Beat the Heat - How to Enjoy Your Food in Summer

I’m never one to complain about the heat in summer but there’s one thing that it can do – ruin your appetite. My mum is one of those people who finds it really hard to eat big, hot meals when the weather is hot. But we still need to eat! So how do you beat the heat and enjoy your food in summer?

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Quick and easy meals

One of the best summer food tips is to try to make quick and easy meals. The longer you spend preparing and cooking food, the hotter you get and the less you fancy eating!

Use the crockpot

If you want a substantial meal that takes a bit of cooking, opt for the crockpot or slow cooker rather than the normal oven. Even an Instant Pot will be ideal. These devices don’t generate as much heat while cooking like a normal oven, so the kitchen won’t get as hot and you won’t either.

Batch items and freeze them

Batch items and doing some meal prep is a good idea at any time of the year but with summer food, it can mean that you free up time to spend on other things and just have the one prep session a week. By planning meals that you can create in batches and then freeze, you can cut down the time that each meal takes plus you can lift the food out the night before and it will be ready to cook the next day.

Use lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (and they store longer raw)

There are lots of health reasons to eat more fruit and vegetables but when it comes to summer eating tips, there are practical ones too. For starters, they are cool and refreshing and don’t often need to be cooked to enjoy. Raw fruit and vegetables have more nutritional value and they often store longer when they are raw than when they are cooked.

Plan a meal and leftovers to cut down on cooking

Another tip from the world of meal planning to help enjoy your food in summer is to plan a meal that makes more than the basic portions and save the rest to reheat as leftovers. Pasta is a good example of this but even roasting a joint of meat with enough left to make sandwiches can apply. This cuts down cooking time and makes it easy to choose something to eat.

Make sauces in batches

A similar idea is to make sauces in batches as then you can cool down and freeze what you don’t need to reheat later. You can do the same with dressings if they are okay to freeze and even the base for gravy mixtures. Just ensure you lift them out ahead of time to defrost before you need them.

Cool snacks for kids (and adults)

One of the tricks if you find it hard to eat bigger meals in the summer is to fill up on snacks between meals to maintain those energy levels. And while chocolate is nice, you might want a few healthy options!

Peel and freeze bananas then either let them defrost enough to eat or pop them straight into the blender with a few other ingredients to make a simple banana smoothie
Puree a favourite fruit such as strawberry and add some water, a little sugar, lemon juice and some unflavoured gelatine to make a simple homemade sorbet
Freeze whole grapes then eat them as grape-sicles (yes, I made that up!)
Make your own popsicles with fruit juice and even add some whole fruit as well
Add fruit juice to other soft drinks with lots of ice or even mix in the blender to make a slushy style drink
Ice cream floats are perfect for kids and adults. Fills a glass three-quarters full of a favourite soft drink (lemonade is a good starting point) then add a scoop of a favourite ice cream which will melt a bit into the drink
Another option is a version of an orange dreamsicle made by adding orange juice to a blender then a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Yoghurt ice cubes can be made by putting yoghurt into ice cube trays then freezing them. You can put a cocktail stick into the mix before freezing to make them easy to eat or you can add them to a blender with fruit for an iced smoothie
Prepare melons and keep the cubes in a box in the fridge for a cool, tasty and healthy snack

enjoy your food in summer - fruit popsicles

Cold food ideas

Sometimes the best way to enjoy your food in summer is to have a higher proportion of cold foods than you would in winter. And it makes sense because you want to look at how to cool down your internal body heat, not warm it up. Here are a few suggestions to help you plan some ideas.

Flour tortillas with cream cheese

Flour tortillas are popular in warmer climates because there are so many uses for them. Sure, you can fill them with mince or chicken and serve them warm, but they also work well with cold fillings. Spread cream cheese on the tortilla then add a little grated cheese, a favourite vegetable you can eat raw or even thinly sliced cooked chicken then roll it up for a tasty cold sandwich.

Fresh fruit salads

The fun thing about fresh fruit salad is that you can use almost any fruit that you enjoy into the mixture. Find fresh and tasty fruit and slice or dice it and pop it in a big bowl. You can add a little dressing to it or even add other ingredients such as salad leaves, mozzarella cheese or tomatoes into the mix. Keep it in the fridge until just before you are ready to serve.

Three bean salad

Three bean salad is a great summer food you can make in bigger batches if you are having people around and it is very easy to make. Drain and rinse one 15 ounces can of green beans, one 15 ounce can of kidney beans, and one pound of wax beans. Mix these together with one sliced onion, 3/4 cup white sugar, 2/3 cup distilled white vinegar, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed. Once the salad is thoroughly combined, allow it to set in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. That’s it! Serve and enjoy.

Cold pasta salad

Cold pasta salad is another for batch making or for parties as you can use your favourite type of pasta. Simply cook the pasta as you prefer then mix it with different dressings and add ingredients such as cheese, vegetables or sliced meats.

Cold summer soups

Soup is definitely a warm-weather favourite – but did you know that there are cold soup recipes? One of the famous ones is gazpacho, which is made with onion, cucumber, green pepper, garlic, wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato juice and oregano leaves. Blend all of the ingredients except the tomato juice until it is smooth. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl and then add the tomato juice. Cover it for at least six hours prior to serving.

Potato salad

Like pasta salad, potato salad is a great fill-in meal or a decent lunch. Pre-cook your favourite potatoes then cut them into cubes and mix with other ingredients. A classic potato salad adds mayonnaise, chives and a little red or white onion.

Enjoy the best summer foods

The key to enjoying the best summer foods is to understand how to beat the heat with what you eat. From cool snacks to cold accompaniments, there are lots of ways to do this and still enjoy the best of the summer BBQ!

More Summer Food Ideas

Looking for some more ideas for your summer menu? Then check out these recipes.

Beat the Heat – How to Enjoy Your Food in Summer