7 Healthy Dinner Recipes you Must Try this Summer
We are in the heart of summer here in Illinois and the last thing moms want to do is think about what’s for dinner. We all need a few go-to healthy dinner recipes on hand to make in a pinch!
Is it more difficult for you to meal-plan in the summer, too? You spend the day at a friend’s pool, make an extra stop by the park with some friends, visit with neighbors a little longer than you anticipated, or realize you haven’t finished up your outside to-do list for the day. It seems to happen every day in the summer.
(Quick side note, come back to this after you look through the rest of this post– but you might like our meal planning system. You can spend about an hour planning for the whole month– which definitely comes in handy year round, but especially during the holidays.)
Then you head inside at 6 p.m. wondering what you could possibly cook up for your family in a hurry. Usually it ends up being something quick and unhealthy like chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, or cereal for dinner.
This definitely isn’t my husband’s favorite way of living. As I described in my Healthy Homemaking post, he is a huge health-nut. He loves super healthy meals full of protein and veggies. Frozen pizza can’t work as a staple for him each week, and I’m thankful for the way he encourages healthy dinners in our home.
If you desire to make healthier family dinners on a more regular basis, it can be much easier for you with a simple meal-plan. It can be super simple in the summer or nice-weather months with healthy choices you can throw on the grill.
Looking to save money on your grocery bill? Check out this post, How to be Frugal with Groceries for tricks to feed a family cheaper.
How to make Quick, Healthy, & Simple Dinners
When deciding your meals, focus on your protein (chicken, turkey, beef, fish) and your vegetables. If you have these two things, you can put a quick and healthy meal together in no time!
Occasionally I add in a side of something less healthy, such as macaroni and cheese, crescent rolls, a slice of bread, or rice. But for quick and healthy meals, I stick with a protein and a veggie. All it takes is heating up the grill, and dinner is usually ready in under 20 minutes!
To get year-round meal inspiration, follow our “Dinner for a Family” board on Pinterest!
Top 7 Must-Try Summer Dinner Recipes
1. Beef Nachos
Check out this recipe from A Pinch of Healthy, or create your own version using your favorite nacho ingredients. Nachos are a family pleaser that everyone can get excited about. Break out your sheet pan, line with chips, add fun toppings, and heat them up!
2. Cheddar Ranch Chicken Burgers
These Chicken Burgers are a new staple in my home. Ground chicken is a cheap ingredient I love to use every week. When you add ranch seasoning and make it into a patty, it quickly makes it a kid favorite. We don’t always use buns or bacon with these, and they’re still so tasty. Add in a healthy vegetable on the side and you have a fast, delicious family dinner off the grill.
3. Grilled Sausage & Veggie Skewers
It doesn’t have to be sausage, but you should get some skewers on your summer meal plan asap. The recipe we made here is from Celebrating Sweets. My co-blogger, Jenna, shared a picture of her skewers she made from this delicious recipe inspiration.
4. Grilled Pizza
Guys. If you have not made grilled pizza on your outside grill, you’re missing out! It is easily my favorite summer dinner. You can use your own pizza crust recipe or use the one here from The Ambitious Kitchen. Get your grill real hot, throw on the rolled out (oiled) dough, let cook for a few minutes, flip then add whatever toppings you like.
I prep all of my ingredients ahead of time and put them on a platter to take everything outside together. It goes super quick once you get the dough on the grill.
Pizza options are endless: BBQ Chicken, Taco, Sausage, Veggie. Use up your leftovers! Please try this. You won’t regret it!
5. Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
I can’t wait to try this new recipe I found from Life Love Liz, a ground turkey sweet potato skillet. It’s nice to change up the protein in dinners, and this one uses ground turkey in a new way. My family loves sweet potatoes if they’re grilled up well, so this recipe is exciting because it’s healthy and looks super tasty.
6. Chicken Burrito Bowl
Do you love Chipotle as much as me? It’s fun to try to re-create the popular restaurant’s dishes, as Simply Home Cooked does here. This recipe is great for a quick summer dinner because you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Just cook up some protein, and you can put together a meal fast.
7. BLT Sandwich
The other night we were looking for a quick dinner because the day was so busy. When I saw a package of bacon in the fridge, we knew we could make some quick BLT’s. Garden tomatoes are in season now, which makes this sandwich special for this time of year. If you want a recipe to kick this simple sandwich up a notch, here’s one from The Mom 100, here.
Next Steps
Thanks for reading along and prayers to you as you gather dinners together this summer! We hope you found some inspiration for quick and healthy summer dinner options.
If you’d like to learn more about Just Homemaking you can read about intentional homemaking in our post, Modern Homemaking for Christian Moms.
You Might Also Like:
Summer Schedule for Kids (AKA Mom’s Sanity Saver!) – Now that you have dinner under control, let’s work on those kids of yours. ? Use this printable summer schedule to provide some loose structure that will keep Mom and Kids happy over summer break!
5-Day Fourth of July Devotion – Get ready to celebrate our country and your freedom in Christ with this free printable Fourth of July devotion!
Summer Dinner Recipes
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