101+ Simple Meal Ideas for Late Summer

Uff da.

It's hot.

So what do you make for dinner when you've already made your favorite don't-you-dare-turn-the-oven-on meals a number of times over?

And when there is still a month left of picnics, barbecues, road trips, trips to the swimming pool, and just plain it’s-too-hot-to-cook-tonight meals?

So, if you’re like me and looking for healthy summer meal inspiration (or just new ways to use all the wonderfully abundant produce at this time of year!), here are a few new ideas to get you jazzed again – all the way until we’re buttoning up jackets and settling in with a hearty beef stew.

Salads

(Don’t forget these 30 Sensational Summer Salads and these 25 No-Chill, Picnic-Perfect Salads!)

• Simple and Fresh Tomato Salad
• The Best Broccoli Bacon Salad (Really Truly)
• Pasta Salad Variations: Traditional, Pizza, Spicy Red Pepper and Greek
• Fresh, Easy Chicken Salad
• “Tea Room” Chicken Salad
• Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad on Avocado
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Italian Pasta Salad
• Greek Couscous Salad
• Golden Mid-Summer Vegetable Noodle Salad
• Broccoli Salad
• Easy, Delicious Taco Salad
• Tangy Green Bean Salad with Crispy Walnuts
• Mexican Summer Coleslaw
• Primavera Potato Salad
• Simple Potato Salad with Thyme and Olive Oil
• Grilled Vegetable Salad
• Mexican Quinoa Salad
• Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Salad

Soups

• Ultimate Gazpacho
• White Gazpacho with Cucumbers and Peppers
• Chilled Avocado and Cucumber Soup
• Coconut Fish Soup
• Simple Soup for the Spring and Summer
• Summer Garden Beef Soup
• Easiest Chicken Tortilla Soup Ever
• Roasted Red Pepper and Shrimp Bisque

Lox Pizza :: Traditional Cooking School

Other Main Dishes

• Top 10 Grilling Tips
• Sausage Zucchini Bake (to use up all those zucchini!)
• Lox Pizza
• Yummy Summer Squash Pasta
• Balamiki Chicken
• Easy Homemade Burger Patties
• Dandelion Fritters
• Homemade French Fries (no oven required!)
• Mediterranean Stuffed Halibut
• Slow Cooker Refried Beans
• Slow Cooker Pork Vindaloo (or Beef, Chicken, Goat, or Lamb)
• Sourdough Reuben Picnic Buns

Cherries and Sunshine Trail Mix :: Just Making Noise

Light Bites

• Peach Salsa
• Garden Salsa
• Amazing Homemade Hummus
• Pizza Hummus
• “Dorito” Flavored Popcorn
• Pickled, Roasted Red Peppers
• Homemade Granola Bars
• 10 Easy Trail Mixes
• Sourdough Pretzel Bites

Grain-Free Apple Muesli :: Delicious Obsessions

Breakfasts

• Grain-free Apple Muesli
• Soaked Muesli with Fresh, Local Fruit
• Slow Cooker Bread Pudding
• Easy Quinoa Pancakes
• Apple Pie ‘Panadas
• Black Bean and Egg Burritos
• Gallo Pinto: A Traditional Costa Rican Breakfast

Strawberry Ice Cream :: Nourishing Joy

Desserts and Treats

(Don’t forget that the e-book, Just Making Ice Cream, which – in my not-so-humble opinion- just happens to be THE go-to resource for homemade, nourishing ice cream, is available by suggested donation and supports the on-going work of Rancho Oasis for Youth, a ministry providing serenity amid chaos in Honduras.)

• How to Make Healthy Ice Pops and Frozen Treats
• Homemade Freezer Smoothies
• Strawberry Ice Cream (Real Food Style)
• Strawberry Kefir Popsicles
• Frozen Grape “Popsicles”
• Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Coconut Coffee Ice Cream
• Breastmilk Popsicles (for the babies and toddlers in your life)
• Fabulous Fruit Pizza
• Raw Berry Cheesecakes
• Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

Drinks

• Strawberry Watermelon Slushies
• Red Raspberry Rhubarb Limeade
• Chai Kombucha
• Fruity Rosemary Spritzers
• Kombucha Cocktail (if you enjoy adult cocktails)
• Creamy Coconut Avocado Smoothie
• Honey Sweetened Lemonade
• DIY Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade
• Naturally-Sweetened Horchata
• Cucumber Mint Water

Have other recipes you love that are great for hot weather? Link them up in the comments! The more the merrier!