Happy 4th – Healthy Grillin!

Here’s to healthy grilling on the fourth of July, Independence Day, the birth of our nation!  Can you believe that it happened only a little over two hundred years ago? That’s kind of crazy if you think about it in the sense that many people can live over 100 years today, that’s only two lifetimes really!  We’ve come a long way, and the fourth is always a fun holiday to celebrate. It has always had the reputation of being one of the most carefree, cookout driven holidays there are. That and memorial day usually compete for the title of biggest grilling out day.

It’s a day to be with friends or family, grill out some healthy eats on the grill, or even some slightly unhealthy ones if that’s what floats your boat that day, and maybe even toss back a few high quality beers or some wine if that’s your poison.  I know for us, we will be taking it easy with some friends, definitely grilling out, and enjoying fresh foods, including the latest fresh produce on the grill.

Here are some fun, healthy ideas to cook out today.

Grill some pineapple. Grilled pineapple tastes delicious, and you can pair it with a steak or some chicken that’s been marinated. Meat and pineapple make a great combo, especially if you marinate the meat with the pineapple for a few hours before you pop it on the grill. The enzymes and natural acids of the fruit actually break down the toughness of the meat and make it more tender and flavorful, all without adding any fat or sodium  – yum!

Marinating chicken in some easy to make tequila lime marinade is always awesome. Just mix some tequila, lime juice, garlic and a little sea salt, and you pretty much have a ready made tequila lime marinade that has no fat – unless you add a bit of healthy olive oil, but it’s all good!

Then, for dessert, you can make a low fat strawberry shortcake. Get some angel food cake, which is super low in calories and fat, then slice up oodles of strawberries, and spray or spread some cool whip or other low fat whipped topping on top – voila – cool, refreshing, and low fat and low cal dessert for your fourth cookout folks!  Whatever you end up doing today, do it safely and most important have yourself some fun before you start that work week again – you deserve it!