Healthy No-Cook Summer Meals for Busy People 

Nutritious meals are an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but not everyone has the time or desire to spend hours cooking in their kitchen. Fortunately, it is possible for anybody to create healthy meals at home without needing a stove, oven, or any special culinary expertise.

In this virtual, hands-on class, you will learn how to assemble two delicious and healthy main-course summer salads without any cooking or baking. The recipes are meant to incorporate many food ingredients that have been shown to be helpful in promoting mental health. You will be guided through a live demonstration as you learn how to combine different flavors and ingredients together to improve flavor profiles and discover new tricks to enhance the healthfulness of vegetables. You can choose to make either salad or both, and at the end of the class, you will have a delicious and nutritious meal to enjoy for dinner.

The recipes, including ingredients, optional substitutions, and equipment needed, will be sent out one week before the class so you'll have time to shop for ingredients in advance.

Instructors: Maryam Makowski, PhD, FACN, NBC-HWC, is a clinical assistant professor at the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, the associate director of scholarship and health promotion at the Stanford WellMD & WellPhD Center, and a BeWell coach. 

Carlie Arbaugh, MD, is a general surgery resident at Stanford. She has a bachelor's degree in human biology, health, and society from Cornell University and an MD from Stanford School of Medicine. She has been an avid home cook for many years and will be pursuing culinary school and perioperative nutrition research this next year.