Your Effortless Summer Meal Plan (40+ Recipes!)
If you’re looking for an effortless summer meal plan, you’re in the right place! With over 40+ fast & fresh easy summer recipes, this ultimate list of summer meals includes summer dinner ideas, healthy summer lunch ideas, and refreshing breakfast ideas for fewer decisions and less stress this season.
This easy Summer Capsule Meal Plan is designed to help you eliminate decision fatigue when it comes to light summer meals, give you tons of summer meal ideas, including plenty of easy summer dinner ideas! These easy recipes are organized into a seasonal capsule meal plan including 25+ easy summer dinners (by meal type), summer lunch ideas, and quick summer breakfasts.
Effortless Summer Meal Plan: Table of Contents
Click below to go directly to the healthy summer meals!
- Grilling Ideas for Dinner
- Big Batch + Meal Prep Summer Dinners
- Summer Tacos
- Healthy Summer Dinner Bowls
- Light Summer Skillet Meals
Download the Free 5-Week Summer Meal Plan
What’s a Capsule Meal Plan?
I came up with the concept of a capsule meal plan because it is a way to get delicious meals on the table without the stress of meal planning from just a blank slate. Similar to the concept of a capsule wardrobe, capsule meal planning reduces daily decision fatigue while still leaving plenty of room for flexibility for fresh and easy summer meals.
So just as a capsule wardrobe allows you to decide ahead of time which pieces of clothing go together to make an outfit, a capsule meal plan does the same for your meal planning by allowing you to decide ahead of time on your meal categories.
This easy meal plan includes five easy summer dinner recipe meal categories: grilling, summer meal prep, simple tacos, healthy summer meals in a bowl, and quick summer meals in a skillet. For each category, I’ve included five summer dishes. To follow the meal plan, simply assign a recipe category to each night of the week, then rotate through the recipes within each category each week. Then, just like that you’ll have a 5-week meal plan with no repeats and no decision fatigue! I’ve also included easy lunch ideas perfect for summer, as well as fast and fresh breakfast ideas in this meal plan as well.
These Recipes Are…
Easy Summer Meal Plan: Summer Dinner Ideas
Grilling Ideas for Dinner
Lemon Chicken Marinade
This easy lemon chicken marinade gives chicken a ton of fresh flavor thanks to just a few ingredients and a simple marinade trick. The ultimate in simple sauces, just five minutes of prep yields the most juicy, flavorful chicken you've ever tasted.
Ingredients: olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, sugar, dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, garlic, chicken.
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Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade
This quick Greek yogurt chicken marinade is easy to prepare with a few simple ingredients and yields super tender and flavorful grilled or baked chicken every time. If you’ve never tried yogurt-marinated chicken before, then you’ve got to try this recipe!
Ingredients: Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, chicken breasts (or thighs) and salt.
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Grilled Salmon Salad with Sweet Basil Vinaigrette
Protein-packed and full of flavor, Grilled Salmon Salad with Sweet Basil Vinaigrette is a simple weeknight dinner that’s special enough for entertaining.
Looking for more easy salmon recipes? You'll love these sheet pan ginger-orange salmon bowls
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Grilled Corn Loaded Guacamole Pasta
Grilled Corn Loaded Guacamole Pasta is lusciously creamy and packed with veggie goodness. A simple, delicious vegetarian main dish everyone will love!
Add this easy pasta recipe to your list too! This garden pasta salad with homemade italian dressing has lots of fresh ingredients & can be made ahead.
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Honey Orange Dijon Chicken Skewers
These Honey Orange Dijon Chicken Skewers are delicious in bowls, fresh salads or served as wraps – perfect for meal prep or easy dinners on busy weeks. The easy marinade combines citrus, sage, honey and dijon mustard & doubles as a sauce to drizzle on the chicken when it's hot off the grill!
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Summer Dinner for a Crowd
Crockpot BBQ Chicken (2-Ingredients!)
This wildly easy 2-ingredient crockpot bbq chicken can be prepped in no time using store-bought or homemade sauce, yielding deliciously tender and versatile pulled chicken. Perfect for meal prep on busy weeks!
Ingredients: chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) and chipotle BBQ sauce (or store bought barbecue sauce).
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Easy Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
Easy to make and oh-so satisfying, this crockpot cilantro lime chicken is perfect for stuffing into warm tortillas! It’s elevated by the most flavorful homemade cilantro lime sauce and can be made with either chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
Ingredients: chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic cloves, cumin, avocado oil, honey (optional) and salt.
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Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers
Wildly easy to prepare with crowd-pleasing results, Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers requires no browning and makes a simple weeknight dinner. It’s a party go-to, that’s guaranteed to please!
Ingredients: sweet Italian sausage, bell peppers, onions, and jarred marinara sauce.
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Mexican-Inspired Shredded Beef
Perfectly spiced and incredibly easy to prepare, Mexican-Inspired Shredded Beef is super versatile and makes the best shredded beef tacos!
Ingredients: boneless beef chuck-eye roast, onion, tomato paste, cumin, mild chili powder, smoked paprika, lime juice and salt.
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Slow Cooker Green Chili Chicken (5-Ingredients!)
With a short list of simple, real food ingredients this slow cooker green chili chicken is an easy and flavorful meal prep protein. Plus, there are so many ways you can use this chicken, you won’t get bored!
Ingredients: chicken, tomatillo salsa, salt, cream cheese, diced green chilis
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Summer Meal Plan: Tacos for Dinner
Easy Fish Tacos with Honey-Lime Cabbage Slaw
Easy dinner ideas are my specialty—and this homemade honey-lime cabbage slaw for fish tacos delivers. Simple purple cabbage slaw elevates these fish tacos with slaw from an everyday dinner to a super-fast, flavor-packed dinner that’s ready in just 25 minutes! The slaw is a great topping idea for fish tacos and serves double duty as a veggie side dish too, if that’s what you prefer.
Ingredients: white fish (like rockfish, cod or tilapia), purple cabbage, lime juice, avocado, green onions, mayonnaise (or plain yogurt), honey, olive oil, cumin, mild chili powder, garlic powder, ground black pepper and salt.
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Ground Turkey Tacos with Sweet Corn Salsa
These super tasty ground turkey tacos are quick to pull together on a busy weeknight and is full of simple, yet super flavorful fresh ingredients.
Ingredients: olive oil, ground turkey, cumin, mild chili powder, garlic powder, salt, tomatillo salsa, corn tortillas, corn, red onion, lime juice, cilantro.
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20-Minute Salmon Fish Tacos with Quick Cabbage Slaw
Follow these steps at home to make these easy salmon fish tacos with a simple cabbage slaw topping! In these 20-minute tacos, fresh or frozen salmon can be used.
Ingredients: salmon, cabbage, tortillas (or grain-free wraps or lettuce wraps), mayonnaise (or plain Greek yogurt), lime juice, and salt.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Friends, these are the best slow cooker chicken tacos ever! I know there are a lot of slow cooker chicken taco recipes out there, but my recipe is simple, uses only 6 ingredients, and tastes incredibly fresh. The ultimate time-saving recipe, it's a dump-and-go recipe you'll turn to week in and week out.
Ingredients: garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, chicken, salsa.
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20-Minute Turkey Tacos with Peach Basil Salsa
So fresh and simple to prepare, 20-Minute Turkey Tacos with Peach Basil Salsa is a flavor-packed, easy weeknight dinner everyone will love.
Ingredients: ground turkey (dark or light meat), onion, garlic powder, cumin, corn tortillas, avocado, peaches, lime juice, basil, olive oil, jalapenos (optional) and salt.
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Healthy Summer Dinner Bowls
Easy BBQ Chicken Bowl
Packed with color and flavor, these easy BBQ chicken bowls are perfect for a quick dinner or meal prep, and can be simply assembled with homemade or store bought ingredients. They’re so tasty, you’ll wanna make these again and again!
Ingredients: cooked chicken, rice, black beans, corn, green onions, cabbage slaw and bbq sauce.
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Easy Greek Bowls
Packed with vibrant, fresh ingredients, these easy Greek bowls make a quick weeknight dinner or the perfect meal prep meal to go. And you won’t believe how quick & delicious the yogurt tahini dressing is!
Ingredients: cooked chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, cauliflower rice, and yogurt tahini dressing.
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Black Bean Quinoa Bowls
These healthy Southwest Black Bean Quinoa Bowls are quick and easy to make, and are topped with the most delicious homemade cumin lime dressing. Perfect for a light vegetarian dinner, colorful side dish or make-ahead lunch!
Ingredients: quinoa, water or stock, canned black beans, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, pumpkin seeds, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, mild chili powder, maple syrup (or honey), olive oil and salt.
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Peach Chicken Basil Glow Bowls
Bursting with vibrant flavors and nourishing ingredients, Peach Chicken Basil Glow Bowls will have your feeling amazing from the inside out. A gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, whole30 recipe.
Ingredients: chicken breasts (or thighs), zucchini, onion, cooked quinoa (or cauliflower rice), peaches, garlic, white balsamic (or white wine vinegar), olive oil, fresh basil and salt.
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Veggie Noodle Bowls with 5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce
Slurpable noodles and heaps of tender veggies combine with an ultra-simple sauce in Veggie Noodle Bowls with 5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce. No complicated ingredient list here, these bowls are easy to make and taste amazing.
Ingredients: pasta (gluten-free or whole wheat), broccoli, cabbage, carrot, green onions, peanuts, peanut butter, garlic, maple syrup, tamari, rice wine vinegar (or lime juice) and water.
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Light Summer Meals in One-Pan
Easy Italian Chicken Zucchini Skillet
This Easy Italian Chicken Zucchini Skillet combines chicken, zucchini, tomatoes and classic Italian flavors for an easy, one-pot dinner you can make any night of the week. I love that it's naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, whole30 friendly and ready in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients: chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), zucchini, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, butter (optional: traditional or dairy-free), fresh basil, red pepper flakes, garlic, Italian seasoning, olive oil and salt.
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Turkey Taco Skillet
Solve weeknight dinner tonight with this quick turkey taco skillet! Made with simple pantry ingredients like ground turkey, it’s a lighter meal on its own or can be used as a delicious taco or burrito filling or delectable nacho topping.
Ingredients: ground turkey, onion, garlic powder, cumin, canned black beans, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, frozen corn, olive oil and salt.
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Chicken Asparagus Skillet
A handful of simple ingredients combine in this easy, creamy chicken asparagus skillet, made up of golden chicken, tender asparagus, and a luscious garlic lemon cream sauce that includes a dairy-free modification. This recipe makes the ultimate low-effort, one-pan meal you can enjoy any night of the week!
Ingredients: chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), asparagus, chicken broth, cream (or unsweetened non-dairy creamer), olive oil, butter (traditional or plant-based), lemon juice and salt.
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Easy Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
This healthy ground turkey sweet potato skillet is a fast, easy last minute dinner idea that’s so tasty you’ll want to put into your regular weeknight rotation. It’s ready in under 30 minutes, so keep this one in your backpocket for busy weeks!
Ingredients: ground turkey, sweet potatoes, olive oil, garlic powder, shredded cheese (traditional or dairy-free), baby spinach, chipotle honey vinaigrette and salt.
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Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Ingredients: shredded chicken, olive oil, onion, bell pepper, red enchilada sauce, black beans, tortillas, cheese, chicken broth.
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Easy Summer Lunches
Easy Shrimp Salad Stuffed Avocados
These Easy Shrimp Salad Stuffed Avocados combine bell peppers, celery & shallots with a simple dressing of lemon juice, dill and mayonnaise. Use precooked shrimp for the perfect no-cook quick lunch or weeknight dinner!
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Black Bean Salad with Corn
This Black Bean Salad with Corn recipe combines cherry tomatoes, chopped bell peppers, red onion and cilantro with an easy, healthy cumin lime dressing. Perfect for a light vegetarian dinner, colorful side dish or make-ahead lunch!
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Turmeric Tahini Loaded Chicken Salad
Packed with nourishing ingredients, Turmeric Tahini Loaded Chicken Salad is perfect for lunch at home or to make ahead and take on-the-go!
Ingredients: cooked shredded chicken, shredded carrots, slaw mix (or shredded cabbage), green onion, sulfite-free raisins, turmeric, tahini, garlic, honey (optional), apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and salt.
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Crunchy Curry Quinoa Salad
This Crunchy Curry Quinoa Salad makes a perfect lunch, dinner side, or vibrant addition to any brunch table.
Ingredients: quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, green apple, red bell peppers, basil, sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds), garlic, extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, mild curry powder and salt.
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Red Pesto Pasta
Using basic pantry ingredients, this red pesto pasta comes together in just 20 minutes, and is the perfect weeknight vegetarian meal everyone will love.
Ingredients: pasta, sun dried tomatoes, almonds, garlic, salt, olive oil, parmesan cheese.
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Simple Summer Breakfast
Protein Chia Pudding
If you’ve been searching for a sweet (but still protein-packed breakfast option), then have I got the recipe for you! Packed with protein and super-fast to prepare ahead, this protein chia pudding makes an easy, breezy protein snack or breakfast perfect for wherever your day might take you. The best part is that everything comes together in just a mason jar (pretty much the simplest meal prep situation ever, with no cooking required).
Ingredients: chia seeds, almond milk (or milk of choice), protein powder, and honey/ maple syrup (optional).
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Berry Protein Smoothie
This easy berry protein smoothie uses mixed frozen berries and multiple sources of protein for a filling, nourishing meal to carry you through the day. Includes simple ingredient swaps to make this nut-free!
Ingredients: frozen mixed berries, almond milk (or milk of choice), almond butter (or seed butter for nut-free), chia seeds, vanilla protein powder, and fresh lemon juice
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Protein Overnight Oats
You won’t believe how easy this no-cook, high protein overnight oats recipe is. Everything comes together in one jar, then simply shake and let it get thick, creamy & delicious overnight in the fridge.
Ingredients: rolled oats, Greek yogurt (traditional or plant-based), chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond milk, and vanilla protein powder.
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Easy Almond Flour Zucchini Muffins (One-Bowl!)
Super moist, tender, and filled with flavor, this almond flour zucchini muffin recipe comes together easily in just one bowl and makes the perfect sweet snack anytime of day. The hint of maple syrup and vanilla & cinnamon scent makes them irresistible!
Ingredients: grated zucchini, almond flour, eggs, oat flour, avocado oil, maple syrup, cane sugar (or coconut sugar for refined sugar free), baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt.
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Green Protein Smoothie
Packed with protein, this easy green protein smoothie is packed with veggies and protein for a nourishing, filling way to start your day.
Ingredients: banana, spinach, vanilla protein powder, chia seeds, peanut butter, milk of choice.
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Easy Summer Meal Plan: Black Bean Quinoa Bowls
This Black Bean Quinoa Bowl recipe combines bell peppers, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, corn, pumpkin seeds and cilantro with an easy, healthy cumin lime dressing. Plus 40+ more summer recipes & meal plan you'll love!
Ingredients
- 1½ cup quinoa
- 2 ¾ cups water, or vegetable stock
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), chopped
- 2 ears corn, kernels cut off (or sub 1 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted)
- ⅓ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup lime juice, from about 2-3 limes
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne, optional
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- ½ cup olive oil
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse well. Place the rinsed quinoa in a pot with a tight-fitting lid along with the water (or vegetable / chicken stock). Cover, bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let stand for an additional 5 minutes.
- While the quinoa cooks make the dressing by whisking the lime juice, salt, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and honey or maple syrup until well combined. Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk again until well combined.
- In a large bowl add the warm quinoa and black beans and dressing. Allow to sit 5 minutes for the quinoa and black beans to absorb the dressing. Add cabbage, tomatoes, bell pepper, and corn, stirring to combine. Top with pumpkin seeds and cilantro, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Sunflower seeds or any nut/seed will work in place of the pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 (of 4), Calories: 506kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 22g, Sodium: 540mg, Potassium: 1019mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 2471IU, Vitamin C: 103mg, Calcium: 87mg, Iron: 6mg
Nutrition disclaimer
Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!
A Fall Capsule Meal Plan
If you loved this Summer Capsule Meal, check out these easy Fall Recipes & Cozy Fall Capsule Meal Plan when you’re ready for cooler weather cooking.
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Yay! I’ve been waiting, hoping and wishing you would make a summer time capsule meal plan. The fall episode changed my life. Thank you!
Megan, YAY!! Thank you for sharing these kind words. Makes us want to start working on a fall edition. Here’s to a happy healthy summer. Cheers!
Robyn, Thank you for the summer meal capsule plan!! I’ve been hoping you would create a capsule meal plan for the warmer weather. I’m especially excited to try the sauces – they sound delicious! My mouth was watering listening to your podcast 😋.
Karen, yay, so happy you’re excited about this one. And yes to all the easy, flavorful sauces. Hope you enjoy!
These recipes all look amazing! Thanks for taking the time to pull this together, I can’t wait to start grilling.
Yay, thank you Lisa! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
I made this last night and it as so delicious!! I was skeptical that it would be filling for dinner but both my husband and I were full and loved it!! Thank you so much!!
Wonderful, so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this one. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This is my new favorite thing to eat. I added chicken. So delicious!!
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one. Great call on adding chicken, too. Thanks so much for leaving a review!