5 Tips for “Cooking” in the Summer Heat

In the summer, I follow my own “1/3 Rule” for cooking ingredients…in this meal, it was the shrimp.

When you’re on a budget, cooking at home doesn’t stop in the summer — even if blaring sunshine and high temps make it insufferable to be in the kitchen.

Especially if you’re in a tiny space, turning the oven on can act like a heating system, and standing over the stove feels like you‘re in your own personal sauna (at least you’re sweating out toxins?). So, in the summer, when I try not to eat out any more than usual, I make it a point to find satisfying, delicious meals that do not involve heat. Or, if they must, I’ve found ways to make it as bearable as possible.

Here are my tips for easy summer meals that beat the heat — in more ways than one!

1. The “1/3” Summer Rule

You know how dietitians create simple little rules to help us remember to eat well? Like that half your plate should be fruit and vegetables? Or that protein should be the size of your fist? Well, I use a “formula” of sorts for cooking (or, avoiding cooking) in the summer, which I will dub the ⅓ Rule: in a three-element meal (and I say three-element loosely), cook only one item. If I’m eating meat or seafood, I’m only cooking that. If I’m doing a rice or quinoa bowl, that’s the only thing I’m cooking.

This way if you must cook, you’re only doing it for a limited amount of time. Here are more…