There I was, sitting outside at 7am during my morning meditation with iced coffee in hand when I felt it. No. It can’t be. It’s 7am!

Sweat. I started sweating by simply breathing.

It feels a tad bit unbearable lately.

Equally unbearable is the heatwave happening in my kitchen anytime I cook basically anything.  It’s taken some creativity to cook without much heat, but boy do I love when my kitchen doesn’t turn into a hotbox.

Let’s eat and drink the summer away without breaking a sweat.

Breakfast

Once I started sweating by 7am I DEFINITELY was not heating up my kitchen for breakfast. I found this recipe for breakfast popsicles that was equally as satisfying to make as they were to eat. And honestly, what kid {or parent} doesn’t want an excuse to eat a popsicle for breakfast?! This recipe can be adapted to whatever fruit you have on hand. I also mixed in some vanilla protein powder to make these even more filling.

These breakfast parfaits are versatile, refreshing, and delicious. I’ve gotten in the habit of making a few at a time for an easy grab-and-go breakfast. Peaches have been my jam lately so I threw those in with some raspberries. I added some protein powder to this recipe, too for some extra “umph”. The amount of variations that this could be made into are basically endless.

Lunch + Dinner

Despite the raging heat, sometimes I still want something comforting and warm.

I know, I know. But hear me out.

A good crock pot recipe makes me happy. I adore the ease and simplicity of it. I recently made pulled pork sandwiches for dinner and as usual, they were a hit. I won’t even post a recipe because all I do is throw a pork loin or shoulder in the crockpot, season it, and throw in a bottle of BBQ sauce. I topped the sandwiches with cheese, coleslaw, and pickles…*chefs kiss*.

In my best effort to make this chicken shawarma recipe, I buy a premade marinade that I just dump on top of all my chicken in the Instant Pot {or Crockpot} and cook it until it shreds apart. I like to make pita wraps or make a salad with the shredded chicken. Some of my favorite additions to meal are hummus, cucumbers, onions, and feta!

Salads

Is there anything more satisfying than biting into a delicious and cold salad in the middle of summer? Well, yes. But you’ll have to keep reading for that.

We eat a LOT of salads in these hot months, mostly because it’s so refreshing. A lot of my salads consist of random leftovers we have thrown on top of greens. But, these have a special place as an addition to any summer meal!

I’ve found the perfect summer salad. And yes, it is perfect. A strawberry salad with all the fresh herbs. A top-notch addition to many of our dishes this summer.

A creamy cucumber salad makes the perfect addition to the chicken shawarma. This particular recipe calls for dill, which was delicious, but now I’m tempted to recreate this using different spices and herbs.

Cocktails

Didn’t I tell you there was something more satisfying that a cold salad on a summer day? Its booze.

Fruity, boozy, and refreshing. Yes, please.

Think blueberry lemon drop meets French 75…that’s what I decided to make one weekend recently. I then found out this does, in fact, already have a name and it’s called a blueberry French 75. Who would have thought? Anyway. It was delicious. 10/10.

An ode to my own dad is this pineapple jalapeno margarita that has been a summer staple of his for as long as I can remember. Use as much or as little spice as you want! These are perfect after a day at the beach, or honestly any day lately in Houston. Cheers!

Take it from me and let’s beat the heat in the kitchen together.

Pin this post and be sure to follow
Houston Moms
on Pinterest!