You don't have to derail your fitness progress over the holiday weekend ... stay on track with your goals and enjoy these 6 healthy & delicious Memorial Day recipes!
All-American Burger
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. sweet pickle relish or pickles
2 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard divided
1/8 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1 lb. ground beef 93% lean
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 3/4 oz. sliced aged sharp Cheddar
4 whole-wheat hamburger buns
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices
Instructions:
1. Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat grill to medium (300°F-350°F). For the sauce, in a small bowl combine mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, 1/2 teaspoon of the mustard, plus chipotle powder. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine ground beef, remaining 2 teaspoons mustard, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Form into 4 patties about 1/2-inch thick.
3. Grill, covered, 4-5 minutes per side or to desired doneness. During the last 2 minutes of grilling, top each patty with 1 cheese slice; grill until melted. Remove from grill.
4. Place buns, cut side down, on grill. Grill until lightly toasted. Spread sauce on cut sides of buns. Place burgers in buns, top with lettuce and tomato, and serve.
Nutrition Facts:
Recipe Serves 4
Calories - 318
Protein - 30g
Carbs - 27g
Fat - 10g
Marinated Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients:
2 lb. boneless chicken breasts (approximately 2-3 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 red onion (cut into 1 inch pieces)
2 zucchini (sliced into ½ inch slices)
2 yellow squash (sliced into ½ inch slices)
2 red bell pepper (deseeded and cut into 1 inch pieces)
2 lemon
Instructions:
1. Cut the chicken into 1-2 inch pieces. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
2. Marinade the chicken with the sauce ingredients either in a bowl or a large ziplock bag. Marinade for at least 30 minutes but no more than 2 hours as the vinegar will break down the chicken.
3. Soak the skewers in water for at least 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the grill to a medium high heat and spray the grill with a non-stick cooking spray or brush the grates with olive oil to prevent the kabobs from sticking to the grill.
5. Prepare the kabobs by threading the chicken and veggies onto the wooden skewers until all the chicken and veggies are on the skewers.
6. Grill the kabobs for approximately 10-15 minutes (turning every few minutes to cook evenly) until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the veggies are the tenderness that you prefer.
7. Remove the kabobs from the grill to a serving plate and serve the lemon over the top of the kabobs.
8. Serve warm and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts:
Recipe Serves 8
Calories - 377
Protein - 26g
Carbs - 14g
Fat - 24g
Easy Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup bell pepper diced
1 cup broccoli cut
1 cup cucumbers diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
4 ounces mozzarella cheese diced
8 ounces Banza pasta
1 cup gf Italian dressing
1/4 cup Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme seasoning
Black olives (optional)
Instructions:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water.
2. While pasta is cooking, clean and prepare all veggies and cheese and place in a large bowl. Add pasta and Italian dressing and stir to combine.
3. Let salad chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Stir salad when ready and add additional Italian dressing if needed.
Nutrition Facts:
Recipe Serves 12 (roughly 1 cup for serving)
Calories - 134
Protein - 8g
Carbs - 16g
Fat - 5g
Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup brown sugar substitute
1 large egg
1/2 cup Element Vanilla Frost Protein powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet or baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine all your ingredients and mix until combined.
3. Using your hands, form 12 balls of cookie dough and place them on the lined sheet. Press down on each cookie to form a cookie shape. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet completely.
Nutrition Facts:
Recipe makes 12 cookies
Calories - 150 (per cookie)
Protein - 12g
Carbs - 8g
Fat - 8g
5-Minute Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites
Instructions:
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. coconut flour
3 Tbsp. coconut milk (or alternative dairy-free milk)
1/2 cup Level-1 Cinnamon Cookie Batter Protein Powder
3 Tbsp. low carb sweetener
15 drops vanilla liquid stevia (see Homemade Liquid Stevia; see Recipe Notes for substitutes; if desired, sub 2 tablespoons low carb sweetener instead)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt (optional but really adds a lot!)
Topping:
3 Tbsp. low or no sugar sweetener
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions:
1. Put all ingredients, except the topping ingredients, into a bowl.
2. Mix well until combined thoroughly.
3. Roll into balls and roll to coat in the topping.
4. Store in refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts
Recipe makes 12 bites
Calories - 88 (per bite)
Protein - 5g
Carbs - 3g
Fat - 7g
Homemade Sugar-free Lemonade
Ingredients:
64 ounces water (8 cups)
1 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)
1/4 tsp. pure stevia extract (or other sweetener equivalent to 1 cup of sugar--See Recipe Notes for details)
1/16 tsp. salt
Instructions:
1. Pour water into pitcher.
2. Add lemon juice and stevia or other sweetener.
3. If using a granulated sweetener, mix ½ cup water and the sweetener in a pot and heat until the sweetener is dissolved. Then, once dissolved, add sweetener and water mix to remaining water.
4. Stir, add ice cubes, if desired, and enjoy.
5. Garnish with fresh mint, fresh strawberries, fresh pineapple, fresh lemon slices, lemon zest, or even frozen cucumbers.
*Can even add in your favorite adult beverage to make an "adult" sugar-free lemonade! If looking to keep it lower calorie, shoot for clear liquors!
Nutrition Facts:
Recipe Serves 8
Calories - 3 (without alcohol added!)
Protein - 1g
Carbs - 1g
Fat - 1g
And remember, if you need help making a plan to get through the holiday weekend, or help with anything health & fitness related ... just drop into your local S2 location and we'll be sure to get you set up for success!
This article was written by Casey Borgmann. She is a N.A.S.M. Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutrition Specialist.
