Invite Healthy Foods to the Barbecue
Barbecues are commonly known for their indulgence! Pork, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, macaroni salads, and whatever else you can fit on the grill. This is typically coupled with sweet juices or sodas and feel-good desserts. People have them for holidays, birthdays, to spend time with family, or just because the weather’s nice. I’ve even heard of people using their barbecue grill in the winter — in the snow! That smoky flavor is worth the trouble.
Although the food tastes amazing, I’ve never been to a barbecue and not felt like I needed to be rolled home. I would feel weighed down by all the heavy foods and I might even take a few naps to try to shake the feeling. That made me think, what would a healthier and lighter barbecue entail? How can I infuse my beliefs that food should give you energy into a gathering where the foods do the opposite? Is it possible to invite herbs to the barbecue without sacrificing flavor or the use of the grill? Let’s find out!
1. Fruit and herb-infused ice
I’ve heard of coffee that was frozen into ice cubes, creamer ice cubes (to keep coffee from becoming watery), and popsicles, but during my research, I stumbled upon the idea of fruit and herb-infused ice. What a genius idea! The uses for this could be as specific as making ice cubes filled with mint for a refreshing lemonade. Or the ice cubes could be infused with an assortment of beautiful herbs, flowers, and fruits to give the guests yummy surprises in their water.
Time
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Freezing Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
Water
Fresh fruit, vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs
Instructions
Rinse the fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
Place them in the slots of the ice tray separately or combining them if you’d like.
Pour water into the tray until each slot is full.
Place into the freezer and freeze for at least an hour or until the water has completely frozen.
Place into your drink of choice and enjoy!
Extra tip: if you’d like to use these in water bottles, simply use an ice cube or stick tray instead.
2. Citrus fennel and avocado salad
Ingredients
citrus fruits, peeled and sliced (suggestions: mandarin oranges, navel oranges, tangelos, blood oranges, grapefruit)
½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
arugula (you can substitute this for Spinach, Romaine, or your favorite lettuce blend)
½ shallot, sliced (optional)
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp champagne vinegar
Instructions
Place the fruits, shallots, fennel, and arugula in a bowl. Pour the olive oil and vinegar over the salad. Toss and enjoy. You can also present your salad buddha bowl style by placing each ingredient in an area of the plate on its own with a small saucer of dressing in the middle or on the side. The buddha bowl doesn’t require tossing unless you’d like to toss each item in the dressing separately before placing it on the plate.
To get that great smoky flavor, slice your citrus fruits and place them on the grill for 30 seconds on each side, or until the fruits get nice grill marks! Some people like to blend grilled fruit to make drinks!
You can increase the portion size if you are in the mood for sharing or meal planning! If you meal plan, just be sure to put the dressing in its own container so the salad doesn’t become soggy.
3. Chocolate Avocado Mousse
In the kitchen, I am typically a “little-bit-of-this” type of cook/baker. Meaning, I don’t measure. I was brought up with the mentality that you add what feels good which isn’t the easiest to replicate. However, this is too good not to wow your guests with at your next gathering so here’s a simple guide for this four (yes, FOUR) ingredient chocolate mousse!
Ingredients
*Note: This is for one serving. I was not interested in sharing, but feel free to quadruple the recipe for larger groups!
1 ripe avocado (this recipe is great for avocados that are near their expiration date!)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp grade A maple syrup
4 tbsp nut milk of your choice (I used vanilla almond milk)
Instructions
Place avocado, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and nut milk into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Place in a container with a cover.
Refrigerate until ready to eat! Enjoy!
Tiny, curious fingers are optional
In conclusion, I hope that this blog has inspired you to get creative with what you bring to the next barbecue you attend. Whether you decide to bring vegetables/potatoes on skewers, fun desserts, fruit-infused water, or just an energetic smile because you’re on dish duty, just know that you can enjoy yourself in a healthy way. You can indulge in tasty dishes without sacrificing healthy vitamins and minerals. You can eat foods that energize you and contribute to the overall functioning of your body without having to eat bland and boring foods. Do you have fun recipes that are family favorites for the summer? Please share them in the comments below!