-free dressing + Fresh berry and melon salad

Veggie Burgers + Grilled corn on the cob sprinkled with no-salt seasoning mix + Peach banana nice cream

Grilled Pizza + Kale salad + Blueberries with lemon date cream

Summer Veggie Rolls + Fresh tomato and cucumber salad + Fresh pineapple sprinkled with ground coriander

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Strawberry Salsa + Arugula, watercress and quinoa salad + Grilled fruit salad with a lime-honey drizzle

ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL FRUITS-VEGETABLES SHOPPING GUIDE 2024 From ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP (EWG)

*Note that most sweet corn and Hawaiian papaya, although low in pesticides, are genetically engineered (GE).

Sources: Wholefoods.com, Environmental Working Group, blog.integrativenutrition.com (57 Quick and Easy Healthy Recipes), Lifeasmom.com