I hope you’re inspired to enjoy more variety through these epic healthy weight gain food ideas for summer.

I’m thinking you’ve been enjoying the beautiful produce this season brings. Berries and stone fruit are my favourite!

Summer is usually the time of year when it’s easiest for me to gain weight because I gulp down those smoothies that you wouldn’t believe.

For some folks, winter is when that weight gain happens.

It’s been a funny year so far, but in saying that we just keep on trying to stay on top of those things we can, and I hope that trying to maintain your weight goals is one of them.

A couple of my blog posts and here have discussed the benefits of buying foods in season. So in that same spirit, let’s dive into healthy weight gain foods perfect for summer.

                                      The Three Basic Meals

I’ve previously written about AT LEAST maintaining the three main meals in a day as much as possible i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Certainly, regularly skipping one of these will put the kibosh on your weight gain goals. So please do stick to at least these three daily meals.

And so with that in mind, I’m just going to list some healthy weight gain meals that can be enjoyed at each of those times as some ideas of summer eating.

                                             Breakfast

Now, depending on what floats your boat, I’ve included options that are no-cook, cold and hot breakfast ideas.

• Cold milk with muesli, whole grain cereals or granola.

Try out different milks like almond for variety, or coconut milk for more calories. For even more flavour and calories, top up with some fruits, nuts or both.

• Overnight oats.

This involves soaking uncooked oats overnight in liquid like milk, yogurt, kefir, soy, coconut or almond milk etc. in the fridge.

Naturally, this softens up the oats, making an easy and tasty, healthy breakfast the next day. You can add honey or maple syrup as a sweetener, or mix in some fruit or even nut butter.

• Yogurt parfaits.

I am referring to DIY (Do-It-Yourself) yogurt parfaits because you know exactly what is in them.

These are simply full cream yogurt, layered with muesli or granola, then more creamy yogurt and topped off with a sweetener like cut up fruits, honey, stevia or maple syrup. Serve these straight away to keep the granola crunchy!

• Smoothies

I love smoothies because there is simply no end to the possibilities.

You could use yogurt and milk, or just milk and blend in different fruits, baby spinach, nut butters, and oats for a simple, filling, healthy breakfast with good calories.

• Toast with toppings. (Use good quality bread)

If you haven’t already, you’ll want to try out some of these toppings.

For instance avocado, smoked salmon, canned tuna, nut butters, cottage cheese (add a sweetener to this like maple syrup), bananas, feta or goat cheese, humus, tahini or even Greek yogurt with berries or honey. I love me some bruschetta some mornings. Yum!

• Eggs

Eggs are healthy, tasty, filling and there are so many different ways to prepare them.  Read more here on eggs in the daily diet.

Let me count some of the ways: Hard boiled, scrambled, sunny-side up, huevos rancheros, fried, omelettes, shakshuka ……the list goes on and on.

They are great accompanied on or with toast, or even sandwiched between 2 soft tortillas as a quesadilla. Other sides include baked beans, avocado, goat’s cheese, baked tomato hash browns (home-made are healthier).

                             LUNCH AND DINNER OPTIONS

The brilliant thing about lunch and dinner meals is they are interchangeable and again you can have either hot or cold options.

Salads:

Whether hot, warm or cold, salads are a healthy food choice. For our purposes, the salads have to be satiating and contain good sources of calories.

Certainly consider grain salads. These include grains like quinoa, buckwheat, barley, rice, couscous, pearl barley, farro, bulgur etc. Grains are filling, provide healthy calories as well as fibre. And they are delicious.

Salads that include legumes are also a great way to maintain your weight gain goals. Legumes include beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas among others. Throw in some tuna for added flavour and protein.

I personally love Mexican rice salads and Mediterranean bean salads. Another favourite is guacamole. These are so colourful, versatile, and a nutritional powerhouse of ingredients and calories.

Don’t forget the old but reliable potato salad. Again there is no end to what you can add to a potato salad.

While we’re on the subject of potatoes, what about a sweet potato or pumpkin salad?

And folks, where would we be without our trusty pasta salads? Rizoni (AKA orzo) salads rule!

Grilled and skewer meals:

There is a lot of variety to choose from: beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, prawns fish and other seafood etc. Grilled or skewered vegetables are also delightful so include them in that skewer.

Enjoy these with some flavoured rice and salads, in pitta or Turkish bread, or with roasted vegetables.

Some other cooked meal ideas are stir fries and sautéed vegetables over rice, grains like couscous and burghul, pilafs, or rice stuffed peppers or tomatoes.

Dips:

Many of these food options will be complemented with dips like plain yogurt, hummus, avocado, white bean, salmon, tahini etc.

Similarly, you can pair these dips with some raw vegetables or fruit, bread, healthy crackers or crispbread for a snack.

Desserts and snacks:

For the sweet tooth, don’t forget that fruits can also be grilled. Enjoy some yummy caramelised flavours from grilled fruit kebabs, peaches, fresh figs, pineapples, melons etc. The sky really is the limit.

Other sweet options include home-made fruit popsicles like those made with coconut cream, fruity yogurt parfaits, home-made no-churn ice-creams using your blender and chocolate dipped fruits. See this for some easy dessert ideas for your summer weight gain goals.

And finally, don’t forget simple dried fruits like raisins, apricots, sultanas, cranberries, figs and dates.

Phew! After all that, I’m off to find something yummy to eat. Writing this post has made me quite hungry.

Above all, I hope these epic delicious healthy weight gain food ideas for summer will inspire you with keeping your weight gain goals going. Happy eating!