Red, White & Skinny

If you're like me, the excitement of 4th of July weekend comes along with scary thoughts: Bikini + booze + lots of yummy food = not so pretty picture. Here are a few delicious food & drink recipes I adore to make your weekend at the lake worry-free.

This first one, I got from my girl Lisa of Hungry Girl. I love her books and website, and now she has her own cooking show! I tried this out last night when we had people over for a cookout, and it was a big hit!!!

Grilled Juicy Fruit Kebabs & Dip 

PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, 1 kebab with about 3 tbsp. dip): 135 calories, 0.5g fat, 17mg sodium, 30.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 23g sugars, 4.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 1*
Never grilled fruit before? This is a great way to try it out. And if you're an old pro in the field of fruit grilling, you'll still love this recipe. (It has DIP. Yay!)

Ingredients: 
Dip 
6 oz. fat-free plain Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)
1 tbsp. granulated white sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
Kebabs
1 cup 1-inch pineapple chunks (about 1/4th of a pineapple)
1 cup 1-inch mango chunks (about 1 mango)
1 cup 1-inch peach or nectarine chunks (about 2 peaches or nectarines)
1 cup 1-inch banana chunks (about 1 large banana)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 20 minutes to prevent burning. (You'll need 4 skewers.)

Combine all ingredients for dip in a bowl. Mix until thoroughly blended and smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Skewer the fruit chunks alternately onto 4 skewers, packing the pieces together tightly. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bring a grill (or grill pan) sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add skewers, cover, and cook until fruit chunks are slightly blackened and caramelized, about 3 minutes per side. If using a grill pan, work in batches, removing pan from heat between batches to re-spray. (Don't worry if the lid used for covering isn't a perfect fit!)

Serve dip with grilled fruit and chew!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS


*I made the dip and it was super good, but to save a little time and money, I might just buy light vanilla yogurt next time (lower calorie counts too!).




Island Chicken Sandwich


Just a little creation my boyfriend came up with that is oh-so-delicioso and won't break your diet!


2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
2- 1/2 in. rings of fresh pineapple
Caribbean Jerk marinade
2 slices reduced fat mozzarella cheese
Lettuce
2 Lite Wheat buns (80-100 cal each)


*I like to poke holes in the chicken breast with a fork, bathe them with marinade them in a tubberware container & let marinate overnight. Yummy, juicy, flavorful grilled chicken the next day!


Skinnygirl Margarita con-coc-tails


My roommates and I basically stalked Bethenny Frankel (of Real Housewives of New York and now Bethenny Getting Married/ Bethenny Ever After) our whole Junior and Senior years of college. So you can imagine my excitement the first time I spotted the famous "Skinnygirl Margarita" by Bethenny on the shelves of my local Liquor Barn. It was a little stronger/ more tequila-y than I had expected, but tastes pretty good for how low-cal it is and all of my friends love the taste.


I love to play around with low calorie ingredients to make frozen drinks, mixed drinks and smoothies. Here are a few good things I've tried:


- 1 cup Skinnygirl Margarita mixed in a blender with 1/2 packet of Crystal Light drink mix flavor (I like the kind you can get at Target in a strawberry banana flavor), 1/2 cup frozen strawberries and 2 cups ice
- 1 cup Skinnygirl Margarita, 1/2 cup Bud Light Lime,  1/2 cup frozen fruit of choice, 2cups ice
- Light screwdriver: Trop50 orange juice mixed with vodka
- Taste the Rainbow: 1 bottle of Diet Mountain Dew, pour out to top of label. Add 1 1/2 packets Cool Aid drink mix ( I like to mix flavors) shake well and be careful, it fizzes when you add the Cool Aid. Serve over ice in tacky Solo cups, a college favorite returns for a weekend of fun in the sun :)


Hope everyone has something fun planned for the holiday weekend. What are your favorite grill/drink recipes?




Miss  B