- When I think of summer,
I think of getting out of the house,
enjoying the sunshine and not spending a million hours
cooking over a hot stove.
Sound like the ideal summer to you too?
Well get excited because I'm about to show you
how to make a week's worth of easy, fresh summer meals
that come together with minimal to no cooking time at all.
Hey guys, welcome back to my channel.
It's Taylor from The Girl and Galore.
I show you how to make easy, healthy recipes
that you can live your best life.
And speaking of living your best life,
it's time to make the most out of summer
with some fresh flavors and light, easy meals
to help simplify healthy eating.
I want to help you get outside, join patio season,
hit up the beach, go to a pool
and basically just soak in everything summer has to offer.
So I'll be showing you how to make
some very easy summer meals that will get you
in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible.
To celebrate the season and get you in the mood
for summer eats, I'm also giving you
a free seven day summer meal plan for you to download
where you can find everything
I'm gonna be cooking up here today.
Get your free summer menu in the description of this video.
We'll be making everything
from some yogurt parfaits for breakfast.
They make the best use of summer fruit.
Then I'll be showing you how to make a delicious,
no cook chick pea salad for lunch.
From there, I'll be showing you how to make
six easy dinners that make the most
out of all the fresh produce right now.
Everything from fresh salads to my favorite thing
to throw on the grill to an easy summer sandwich
that comes together in just 15 minutes.
I've prepped some of my ingredients ahead of time
to help these meals come together super quickly
and I am so excited to share my food prep strategy with you
in another video
so be on the lookout for that one on my channel coming soon.
Now without further ado, let's get started.
So first on our summer menu
are these five minute breakfast parfaits.
I love making a set of them ahead of time
so that you can grab one out of the fridge
when you're on the go.
They're even great as a healthy snack for picnic
and beach days if you have a cooler to store them in.
So to make them,
you're going to take a quarter cup of Greek yogurt,
then add it to the bottom of your jar.
You can use a little more if you'd like some more protein.
After making these so many times, I just tend to eyeball it.
You can use any type of Greek yogurt you'd like.
I tend to use vanilla,
but you can always use plain Greek yogurt
mixed with a tiny bit of honey
to better control the added sugars.
You will want it to be a little sweet though.
Trust me on that.
From there, you'll add a quarter cup of granola.
I have a delicious homemade granola recipe I've linked to
in the description that you can meal prep ahead of time,
but you can totally use store-bought to save time.
Just look for an option
with the lowest amount of sugars possible.
From there, you'll just add whatever fruit is in season.
I love that in peaches,
mango and fresh berries this time of year.
Repeat the process for four or five jars,
and then you have breakfast set for the week.
Next up is our chick pea salad jars,
which have to be my favorite no cook lunch on the blog.
Take a large bowl and add two tablespoons of olive oil,
one quarter cup of lemon juice, two cans of chickpeas,
one quarter cup of Julian sun dried tomatoes,
one small diced red onion,
one third of a cup of sliced cherry tomatoes,
one can of artichoke hearts,
one third of a cup of fresh parsley,
one teaspoon of dry thyme,
and then one teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper.
Mix that all up together to combine
then divide the whole thing among four Mason jars.
And just like that, lunch is done.
Now for my favorite summer dinner ideas.
When you download your free seven day menu,
you'll see that I've included lots of salads
because there are mostly no cooked meal ideas
that are also super filling,
but I haven't just given you
boring old veggies and dressing.
As you've already seen,
we have switched it up with the chickpea salad jars.
For this week's dinners,
we've got a strawberry spinach salad,
a Santa Fe chicken salad,
burger lettuce wraps and shrimp salad
and toasted brioche buns.
I really just want to show you how versatile salads are
and that you can enjoy fresh flavors
without feeling as though you're eating
the same thing every day.
Along with these salads,
we'll also be whipping up my favorite
foil pack potato nachos for the grill,
and then making a 15 minute caprice grilled cheese.
Let's start with the strawberry spinach salad.
Now I typically do food prep on Sundays
so when I did mine this week,
I made the dressing for the salad ahead of time,
mixing together two tablespoons of olive oil,
two tablespoons of red wine vinegar,
one tablespoon of honey, one teaspoon of Dijon mustard,
and then one pinch each of salt and pepper.
I also cook the chicken on the grill during my prep day
so that I could just add it in when I go to make the salad.
This is a great way to reduce the time
you spend cooking during the week
so that you can get back to enjoying the weather.
All you need to do is take four chicken cutlets,
then season with salt and pepper, add a touch of olive oil,
either barbecue the chicken or saute in a skillet
for five minutes per side.
Once you've got the chicken cooked,
you'll let it rest before slicing up into bite sized pieces.
When you're ready to eat the salad,
you'll take a large bowl
and then add a container of spinach,
half a pound of strawberries, half of a sliced red onion,
and then a quarter cup of walnuts.
Shake your dressing up,
toss your salad then divide among salad bowls
and top with sliced chicken and a bit of feta
or goat cheese, and voila, perfect summer salad number one.
Now I'm going to show you how to make a lighter version
of a summer burger with these burger lettuce wraps.
I've already mixed together half a cup of light mayo,
one tablespoon of barbecue sauce,
half a teaspoon of garlic powder
and half a teaspoon of paprika to make the special sauce
and I've also grated half a cup of cheese
to top the burgers with.
Now what you need to do
is take one pound of extra lean ground beef
and mix in half a teaspoon of salt
and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper.
Once that's all good and mixed in,
divide the beef into eight small balls
flattening on a baking sheet into patties.
Now you're ready to either grill or fry them.
You can barbecue or fry for one to two minutes each side.
Excuse me while I run downstairs to barbecue these
on my condo's rooftop amenity area.
When the burgers are done cooking,
top one burger patty with cheese,
then stick another one over top.
You've got stacked burgers ready to go.
Lay your burgers on lettuce leaves,
then top of pickles, tomatoes, and onions.
Drizzle with your special sauce
and a classic summer feast is served, no bun required.
Next up, we're going to make the Santa Fe chicken salad.
This is a delicious copycat of the salad at Chili's.
I eat this year round, not just in the summer.
I grilled and sliced the chicken
with a bit of taco seasoning and olive oil,
much like I did with the chicken
for the strawberry spinach salad
and this can save you so much time during the week
when you actually throw the salad together.
I also prep the Santa Fe sauce ahead of time,
mixing together one third of a cup of light mayo,
one tablespoon of lime juice, one tablespoon of water,
half teaspoon of chili powder, half teaspoon of paprika,
half teaspoon of onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.
When you're ready to serve the salad,
toss one head of chopped romaine lettuce
with just a little bit of ranch dressing
and top with sliced chicken, a bit of sliced avocado,
some pico de gallo, cilantro and tortilla strips.
Drizzle your Santa Fe sauce over top,
and then you're ready to serve and enjoy.
This salad is a salad to end all salads,
you just have to try it.
Now here is one of my absolute favorite summer recipes
and that's these foil pack potato nachos.
They're basically loaded potatoes
and you can make them anywhere.
As long as you have a grill or a campfire, you are golden.
Slice up six medium size red potatoes into thin coins
then toss them in a large bowl
with one tablespoon of olive oil,
one tablespoon of taco seasoning,
one teaspoon of garlic powder and one teaspoon of salt.
Create four foil pouches and divide the potatoes
among each so that each person you're serving
can add their own toppings to each one.
Once you've created your foil pouches,
you'll then cover with more foil.
Now I'm going to run down to my grill again
and barbecue these over high heat for 15 minutes.
You can also bake them in the oven at 400 degrees
for 30 minutes.
From there, you'll add about one cup
of grated cheddar cheese to your cooked potatoes
along with any toppings.
I'm adding some cooked turkey bacon,
black beans, red pepper, jalapeno peppers, and green onions,
but you can feel free to get creative here
or even just make them vegetarian.
Return to the grill and cook another five minutes
without the cover and you've got
the best travel-friendly grilling recipe possible.
Seriously, you can take these camping,
eat them up at the cottage, wherever you'd like.
We've got two more recipes
and then we can and get to downloading
your weekly summer meal plans
so that you can make these recipes yourself at home.
Now I've got one more salad for you,
and that is my delicious shrimp salad.
I was kind of going for a whole play
on a lobster roll thing, but make it cheaper.
This one is super easy and comes together
in 15 to 20 minutes,
you barely even have to take a break from the sun.
First up, you're going to add one third
of a cup of light mayo to a bowl
then add a quarter cup of sour cream.
Add one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice,
then two tablespoons of fresh chives,
two tablespoons fresh dill,
three quarters of a teaspoon of salt
and a quarter teaspoon pepper.
Mix that together in a large bowl,
then add one pound of cooked shrimp.
You can usually find it pre-cooked
in the frozen section of your local grocery store
so all you need to do is defrost in the fridge overnight,
and then stir it in with your creamy herby sauce.
I recommend letting the whole thing sit for a few minutes
for the flavors to mingle.
From there, you can toast your brioche buns in the meantime.
Once those are good to go, add your shrimp salad,
then serve and enjoy.
How's that for the quickest dinner ever?
Now, I just want to introduce you to one more recipe
and that is another 15 minute favorite,
my caprice grilled cheese.
So all you're going to do for this one
is take a couple slices of bread, butter them,
then heat a skillet over medium low heat.
Add a few slices of buffalo mozzarella to your bread
along with slices of tomato and red onion.
I also like to season with a little bit of salt and pepper.
Add your sandwich to the pan bread side down,
then cook for a few minutes per side,
watching to make sure it doesn't burn.
You can always cover your pan with a lid
to help with the cheese melting process.
When your cheese is melted,
remove the sandwich from heat and open it up,
shoving a few fresh basil leaves in there.
You can also add in some balsamic glaze
if you'd really like to take the flavor over the top
and then you're good to enjoy.
How easy are all of these summer meals I showed you today?
They're seriously going to get you in and out of the kitchen
so quickly so that you can get back
to enjoying the short amazing season.
So I guess my final question to you now
is which one are you going to enjoy first?
Be sure to leave me a comment below
because I'd love to hear
which of these recipes you're going to try.
Don't forget to download your free seven day meal plan
in the description below this video as well
for all of the recipes I showed you how to make today.
If you end up trying any of them,
tag me on Instagram @TheGirlandGalore
so that I can share your picks.
Here's to the best summer ever.
Thanks so much for hanging with me here in my kitchen today,
I've got a lot of eating to do, as you can see.
Check out some more fun summer ideas
right here on my channel
and I'll see you here again real soon.