Craving healthy dinners but can’t find the time to get them made? Yea, we feel you, and that’s why we’re challenging ourselves to get back to the basics and back to the rhythm of summer meal prep and planning.
Each season’s style of meal prep and meal planning is a little different. Not just in the choice of recipes you crave, but how you meal plan and prep.
So if getting out and living your best life this summer has left you in in the meal planning rut, here are a few ideas and hacks to get back on track.
Summer Meal Planning Hacks
Grab a rotisserie chicken, or two. Shred the chicken and make a healthier creamy chickensalad, or mix the shredded chicken with Mexican seasonings or guac for light mid-week tacos, or top it over your favorite greens with strawberries and avocado for a fresh and tasty lunch or dinner. It’s a solid source of protein that you didn’t have to cook.
Take advantage of the fresh seasonal produce that doesn’t need a lot of attention. Unlike winter where the produce tends to be more root vegetable-based that requires cooking, summer is the prime time for juicy, flavorful, and delicious raw fruits and veggies. Take advantage and create a meal of stackable bites with a creamy cucumber tzatziki dip.
Have a good salad dressing or sauce each week. The sauce makes the dish, at least in our minds and having one simple dressing or master sauce like this Asian-flavored one can entice you to stick around and make that quick meal at home rather than driving through a fast food restaurant. Use it as an easy marinade for meat or chicken and then extend it for a grain or healthy noodle bowl for super easy summer eats.
Prep some freezer foods like smoothie packs, healthy granola bars or even yogurt pops that can cool you down and fill you up at the same time.
Stick to the batch cooking system. Each week cook one grain, one vegetable, one salad, one protein, and one sauce – then develop the art of layering your foods to make them stretch into multiple meals.
Remember, healthy eating and delicious meals don’t have to be difficult.
In fact, some of the best flavors come from the fewest ingredients. Stick to what you know, try new recipes only when you have time and focus on the flavors of the season. Most importantly, get back to your planner and write in your meal plan for next week.
It’s one less decision and one big stressor you have to make every day.
If you need some help coming up with a meal plan, check out these 20 Healthy Dinners Made in a Snap!
Don’t forget to check out our Batch Cooking Basics Guide, where you’ll learn the REAL secrets to successful meal prep, and it starts with just a few simple recipes. Thank you for following Nourished Planner, and see more on Instagram and Facebook. Sign up for our FREE Weekly Meal Plans and Shopping Lists emailed to your inbox here, and sign up for the Nourished Life Challenge here.
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