Summer Time Dinner Meal Ideas

kmart20

Since its hot out I am trying to find good dinner ideas that are healthy to eat (besides grilling chicken). What are some of your favorite summer time dinner recipes?

XxBri22xX

I am getting tired of grilling chicken also. Hopefully people give some good recipes!

officiallymrswhite

Salmon (broiled or grilled with EVOO and lemon and pepper seasoning), sauteed yellow summer squash, turkey kielbasa (grilled or pan friend)

shonasteele

Salads or wraps are nice and don't require cooking. Grill some extra chicken and save for the next day's dinner.

abalicious

I don't have a recipe but it's pretty basic... my mom always makes veggie kabobs with green and red peppers, squash, tomato, and onion (usually chicken too but you said no chicken lol) plus she seasons it (I don't know how but it's tastyy), we'll have watermelon and berries on the side, plus a corn and black bean salad. it's delicious!

ohiogirl30

try something without meat. I love vegetable skewers on the grill!

RillSoji

Made this one up last night and it was delish. Check my diary on 7/11/11 for stats.

Simply Summer Salmon Supper
Serves 2 | 20 min cook time | 594 calories

2 Salmon Filets
2 Tbl Olive Oil, divided
1 Tbl Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Dill, dried
2 Tbl Lemon Juice
1 Zucchini, medium
1 Yellow Squash, medium
1 Tbl Tuscani Spice Blend (or garlic powder and salt/pepper)
2 cups Baby Spinach
10 Raspberries
10 Mandarin Orange wedges
1 Tbl Raspberry Vinaigrette
4 Medium/Large Strawberries
6 Cherries, pitted
1/2 cup Vanilla Yogurt

Whisk together 1 Tbl of oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and dill. Coat salmon in the mixture then place salmon in a pan over medium heat. Pour remaining oil mixture over the salmon. Cook until done, turning no more than twice. 6-12 minutes depending on thickness of fillets.

Meanwhile, slice zucchini and squash on an angle. Toss in remaining olive oil and tuscani spices. Saute in a pan over medium-high heat until desired doneness. 6-8 minutes.

Toss together raspberries, mandarin oranges, spinach and vinaigrette. (Add nuts if desired!)

Dice the strawberries and cherries and toss in yogurt for dessert.

JuJuB3ans

I, too, am so tired of chicken...BUT... I found an article in Womens Health May 2011 (borrowed the mag) called "Cook once, eat for the week". Yes, it is chicken, but every single recipe is soooo scrumptous. It called for a roasting chicken then all the recipes are made from it, but I used chicken tenderloins. Each recipe made two servings so I was able to eat it for dinner then lunch the next day. Also, the recipes were in the calorie counter already so it was real easy to add it to my tracker. The dinners were really quick to make, less than 20 minutes. The recipes should be online at womenshealthmag.com. Good luck!

angebean

There are a bunch of really good food blogs out there.

Check out www.kalynskitchen.com or hungrygirl.com. Or, you can google healthy summer recipes and see what it returns. There are many great websites and food blogs.

k4mom

Jenny O Apple Smoked (marinated) Turkey breast tenderloins on the grill; or you can pan sear them then finish off in the oven 375-400 degrees (depends on your time needs) in a foil covered baking dish. Very juicey. Could use for kebobs too.
I served it with steamed caluliflower, and brown & wild rice (Uncle Bens has some good flavored rice - not too bad for calories) Watermelon for dessert!

harleygurl72

Just made a White Bean and Tuna Salad this evening.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/287864-white-bean-and-tuna-salad?page=1#posts-3802177

Katie320

My mother-in-law makes absolutely amazing marinated pork kabobs. I don't have her exact recipe, but it's pretty similar to this: http://everydayrussian.com/?p=50.

This is only for the meat, but you could easily throw on some bell peppers, onion, potatoes. YUM! I love roasted potatoes on kabobs like this because I get the potato taste I'm craving without eating an entire potato.

kmparks24

This is oh so yummy... Nothing beats it during the summer served with baked chicken, grilled chicken, or pan seared in olive oil and lemon juice. Just a note, this tastes SOOOO fantastic at room temperature. I hope you try it and enjoy if you do!

Ingredients
2 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted (if desired)
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled) (I dont use feta although I love it... saves some calories)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.


Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

bstamps12

You can do kabob skewers with just about anything. My favorites are chicken and/or shrimp, mushrooms, pineapple, grape tomatoes, and onions. They are easy to make and if you change out the veggies/fruits and meat, it makes a completely different meal. I found a great marinade for them at dashingdish.com and it was delicious!

Also, if you switch out sauce and seasoning on your grilled chicken along with the sides, I have found that to be enough to satisfy me in the past. Watch the sodium in sauce and seasoning, but the flavors they add make it taste totally different! Do you have a grill basket? I buy frozen stir fry veggies and grill them in the basket alongside chicken or shrimp. I also love grilled pineapple slices, great to top my chicken, eat as a side, or top a burger.

And while burgers are usually a no-no, Jeannie-O makes a delicious frozen turger burger patty. There are 3 varieties I believe, some with seasoning and some without, and by the time you add tomato, onion, and ketchup, you will never know they aren't real burgers. I've made them for friends w/o saying they are turkey burgers and they all say "this is the best burger!"