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Surviving Summer Barbeques

When you think of summer barbeque get-togethers, what comes to your mind?  Do you picture high-calorie side dishes and tempting desserts?  While they are a summertime tradition, the thought of picnics can be disheartening for someone trying to lose or maintain their weight.

Use the tips and recipes below to create a healthier cookout for yourself, your family and your friends and to guide you on your weight loss journey.

Appetizers

• Begin your meal with a vegetable salad or a broth based soup, such as a Soupitizer™ soup.
• For appetizers, trade out higher-fat options with baked chips or non-starchy vegetables like snap peas, zucchini wedges and sliced yellow peppers with fat-free dips or fruit salsa.
• Have frozen grapes, strawberries or pineapple slices available to snack on while the food is cooking.

Beverages

• Serve low-calorie beverages, such as sparkling water, iced tea or diet soda and garnish with mint, raspberries, grapes or orange wheels.
• If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages, choose light beer or make wine spritzers with four ounces of wine and four ounces of club soda.

Fruits/Desserts

• Prepare a fresh fruit plate, fruit salad or fruit kabob for dessert using seasonal berries and melons.
• Serve grilled fruit, such as grilled pineapple, as a side or a dessert.
• Fill a melon boat with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and top with your favorite non-fat topping.

Meats

• Select lean meats for grilling such as chicken, fish or steak (loin or flank) with little or no fat.
• Rub your meats with herbs and spices before grilling to add more flavor without added fat.
• Use low-fat or fat-free salad dressings as marinades for poultry, fish and lean meats.

Side Dishes

• Make potato salad, macaroni salad and cole slaw with fat-free mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt; mix in chopped celery, cucumber, onions and carrots to add volume to help you fill up without extra calories.
• If you use a packaged rice or pasta mix, discard half of the seasoning mixture, use a lower-sodium mix or add in your own seasonings, such as garlic powder or red pepper flakes.
• Turn your green salad into a heartier side dish by adding cooked barley or wheat berries and dried cranberries, then chill and toss the salad before serving.

Vegetables

• Grill vegetable kabobs of tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms – these all count as Free Foods.
• Season your garden vegetables with fresh herbs, lemon juice, stock, wine, flavored vinegars or low-calorie “butter sprinkles” instead of butter and oil.
• Have a variety of Free Foods handy, such as a tray of non-starchy vegetables with fat-free sour cream dip or salsa, to snack on if you are tempted to nibble when preparing food or entertaining guests.

Additional Tips/ Strategies

• Use the Healthy Plate Strategy by filling 1/2 of your plate with vegetables, 1/4 of your plate with a starch, such as a small scoop of baked beans or potato salad, and 1/4 of your plate with lean meat, such as skinless poultry or beef tenderloin (3-4 ounces).
• To set yourself up for success, plan your summer barbeque events to include a combination of food and non-food activities.  For example, play a game of touch football or badminton with the children while the food is cooking.
• If you choose to indulge a little, talk with your consultant about how you can work a 250 calorie splurge into your menu while balancing it out with extra activity.

Recipes

Use the recipes below or find more summer barbeque recipes at www.jennycraig.com.

Grilled T-Bone Steaks with BBQ Rub
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

2 Tbls chili powder
2 Tbls brown sugar, packed
1 Tbl ground cumin
2 tsps garlic, minced
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 lbs well-trimmed beef T-Bone steak (1” thick)
dash of salt, optional

Combine rub ingredients; press evenly onto beef steaks. Grill steaks uncovered 14-16 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Remove bones and carve steaks into slices, if desired. Season with salt, if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Per Serving: 1/2 Starch, 4 Meat, 1 Free

All-American Turkey Burgers
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

2 lbs ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped onions
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp pepper
8 Kaiser rolls, sliced in half
8 leaves lettuce
8 slices tomato
8 slices red onion

Preheat grill. In medium-sized bowl, combine turkey, onion, garlic, ketchup and pepper. Evenly divide turkey mixture into 8 burgers, approximately 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Grill turkey burgers for 5 to 6 minutes per side until 165ºF is reached with meat thermometer and meat is no longer pink in center. To serve, place each turkey burger on bottom half of Kaiser roll and top with lettuce, tomato and red onion. Yield: 8 servings.

Per Serving: 2 Starch, 4 Meat

Rainbow Pepper Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes

3/4 cup chopped red, green and yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red cabbage
2 Tbls diced green onion
1/8 tsp crushed basil
1/8 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbl white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Chill for 1-3 hours. Yield: 1 serving.

Per Serving: 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat

Cucumber Tomato Salad
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

1/2 cup rice vinegar
4-5 packets sugar substitute
3 cups cucumber, unpeeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 cups tomato, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine vinegar and sugar substitute. Add cucumbers, tomato and onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired, mix well. Refrigerate covered, at least 30 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Per Serving: 1 Vegetable

Frozen Lemon Raspberry Pie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 135 minutes

1 3/4 cups reduced-fat gingerbread cookie crumbs (about 40 cookies)
3 Tbls reduced-calorie margarine, melted
2 Tbls crystallized ginger, minced
4 cups raspberry sorbet, softened
4 cups lemon sorbet, softened
3 cups fresh raspberries
3 (1 oz) squares white chocolate, melted
1 bunch fresh mint sprigs (optional)

Combine first three ingredients and stir well.  Press mixture into bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan, freeze 15 minutes or until firm. Spread raspberry sorbet over mixture and freeze for one hour.  Spread lemon sorbet over raspberry sorbet. Cover and freeze one hour. To serve, remove pie from pan. Arrange raspberries over lemon sorbet. Drizzle white chocolate over raspberries; slice pie into wedges. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired. Yield: 12 servings.

Per Serving: 1 Fruit, 2 Starch, 2 Fat, 1 Free

Key West Lime Parfaits
Prep Time: 80 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes

nonstick vegetable spray
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, divided
3 cups lime sherbet, softened
1 Tbl lime grind, grated

Coat a one-quart casserole dish with nonstick vegetable spray. Spread nuts in casserole dish and microwave, uncovered, on high for six to seven minutes, or until lightly toasted, stirring every 30 seconds. Combine nuts and 1/2 cup of cookie crumbs and stir well. Combine lime sherbet and lime rind and stir well. Spoon one tablespoon cookie crumb mixture into six (6-ounce) parfait glasses and top with 1/4 cup sherbet mixture.  Add one more tablespoon cookie mixture and another 1/4 cup sherbet mixture into each glass. Sprinkle each glass with one teaspoon of cookie crumbs.  Cover glasses and freeze for approximately one hour or until firm. Yield: 6 servings.

Per Serving: 2 Starch, 1 Fat

All registered trademarks are owned by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland, or used with permission.

VOLUMETRICS® is a federally registered trademark of Barbara Rolls, PhD, used under exclusive license by Jenny Craig, Inc.

Rolls BJ. The Volumetrics Eating Plan. New York, NY: Harper; 2007.
Rolls BJ, Barnett RA. The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan. New York, NY: Harper; 2000.