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Cold lunches and quick, no-heat breakfasts are key for staying cool in the heat of summer! Here are The Best Breakfast & Lunch Meal Prep Ideas for Hot Weather so you can always be prepared, and not lose your cool before dinner!
For those of us without air conditioning, the summer heat can drive us completely out of the kitchen. This can become a problem if you’re trying to keep up with healthy meal prep meals made at home.
Of course there’s always the grill for dinner, but how do you meal prep your other meals without a lot of sweat and miserable cooking in a kitchen that’s way too hot?
Here’s what I’ve got for you on the keep-cool-and-meal-prep front. Some of these ideas might be obvious, some others not so much. Cooking in the heat is no fun at all, and eating hot foods in the hottest of hot weather can also be unpleasant.
Related: Is it warm out?! See all my summer recipes here!
My general guidelines for meal prepping when it’s HOT:
- go big on fresh produce that does not require any cookingtry out some canned protein sources that are already cooked (tuna, chicken, etc.)
- try out some canned protein sources that are already cooked (tuna, chicken, etc.)
- buy a rotisserie chicken from the store instead of cooking chicken at home
- cook rice or quinoa in a rice cooker instead of on the stove top
- do not use the oven or stovetop, and instead use smaller, more energy efficient appliances for cooking meals (such as the Instant Pot – uses up to 70% less energy than other cooking methods)
- add variety to no cook breakfast ideas like overnight oats and yogurt
- plan to cook extra protein for meal prepping when you use your grill for making dinner
My favorite meal prep tools and their uses:
There are always going to be more other tools that people use for their own meal prep, but these are just some of my favorite and most commonly used items. I always prefer glass containers over plastic, and I *try* to make use of other appliances besides the stove in the summertime!
- 3 Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers (affiliate link!) – Perfect for make ahead meals where you want to keep things separated. Some of those are on this list!
- Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Qt (affiliate link!) – Using the Instant Pot is a great alternative to meal prepping with an oven or stove. Generally, it does not heat up the kitchen and uses much less energy than other cooking methods.
- 4-Cup Pyrex Round Glass Containers (affiliate link!) – Great for meal prep when you want a nice big bowl of a meal with no need to keep foods separated.
- Pint Sized Wide Mouth Mason Jars (affiliate link!) – The extra wide mouth makes it easy to use a spoon and eat all the way to the bottom or store cut veggies and easily fit your hands in the jars! Perfect for overnight oats.
Here are the Best Breakfast Meal Prep Ideas for Hot Weather:
Hot Weather Breakfast Ideas
For those mornings when it's already warm and you need a filling, heat-free meal to get you going!
Overnight oats are a classic summer breakfast around here. You either love 'em or hate 'em! We do all sorts of flavors and combos, which is why I created this base recipe to mix with any flavor protein powder. My other favorite kind is this Cherry Vanilla flavor!
An older recipe on Project Meal Plan but yogurt parfaits are always a great choice. Change up the yogurt flavor, the fruit, the granola, you name it! This post have 5 flavor combos to try, including mixed berry, apple cinnamon, and PB banana!
I had never thought of using an English Muffin as a vessel for cottage cheese, but I think it’s worth a try! Honey and berries are a match made in heaven. I love how simple and easy this breakfast box is, and it’s a great use of these 3 Compartment Glass Meal Prep Containers.
Breakfast that doesn't heat up the house is not just limited to oatmeal or yogurt! I think the Instant Pot does a really good job making egg bites. You can change the veggies or add some breakfast meat with this recipe. Reheat in a toaster oven or microwave!
A little rice krispie bar revamp! No marshmallows here, but I did add dried coconut, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries for a little more of a breakfast vibe. Best part: no oven is required, just a little bit of elbow grease to press them together!
If overnight oats are not so much your thing, have you thought about trying muesli? It's usually a dry mixture of rolled oats, dried fruit and nuts. Pour on some milk, and breakfast is served! This works best (in my opinion) with quick cooking rolled oats. They are the thinnest and easiest to chew!
Not standing over a hot stove can make all the difference in your temperature level when it's too hot. So if you're craving hot oatmeal but wanna skip the stove, the Instant Pot can do that too! This recipe is for cinnamon apple steel cut oats, but you can swap those flavors for your favorites!
It doesn't have to be this smoothie (okay but this smoothie rocks), but I definitely recommend smoothies for hot weather breakfast. You can even take it a step further and make smoothie packs. This way, you can dump one bag right into the blender, instead of getting out alllll the smoothie ingredients every time!
Another way to parfait? With chia pudding! This post have four different options for a fruit layer between the vanilla chia pudding. If you aren't a yogurt person, this is a great option to try! Plus, there's a LOT of fiber in chia seeds!
Hot Weather Lunch Ideas
Lunch basically takes place at the hottest part of the day, so why not prep something no-cook to keep the temps down? Here are some wonderful ideas to get you started:
One way to go for less cooking? Use a can of chickpeas! This recipe combines lemons, herbs and celery to make a delightfully fresh salad that can go on a sandwich, eaten on crackers, or just by the spoonful, leaving you full and satisfied - no heat required.
Since I'm obsessed with those pinwheels from the grocery store deli, I decided to work out a homemade version! My favorite way to make these includes Laughing Cow cheese wedges, but there are other suggestions in the post too!
Okay yes, you'll need to use the stovetop to cook the pasta, but other than that, no more cooking. When looking for no-cook meals, don't forget about canned meats like tuna and chicken.
Mason jar salads are always a good meal prep option, but this one especially. Two reasons this recipe is gold: it's a great way to use up summer tomatoes, and it's perfection if you love cheese for lunch. I bet some fresh basil would be a nice touch!
Pleasing on the eyes and on the stomach! A tub of hummus split four ways is the perfect serving amount for four of these chicken & hummus plate lunches. You can make your chicken on the grill, or use rotisserie chicken!
Noodle jars! Like a mason jar salad but with noodles too. I love how many veggies and flavors you can pack into these jars! Perfect for on the go lunches and dinners - picnic, hiking, road trip, you name it!
Here's my version of those flavored tuna packets from the grocery store! One can of tuna makes two flavors, so you can mix and match your favorite flavors. My favorite turned out to be sweet heat, a surprise for sure!
Another one for the chickpea lovers! This salad can be modified with your favorite veggies, fresh peppers, etc. and it's all covered in a simple lemon cumin dressing you’ll love! Perfect for meal prep or a fiber-full side dish.
These are my favorite kind of lunches - adult lunchable style! This one looks absoutely delightful. I love the Greek inspiration including the feta, olives and cucumbers. This is definitely a lunch I would look forward to!
Hope you’re able to make good use of some of these Meal Prep Ideas for Hot Weather!! Cheers to delicious, homemade food in the summer that you don’t have to break a sweat to prepare.
If you’re digging all of these ideas, I’ve got another one for you: 16 Make-Ahead Cold Lunch Ideas to Prep for Work This Week. Check ’em out, and stay cool!
Mike Besani says
Cooking during hot weather in a kitchen that has no air-conditioning could really give us a headache. My common recipe during hot weather includes canned goods but I’m not content with the nutrition on them so I prefer fresh produce foods that are good to go!
Danielle says
Totally agree Mike! Plus the fresh produce is always quicker, and usually more nutritious 🙂