Safe and Healthy Memorial Day Weekend!

As summer and Memorial Day Weekend approach, BBQs and picnics are on everyone's mind! BBQ food and parties are meant to get all the people you love together to relax and enjoy the delicious summer food and activities. What many people do not think about are the food-borne illnesses that can come out of a BBQ party. Here are some health concerns that you need to be aware of before you host or go to a Memorial Day BBQ!

Tips for Grilling Safely

-Wash hands often with soap and water

- Marinating meat is great, but don't reuse it after cooking the meat, unless you boil it. 

-Marinate in the fridge and take out RIGHT before cooking. Do not leave cooked meat out of fridge for more than 2 hours.

-Use a food thermometer to check proper temps:

165 degrees F= poultry and leftovers

160 degrees F= ground meat

145 degrees F= beef, pork, veal, and lamb (rest 3 min before consuming)

*BACTERIA ZONE= 41 degrees F to 135 degrees F

-Try to prevent charring (burnt edges)

-When transferring raw meat to the grill, use a clean plate to collect the cooked meats.

-After 2 hours of sitting out, place food in refrigerator, to prevent bacterial growth

Now that you know some of the food safety guidelines for grilling, it is time to put together healthy food choices to serve! Grilling is a great cooking method because you don't need to add fat! You never hear of hot dogs being healthy, but there are now some companies that have healthier hot dogs and vegetarian kinds! Chicken is a lean protein that is a perfect choice to top a salad, eat with veggies, or make a sandwich with! Burgers can be a great choice, but it depends on the type of burger, the cheese, toppings, and the bun! 

Healthy Burger Ideas

-For burgers: use lean ground beef, turkey, chicken, salmon, tofu or vegetarian patties

-For cheese: low sodium American and low fat choices, goat cheese, feta

-For toppings: avocado/guacamole, lettuce, spinach, tomato, onions, pickles, mushrooms, mustard, ketchup

-For the bun: 100% whole wheat/grain, sandwich thins, lettuce

Meat is not the only thing you can grill, use your imagination!

Healthy Grilling Ideas

-Grill fruit like: peaches, pineapple, bananas, mangos, etc. for a healthy dessert

-Grill veggies in a foil pack

-Grill corn on the cob

-Cut avocados in half, brush with olive oil, and grill

-For a salad: grill romaine lettuce and tomato

-Make shish-kabobs 

We all know that pasta salad, potato salad, salad, salsa, chips, pretzels, and fruit are just a few sides that go with a BBQ. Some of the sides may pack on more calories, fat, and sodium than your burger, depending on how they are made. If you often get tempted with those high fat sides, take a small portion or just make your own healthy one for everyone!

Healthy Red Skin Potato Salad

Time: 30 min to an hour

Serves: About 9

Ingredients: 

-2  3/4 lbs. red potatoes, cubed with skin on (more fiber!)

-2 cups plain greek yogurt (Drain excess liquid)

-3/4 cup minced red onion (about 1/2 an onion)

-3/4 cup thinly sliced celery

-1/2 cup pickles, minced

-2 Tbs pickle juice

-1 Tbs yellow mustard

-1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

-1/2 teaspoon pepper (to taste)

-1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and water, boil water over high heat. Once boiling, add potatoes. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let the potatoes get tender, about 10 min.

2. While the potatoes are in the water, slice the onion and celery.

3. Once the potatoes are ready, drain them and place in a bowl of cold water or directly in the fridge to cool (about 5 min)

4. Mix the onions, celery, pickles, pickle juice, and mustard together.

5. Once potatoes are cooled, add yogurt. Gently fold the yogurt into the potatoes.

6. Gently fold the onion mixture into the yogurt and potatoes.

7. Add parsley.

8. Let it sit in the fridge for a bit before serving, than enjoy! (I let it sit over night and it was a lot better the next day!)

Nutritional Facts for 1 Serving:

70 calories

0 Fat!!!

3 mg cholesterol

167 mg sodium

245 mg potassium

12 g carbs

1 g fiber

6 g sugar

6 g protein

Have a safe and healthy Memorial Day!