Ten Cool High-Protein Meals for Hot Summer Days

In this article: 

• Summer heat calls for cool meals without spending time cooking.
• It’s important to keep up your consumption of protein and other nutrients, but lighter meals can be more appealing in summer. 
• Here are several cool meals that are high in protein, include summer produce, and are quick to assemble. They’re packed with flavor and won’t weigh you down.
• Customize them as desired for vegan (plant-based), low-carb, gluten-free, or other special diets as your doctor recommends.
• Your Lark coach is available 24/7 to help you make healthy choices around nutrition, activity, and more.

When summer heat cranks up, it feels like time to get out of the kitchen. Still, it’s a good idea to keep your meals high in protein and other nutrients. 

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Here are several light meals that don’t require cooking or that you can make ahead of time and serve chilled. They’re nutritious, include summer produce, and are good sources of protein and other nutrients. You can also tweak many of them to fit diet patterns like vegan (plant-based), low-carb or keto, or gluten-free. Enjoy!

1. Greek Garbanzo Bean Whole-Grain Pasta Salad

Imagine a cool Mediterranean breeze on your face when you taste this salad made with chickpeas, hearty whole-grain pasta, and fresh summer vegetables like grape tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers. Seasoned with herbs and lemon juice, it can be a one-dish balanced meal. 

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For a gluten-free option, choose a gluten-free pasta like brown rice or black bean pasta. Make it low-carb by swapping cooked cauliflower or spiralized zucchini noodles for whole-wheat pasta, and add protein with grilled chicken or salmon. For dairy-free or vegan (plant-based), skip the feta cheese. 

2. Tuna Nicoise Salad

Here’s another Mediterranean-inspired salad, but this one’s from France. It features protein from hard-boiled egg and tuna, along with cooked potatoes and green beans. Add flavor with olives and zesty olive oil-based vinaigrette dressing. 

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It’s naturally gluten-free and high in protein. Reduce carbs by using cooked cauliflower or grated parmesan cheese instead of potatoes. You can also turn it into a plant-based (vegan) salad with cooked mushrooms and chickpeas or tofu instead of tuna and egg.

3. Summer Gazpacho 

Turn no-cook summer gazpacho into a creamy, high-protein soup by blending cottage cheese into this pureed soup made with cucumber, bell peppers, tomato, and onion. It’s okay if you’re not a fan of cottage cheese. Use water instead, or use almond milk to keep it creamy but dairy-free. Add protein by serving gazpacho with grilled shrimp or a vegan option like falafel. It’s a naturally low-carb, gluten-free meal.

4. Four-Bean Salad

Here’s a high-protein, high-fiber salad that doesn’t require cooking or even shredding lettuce! With ingredients like canned beans, olive oil, dijon mustard, and vinegar, all you have to do is chop some onion and let the salad get better overnight. For extra sweetness and crunch, add a chopped yellow or red bell pepper.

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Serve it with whole-grain pita chips or fresh fruit for a balanced meal, or add sliced almonds for some crunch and a low-carb meal. Low-fat cheese can also be a tasty addition. 

5. Cottage Cheese Veggie Bowl

This bowl is the ultimate solution for a no-bake meal that’s high in protein and fiber. Customize it easily with additions that are sweet, savory, crunchy, or creamy. Start with cottage cheese for a cool, ready-to-eat source of protein. Add vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers, or choose fruit like bananas and frozen blueberries. Finish your bowl with healthy fats like avocados or nuts, whole grains like oats, plain Oat O’s, or whole-wheat croutons, or extra protein like a sliced hard-boiled egg.

6. Cold Peanut Noodle Bowl

Use leftover cooked noodles so you don’t have to do extra cooking, or skip the stove entirely and soak dry pasta in water until it softens. Toss the noodles with prepared tofu, chopped vegetables, and a dressing with peanut sauce, broth, sriracha, ginger, and garlic. Add chopped peanuts for more flavor, protein, and crunch. Check here for details and other pasta salad recipes. 

7. Sabich Sandwich, Plate, or Bowl

This healthy sabich recipe offers a delicious and cool way to “eat the rainbow” for a variety of nutrients. Enjoy purple with grilled or roasted eggplant, red and green with Israeli chopped salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and herbs like parsley and mint, and yellow with hard-boiled egg. Add tahini dressing to bring it all together. 

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For a vegan option, add chickpeas instead of egg. Add shrimp or chicken for a higher-protein option that’s still low in carbs, or serve your sabich with quinoa or another whole grain or in a whole-wheat pita for a balanced, high-fiber meal. 

8. Tuna or Salmon Wrap

Take a wrap for lunch, or have one for breakfast or dinner. In any case, it can be a good choice for a cool meal. Choose canned or pouch tuna or salmon for a no-cook protein choice, or use leftover fish, chicken, or turkey burger. To a whole-grain wrap or tortilla, add pureed avocado or hummus, deli or dijon mustard, and raw vegetables like tomato slices, diced celery, or shredded cucumber and carrots. Serve it with fresh fruit. 

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For breakfast, try it with hard-boiled egg or tofu instead of tuna or salmon. For a low-carb or gluten-free alternative, serve your wrap in a lettuce leaf or in a bowl with lettuce or cooked vegetables. 

9. Caprese Your Way

A caprese salad is always served cool or at room temperature - no cooking needed. Assemble fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, olive oil, and basil for a naturally low-carb dish that’s high in healthy fats and calcium. For extra protein, serve it with fish, shrimp, or chicken on the side. For a balanced meal, put your caprese salad on skewers and serve them with cooked sweet potato or whole-grain toast.

10. Shrimp Salad with Mango and Corn

This salad is light, flavorful, and refreshing. The heartiness and saltiness of cooked shrimp or salmon contrast beautifully with soft, ripe mango slices, zesty lime dressing, sweet corn, and crisp romaine lettuce and other vegetables. Add creamy avocado for extra color, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Make it a completely no-bake meal with canned chickpeas, black beans, or canned tuna instead of shrimp. Use pineapple or another fruit instead of mango for a different twist. 

How Lark Can Help

All diets have their pros and cons, but you can do better on any diet when you tweak it to make it work for your individual needs. Lark can help you make small changes to improve heart health, lose weight, and manage or prevent chronic conditions. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

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Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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