A Complete Light and Healthy Summertime Meal

Cooking nutritious, light, and tasty meals, to compliment the hot and sunny days of summer is one of my favourite things to do! Today, I am going to share my go-to healthy summertime meal with you – complete with an appetizer, main dish, and dessert!

1. The Appetizer: A Summer Salad

Starting a meal with dark, leafy greens like spinach is a simple and delicious way to increase your intake of protein, fibre, and minerals.

This summer salad makes use of an assortment of fresh veggies, nuts, dried fruit, and a healthy homemade dressing, for the perfect green appetizer.

Salad Ingredients:

• Spinach
• Chopped carrots, onions, snap peas, tomatoes
• Dried cranberries
• Diced avocado
• Sliced cashews

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Directions:

1. Mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle over salad.

 

2. The Main Dish: Salmon

Salmon is a known superfood boasting omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, iron, and more.

Perfectly seared, and paired with grilled asparagus and naturally sweet mashed yams, salmon is the perfect summer meal to leave you feeling full and satisfied, but not heavy.

 

Ingredients:

• Wild-caught salmon
• Asparagus
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Yams

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a pan with foil and place salmon skin side down. Rub with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. For every ½ inch of salmon, cook for 4–6 minutes.
3. While the salmon is cooking, rinse and chop off the hard ends of asparagus. Mix with olive oil, lemon, and garlic. Let stand for a few minutes to absorb the juices.
4. Reduce oven to 400 degrees and cook asparagus for 15–20 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.
5. Meanwhile, cut the yams into ½-inch round pieces (skin can stay on).
6. Bring ¾-inch of water to a boil in a pan, place yams into boiling water and cover, reducing heat to low – for 15 minutes or until yams are easily pierced with a fork.
7. Once done, mash yams with a fork and remove the skin (per preference).

3. The Appetizer: A Summer Smoothie

A healthy, fruit smoothie, using your choice of nut milk, is the perfect sweet treat to cap off a great meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup coconut milk or almond milk
• Handful of frozen berries
• Handful of spinach

Keep in mind the fruit-to-liquid ratio. Too much liquid and your smoothie will be very runny. Not enough, and it will be too thick. Depending on how big your banana is and how many berries or spinach you put in – you may need to use more or less – adjust as needed and enjoy!

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