Happy Memorial Day weekend! As you prepare to kick off the official start of summer, check out our tips below for hosting a healthier cookout. Not only are these tips great this weekend, they can help keep you and your loved ones healthy all summer long. Enjoy!
- Serve lighter beverages, such as unsweetened tea, low-sugar lemonade or best of all, water. If you are celebrating outdoors, drink plenty of water each hour to prevent dehydration, especially if you are consuming alcohol.
- Lighten up your burgers with our basil-feta turkey burger or black bean burger recipes.
- Serve yummy roasted veggies as a low-fat side dish instead of calorie-laden potato or macaroni salad.
- Grill fish instead of red meat. If you do opt to serve red meat (which is fine in moderation), choose a lean cut of meat, such as a filet or sirloin.
- Add fun and games to your barbecue. When you’ve got a group of friends and family together, what better time to start up a round of relays, ping pong, Frisbee or softball? We bet if you add some friendly competition to your get-together, it will be one of your most fun events yet!
- Serve a light dessert. We love this fruit trifle for a light, but oh-so-delicious summer dessert. We promise your guests will be begging for seconds!
- Prevent food poisoning. Don’t let a bout of food-borne illness ruin your picnic. Check out our tips for safe food preparation.