Healthy Recipes: Summer BBQ

Summer brings the perfect weather for outdoor events, especially everyone`s favorite delicious outdoor event - barbecues.

Here are some tips on making your barbeques heart healthy and delicious!

• When choosing beef, choose lean cuts such as round steaks, or other cuts with the word "round" in them, such as "bottom round" "round eye" "top round." These are the leanest you can find. The other code word is "top" as in "top sirloin" or "top loin."
• With pork, the "magic" code word is "loin." Choose foods including the word loin, such as "pork loin" "tenderloin" "center loin" and most hams are usually pretty low in fat too.
• With poultry, the secret code is a color, not a word. Look for "light" meat under the skin, such as skinless chicken breasts. The darker meats might tip your scale a bit too much into the dark side.
• To trim or not to trim? Go ahead and leave the fat and skin on the meat while cooking and wait to remove it once it`s cooled down a bit. It`s easier to remove once you've cooked the meat and it doesn`t significantly affect the fat content of the food. Here's some recipes for a tasty variation on how to include summer grilling as part of a healthy plan:

Steak

Directions:

1. Cook steaks to desired doness and then allow them to cool for about 3 minutes.
2. Once they cool down, slice them into thin slices.
3. Place the torn spinach and romaine in a large bowl and toss together.
4. In a small bowl, mix the vinaigrette, parmesan, and pepper.
5. Add the mixture to the salad. Divide the salad mixture into 4 salad bowls and top them with sliced steak.
6. Add some croutons and voila!

Info: Per Serving
Calories: 377
Total fat: 12 g

Potato Salad

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pricked with a knife. Drain and cool the potatoes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine both kinds of mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, mustard and celery.
3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into small, bite-sized pieces and add them to the bowl. Add the hard boiled egg and egg white and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Serving Size: about 1/2 cup
Calories: 195
Total fat: 7 g

Tip: Make some recipes ahead of time so you can enjoy the summer days! You can actually make this dish the day before since it holds well in the fridge….so long as no one finds it….

Strawberry Shortcake

 Who wants Cake and "ice cream"?!

Directions:

Cheat your way to a health and fun with this easy maneuver. Purchase an already made fresh angel food cake. Angel food cake is naturally low calorie and a great light option to satisfy a sweet tooth. Cut into thin slices. Place a scoop of low fat/low sugar frozen yogurt on top and add fresh slices of strawberries….mmmmm!

Serving size: One 2 ounce slice of angel food cake with 4 ounces frozen yogurt and 1 ounce strawberries
Calories: 260
Fat: 4.5 grams