Summer Fun with a Twist of Goodness

Summer can sometimes feel like one giant feast from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It can be hard to make healthy choices when all those hot dogs and pasta salads are STARING.YOU.DOWN!

Below, I've listed some of my favorite summer BBQ tips put together by Barbara Gordon, RDN, LD, a contributor to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: 

*Roast Veggies
1. Baste vegetables such as red peppers, corn, eggplant, summer squash, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms or onions with olive oil and season with herbs.
Place directly on a hot grill (or a piece of tin foil) until they are tender and brown.

*Try These Easy Mayo-less Salads
1. Make caprese. Slice tomatoes and layer a small, thin piece of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil on each tomato slice, sprinkle with olive oil and lightly salt.
2. Combine fresh fruit with fresh fennel. Thinly slice fennel and let it soak in freshly squeezed lemon juice for 20 minutes. Toss sliced peaches into fennel and add rice vinegar, lemon zest and a slight sprinkling of salt and pepper
3. Whip up a quick avocado salad. Avocados contain heart-healthy fats and are packed with vitamins and minerals. Cube avocados and toss with vinaigrette, fresh herbs, capers, sliced green onions and roasted pine nuts.

*Grill Up Dessert
1. Cook fruit kabobs, pineapple slices or peach halves on low heat until the fruit is hot and slightly golden for a tasty and nutritious dessert.
2. Grill watermelon for 30 seconds on each side to bring out unique flavors. You also could carve out a watermelon to use as a bowl for fruit salad!
3. Marinate strawberries in balsamic vinegar for 30 minutes, toss in fresh mint and serve a refresh savory dessert.

Have fun and stay cool out there! Thanks for stopping by.