I am sure I’m not the only one with a schedule this summer that leaves little room for much “real” cooking, right? Throughout the winter months, I seem to have much more time to spend hours in the kitchen whipping up delicious and healthy meals, but there’s something about the summer months that causes my schedule to fill up so quickly! With that said, I’m often left with figuring out what to cook that will not take much time (when I get home from the gym I’m STARVING- read: Hangry) yet still be tasty and healthy.

Here are some of my favorites!

Quesadillas

I love all types of quesadillas because they are so versatile and relatively quick and easy to put together. Sometimes I’ll just do cheese but I try to spice them up a little by adding in chicken and peppers and onions. Lately, when I have leftover roasted veggies I end up putting those in my ‘dilla- a great way to use up leftovers without getting bored and feeling like you’re eating the same thing over and over.

Eggs

I usually do them scrambled, but sometimes I do hard boiled or over easy… Heck, sometimes I even microwave them for the fastest and easiest type of egg! I try to incorporate some type of veggies or greens (spinach or kale) to add in a little exta nutritious value. I usually top my eggs with slices of avocado and salsa- makes for a super tasty meal! RM will often make us frittata which is a fun way to change up my normal egg consumption.

Quinoa bowl

Even if I don’t have a lot of time to cook a real meal, I will usually whip up a batch of some staple items: quinoa, chicken, roasted or sautéed veggies, sweet potato, etc. and one of my favorite things to do is throw them all in a bowl together! RM laughs at me every time I suggest eating ‘quinoa bowls’, but they are so easy, delicious and healthy that I think they are a very suitable dinner idea… And good idea at that!

Smoothies

I’m not talking your regular old fruit smoothie. I’m talking a smoothie packed with protein, flaxseed, chia seeds, almond butter, coconut oil, spinach and then some fruit. Regular fruit smoothies are loaded with sugar and very little protein or “staying power”. Although it’s “natural” sugar, you still want to be careful not to incorporate too much, especially first thing in the morning which will likely kick up your sugar cravings for the rest of the day. RM has a Vita Mix and I always ask him to make me a power smoothie when I get home from the gym.

Pizza on a wrap or flatbread

I used to loveee English muffin pizzas (heck, who am I kidding, I still love them), but I have started to turn to wrap or flatbread pizzas because it looks and feels like I’m eating a real pizza! I usually just top them with cheese (because it’s quickest and easiest), but sometimes I’ll add peppers or other veggies. The beauty is that if you broil them this dinner takes no time at all! I try to use wraps that are high in fiber and protein (some have more than others).

A tip to make these basic meal ideas even healthier and easier? Prep a bunch of veggies at the start of the week so you can easily incorporate them into whatever you put together!

Questions for you: What’s your quickest/easiest meal you throw together during the week?