Although individual nutrition goals may differ during the ElevateU challenge, the root of each goal remains the same: making small, healthy improvements to our daily intake. To help aid you in meeting your unique goal, we’ve put together a list of our favorite nutritious summer recipes – from on-the-go snacks, to full nutrient-dense meals – to try now and bring with you into the fall season.
Give them a try, and let us know what you think!
Quick & Easy Egg Bites
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serving Size: 12 Egg Bites (1 Mini Muffin Pan)
These Quick & Easy Egg Bites will become your new grab-n-go breakfast in no time. Cook a large batch today and refrigerate/freeze for later in the week!
Ingredients:
- 6 Eggs
- ¼ cup Shredded Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, or a blend)
- Spinach - 1 handful or less
- 1 Roma Tomato
- ¼ cup of Milk (if using non-dairy milk, choose an unsweetened kind)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Optional: 1-2 strips of cooked turkey bacon, crumbled into bits (*Keep in mind turkey bacon adds quite a bit of sodium – in content and flavor – so er on the lighter side)
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Lightly spray muffin pan with oil, set aside
- Dice tomato and spinach (*If including turkey bacon, pan-cook strip(s), then chop into bits)
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper to your liking, then whisk together until fully combined
- Add cheese, spinach, tomato (and optional turkey bacon bit) to each muffin pan section, adding as much or as little as you’d like
- Pour egg mixture into the muffin pan sections, leaving a little room at the top
- Bake eggs for 15-20 minutes, or until fully cooked
- Allow to cool before removing from the muffin pan (*Egg bites will rise in the oven, then deflate as they cool)
- Sliced apples & nut butter
- Hummus & carrots, celery sticks, cucumber, and/or pita
- Handful of mixed nuts
- Greek yogurt topped with fresh fruit
- Bell pepper and guacamole
Street Tacos + Summer Salad
Total Time: 25 min (+1 hour marinade time if you so choose)
Serving Size: 4+ tacos (depending on taco shell size)
*Pro Top: ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and stored separately, so you can build fresh tacos throughout the week!
Ingredients:
- 1 pack of portobello mushrooms, washed and diced (V/Vegetarian) or 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- Flour or corn taco tortillas, or sub hard taco shells
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- Cherry/grape tomatoes
- 1 small red onion
- Cilantro
- Cotija cheese (can sub a crumbly cheese of your liking – feta is a great one!)
- Avocado
- 1 can diced pineapple, drained
- 1 Lime
- Lime Juice
- 2 garlic Cloves
- Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 1 ½ tsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
Steps:
If using chicken:
- Add raw chicken to a bag or low tupperware container, along with the juice of half a lime, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder
- Marinade for at least 15min (*for the most flavorful chicken, allow it to marinade for 1 hour or overnight)
If using mushrooms:
- Rinse, pat dry with a paper towel, and dice mushrooms into small, bite-sized pieces
- In a bowl, combine juice of half a lime, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder
- Place mushrooms in the sauce bowl and quick marinade, letting them soak for 15 min
- Dice 1 cup of tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, slice half an avocado into ¼ inch slices, and set aside
- Quarter the lime and mince the garlic cloves
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauce pan on medium heat
- Add protein of choice to pan (w/o marinade), along with minced garlic and the juice of 1 quarter of lime
- Once cooked, add remaining marinade to pan and allow to cook for 2-4 minutes or until marinade thickens
- Build Your Tacos! Layer protein, black beans, onion, tomato, and pineapple in a taco shell. Top with an avocado slice, cotija cheese, and cilantro. Garnish with a lime.
Summer Salad
Ingredients:
- Spinach or mixed greens
- Sliced strawberries
- Blueberries
- Sliced red onion
- Goat cheese
- Pepitas
- Homemade strawberry vinaigrette
Strawberry Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- ½ cup strawberries
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp of honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Steps:
- Blend all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender until smooth
- Combine salad ingredients with the vinaigrette & enjoy!
Salmon Power Bowl
Total Time: 30-40 min
Serving Size: 2 (because we love leftovers!)
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets
- 1 box of wild rice or 1 package of minute wild rice
- 6 asparagus stalks
- 3 large carrots, washed and peeled
- ½ lemon, sliced
- Butter
- Paprika
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Steps:
- Preheat Oven to 375
- Lightly oil a foil-lined baking sheet
- Place salmon on sheet and lightly season with salt, pepper, and paprika, topping with a slice of butter and a slice or two of lemon
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon and how well done you’d prefer it to be (*Tip: fully cooked salmon will flake with a fork)
- Cook rice (*We recommend buying either minute rice or boxed rice and following cooking directions on the label! If using minute rice, wait until vegetables are cooked to warm up.)
- Chop asparagus and carrots into bite sized pieces
- Heat ½ tbsp of olive oil + ½ tbsp of butter in a medium saucepan
- Add asparagus, carrots, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and two lemon slices to pan
- Cook over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes or until asparagus and carrots soften to your liking
- Season rice with salt and pepper to taste and add to a serving bowl
- Top with carrot and asparagus mixture, then layer with salmon fillet
- Top with a slice of lemon, a drizzle of soy sauce, and dig in!
