Easy Meal Recipes For Hot Summer Days

Hot summer days, as well as hot summer nights (makes me think of a Grease song…)

But, I digress… they can be difficult when it comes to feeding your whole family delicious recipes.

Appetites change when the heat rolls in, and cooking, especially on busy weeknights, becomes a challenge.

To make things easier, look for meals and easy summer dinner ideas that are a crowd pleaser that don’t heat up your home on hot days while remaining light enough to keep you comfortable as you eat like hearty summer salads.

We love using the grill year round, but in the summer it keeps the kitchen cool!

One of our sons would only eat salads in the summer months because he said the food was too hot. lol

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Easy Meals For Hot Summer Days

These easy meals for hot summer days will help:

Salads

Salads are a great choice and a healthy recipe for any hot summer day or a hot summer night when your entire family may be struggling with the idea of a heavy meal.

Try salads for easy summer dinner recipes with fresh grilled chicken or fish and some bakery bread. You could even make a tuna salad for a simple meal that will leave your family satisfied but not overstuffed.

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You can even mix things up in these summer recipes and try new dressings on salads.

My favorite is balsamic vinegar or a creamy avocado Greek yogurt dressing, and add-ins like fresh or dried fruits such as fresh corn and red onions, different cheeses, and meats feta cheese or creamy goat cheese would be a good choice.

Also, make your own croutons for your summer salad recipes, sure it requires the oven, but it won’t be on for long for this easy recipe.

My friend Alli has a great Layered Taco Salad recipe with Fritos that will become a family favorite!

Croutons Recipe

Simple Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of bread cut into cubes (your preferred size of croutons)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Ranch powder, Italian seasoning, or any seasoning of your choice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• In a bowl, drizzle olive oil evenly over the cubed bread.
• Sprinkle with Ranch powder, Italian seasoning, or seasoning of your choice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper.
• Then toss gently in the bowl until everything is coated well.
• Spread the seasoned bread in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake until golden brown (about 20 minutes, for me), make sure to turn the cubes about halfway through to ensure both sides are cooked evenly.
• The cook time will vary according to you oven, altitude, and thickness of your bread cubes.
• Once cooked remove from oven. You can use them right away or put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag. They will store well for about a week.

DIY Lunchables

DIY Lunchables are one of the hot weather friendly recipes to feed your family and any picky eater on a hot day or for lazy days of summer.

All you have to do for these easy summer meals is fill trays or Bento Boxes with your family’s favorite things like:

• crackers
• deli meats
• cheeses like fresh mozzarella
• fruit
• fresh crisp veggies
• spring rolls
• coconut milk smoothie

They are a great way to make a healthier version of this childhood lunch classic for a great summer meal.

Plus, they’re great for meal planning and meal prep with minimal effort, which is also great for fighting food waste.

You can make this healthy meal ahead and stock up the fridge for your family to grab and go when they’re ready to eat, making it convenient for families that may not be hungry or able to eat at the same time.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork is a great option and a delicious meal for a summer easy dinner to make your perfect summer weeknight meal even better. You could add fresh vegetables or potato salad on the side of this main dish.

The slow cooker or instant pot will not heat up your home, and you could even take it outside to cook, if you prefer.

If cooking outside, place a milk crate over the slow cooker and cover it with something heavy to keep neighborhood animals from helping themselves to your beautiful summer meal.

My friend Ann has the best Root Beer Barbecue Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe around! You HAVE to give it a try!

Fire Up The Grill

This is one of our favorite light summer meals – we cook dinner on the grill year-round and not just hot dogs also on the outdoor smoker.

Prepare extra meals for easy summer dinners when you grill out. Chicken is great for tossing on the grill to slowly cook with the last of the heat while your family eats their lazy summer dinner.

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Later you can use these tender chicken breasts to make a BBQ chicken dish such as chicken wraps packed with fresh ingredients and fresh veggies such as fresh tomatoes for a super easy meal.

Bulk this chicken recipe up with fresh fruit or green beans on the side. That would make the perfect summer dinner.