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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Fruit salad is my absolute favorite! I love to make a huge bowl full of various fruits for everyone to enjoy!
Grilled corn on the cob is a must at any summer BBQ!
Maybe it’s just where I’m from, but jello salad with fruit was always a staple! It’s very refreshing and can be pretty light! I always looked forward to it!
I’m always a fan of corn (corn on the cob is the best!) and grilled veggies. I usually bring some kind of veggies with dip or fruit with dip to cookouts.
I can never pass up a good burger! I also love watermelon..yum!
I love to make a version of potato salad with sweet potatoes and avocado. So yummy!
i’m a burger girl!
I love to grill everything in the summer, especially veggie kabobs!! Also, make a cold black bean and corn salad that’s always a hit at a BBQ 🙂
Burgers on the grill are my fave summer meal and a healthy dish I bring to a BBQ is always a salad with walnuts, raisins, apple and feta cheese topped with a homemade dressing!
I’m looking forward to making lots of simple dinners on our grill this summer… Flank steak with twice baked potatoes and angel food cake for dessert sounds perfect right about now!
Hamburgers and pasta salad are my favorite BBQ foods!!
I love burgers on the grill at summer bbqs.
pasta salad is one of my favorite summer dishes. one of my favorite summer dishes to make is grilled turkey keilbasa with veggies, tossed in bbq sauce. highly recommend!!! p.s. i am SO excited they make a LITE mike’s hard black cherry lemonade. you are right, it’s the perfect poolside drink.
Watermelon is my favorite BBQ treat. Can you imagine a Mike’s Hard Lemonade spiked watermelon?!?!!? Bonus points if its in a watermelon keg 🙂
I’m a big fan of hummus and love to try different flavor combinations. My best friend actually introduced me to this recipe and I have been in love with it ever since. You start with a tub of hummus, I like to use a roasted red pepper or regular garlic flavor for this dish. You then top it with crumbled feta (preferably the tomato/basil kind), diced cucumbers, red bell peppers and red onion. You can dip in carrots, celery, crackers or virtually anything you want!
Seeing your pictures from San Fran has only confirmed my desire to get out to the West coast and do some exploring!
I love summer kabobs on the grill!
Watermelon
Anything grilled with some pasta salad is a summertime favorite!
My favorite thing to enjoy at a BBQ is whatever is on the grill! I don’t have one, so I try to take advantage of it when I can.
I generally bring some kind of quinoa salad. It’s light, travels well and tastes great!
There is nothing I love more than an assortment of grilled veggies at a summer cookout!
Grilling burgers is the best!
I like veggie burgers or grilling portbello mushrooms as burgers!
I love tabouli at summer cookouts!
One of my favorite summer time cookout foods is potato salad! Perhaps I’ll work on making a healthier version of my family’s recipe since it’s loaded with calorie/fat rich ingredients!
I love bringing hummus with crackers & veggies to picnics. It’s a quick and easy item that usually goes over well.
I love corn and black bean salsa with baked chips or even on my turkey burgers!! I normally bring fruit or veggies to every cookout so I know there is something healthy. I’ll have to try the dips now!!
I love making kabobs as a healthy summer dish and I make a cold quinoa dish if I’m bringing something. Yum! I live summer cooking
I love to bring my Italian Couscous Vegetable Salad!! Loaded with veggies and of course some mozzarella !
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Grilled Long Island Sweet Corn!!
I love to take a broccoli salad! Refreshing and delicious!
Burgers on the grill are my favorite but potato salad is a close second. As far as a healthy dish I usually bring a quinoa, black bean & fresh sweet corn salad.
Burgers are my Fav! Especially if they are filled with yummy ingredients like peppers and onions. Your recipe looks delish, can’t wait to try!
Fresh grilled vegetables like carrots and zucchini are my favorite!
I love chips- never buy them for myself but love to munch at BBQs. Caprese skewers are my new go to app- toothpick with two baby tomatoes and basil leaves and a mini mozz ball in the middle!
corn on the cob- all time favorite bbq food!!
My favorite dish to eat at summer cookouts is definitely an awesome veggie burger or a yummy fruit salad! I love to bring light desserts or veggie skewers!! 🙂
I love a watermelon, arugula, feta and balsamic salad during the summer time.
I love a good grilled burger!
I hardly ever eat burgers bc I’m too lazy to make them so I think my favorite would be those. Nothing like a delicious grilled burger!
My grandma always makes pierogi bake which is my favorite side dish for sure! And I always make the homemade ice cream cake for hot, summer days! It’s always a hit!
I love grilling flatbread pizza on my grill! So light and tasty for a summer meal! I love bringing a healthy version of fruit pizza to summer BBQ’s.
I always love a good burger!
My favorite dish to bring is fresh, homemade guacamole- always a hit!
I love grilled corn at a cookout and Strawberries with a fruit dip is my fave to bring as a Healthy side. Love your blog!
My favorite cookout food is just a cheeseburger topped with palmetto cheese (the best version of pimento cheese). For my healthy snack/side item I like to make baked carrot chips and serve it with a Greek yogurt ranch dip that’s super easy to make. Just greek yogurt and powdered hidden valley ranch!!
I like to bring spinach feta turkey burgers-they are so good and so easy!
I love a dip very similar to yours, with Greek yogurt, sour cream, green onion, cilantro and jalapeno!
I like to bring a black bean and corn salad that is super easy to make and people love it!
Burgers on the grill are my favorite!
I also love fish on the grill for something a bit healthier 🙂
Watermelon all the way!
The healthy dish I like to bring to a summertime barbeque is always a cold bean dip! Not only is it delicious but it is easy to make and healthy!
My favorite food at summer cookouts is grilled coron on the cob! I look forward to it all year long! Recently, I’ve been experimenting with different variations of homemade salsa when I go to other parties/BBQs!
I love corn on the cob and watermelon!