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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My boyfriend makes the BEST potato salad. He uses herbs instead of mayo to make it light and tasty!
My favorite dish to enjoy (and to bring) is by far a fresh fruit salad. It’s so light and refreshing, you just can’t beat it!
I recently fell in love with deviled egg past salad. If you haven’t tried it, you MUST! My favorite item at a BBQ has to be grilled corn on the cob, with lime chili powder butter. MMM!
I am a sucker for the grill- homemade burger still bring me back to my grandparents’ house in the summer. If I’m bringing, I’ll go for gorgeous fruit with a side of whipped cream (coconut and dairy) and homemade toasted nuts for sprinkles.
i like to do veggie skewers or pita chips with guac
Guacamole is always my dish of choice!
My favorite dish is probably any kind of chips and dip at a barbecue!
When I want to have something healthier, I like to make a southwest dip of black beans, corn, peppers, avocado, and cilantro with blue corn chips on the side!
My favorite dish to bring to a cookout is a fresh, Mediterranean style orzo salad with feta, olives, bell peppers, peporoncinis, tomatoes, and fresh basil.
I always love to bring a fresh quinoa salad, because a) it’s delicious and can have so many different ingredients in it, never the same one twice. and B) even picky eaters tend to like it even though it is healthy for them!
Corn salsa is my fave! It ALWAYS is a hit at parties!
I love grilled corn and sweet potato salad!
Fruit salad! The summer fruits are the best.
I love to make protein coconut macaroons (less sugar and more protein!) and a tex mex salad without the dressing. I never thought it needed it with the corn, black beans, and tomatoes 🙂
Nothing beats good ol’ fashioned watermelon on a hot day at a bbq. Refreshing and light.
My favorite dish at a summer cookout has always been freshly grilled corn on the cob, nothing beats it!
I love fresh guacamole! But my favorite thing to bring is just a bag of cherries! I get so excited when summer rolls around and cherries are a fruit in season at the store.
My favorite meal at a family cook out is skirt steak marinated in corona and lime….. it is absolutely delicious and perfect for some tasty tacos. I have a weak spot for Mexican food and could eat it all day every day! For a healthier side i love mixing pineapple, watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries and squirting some lime in the mixture to give it an extra kick! I also like to bring cucmber crab greek salad; cucmbers, crab, simple and easy but very tasty! feta, red onion, olives, with some greek dressing
I like to make a healthy, sweet baked beans dish to bring to cookouts
I love grilled corn! My favorite.
I like bringing this Spicy Nacho Cheese Dorito Dip to parties. It’s a dead-ringer for real Doritos but is made with healthier ingredients. You’ll NEVER guess what’s in the recipe. It’s SO good with tortilla chips! 🙂
http://www.hungrygatorgal.com/2014/03/spicy-nacho-cheese-doritos-dip.html
I love bringing Pesto Orzo Pea Salad. I cut the amount of olive oil in half to make it lighter.
I love to bring something that’s really easy to eat to summer gatherings. I like to make skewers with veggies, cheese, and EVOO or balsamic over it! Or I make my homemade guacamole, which is always a hit!! 🙂
That turkey burger looks so mouthwatering and delicious!!
My favorite dish at a summer cookout are BBQ ribs! I also like to bring a refreshing fruit salad to a summer BBQ.
My go-to dish for all occasions (especially in the summer!) is avocado-mango salsa! Avocados & mango (of course), with red onion, cayenne pepper, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of olive oil. So easy and always a hit!
I love tomato and cucumber salad!!
I love turkey burgers and grilled corn! So good!!!
I am ALL about the corn on the cob as a side dish to everything in the summer! I also love to bring along big bowls of fruit salad or fresh veggies with interesting salsas and dips to bring a little health to the otherwise potato salad/cole-slaw/fried dishes that are in abundance.
I cant wait to try these flavors! My go-to is a asian slaw with a vinaigrette dressing instead of mayo!
I love guacamole and pasta salad! I definitely gravitate towards lighter BBQ fare.
I love griled chicken, marinated in a chipotle-lime sauce! Fruit salad with fresh mint and a drizzle of agave is an awesome dish to bring!
My fave thing to BRING is a bowl of mixed fruits because so often the “healthy” dishes are forgotten and backyard BBQ’s. I like to cut up apples, strawberries, pineapple, then throw in some grapes and blueberries. Simple as that and it helps to snack on fruit bites than the bags of chips!
Very few things taste as good as a big, juicy burger off the grill. I always change up the flavors and “themes” of my burgers, from thai flavors that pair well with turkey or chicken burgers, to southwest or garlic/herb that pair well with red meat. My go-to side dishes are guac and home made corn salsa using grilled corn (the corn and guac are actually delicious mixed), served with veggies instead of chips.
GREAT post, Julie! Love all of these recipe ideas.
My favorite summer side dish is deviled eggs! But there are so many others to like, too!
I loved my semi-homemade baked beans. My favorite health dish to bring is a spinach-strawberry salad. mmmm!
Buffalo chicken dip! I’ll usually have some sort of fruit and cool whip combo for dessert 🙂
I LOVE watermelon and feta salads! Thanks for the giveaway!
I love black bean & corn salsa with chips! And margaritas!!
I love bringing a greek orzo salad to grill outs, with feta cheese, olives, sun dried tomatoes, parsley, and a fresh lemon dressing. It’s a hit!
I love some good old fashion corn on the cob!
The best summer cookout food is grilled chicken and juicy watermelon. SO YUM. That’s when you know summertime is here 🙂
I always bring a fresh fruit salad!
Grilled Asparagus !
It’s not very light but I do love some grilled sausages at a summer BBQ! I usually bring a version of a corn, tomato and red onion salad with balsamic glaze to any BBQ I go to. I’ll even add peaches, zucchini whatever summer produce we have in abundance!
I am a sucker for a good potato salad! I also love the watermelon feta salad. Delish!
I love to bring a quinoa salad!
I love a light and refreshing side salad!
Hi Julie! I love Mike’s Hard Lemonade and the LITE version sounds amazing, too!
My favorite dish at a summer cookout would have to be grilled corn on the cob. Michigan’s sweet corn is the absolute best!
My favorite healthy dish to take to a cookout would be veggie pizza. It’s just the right amount of crunch!
Quinoa salad!
I love to soak corn in their husks in water and then throw them right on the grill! So good!!
I gave up dairy this year due to an allergy, and I CANNOT wait to try your “ice cream”!!!
I always bring fruit or a veggie tray so I am sure there will be some healthy food around! I do love the occasional indulgence in baked beans though, mmm! Now THAT says summer cookout.