21 Easy Summer Recipes

Shorts and sandals weather is officially here!

The sun is shining, but it’s not meltingly hot yet, and I, for one, am itching to spend the entire weekend outdoors.

The plan: Putting the oven on summer vacation and focus on firing up the grill.

I like to grill one or two lean meats, a vegetarian option, and a table full of veggie-centric side dishes.

Instead of putting out plastic bottles of ketchup and mustard, I like to make a healthy homemade condiment like chimichurri, which tastes great on burgers, chicken, and fish.

For dessert, I keep things light with fresh fruit or something frozen and refreshing like healthy popsicles.

Here’s a spread of healthy summer recipes for your family!

Main Dishes

Burgers With Roasted Garlic and Rosemary

No summer barbecue is complete without grilled burgers. Roasted garlic and fresh rosemary make these burgers extra flavorful.

Adding grated zucchini to the lean ground beef helps keep the burgers moist, and it’s almost undetectable, so it’s a clever way to sneak extra veggies into your diet. Try this with turkey burgers, too.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Green, 1 Red, 2 Yellow

2B Mindset Plate It! Serve open-faced using half of the whole-grain hamburger bun. Add a side salad or veggies for lunch.

Ginger Soy Flank Steak

Flavors of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and honey combine to create an umami sauce that takes lean flank steak to another level of delicious.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Red, ½ Yellow

2B Mindset Plate It! Add a side salad or veggies for dinner. Add veggies and an FFC for lunch.

Grilled Pork Chops With Peach and Jalapeno Salsa

This flavorful peach and jalapeño salsa makes a superb summertime topping for grilled pork chops. It’s easy to make and is ready in minutes.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: ½ Purple, 1 Red

2B Mindset Plate It! Serve with a side of veggies to make a great lunch option.

Cedar Plank Salmon With Maple Glaze

Look like a gourmet chef at your barbecue with this easy-to-execute recipe.

Cooking salmon on cedar planks imparts a wonderful flavor and protects the fish from burning or sticking to the grill.

A simple maple syrup glaze with lemon juice and ginger adds a touch of sweetness without making this salmon too sweet.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1½ Red ½ Yellow, 1½ tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! Serve with veggies and an FFC at lunch or veggies for dinner.

Grilled Chicken Dijon

How many barbecues have you been to where someone threw a bunch of plain chicken breasts on the grill, and maybe seasoned them with salt and pepper or slathered them with barbecue sauce?

Pretty boring, right?

Well, this chicken Dijon recipe will give chicken lovers something to be excited about!

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Red, 1 ½ tsp

2B Mindset Plate It! Add a side salad or veggies for dinner. Add veggies and an FFC for lunch.

Chicken Pizza

This healthy pizza is topped with lean chicken, fresh ingredients, and a touch of Parmesan cheese. Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: ½ Green, 2 Yellow, 1 tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! Serve with additional protein and a side salad for lunch.

Portobello Burgers

Marinating these hearty, portobello burgers infuses them with the flavors of garlic and balsamic vinegar and they take only minutes to cook. They’re a great vegetarian option for grilling season! Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 2 Green, 2 Yellow, 1 ½ tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! Serve open-faced with a protein at lunch.

Jerk Chicken

Looking for a little — or a lot — of spice? This recipe for jerk chicken has it in spades. Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Red, 1 tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! Serve with veggies and an FFC at lunch or veggies for dinner.

Side Dishes

Buffalo Chicken Tenders With Blue Cheese Dip

These tangy, spicy chicken tenders dipped in creamy blue cheese sauce will get their appetites ready for the main course.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Red, 1 tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! Add veggies to make this a great snacktional.

Taco Salad

We gave the classic taco salad a makeover and transformed it into a healthy summer recipe. Get it here!

Container Equivalents: 1½ Green, 1 Red, 1 Yellow, ½ Blue, ½ tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! A great lunch option. Replace tortillas with more veggies for dinner.

Spinach Salad With Quinoa, Chickpeas, and Paprika Dressing

This colorful salad is a show-stopper. Quinoa and chickpeas give it a hearty serving of protein, but the stars of the recipe are the paprika dressing and the full cup of torn mint leaves.

Once you taste this salad, you’ll want to add mint to all of your salads.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: ½ Green, 1½ Yellow, ½ Blue, ½ tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! A great lunch option for the vegan plan. For non-vegans, replace beans OR quinoa with a protein for lunch.

Summer Chickpea Salad

This salad of crunchy radishes, juicy cherry tomatoes, mild green onions, avocado, chickpeas, and feta is delicious with or without lettuce.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Green, 1 Yellow, 1 ½ tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! Makes a great veggie and FFC side as part of breakfast or lunch.

Watermelon and Feta Salad With Mint

This super refreshing salad takes all the classic flavors of summer and combines them into one. With a little cheese added for good measure.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Purple, ½ Blue, 1½ tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! Makes a great FFC side as part of breakfast or lunch.

Black Bean Salad

Corn, black beans, red bell pepper, and cilantro become best friends in this super-simple salad.

It can be eaten right away but tastes even better after chilling for an hour or two.

Get the recipe and try it this summer with Margarita Chicken.

Container Equivalents: ½ Green, 1 Yellow

2B Mindset Plate It! Makes a great FFC side as part of breakfast or lunch.

Lentil and Feta Salad

This lentil salad takes a little bit of effort to chop all of those fresh veggies and herbs, but once you’re done, you’ve got enough food for a week’s worth of meals or a party of hungry guests.

Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Green, 1 Yellow, ½ Blue, 1 tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It!
Makes a great FFC as part of breakfast or lunch.

Desserts

No-Churn Chocolate Peanut Butter Shakeology Ice Cream

Chocolate. Peanut butter. Ice cream. Need we say more? Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Purple, 1 Red, 3 tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! A great breakfast option.

Grilled Watermelon Wedges

The next time you fire up the barbecue, throw some wedges of watermelon on the grill.

Cooking fruit this way enhances its sweetness and adds a touch of smoky flavor.

Other fruits to try: pineapple slices, halved peaches and grapefruit, and strawberries on a skewer. Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1½ Purple, ½ tsp.

2B Mindset Plate It! Makes a great FFC side as part of breakfast or lunch.

Lemonade Popsicles

What’s more refreshing than lemonade on a hot summer day? These lemonade popsicles are made with fresh lemons and honey. Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1/2 Yellow

2B Mindset Plate It! Enjoy this as an occasional treat. Be sure to track it.

Strawberry Lemonade Shakeology

Strawberry lemonade combines the zesty flavor of lemons with the sweetness of fresh strawberries. We use a secret ingredient to make this recipe extra tasty! Get the recipe.

Container Equivalents: 1 Red

2B Mindset Plate It! A great snacktional or enjoy as part of breakfast.