1. Healthy Holiday Barbecue
Nothing makes Father's Day, Independence Day or a weekend pool party more fun than a barbecue--and we here at LIVESTRONG.COM want to share some of our tips and recipes to make your holiday barbecue a healthy one.
Barbecue Your Vegetables
Recipe: Portobello Burgers
Use Leaner Meats
Recipe: Grilled shrimp over arugula corn and tomato
Choose Your Marinades Carefully
Recipe: Susy's Everything Marinade
Watch Your Side Dishes
Recipe: Watermelon and Tomato Salad
Barbecue Your Vegetables
While it may seem odd, you can cook vegetables on your grill along with your meat, which makes barbecues healthier. Cut the vegetables into chunks that will cook evenly. Soak them in water for about half-hour and then lightly coat with oil. Choose from the many different flavored oils available to have some fun with different flavors. Some people wrap vegetables in aluminum foil to keep juices close to the vegetables or put vegetables on a kabob. Kabobs are fun to eat, easy to cook and the juices from the vegetables cook together to create an interesting flavor. Look up recipes so you know how long to barbecue specific vegetables.
Healthy Alternative: Portobello Burgers
Ingredients
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 Portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed
4 whole-wheat hamburger buns
1 cup sliced heirloom tomato
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup loosely packed mixed baby salad greens
Preparation
- Preheat grill to medium-high.
- Mash garlic and salt on a cutting board with the side of a knife until it's a smooth paste. Mix the paste with one tablespoon oil in a small dish.
- Lightly brush the oil mixture over Portobellos and then on one side of each slice of burger bun.
- Grill the mushroom caps until tender, about 4 minutes per side; grill the buns until crisp, about 1 minute per side.
- Place the grilled mushrooms top-side down on 4 half-slices of the burger buns.
- Top with the salad mixture, tomato and the remaining bun.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
301 Calories
9g Fat
2g Saturated Fat
7g Monounsaturated Fat
3mg Cholesterol
40g Carbohydrate
10g Protein
4g Fiber
795mg Sodium
691mg Potassium
Use Leaner Meats
Did you know...
A 3 ounce serving of beef short ribs is 251 calories and has 15.4 grams of fat?
Just one ounce of pork ribs per ounce is 103 calories and has 8.4 grams of fat?
A single hot dog ranges between 170 -280 calories and has between 12 to 17 grams of fat?
One way to make your steaks, burgers, chicken and hot dogs healthier while barbecuing them is to choose leaner cuts of meat. Choose top sirloin steaks and eye round roasts rather than rib eyes and T-bone steaks. Purchase ground beef labeled "extra lean" or "lean." While these choices are more expensive, they're better for you. When cooking burgers and hot dogs, consider ones made from turkey meat rather than beef. They taste about the same and are healthier. Choose chicken breasts rather than thighs and choose boneless, skinless varieties that also have less fat. Rather than grilling meat, try seafood for a healthy alternative.
Healthy Alternative: Grilled shrimp over arugula corn and tomato
6 Servings
Ingredients
16 oz shrimp, cooked
3 cups arugula
8 slices, thick/large (1/2" thick), red ripe tomatoes
1 cup fresh sweet corn
2 tbsp olive oil
2 wedges of lemon, juiced
Susy's Everything Marinade
Preparation
- Let shrimp marinate in Susy's Everything Marinade for one hour in fridge.
- Grill; then let cool a bit and remove from shell.
- Serve over a bed of arugula, heirloom tomato, and grilled corn.
- Drizzle with Olive Oil and Fresh Lemon juice; salt and pepper to taste.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
147.2 Calories
5.8g Fat
0.9g Saturated Fat
0.9g Polyunsaturated Fat
3.6g Monounsaturated Fat
147.3mg Cholesterol
179.1mg Sodium
326.1 Potassium
7.1g Carbohydrate
1.3g Dietary Fiber
1.1g Sugar
17.2g Protein
Choose Your Marinades Carefully
Did you know...
Just two tablespoons of traditional BBQ sauce is 50 calories?
Marinating meat before cooking it keeps it juicer. Since barbecuing tends to suck the juice out of meats, so knowing how to marinade is an important skill. Rather than using oil-based marinades, try lemon juice, pineapple juice or soy sauce. Honey, barbecue sauce or other light sauces are also popular choices. If you are still worried about not having enough flavor, add some herbs like garlic, rosemary or oregano to the marinade.
Healthy Alternative: Susy's Everything Marinade
This works for fish, chicken and steak
Ingredients
1 cup orange juice
2 lemons juiced
3 limes juiced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic chopped (add more or less by preference)
1 yellow onion, cut into thick slices
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Place marinade into Ziploc-style plastic bag
- Add meat, let sit in fridge for 30 minutes to two hours (chicken can be marinated over night).
Watch Your Side Dishes
Did you know...
A half cup serving of potato salad ranges between 150-210 calories, and eight to 12 grams of fat?
A half cup serving of macaroni salad ranges between 260-360 calories and 15-25 grams of fat?
A half cup serving of coleslaw ranges between 150-190 calories with up to 18 grams of fat?
A half cup serving of baked beans ranges between 160-231 calories?
Nothing goes better with barbecues than potato salad, french fries, chips or macaroni salad. But, those side dishes aren't very healthy. Replace them with fruit or vegetable salads or grilled potatoes. Grill vegetables on the grill with the meat and serve those on the side. Choose healthy, fruit-based desserts rather than heavy cakes and pies. In addition, if serving hamburgers, watch your garnishes. Try to avoid cheeses and heavy mayonnaise if possible.
Healthy Alternative: Watermelon and Tomato Salad
6 Servings
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups seedless watermelon, in 1-inch cubes (reserve juice)
1 1/2 heirloom tomato cut into cubes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
2 tbsp first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Italian parsley
Preparation
- Combine the watermelon, tomato, cheese, scallions and salt in a bowl.
- Whisk or blend together about two tablespoons of the watermelon juice, oil, vinegar and cayenne.
- To serve, dress the salad with this mixture and garnish with cilantro.
- Do not refrigerate and serve within 30 minutes.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
140.7 Calories
10.3g Fat
4.2g Saturated Fat
0.6g Polyunsaturated Fat
4.9g Monounsaturated Fat
14.2mg Cholesterol
272.3mg Sodium
204.8mg Potassium
6.8g Carbohydrate
0.9g Dietary Fiber
0.4g Sugars
4.9g Protein
Susy Sedano, Community Manager for LIVESTRONG.COM, is sharing some of her favorite barbecue recipes that are diet-friendly and delicious. Find more of her recipes at her blog, Suzy Sez Recipes.
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