Ideally, summer is a time of refreshment and renewal. Realistically, however, the busyness and stress of life can creep in and make the summer more of an endurance run than a yoga session. Try these 5 healthy and easy meal prep recipes to give your body the energy it needs to enjoy the summer. Not only do these recipes taste good, but they also are gluten-free, and can be whipped up quickly. Enjoy!

We start the list with a veggie salad that can be made in 5-10 minutes. This easy meal prep recipe features tomatoes, which are packed with Vitamin C and the inflammation-fighting antioxidant, lycopene.

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas (400g)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 small red pepper
• ½ cup cilantro (chopped)
• 10 basil leaves
• 1 tbsp sesame oil / olive oil
• 2 spring onions
• 1 normal onion (small)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp nigella seeds (optional)
• 2 big tomatoes
• 1 carrot (optional)
• salt to taste

How to Make It

1. Rinse and drain chickpeas and place in a large salad bowl.
   
   
2. Chop pepper, cilantro, onions, tomatoes and carrot. Add to chickpeas in the salad bowl.
   
   
3. Add sesame oil (olive oil works, as well) and balsamic vinegar. Mix everything and add salt if needed.
   
   
4. Garnish with basil, sesame seeds, nigella seeds.

Source: Click here

Here’s a salad that features quinoa (high in fiber and protein) and kale (loaded with antioxidants which help with inflammation).

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup lemon juice
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds
• 1 cup finely chopped red or sweet onion (~½ large onion or 1 small onion)
• 2 large oranges, peeled and chopped into ~¼ inch pieces
• 4 cups kale, lightly chopped
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

How to Make It

1. Make the dressing: Combine lemon juice, olive oil, and maple syrup in a small bowl or mason jar. Stir or shake well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside or store in refrigerator until ready to use.
   
   
2. Cook the quinoa: Add quinoa and water to a medium size saucepan. Heat on high until boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer until all the water has evaporated—about 15 minutes. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork.
   
   
3. While quinoa is cooking, heat a small to medium pan over medium heat. Add almonds and stir for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until light golden brown in color. Remove almonds from pan and allow to cool in a small bowl.
   
   
4. Chop the onions, oranges, and kale and add them to a large salad bowl. Then add cooked quinoa, toasted almonds, and feta cheese. Stir all ingredients well.
   
   
5. Add ⅓ cup of the dressing to the quinoa salad. Stir well to combine and add additional dressing to taste, if desired. Serve immediately, or you can cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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For a main course, try this delicious recipe for stuffed bell peppers. Bell peppers are in season in summer and the red ones are full of the anti-inflammatory beta carotene.

Ingredients

• 8 large green bell peppers
• 2 cups cooked basmati rice
• 1 pound lean ground beef or chuck
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced bell peppers (use reserved tops)
• 1/2 cup diced sweet yellow onions
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 2 crushed cloves fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided (1 teaspoon for boiling peppers, 1 teaspoon for seasoning ground beef) OR to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese, divided

How to Make It

1. Cut the tops off peppers and dice tops only. Set aside. Remove seeds and membranes from peppers. Try not to pierce pepper flesh. This will prevent juice from leaking out during baking.

2. Blanche peppers. Fill a large pot half full with water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add peppers, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside.

3. Cook one cup of basmati rice according to package directions.

4. Add olive oil to a large skillet. Heat to medium-high. Brown ground beef. Add diced vegetables and cook mixture until the vegetables are tender but not overcooked. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed garlic, oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

5. Add rice and cooked ground beef mixture in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add half of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to blend. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish. Top each pepper with remaining cheese.

6. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until cheese just begins to bubble and brown.

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As another delicious entree option, try this salmon recipe! Salmon is high in inflammation-fighting omega 3 fatty acids.

Ingredients

• 2 (4-6oz) salmon fillets*
• 2-3 limes, zest and juice (about 3-4 Tbsp)
• 1-2 Tbsp honey
• 1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (aged, if you have it)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

How to Make It

1. In a small bowl, whisk together lime zest and juice, honey, balsamic, and olive oil together. Taste and add more honey or balsamic, if needed. (Depending on how sweet your vinegar is, you may want more honey). Pour half of the glaze into a zip-top bag or airtight container. Add salmon to the bag or container. Marinate 10-45 minutes. Reserve remaining glaze.

2. Place salmon skin side down on a baking sheet lined with foil. Set an oven rack 5-6 inches from the heat. Broil salmon for 3 minutes. Brush the second half of the glaze over the salmon. Broil another 3-4 minutes. Check for doneness. Broil an additional 1-3 minutes as needed*.

NOTES: A rule of thumb for broiling salmon is about ten minutes of broiling for every inch of thickness of the fillet. Naturally, a thinner piece of fish will take less time. For a ½" fillet, broil the fish for 5-7 minutes, or so.

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5. Stone Fruit Salad With Honey Dressing

Lastly, for dessert, try this twist on a traditional fruit salad. This recipe includes cherries which contain high amounts of both anthocyanin 1 and anthocyanin 2, two powerful inflammation-fighting compounds.

Ingredients

• 7 pounds stone fruit (ripe, I used a mix of nectarines, peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries)
• 1/2 pound fruit (dinosaur, aka Pluots)
• 1/4 cup sugar (or your favorite sugar substitute like honey or agave)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

How to Make It

1. Combine all of the fruit into one large bowl.
    
2. Pour the honey and lemon juice over the fruit and toss gently.  
   
   
3. Place the salad in the fridge for at least 1 hour to allow the juice to flow from the fruit.
   
   
4. You can keep in the fridge for up to two or three days. Feel free to make this the night before your event.

Source : Click here

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Try one of these recipes today, and tell us about your meal prep success on social by sharing this post below and commenting on it. We’d love to hear about it! Bon Appétit!