3 No-Cook Dinner Ideas For When It’s Too Hot To Cook

If you’re anything like me, the thought of turning on the oven in the summertime to make myself a healthy dinner after work is just not appealing. This usually leads me to order out, creating an expensive and unhealthy habit.

So, to get us through the long summer days, I have put together a few recipes that require little to no cooking while giving you everything you need to feel nourished.

Summer Salad

Not only is salad a great way to get in lots of nutrients, it is also easy to prep and highly customizable. I am going to recommend one of my favorite flavor combos, but just know that you can really substitute whatever fruit is in season, a different protein or dressing and it’ll still be just as delectable!

Ingredients (serves four)

• 4 cups Greens of your choice (spinach, kale, red leaf, or butter lettuce are all great choices

• 2 cups Arugula

• 1 cup Strawberries, cut into pieces

• Handful of pumpkin seeds

• About 12 ounces of rotisserie chicken or both breasts, shredded

• 1 Shallot, sliced thin

• 1/2 cup of goat cheese or feta cheese

• Balsamic dressing to taste

Prep is easy, just cut up your ingredients and toss them all into a large mixing bowl. Add dressing to taste and toss again. You can also leave off the dressing and keep the prepped salad in the fridge, making it easy to grab a bowl throughout the week.

Tuna Rice Bowl

Okay, this one requires a little bit of prep, but don’t knock it just yet. Rice prep is a lot easier with a rice cooker, which you can just set and forget and won’t warm up your house like the stove might. There is also no shame in microwaveable rice packets! Save some time and cut corners when it helps you make good choices.

This is almost like a DIY poke bowl except the fish is tinned and it may not be as aesthetically pleasing. It is, however, incredibly easy to throw together and is a great meal to throw together after work.

Ingredients (serves one)

• 1 cup of steamed white or brown rice

• 1 can of line-caught tuna or your favorite tinned fish

• 1 tbsp of mayo or greek yogurt

• 1 tsp of sriracha sauce

• 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger or a pinch of dried ginger

• A drizzle of honey

• 1/2 cucumber, sliced thin

• 1 green onion, chopped

• Sesame seeds for garnish

To make it, prep your veggies and set them aside. In a bowl combine the drained tuna and mayo, sriracha, ginger, honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until fully combined and add on top of a bowl of rice. add in your cucumbers on the side and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Cowboy Caviar

This is an amazing, protein and fiber packed meal that uses canned food to make your life much easier. You can bulk it up even more with some shredded rotisserie chicken.

The best part is that it gets better as it sits in the fridge when all of the ingredients can marinate together, so you may want to add this into the meal prep rotation.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 1 can of corn

• 1 can of black or pinto beans

• 1 can of diced tomatoes with chiles

• 1 red onion, diced

• 1 avocado, diced

• 1 bell pepper, diced

• 1 clove of garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped

• Optional - 1 jalepeño, diced

Cowboy caviar prep is super easy. Just dice up all of your ingredients and mix it all together with some salt and pepper in a big bowl. You can enjoy your cowboy caviar as a dip by scooping it up with corn chips, eat it over a bowl of rice, or even just eat it on it’s own as a salad!