When having a cookout, you can elevate the nutrition level of your food for you and your family by making some simple adjustments to your traditional BBQ plans. And there’s no need to fully eliminate your hot dogs and hamburgers!
Consider some of the following:
Prepare a vegetable plate in minutes with grilled squash, peppers, corn, carrots or cauliflower. Toss the veggies with a splash of olive oil and your favorite seasoning and place them on the grill. Do this first and set them out for everyone to munch on while the other food is prepared.
When filling up your plate, shoot for half of your plate to be veggies and fruits, one quarter protein and one quarter grains.
Trade traditional mayo-heavy coleslaw for a fresh carrot salad dressed with plain Greek yogurt, raisins and chopped apples. This sweet and crunchy dish is a kid favorite!
Combine whole-grain pasta, broccoli and colorful peppers to create a healthier pasta salad.
Choose lean ground beef, turkey or chicken for your burgers.
Make sliders instead of full-size burgers. Use whole-grain dinner rolls for the buns. Serve them with romaine lettuce leaves and tomato slices.
Grill marinated shrimp or chicken skewers. Add peppers or grape tomatoes for sweetness, fiber and an extra dose of vegetables.
Grill pineapple rings or peach halves until their natural sugars caramelize. Present the grilled fruit on a dessert bar with vanilla yogurt, nuts as sprinkles and fresh cherry toppers.