Since it's so hot out, my family grills just about every night (I wouldn't dare turn on the oven). If you're like me, eating tons of burgers and hot dogs every night wouldn't make you feel too good. Here are some ways to keep your BBQs healthy.
- Make real guacamole (made with avocados) instead of creamy dips. Avocados offer you the healthy fats your body needs, which is a much better option than the saturated fats found in dairy-based dips.
- Grill veggies. Use a grill basket, corn holders, or make shish kebabs. Brush veggies with a little olive oil and the warm, savory flavor is really satisfying. I especially love grilled peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, and eggplant. Be sure to fill your plate with a variety of them.
- Instead of beef, choose veggie burgers and hot dogs. They're made with vegetables, beans, and whole grains, so they're loaded with protein and fiber rather than artery-clogging cholesterol.
- Eat buns made with whole grains not enriched flour.
- Make substitutions when it comes the fixings on your burgers. Choose raw tomato instead of ketchup, low-fat cheese instead of the full-fat kind, and try plain yogurt instead of mayo.
Taschen
Lyie Van Rycke
Alexander Wang
I always make grilled veggies when we grill out...they're so yummy. My favorite is a grilled portabello mushroom. It tastes like a burger!
1I've always loved veggie burgers
2You can grill SOOO many meats that aren't hamburgers and hotdogs.
- delicious steak
- salmon, wrapped in foil with a bit of butter, lemon slices, and onion and then cooked on the grill is one of my favourite summer meals
- chicken breasts
- add chunks from cut up steaks to those shish kabobs
- pork chops, etc..
- potatoes can be wrapped in foil and then grilled
My family has always made liberal use of the BBQ, to the point where it isn't unusual for my dad to be grilling in the snow. Hamburgers and hot dogs don't make an appearance very often, because everything else is SO good.
3Nice post PinkLizzie, and so true. I love the grilled veggie stuff.
4i agree with that all, but whats wrong with ketchup??
5There's nothing wrong with ketchup except that it's a little salty, I think. It's about 1 Cal/gram -- so probably 5 calories or so if you're talking about a squirt on a burger. (It also contains Vitamin C!) Prepared mustard is also low in calories, but again a bit salty.
Tomato is better because there's no salt and more vitamins, because it's bigger. But this is really a tiny bit of salt we're talking about, 1-5% of your RDI.
I really like hot pepper relish on my burgers. It's my new favourite condiment. Again, salt -- but I stay away from cheese (major salt! Especially feta!) so it all evens out
If you really want beef, use lean beef (or prepared burgers) whenever you can to cut cholesterol and saturated fats. If 1/4 lb burgers really fill you up, try 1/8 lb burgers instead. It's hard to taste the difference for either, but it cuts the calories a lot.
6Meh, make mine a thin grass fed beef patty with all the veggies (avocado, too!) and (canola) mayo.
I hate veggie patties. I have tried at least a dozen types and they all anger my digestive system. Turkey isn't bad, but when I want a burger, I want a real one.
7Yeah...veggie burgers are nasty. They don't taste like real burgers unless you lie to yourself. I prefer to just use 95% lean ground beef.
8Ketchup has high fructose corn syrup in it.
9OH...zucchini and squash grilled is a daily thing for me
I use a whole tank of
propane per month. I love my fancy grill.
10I LOVE LOVE LOVE grilling. Tri-tip is my FAVORITE thing in the world. With Just Suzie Q seasoning on it. And grilled veggies with a little oil and suzie Q. Heaven. Mmmmmmmm
11We grill everything, I hate cooking. Grilling RULES
I've been using salsa and sourcream as a substitute for my favorite ketchup and mayo. I like it just as much as ketchup/mayo but it's a LOT less calories. I can't imagine putting yogurt on my burger as a sub for mayo though, eew!
12Ok, I'm a beef girl, and love my buffalo burgers from Trader Joe's. The fat content is super low compared to the other types of beef so its all the goodness without the guilt. The meat tastes similar to beef with a slightly milder flavor.
The other thing I love to death veggie burger wise, is portabello mushroom burgers. The other patties, I just can't stomach. The mushroom burgers everyone loves!
Viva La Grill
13if you can believe it, my husband and I JUST used our grill - a wedding present from exactly 4 years ago. We are not the handiest of people and I was just scared to try. Now that I see how easy it is, I wanna grill everything, every day. Sweet potatoes sound amazing. I made corn and salmon the other night. Yummmm.
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