Healthy & Quick Weeknight Meal Ideas for Summer

It is challenging to accommodate cooking in the midst of a busy lifestyle as ours. While we still want delicious food, we end up ordering takeaway dinners because of lack of time. However, you can make some delicious meals with a little bit of food prep beforehand. Weekly meal preps save your time while helping you to prepare a healthy meal. Check out these healthy recipes for summer weeknight dinners:

•  Rice with Grilled Orange Tofu & Bok Choi

Steam some brown basmati rice with some star anise and bay leaf. Steam some bok choi while cooking the rice. In a bowl, mix sweet chili sauce, soy, orange juice, zest, honey, chili flakes, and vinegar. In a hot grill pan, heat sesame oil. Add big pieces of tofu and grill until char marks appear. Brush the glaze on the tofu while grilling. Serve a portion of the steamed rice, and top with the grilled tofu and steamed bok choi.

• Falafel Wrap:

To make the falafel, blitz chickpeas, flour, coriander leaves, parsley, cumin, salt, and pepper. Form into small balls and deep fry in vegetable oil. To make the tzatziki drizzle, mix some Greek yogurt, lime juice, zest, chopped dill, a pinch of salt and pepper. Warm the pita bread in a toaster oven. Add a layer of hummus, lettuce, tomato, falafel and top with the tzatziki drizzle. This Lebanese wrap is delicious, and the leftover falafels can be stored for later.

• Gnocchi in Tomato & Basil Sauce:

Cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water and set it aside. In a pan, sauté garlic in olive oil, add chopped cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, basil leaves and cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the gnocchi and finish with fresh basil leaves. Garnish with fresh parmesan and pepper. This quick meal can be made in a larger portion and refrigerated for later.

• Mexican Tortilla Soup:

This soup makes for a refreshing summertime dinner. In a pot, sauté some garlic in olive oil. Add cooked cannelloni beans, kidney beans, and butter beans. Add tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes and add veggie stock. Add a corn tortilla and gently simmer the soup for 30 minutes. Add some baby spinach leaves just before removing from heat. Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with some fresh avocado slices and a dollop of coconut yogurt. Garnish with crushed pepper, coriander leaves and serve warm.

With these tasty recipes in your arsenal, get cooking instead of ordering. These quick summer meals are guaranteed to satiate even the most prolific foodie.