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3 Grilled Dinner Recipes the Entire Family Will Enjoy

July 25, 2017 by

Tired of eating the same foods every week? We don’t blame you. While your kids may not mind eating cartoon-shaped, cheese-covered noodles for dinner every night, we know that your more sophisticated palate may be craving a few new recipe options.

For that reason, we decided to pull together 3 of our favorite dinner recipes.

But here’s the best part…we’re not only giving you some new recipes to try out. We’re sharing recipes that are easy to make, healthy, and—unless you have incredibly picky kids—please all of your family members’ palates.

Get the recipes now…

BBQ Chicken Recipe

BBQ chicken is a classic summertime dinner staple. This recipe is savory, delicious, and best of all, takes less than an hour to make! Give it a try…

Ingredients:

  • 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons minced onion
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce, (recommended: Tabasco)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons chopped scallions (white and light green parts)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. Mix up the BBQ sauce.

Easy BBQ Sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, onion, mustard, hot sauce, and black pepper. Stir in the scallions, lime zest, and lime juice. Can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

2. Prepare a medium-hot grill or preheat the broiler. If using the broiler, line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the chicken on the grill or, if broiling, put it on the prepared baking sheet. Grill or broil, 4 inches from the heat, turning once, for 10 minutes per side.

4. Put 1/2 of the BBQ sauce in a small bowl, for drizzling and serving. Reserve.

5. Baste the chicken with the remaining sauce and grill or broil for 5 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, drizzle with some of the reserved sauce, and serve with lime wedges and the remaining reserved sauce.

Recipe Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/easy-after-work-bbq-chicken-recipe-1921598

Orange Garlic Tuna Steaks Recipe

Fish is a very healthy food that is full of important omega-3s. Even if you don’t care for fish, we encourage you to give this recipe a try. The delicious orange garlic marinade masks any unpleasant fishy tastes. Try it out…

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 (4 ounce) tuna steaks

Directions:

1. In a large non-reactive dish, mix together the orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat grill for high heat.

3. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook the tuna steaks for 5 to 6 minutes, then turn and baste with the marinade. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or to desired doneness. Discard any remaining marinade.

Recipe Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/39455/marinated-tuna-steak/

Grilled Portobello Burger Recipe

For those of you who are vegetarians—or simply love your vegetables—you definitely want to add this recipe to your menu! This hearty, savory Portobello burger, topped with homemade onion jam is bound to get your mouth watering. Give it a try…

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 medium-large red onions, thinly sliced (about 2 pounds)
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 4 large Portobello mushrooms, (about 1 pound) stemmed
  • Lettuce leaves
  • 4 whole grain buns, or whole wheat English muffins, split and toasted

Directions:

1. Put the yogurt in a paper towel-lined strainer set over a bowl, set aside to drain and thicken, about 60 minutes. Discard the watery liquid. Whisk the horseradish into the thickened yogurt.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Add the onions, 1 thyme sprig, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, covered, until the onions have wilted, about 10 to 15 minutes (give them a stir every now and then with a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking). Add the red wine, and simmer over high heat until most of the wine gets absorbed into the onions. Add the honey and red wine vinegar and simmer gently until the onions get jam-like, about, about 15 minutes.

3. Preheat a stove top grill pan over medium-high heat. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Strip and add the leaves from the remaining sprig of thyme.

4. Coat the mushroom caps all over with the flavored olive oil. Grill the mushrooms, turning as needed, until tender but not mushy about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Season with the salt and pepper.

5. Sandwich the mushroom between the buns, top with some of the onion jam, some lettuce, and a dollop of the horseradish cream. Serve warm.

Do you have a favorite grilling recipe? Share it with us in the comments below!

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5 Super Easy Ways to Cut Carbs

August 4, 2015 by

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Photo credit: Scott Veg

When you love all things bread and pasta, cutting carbs from your diet can seem nearly impossible.

However, restricting your intake of carbohydrates–especially the kind that come in the form of a large box of pizza—is an important factor to losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle.

Fear not, carb lovers, we’re providing 5 alternatives to some of your favorite recipes that are sans carbs. And they’re delicious.

Spaghetti Squash

Someone from up above took pity on those of us who love pasta by creating the most amazing vegetable, spaghetti squash. As its name implies, it’s a squash that you bake and then scrape out the contents with a fork, and it comes out in strings resembling pasta. The even better part is that it tastes like whatever sauce you put on it!

We recommend this marinara and turkey meatball spaghetti squash recipe as a great alternative to pasta.

Pizza bites

There is a lot of buzz about cauliflower crust pizza floating around in the PinterestSphere, but it can be incredibly time consuming to make (not to mention the smell alone can put off your appetite). These no-crust pizza bites only require a muffin tin, Canadian bacon, shredded mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, and any additional pizza toppings of your choice.

The best part of this recipe (minus being super duper healthy) is that it allows everyone to create his or her own mini pizza—minus the carbs!

Eggplant pizza

Replace the high-calorie crust with eggplant! Slice the eggplant, salt both sides and let sit to draw out the moisture, sprinkle some herbs, and bake for about 25 minutes. Next, add your pizza toppings, and place back in the oven for a few more minutes. Only downside is this eggplant pizza recipe is a little tricky to eat with your hands—you may have to opt for a fork and knife.

Pepper nachos

This pepper nacho recipe is perfect for the chip lover! Using mini peppers (sliced in half and hallowed-out), stuff full of corn, black beans, pico de gallo, avocado, and low-fat cheese. Pop in the oven until the cheese gets nice and melty, and then snack away!

Roasted chickpeas

Roasted chickpeas are an absolute lifesaver when you need that salty and crunchy fix. Just add olive oil, salt, pepper, and any herbs or spices you’d like and bake for about 15 minutes—so easy and delicious!

Have a favorite carbless recipe you’d like to share? Comment below!

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Healthier Ways to Make Your Favorite Winter Comfort Foods

January 9, 2012 by

comfort foodsAh, winter comfort foods—is anything better than curling up in a blanket and eating your favorite?

However, many comfort foods, such as macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, and creamy stews and soups, are full of fat and calories we don’t need. Following are a few tips to reduce the fat and calories without sacrificing the taste and comfort you want.

Cut down the butter.

If a recipe calls for three tablespoons of butter, try using only two tablespoons (or less). Chances are you won’t notice a difference in taste. Using margarine presents its own problems, as most of them have hydrogenated oil you need to completely stay away from.

Try using lower-fat dairy products.

Instead of heavy cream, try using half-and-half, or use 2% milk instead of full-fat milk. Sour cream and cottage cheese come in low-fat varieties. You can find lower-fat cheeses, or use a smaller amount of high-quality cheese.

For some recipes, a lower-fat substitution might not work, but it’s certainly worth a try.

Reduce sugar by half.

While sugar doesn’t have that many calories, reducing it is always a good idea when trying to eat healthier. If you don’t like the taste with less sugar, try adding a little bit of honey.

Add more lean protein, fruit, and vegetables.

If you’re making a chicken potpie, use the leanest cuts of the chicken and add more vegetables. Try some broccoli, cauliflower, and beans.

Try pan-frying instead of deep-frying.

You’ll use less oil and have fewer calories. Try frying in olive oil or coconut oil for a change of taste. Taking the skin off will reduce fat, as will baking or oven-frying.

If all else fails, simply eat smaller portions, or make adjustments elsewhere in your diet.

If you can’t stand the way your mac ‘n cheese tastes with lower-fat substitutions, by all means, cook it the right way—just eat from a smaller bowl or plate. If you don’t want to do that, then plan your mac feast and eat less during the other meals of the day.

What do you do to reduce the fat and calories in your comfort foods?

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