When the weather heats up, two things happen. The person normally in charge of preparing dinner declares that it is too hot to stand over a blazing oven and stove. The person not normally in charge of preparing dinner runs toward his or her grill at lightning speed and decides to see if it really is possible to grill lettuce.

Cooking tasty (but healthy) meals in the summer can prove to be quite the challenge, but it is possible! Remember, you don’t have to stand in a sweltering kitchen to make a good dinner. There are plenty of great meals that can either be cooked outdoors on a grill or require little cooking at all! Here are a few tips to keep you (and your family) fed during the hot summer months:

1. Invest in a raw foods cookbook. While these cookbooks are loved by vegans the world over, they can also be very helpful when you find that you can’t stand the idea of cooking or even eating food that is warm! The raw foods/no bake cookbooks will be full of healthy and tasty recipes that will keep your family fed and happy.

2. Let the grill do the work. Wrap your veggies in a tin foil packet and cook them over your grill! You’ll be amazed at how extraordinary the vegetables can taste when they are cooked over open (or propane) flames!

3. Sandwiches always are satisfying and often can be a meal all by themselves (depending on the sandwich toppings you like the best). Sandwiches are also a fantastic way to use leftovers from last night’s grilled dinner.

4. When all else fails and you can’t stand the idea of another night of barbecue, find an affordable restaurant and let someone else do the cooking for a night!