15 no-heat healthy meals for long, hot summer day

Who wants to turn on the oven or stove when it’s so hot outside?

Not us! In this article, we’ll cover the benefits of no-heat healthy meals and round up some of the best Healthy Mummy recipes from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge that let you stay chill.

Plus, we’ll include tips for surviving the heat of summer (especially if you’re pregnant!).

Jump ahead to read more:

• What’s summer like for you?
• 15 no-heat healthy meals
• Week-long healthy meal plan for summer
• How to stay cool this summer (even if you’re pregnant!)

What’s summer like for you?

Summer is all about long days with the family, long days, family holidays, Christmas, beach walks, poolside hangs… and if you’re in Australia like us… it’s HOT!

Seriously, just check out those average maximum temperatures at major cities around Australia:

Not to mention the humidity that can make it feel even hotter! With all that hot weather, it’s no wonder so many mums don’t feel like cooking in the kitchen all day or at night. It’s just too hot!

Luckily, you don’t have to switch on the oven or hotplates to make a delicious and healthy meal…

15 no-heat healthy meals

We’ve put together our favourite picks for healthy meals this summer – all zero heat before you eat!

Which makes them perfect for cooling you down and filling you up on a hot day. And they also double up as a great lunchbox option, too.

Summer breakfast recipes

You can make (or at least mostly prepare) many of these delicious breakfast recipes the night before then stick them in the fridge. The perfect way to start the day! (Maybe you’ll even sneak breakfast back into bed.)

• Summertime mango and mint smoothie – this could be our most summery smoothie recipe yet!
• Chocolate chia breakfast mousse – chocolate for breakfast is totally fine by us if it comes in a healthy meal like this
• Mango yoghurt with sweet macadamia crumbs – enjoy the texture of crunchy macadamia on top of creamy, fruity yoghurt
• Chocolate breakfast smoothie bowl – jump on the smoothie bowl trend, but just be warned… they’re addicting in the best possible way!
• Breakfast chocolate mousse with pistachios – yep, another chocolate for breakfast recipe and you’ll love the nutty twist on this one
• Choc-berry chia pudding – this might be a dessert but it’s so healthy, you’re allowed to eat it for breakfast
• Banana and coconut caramel delight smoothie – it’s like a classic banana smoothie with a sweet, summery twist!

Cool lunch recipes

Whether you’re eating at home or bringing a packed lunch to work, these no-heat healthy meals can be made the night before then stored in the fridge so they’re ready to go.

• No-rice salmon avocado sushi – make this one pregnancy friendly by swapping the salmon for cooked chicken or tofu
• Chicken Caesar wrap – use cold ready-cooked chicken and egg for a quick, healthy lunch option
• Healthy eating vegetable wraps – no-heat in this healthy meal apart from a quick wrap zap in the microwave!

No-heat dinner recipes

Okay, we cheated, kinda. Most of these healthy meals require heat at some point unless you buy pre-cooked ingredients. But they’re all perfect to serve cold, so try to do your meal prep early in the day (before it gets too hot) and then you’ll be able to throw the cold ingredients together when it’s time for dinner.

• Poached chicken, avocado and blood orange salad – poach the chicken early morning before it gets too hot, then whip up your salad just before dinnertime
• 5-ingredient soba noodles with salmon – requires some cooking but you can cook the fish and noodles early in the day, cool down in the fridge, then serve cold for dinner
• Chopped Greek pita salad – this tasty salad is as cool and fresh as it gets, so save this healthy meal for those 35+ degree days
• Grilled chicken and pineapple salad – prep this delicious and hearty salad ahead of time in the cool part of the day so you can eat later!
• Sweet potato and pesto rice salad – once again, prep ahead so you can enjoy this salad cold later

Week-long healthy meal plan for summer

It’s nice to see a bunch of healthy meal ideas and recipes, but we know it’s so much easier to prep ahead of time if you have a healthy meal plan to go off.

So, we’ve planned out all the above healthy meals into a weekly meal plan for you! Note that there are a few repeats (which means fewer ingredients to buy and recipes to figure out, yay!).

We’ve also added some bake and non-bake snacks perfect for summer. Now all you need to do is print off your plan, shop the ingredients, and go!

Tip: It might seem like a lot of ingredients at first, but if you take the time to go through the above recipes, you’ll probably find you already have half of what you need sitting in your fridge and pantry.

How to stay cool this summer (even if you’re pregnant!)

Eating cool, healthy meals and drinking plenty of smoothies is one way to stay cool this summer, but it’s also important to keep comfortable throughout hot days, especially if you’re pregnant. Here are some more of our favourite ways to stay feeling cool even on the hottest summer days:

• Use that aircon (or fan)!
• Sit in a kiddie pool
• Put ice in front of a fan to create a deliciously cool arctic breeze
• Don’t eat salty foods – they’ll make your body retain more water
• Get bandana. Wet. Wring. Tie on the head.
• Drink loads of water
• Bring a spray bottle with you and spritz water all over to cool down
• Wear light, non-clingy fabrics
• Stay out of the heat of the day
• Do your errands first thing or in the evening

See more tips and ideas in this article: Ten ways to keep cool when you are hot and pregnant.