Nutrition & Recipes
Summer Time Healthy Recipe Round Up
Jun
There’s no time like summertime to write a healthy recipe round up. Summertime lends itself to healthy eating. Local produce appears at farmers’ markets, grills are dragged out of garages and dusted off, and the warm weather begs for bright, light and fresh flavors and meals. If you’re looking for some summertime, healthy eating inspiration, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite healthy eating recipes that I’m 100% looking forward to making and sharing this summer!
Healthy Recipe Roundup
Non-Alcoholic Beverage|Strawberry-Cucumber-Lime Water by WholeFully.com
This is the best way I can think of to start this healthy recipe round up! This recipe is so simple but the flavor combination is refreshing and the finished product looks beautiful in a pitcher on the picnic table. Plus, who doesn’t need a tempting, hydrating beverage when margaritas are starting to be poured at lunch time!
Ingredients:
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced cucumber
2 limes, sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
ice
water
Make it:
In a half-gallon jar, or a 2 quart pitcher, layer the strawberries, cucumbers, lime slices, and mint leaves with the ice cubes. Fill jar or pitcher with water. Let chill for 10 minutes, and then enjoy!
Alcoholic Beverage|Caribbean Hay Maker’s Punch by JuliaHaleFitness.com
Imagine a fitness blogger putting an alcoholic beverage recipe in her healthy recipe round up. Now, imagine the recipe became your new favorite mixed drink!
Switchel, aka Hay Maker’s Punch, is my new favorite non-alcoholic beverage. It tastes like an adult version of limeade — and that’s before the alcohol is even added to this recipe! All I did was make a batch of Switchel from my recipes and use it as a mixer for dark rum. So, if you’re looking to serve a fun beverage that you KNOW no one else will be serving, this is it!
Ingredients:
Makes a full batch of Switchel:
¼ cup raw, organic apple cider vinegar
¼ cup raw, local honey
1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 quart water
For cocktail:
2 ounces dark rum
1 sprig of mint
ice
Make it:
Fill a 16 ounce mason jar with ice. Add 2 ounces of rum, a spring of fresh mint and fill to the top with homemade switchel. Cover and shake.
Vegetarian Starter|Smoky White Bean Carrot Dip by NaturallyElla.com
I’m 99% certain that I could live off of carrots and hummus, so when I found this recipe I couldn’t help but think “fate”. Chips and dip are always a go-to starter at summer get-togethers — here’s a great way to make it healthy!
Ingredients:
½ pound carrots
1 ½ cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed (reserve the liquid)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves roasted garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon smoked salt
Pink Himalayan Salt, for serving
Make it:
Give the carrots a good scrub and cut into 1” pieces. Steam the carrots until tender and place in a blender or food processor along with the white beans, roasted garlic, lemon juice, smoked paprika, cumin, and the smoked salt. Blend until smooth, adding a splash of bean liquid as needed to help the dip puree.
Transfer the dip to a bowl and top with sliced scallions, olive oil, and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
Starter: Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Sriracha Dipping Sauce by PaleOMG.com
I love my air fryer. It’s take a bit of getting used to, but I love finding new recipes (like this one), that are for sure winners. Another enticing piece of this healthy recipe: Sriracha dipping sauce. You can’t go wrong.
Ingredients:
For the shrimp
20 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 egg, whisked
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
coconut oil spray
For the sriracha dipping sauce
1/3 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sriracha
coarse salt
freshly cracked black pepper
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Make it:
Pat shrimp dry. Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl. And in another shallow bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut, salt and garlic powder.
Using one hand, coat each shrimp in the egg then place the shrimp in the coconut mixture and toss to coat with the other hand (this will keep your fingers from getting too goopy with ingredients). Repeat until all shrimp are coated. Spray the tops of the coconut shrimp with coconut oil spray.
Pull out air fryer (I have the 6 quart size) with wire basket inside. Place the spray side of the shrimp down onto the wire basket, making sure to not overcrowd the basket (i was able to do one batch, but you may need to work in batches if you have a smaller air fryer). Spray the other side with coconut oil spray until coated.
Close air fryer then turn temperature on air fryer up to 400 degrees and time up to 8 minutes. At 4 minutes, press pause then flip shrimp over and cook for another 4 minutes.
While the finish cooking, mix together mayo and sriracha.
Top shrimp with coarse salt and black pepper then dip away.
Main Dish|Chicken-Fennel Salad by MarkBittman.com
Chicken Salad, pretty much a staple of most summer time BBQs and picnics but not always a healthy recipe. This recipe keeps it light, fresh and FULL of unexpected flavors (and I love that).
Ingredients:
1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced
3 oranges, peeled, seeded if necessary, and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 pound boneless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Make it:
Prepare a grill or turn on the broiler; put the rack 4 inches from the heat source. Combine the fennel, oranges, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the dill, and half the salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Let marinate, stirring once or twice while you cook the chicken.
Rub or brush the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. When the grill or broiler is hot, put the chicken pieces directly on the grates or on a rimmed baking sheet under the broiler and cook, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side for breasts. (Figure 1 minute less per side for tenders and up to 5 minutes more per side for thighs.)
Taste and adjust the seasoning on the salad, and slice the chicken pieces as you like. Serve the chicken on top of a big scoop of the salad (or just toss everything all together).
Main Dish|Saucy Fish Tacos by SproutedKitchen.com
Fish tacos are fun, creative, healthy and delicious. I think my favorite part of this recipe is the sauce (with poblanos, cilantro and pistachios!).
Ingredients:
12 oz. white fish (use what is fresh/local for you)
1 Lime, zest and Juice
salt and pepper or lemon pepper
2 red bell peppers
3 cups green cabbage, finely sliced
1 firm peach, cut into 8 Slices
corn tortillas
Poblano cilantro sauce
1 ½ cups cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic
1 lime, zest and juice
½ cup whole Greek yogurt
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup toasted pistachios
2 roasted poblano chiles, seeds removed
1/2 tsp each garlic, salt and pepper, to taste
Make it:
Heat your grill to medium/high
Salt and pepper both sides of the fish. Rub the zest and juice into the fish, and put in a bowl to marinate.
Lightly oil the bell peppers and poblano chilies, put them on the grill and char on all sides. About 8-10 minutes. Remove peppers and chilies and put them in a plastic bag to steam. Let them sit about 10 minutes in the bag. Remove the stem and seeds, and then peel off the skins when they’re cool to the touch. They do not need to be perfect, a little black adds some smokiness. Chop the peppers up and set aside. The poblanos are for your sauce.
Put the cilantro, garlic, lime, yogurt, olive oil, pistachios and poblanos in a blender or food processor. Fully combine. Taste for salt and pepper.
Grill the fish (on extra clean grill grates to keep from sticking). Put the peaches on the grill, cut side down. Close the lid and grill for about 6 minutes. Flip the fish and peaches and grill another 4 minutes (time will vary depending on thickness of the fish). Warm the tortillas on the grill or stove top.
Main Dish|Angel Hair Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes by SkinnyTaste.com
Mid-summer, when the tomatoes and zucchini are being harvested, is on of my favorite times of the year. Healthy recipes like this on are a perfect way to use fresh, cheap ingredients to make your favorite dishes lighter.
Ingredients:
1 large zucchini, spiralized
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, diced
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
8 ounces angel hair pasta, whole wheat
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Make it:
Dessert|Hibiscus Ice Cream Float by TheAlmondEater.com
I worked at an ice cream shop during high school and we made ice cream fizzes which I totally did not understand at the time. THIS I understand. THIS is such a fun, EASY recipe and there is nothing more refreshing to eat on the lawn after a summer meal.
Ingredients:
2 hibiscus tea bags
2 cup water
1/2 cup cane sugar
3 cups sparkling water
Your favorite vanilla ice cream
Make it:
First, boil the water and sugar together, then add the tea bags and steep for a few minutes. Pour tea into a large jar and place in the refrigerator to cool.
Before serving, scoop ice cream out into cups or bowls. Then, add sparkling water to the jar with the brewed tea.
Pour hibiscus tea over ice cream and enjoy!
Dessert|GF Key Lime Tart by LexisCleanKitchen.com
I love the tangy sweetness of key lime pie, and this recipe is mane with coconut milk in the base which I’m particularly excited about! This is one of my all time favorite healthy recipes because it tastes decadent (and it is), but it still is packed with goodness.
Ingredients:
For Gluten-Free Pie Crust
1 cup almond flour
1 cup tapioca flour / starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 eggs
1 teaspoon honey
For key lime filling
3 eggs yolks
2 whole egg
2/3 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup mild honey
1/2 cup lime juice (about 5-6 limes)
1 tablespoon of lime zest
Pinch salt
For Honey Meringue (optional)
3 egg whites
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt
Make it:
For crust: In a food processor combine almond flour, tapioca flour, salt and cold butter and pulse until the butter is broken down into pea-sized pieces.
Add in egg and honey and process until the dough comes together.
Once ready, press the dough into the tart shell and press in the dough until it lines the tart shell.
Place in the freezer to chill until firm, about 20 minutes. (If using the nut-free crust, you do not need to chill, you can bake it right away)
Preheat oven to 350ºF and place a 9″ tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
To par-bake the crust: Once dough is chilled using a fork prick the bottom of the pastry (to help steam escape). Then line the shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dried beans or dried rice. Bake in preheated oven f0r 15 minutes. Then remove pie weights and parchment and bake for 5 more minutes until the bottom crust is cooked through.
Meanwhile make filling: In a bowl whisk together all of the filling ingredients until combined. Pour into par-baked tart shell and carefully return to oven to bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is set.
Remove and let cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then move to the refrigerator to chill, at least 2 hours.
For Meringue Topping (optional): After pie is cool, in a clean bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer add egg whites, honey, vanilla extract and salt. (see note)
With a clean whisk attachment, beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
Either pipe or spoon meringue onto tart. You can broil the topping until golden, or use a kitchen torch to brown, or you can leave it as is.
Tart will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, without meringue topping.
