When mike’s LITE hard lemonade reached out to me about creating healthier takes on summer fare, I was more than up for the challenge! I decided to revamp two appetizers, one entrée and one dessert and did my best to make dishes made with wholesome, healthy ingredients that we can all feel good about eating!
And stay tuned at the bottom of this post (it’s a LONG one!) for an awesome giveaway!
Appetizers
For the appetizers, I created two different creamy dips that utilize Greek yogurt as the main ingredient: An almond butter and honey fruit dip and a savory veggie dip!
Both dips come together in a flash and can be made with ingredients you likely already have on hand. No fuss!
First up is the almond butter and honey fruit dip!
I served this dip with crunchy apples and sweet strawberries.
It was a hit!
Cinnamon Almond Fruit Dip
Ingredients
- 2 cups fat free Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup all-natural almond butter
- 2 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds (+ more for garnish, if desired)
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir together until completely combined
- Top with additional sliced almonds, if desired, and serve with fresh fruit
The veggie dip is super simple to make and only requires one mixing bowl, so dishes are minimal!
A quick note about this veggie dip: It’s also delicious as a sandwich spread! I love it on top of a whole wheat roll with avocado and turkey.
Savory Veggie Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped scallions
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chives
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir together until completely combined
- Serve with fresh vegetables and enjoy
Entreé
When I set out to create a healthy entrée, I wanted to make a delicious burger. I decided to use lean ground turkey as a base and knew I needed to add a lot of spice and flavor to the turkey to kick it up a notch. The end result was a tasty southwest burger that Ryan and I thought was fantastic!
I made these burgers for the first time over Mother’s Day weekend and again during a casual cook out at our house in Ocala. They were a hit on both occasions!
A little sliced avocado on top of the burgers make them even better!
Southwest Turkey Burgers
Makes 4 burgers
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
- 3/4 packet reduced sodium taco seasoning
- 3 tablespoons salsa
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 avocado, sliced
Directions
- Combine all ingredients except for the sliced avocado
- Using your hands, squish everything together and mold into four patties
- Coat a sauté pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat
- Place the burgers in the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side
- Top burgers with sliced avocado and desired toppings and enjoy
During our Sunday afternoon barbeque with friends, we all ate our burgers with the mike’s LITE hard black cherry lemonade. This flavor was new to me and I was excited to try it since I’ve enjoyed the original mike’s hard lemonade for years. (I’ve been using it to make an awesome sangria since college!)
After one sip of the mike’s LITE hard black cherry lemonade, I absolutely loved it! It’s sweet, refreshing and reminds me of the perfect poolside beverage.
It’s light and crisp and sweetened with a bit of honey which is right up my alley.
And here’s the quick and easy sangria recipe I’ve been making with mike’s hard lemonade for years, though I made it with mike’s LITE hard lemonade this time to stay with the “lightened up” theme of today’s post!
It’s incredibly easy to throw together in a flash and is a refreshing summertime sangria!
Lemonade Sangria
Ingredients
- 1 bottle white wine (Riesling or Moscato work well)
- 3 11.2-ounce bottles mikes LITE hard lemonade
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 lime, sliced
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and refrigerate for approximately two hours.
- Pour into glasses, garnish with a lemon slice if desired and enjoy!
Note: You may also add lemon-lime soda or lemonade to taste for additional sweetness and lemon flavor.
Dessert
Dessert! My favorite course!
When I think of summertime desserts, ice cream immediately pops into my mind. I could easily eat a bowl of ice cream after every meal and never get sick of it, so that was the dessert I decided to tackle to try to make a little healthier. By using my favorite banana “soft serve” as a base, I added cacao powder and almond butter to the cold and creamy banana to make a dessert that only tasted indulgent!
Ryan and I both gobbled this up in no time at all and it definitely satisfied our sweet tooth in a healthier way!
Chocolate Almond Banana Soft Serve
Ingredients
- 5 frozen bananas, sliced (the riper the better!)
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 3 tablespoons cacao powder
- 3 tablespoons almond butter
Directions
- Place bananas and almond milk in a large food processor and blend until creamy, approximately 5 minutes
- Add cacao powder and almond butter and blend until combined
- Top with desired toppings and enjoy immediately
And now you’re hopefully all feeling a little hungry and ready to get cookin’ in the kitchen, so let’s move right along to the giveaway portion of this blog post!
Three PBF readers will win a $100 gift card to use at the grocery store to pick up the ingredients you will need to make your own lightened up version of your favorite summertime recipes.
Awesome, right!?
To enter this giveaway, simply comment on this post by answering one (or both!) of the following questions:
- What is your favorite dish to enjoy at a summer cookout?
- What healthy dish do you like to bring to a summertime barbeque?
I will randomly select a winner on Monday!
Good luck!!!
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I usually make a beeline for the cheeseburgers at a cookout…especially if there’s bacon involved. And I’m eager to try a new recipe where the bacon is ground into the burger and sharp cheddar is stuffed in the middle of the patty. Best of both of worlds. But my go-to summer cookout contribution is usually this Greek/ seafood pasta salad with shrimp and fake crabmeat that I’ve been making since I was about eight.
I like to bring a fauxtato salad – subbing cauliflower for potatoes among other improvements.
I absolutely LOVE to incorporate watermelon into a summer cook-out dish! Whether it’s a watermelon and feta salad, a fruit salad with lots of melon and berries, or just straight-up sliced and eaten by itself! It is so, so refreshing and not heavy at all!
As for other dishes/snacks/treats I feel are an absolute must at a cook-out….s’mores! I am slightly marshmallow obsessed, and if there is a campfire/bonfire near the party, then you better believe I’ll be toasting some up! Sweet, delicious, and not too heavy in my stomach either 😉
My favorite summer dish is turkey taco dip! It’s lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers all chopped up super small, ground turkey with taco seasoning, cheddar cheese, and Catalina dressing and you eat it as a dip with Tostitos scoops. Sooooooo delicious!
My favorite summer bbq recipe is my husband’s turkey burgers! They are a little spicy, a little cheese, and a lot of perfection!
My favorite dish would have to be corn on the cob – we get some of the best corn here in BC, and I can never get enough! My favorite healthy dish to bring to a BBQ would have to be a quinoa salad – even those who don’t like “healthy” foods still love it! Typically I’ll do something with either a greek twist (cucumbers, peppers, feta) or a sun-dried tomato/basil variety. That’s what I’ll be bringing for Fathers Day this year!
My MIL makes this awesome spinach and strawberry salad. My other BBQ fav is a little less healthy but my mom’s potato salad. We make a less creamy version with spicy mustard that easily dominates my plate every BBQ!
My absolute favorite summer dish is pasta salad! Yum, yum 🙂
I LOVE LOVE LOVE a good pasta salad loaded with veggies (and the more broccoli the better!)
and my go – to bring along for any party is a veggie tray – it’s a good way to get in some nutrients and some color!
My favorite dish to enjoy is fresh homemade lemonade!
my favorite dish is definitely corn on the cob- I usually bring a salad of some kind or veggies and dip- there’s never enough greens at bbqs!
I love pasta salads! So light and refreshing!
I love turkey burgers with salsa and avocado!
I LOVE eating fresh summer watermelon! My favorite dish to bring is a strawberry, avocado, & feta salsa that I serve with whole wheat pita crisps 🙂
Salad and watermelon….nice and easy!
Turkey burgers are one of my favorite things to grill in the summer excited to try out your recipe! Otherwise I love to bring a corn dip with corn, mayo (going to try with Greek yogurt sometime) Mexican shredded cheese and cumin all mixed together with lime tortilla chips, delicious!
I love corn on the cob and watermelon…eating those always makes it feel like summertime!
we’re big on grilling! for a healthy twist, throw on some pineapple and watermelon! zucchini, squash, asparagus, and eggplant also are delicious!
Burgers and smoked sausage with corn on the cob! So tasty!
Caprese pasta salad!
I love a good burger with avocado on top! For a healthy side dish, I like to bring a fruit salad
Hummus and veggies are my favorite to bring to a summer BBQ!
Your meal looks awesome! I will be trying those this weekend. My favorite dish is hamburgers, corn and water melon. Favorite summer meal!
when I bring something healthy I usually go with a fruit salad, or avocado salad.
My favorite dish would have to be corn on the cob. I love to make this Warm Mexican Corn Salad from skinnytaste. So good!!! http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/warm-mexican-corn-salad.html
Ooooh try the Mike’s Winter Blackberry! Awesome.
What is your favorite dish to enjoy at a summer cookout? POTATO SALAD … such a pain to make !!!
What healthy dish do you like to bring to a summertime barbeque? I always take a broccoli salad that has sunflower seeds, cranberries and other tasty things in it!
My great friend Shannon gave me a recipe for a Tangy Southwestern Bean Salsa. It’s chalk full of protein and fiber and SUPER DELICIOUS! I rinse all the beans that way I get rid of a ton of sodium!
I love a good burger on the grill. Nothing beats it for me. I love bringing Black bean & Fresh Corn Salsa to cookouts over the summer. It’s a light dish packed with veggies that can be used as an appetizer or salad. One of my all time favorites!
My favorite dish to enjoy at a summer cookout are vegetable kabobs! I love to bring a wonderful salad, whether fruit salad or a really nice green salad!
My go-to, easy potluck dish is a giant spinach salad with fresh berries, goat cheese and slivered (honey) almonds! It’s a nice balance to the typical summer bbq grilled fare (mmmmm, burgers and brats, yes please!)
Favorite cookout dish would have to be all the yummy snacks that are served!! I know that’s not really ONE dish but I love cookout time of year bc it’s so fun to hang out with friends and family!
I love pasta salad and deviled eggs!!!
I normally try to take a veggie tray or some sort of salad.
My favorite side dish is grilled corn on the cob (I also love some fresh fruit and of course, a great burger!)
I loved anything grilled during the summer!
My favorite summer dish is a tie between watermelon and guacamole!
I am simple but really love grilled veggies and a marinated chicken breast with a nice white wine!
I love the sweet deserts! But in an effort to be healthy I usually stick to fruit salad.
I love fresh summer watermelon! My favorite dish to bring is Caprese salad.
I love to bring a fruit salad to summer parties! Great recipes!
I made a really delicious raw zucchini and squash salad with mint, feta, and toasted pine nuts. The recipe is on blueapron.com if you’re interested 🙂
I love watermelon with lemon. I try to take advantage of all the great fresh produce during the summer.
Watermelon and Feta salad with mint and balsamic dressing! It is sweet and salty and so refreshing because of the juicy watermelon. It is always a hit!
thanks for the great recipes!
Those sound great! I want to try them all! I like to make a black bean, corn, and avocado salad for barbeques!
My favorite summertime dish has to be sausage and peppers (we usually have chicken sausages–Trader Joe’s has the best!). It reminds me of watching Red Sox games at Fenway! And my favorite dish to bring to a cookout is my Caprese Pasta Salad. I make a basil pesto (with some baby spinach for extra nutrition and green color!) and mix it with whole wheat pasta and cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh mozzarealla, and fresh sweet corn. It’s always a hit!
My favorite is corn on the cob. Thanks for the great giveaway!
As a Texan, I love some good brisket or ribs. Definitely not light, but oh so good!
I love to bring fruit-based desserts for a healthy twist.
My favorite summer dish to bring to a cookout is my Tomato, Feta, Basil salad. Simply cherry tomatoes, feta, basil, salt, EVOO & lemon juice. So light and fresh!
I love both fruit salad and pasta salad at a summer cookout!
Grilled summer corn is the best! I love to bring some kind of corn salad!
What is your favorite dish to enjoy at a summer cookout?
My favorite dish is usually a big ole slice of seedless watermelon. I don’t know why, but to me that screams summertime cookout!
What healthy dish do you like to bring to a summertime barbeque?
I always offer to bring a fruit or veggie tray. I’m going to try my hand at making a light version of an Avocado Lime Ranch dip using Greek Yogurt to go with my veggies.. I’m definitely going to try the fruit dip above to go with my fruit tray!