Recipes for Your Summer Vacation

How and what?! It’s AUGUST!

Just be honest with me here – do you love it or do you love it?

I knowwwww right? I love it, too.

It’s the sun, it’s tank tops and sandals, it’s green grass and glittery blue lakes (I live in the land of 10k yo). It’s star-gazing and boat rides and tan lines, and even the occasional earthy smell of steady rain which I am currently enjoying from my perch on the wicker chair in the screened-in porch. This is my zone. Summer is my time. I was custom-made to fit into a happy summer life.

Maybe more than anything else, I so super love the August Slow Down. “Heading out early” from the office becomes the norm and the internet (at least for us bloggers) becomes somewhat of a ghost town. It’s like life is saying: re-laahhhhx, girlfriend. Chill out. Go off the grid. Eat above and beyond what would be considered a normal amount of hot dogs and chips, I dare you.

Here’s the thing: mostly, I don’t cook in August. Or, like, ALL SUMMER LONG. We eat out, we grill out, we put magic green sauce on everything and call it a meal.

So if I’m going to make a recipe in the summer, especially while on summer vacation, it has to fit my four essential pillars of summer recipes.

• ONE: Has to be 99% easy. Real food if possible,  but very, very easy.
• TWO: Has to be filling. We’ve been swimming all day and WE NEEDS TO EAT.
• THREE: Has to be refreshing and light-ish. bc we needs to eat, but we also needs to wear swimsuits again tomorrow.
• FOUR: Has to have ingredients that can all be located at small-town grocery stores or  – dare I even say it – deserted gas stations (!!) in the middle of tiny towns in Wisconsin.

I’m so excited about this list because these are literally the things we’ve been making all week at the cabin and they all fit my four pillars of summer recipes.

Three cheers for The August Slow Down and recipes for summer vacation!

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE GRANOLA

Love it. It has now tied my love for our traditional cabin granola with its salty chocolate chunks and crunchy pieces of toasted coconut.

GARLIC WHITE WINE SHRIMP LINGUINE

A perfect quick dinner after a day on the lake. Probably requires a tiny bit of a hunt for good shrimp, but #worthit.

MAGIC GREEN SAUCE

Just… there is nothing to say about this other than MAKE IT. Hands down my go-to sauce for literally everything.

KOREAN BBQ BANGKOK BURRITOS

Make ahead! Prep these the day before you leave, wrap them up, and freeze so you can treat yourself to happy lunches all throughout vacation.

SWEET CORN ZUCCHINI PIE

My mom made this again last night to go with our pork chops.  My version doesn’t have a crust, but hers uses crescent rolls as the crust and it is delicious down-home goodness.

LEMON Zucchini OLIVE OIL CAKE

THIS CAKE. It’s so moist and yummy and it addresses the end-of-summer zucchini situation with ease. Breakfast? Dessert? Snacking 24/7? You decide, friends.

ICED MATCHA LATTES

Three ingredients – matcha powder (order on Amazon and bring with you), almond milk or regular milk, and sweetener like honey or agave. It’s creamy and cold and delicious, and bonus: matcha is a health powerhouse.

30 MINUTE MASALA SAUCE

Make the paste the day before you leave, and then bring it along with a can of tomato puree and a can or coconut milk and you have a made-from-scratch meal that goes with any protein you could want. This week we made it with shrimp -> winning.

BLUEBERRY ORANGE BRUNCH CAKE

Because when else besides lazy summer vacation will you make a brunch cake, for crying out loud? This is the time for such a simple, berry-loaded masterpiece.

CHIPOTLE SWEET POTATO NOODLE SALAD

This would require you to pack your spiralizer, which I am not above doing. It’s every punchy flavor of summer packed into one big ol’ bowl.

BERRY CHIA OVERNIGHT OATS

Cold and creamy and nutritious mornings. Also beautiful enough to Instagram. This is key.

MIGAS

All you need: eggs, tortillas, butter/oil, cheese, and some jalapeños and/or cilantro. Also black beans and avocado, if you like that sort of thing (I DEFINITELY DO). Right now this might be the best savory breakfast in my life.

WATERMELON SMOOTHIE

Blend frozen watermelon until it becomes magical. Can you do this? YOU CAN DO THIS!

SUPER CLEAN BROCCOLI SALAD

It’s super delicious AND it’s clean. Also, what is summer without broccoli salad? Please do not skip the golden raisins.

PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL Energy Bites

We just keep a stash of these in the fridge at all times. They store and travel so easily, like the perfect little food bites that they are. Top with diva sprinkles and chocolate or keep things low maintenance – either way is acceptable, but these are a must-have for summer vacay.

And that’s my list!

Friends, if you make any of these on your summer vacation, I am crossing my fingers that you will tag me on Instagram or send me a snap. It makes my whole day when I see POY recipes in your real actual lives. ♡

ALSO I know I’m not the only one with a strong summer recipe repertoire – and I am fully expecting you to drop me some ideas and links in the comments like good food lovers do. Puhleease? XO

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