When the weather is warm, the sun is shining, and the days are long, the last thing you want is to be stuck in the kitchen day after day making meals when you could be doing something else. Eating outside is a great idea in the summer, and this calls for a lighter meals sometimes. There are plenty of great dishes that you can make, and you can even come up with some of your own for easy summer meals that won't weigh you down or get in the way of having your summertime fun.

The key to good and easy summer meals is to find foods that are easy to make but that are also light and refreshing. A good steak on the grill is a must each summer for meat lovers, but you don't have to have heavy BBQ food when eating outside. You can find many great meals that will fill you up without bogging you down. Start with easy pasta dishes both cold and hot. These can be fast and easy but are also very satisfying. The best part is that you can reheat the left overs the next day and they will still taste great. Think of new pasta ideas and shapes, as some hold more sauce than others.

A good idea would be a pasta with olive oil, tomato, and a herb of your choice. You can use the oil to coat the pasta and the herbs and spices you choose will go right to the pasta and stick in the oil. You can use green peppers or onions?anything you like to eat. You can eat this type of pasta dish cold, or you can heat it up easily, depending on what you want that day. You can also make a cold pasta salad with spiral noodles, Italian dressing, pepperoni, cheese chunks, broccoli bits, and olives to compliment any other easy summer meals you may come up with on your own.

Easy summer meals also include things that you don't have to cook, though you could quickly heat if you wished. Things like submarine sandwiches that each person can make to their own liking are often hits. You can have three or four different meats and the same number of different cheeses. Add to this lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers, and anything else you like. You can also have a number of different sandwich spreads so that everyone can make their own unique sandwich quickly and easily.

Think of easy summer meals as anything that you can whip up quickly, won't spoil within minutes, and that are easy on the stomach. There are many great cookbooks you can buy that will have hundreds of ideas for meals that your family or friends will love. You don't have to be eating outside to enjoy these easy and light meals, nor do you have to be throwing a party to whip them up. Just prepare what you enjoy and make more than you can eat so you can enjoy the leftovers. Summer is for fun and activity, and you don't want heavy meals from bogging you down.