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 LOVE hot dogs. They are my favorite thing on the grill.
I love the different chips and dips usually found at bbqs! I have a really good lightened up buffalo chicken dip I like to bring with me to cookouts. It is so yummy that my husband and I will often have it for lunch on the weekends!
I love making banana soft serve. That looks like a great version I need to try!
My favorite dish is a cornbread muffin dish. Crumbled cornbread mixed with mayo and other vegetables. Very good!
Turkey burgers and grilled pineapple are my favorite summer BBQ staples! Can’t go wrong with pineapple-stuffed brats either, but it’s not always the healthiest option 😉
I love corn on the cob at a summer barbeque! Nothing like fresh, sweet corn outside on a warm summer evening. I love to bring a black bean & avocado salad to a summer barbeque. Yummy as a salad or chip dip (:
I love a corn and black bean dip…. Throw in peppers, garlic, onion, chickpeas, cilantro, and any other random thing I have around. So good!
I am a sucker for a yummy turkey burger. I love to bring fresh fruit salad and stuffed dates with goat cheese!
My favorite dish is definitely beer can chicken!! So delicious! When I need to bring something healthy, I normally do a veggie-filled pasta salad. Always a hit, super easy to prepare, and delicious!
I love watermelon for a healthy, sweet treat! But of course I can’t stay away from the dips either, especially 7 layer dip (soo unhealthy though)!
My favorite summer BBQ dish to enjoy is fruit salad of any kind! Watermelon, berries, kiwi, pineapple – anything goes. My favorite healthy dish to bring is a cold salad; “Mexican Bean Salad”. Simply beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice, red wine vinegar. Simple, healthy and filling!
I love fruit salad at BBQs – mixed with all kinds of fruit! It’s light, sweet and I don’t feel guilty going back for seconds! 🙂
my favorite summer cookout food is a good hamburger. my favorite healthy dish to bring is chopped up fruit!
I LOVE Mike’s Hard Lemonade unfortunately they only have a few light flavors. And I always have the hardest time finding them! Anyway I always bring a quinoa salad with black beans and corn! It’s my go to, it’s simple and refreshing and usually a hit!
My favorite dish to enjoy is my mom’s delicious pasta salad.
I make a mean veggie pizza that I try to make healthy with greek yogurt.
My favorite dish to enjoy at a summer cookout is definitely homemade veggie/turkey burgers with a toasted bun! Since I try to avoid eating the buns, I always like to indulge a little bit and have a warm, toasted bun served straight up with my burger. Delicious!
My favorite healthy dish to bring is a fresh fruit salad or a WW black bean and veggie dip!
My favorite summer cookout food is a sweet corn, tomato, feta, and basil salad. I look forward to making it every summer! My favorite healthy food is grilled veggies and fruit salad.
Those burgers look incredible! I usually bring corn salad 🙂
Summertime reminds me of burgers! I love to bring pasta salad!
My favorite dish is BBQ baked beans.
I love turkey burgers – I don’t eat burgers often so fresh off the grill is the best!
And I love to bring chopped watermelon, mint and feta salad. It’s always different, and always a hit!
I’ve made this delicious poblano potato salad that is so good!
BBQ favorites are grilled corn, guacamole, and watermelon!!
I love, love, love to bring a fresh quinoa salad with diced tomoatoes, green onions and some feta cheese. So good!
I like to bring quinoa salad with cranberries and almonds
My favorite BBQ dish is a cheeseburger!
I always love deviled eggs and I almost always bring some variation of a huge salad. Hope I win!
I love a good burger at a barbecue. It’s the best. I like to bring a fruit salad to a barbecue.
I love the recipes you have made. I was wondering if you can make a dessert recipe with the Mikes Hard Lemonade in it? Like one of those Frozen pies. yummmm, I love those creamy pies and the graham cracker crust is always my fave part.
Dessert is always my fave part of summer BBQs, be it the watermelon, or a fancy dessert, as long as it is cool and refreshing.
My favorite thing to eat at a cookout if by far fresh fruit! The winters where I live are long, so I feel that fresh fruit (such as berries, pineapple, watermelon, and mangos) are not as available or inexpensive as they are in the summer!
I love bringing a type of bean salsa with tortilla chips to bbqs!
My favorite thing to eat at a BBQ is anything on the grill – burgers, corn, other veggies. The grill gives everything a great flavor that I love. My favorite thing to bring is black bean salsa with black beans, corn, tomatoes, jalapenos, and spices. So good!
I would have to say marinated steak tips with a side of corn on the cob is my favorite go to for BBQs. I like to bring a good finger food appetizer to a BBQ so before its time to really eat people can just grab and go, my favorite to bring lately has been tomato, mozz and basil kabob using toothpicks as the stick and half a grape tomato, mozz ball and a small piece of basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar and oil … yumm
I love grilled veggies. I usually make skewers with big chunks of veggies or throw them in some tin foil. So simple yet delicious!
I usually try and bring any type of sneaky veggie dishes, like a cake made with vegetables in it. My family tries to avoid veggies, but not me!
I love to grill chicken and veggies and then top them with balsamic glaze, and I love bringing a cold quinoa salad with lots of great add-ins!
I love to bring (and eat!) fresh guacamole or pico de gallo!
It’s nothing fancy, but I love a good old fashioned fruit salad, especially one with lots of berries and then a bit of apple for some crunch.
I like to keep things classic with a big juicy watermelon. I can get ice cream any time of year but perfect watermelon is a great seasonal treat 🙂
I absolutely love a cold pasta salad in the summer! Chicken ceaser pasta salad is the best.
I love to make guacamole! And to be healthier, I serve it with veggies instead of chips!
I love a good burger! Or really anything grilled in bbq sauce 🙂 I usually bring chips and salsa/guac!
I love bringing homemade hummus because there is usually someone who hasn’t tried it and they always love it.
pineapple on the grill
You can never go wrong with a good pasta salad! Favorite dish to eat and bring!
If I am going to a BBQ I always bring my freshly made salsa, it is a big hit!
My favorite thing to enjoy at a cookout is a big juicy burger. Love any grilled meats!
Nothing beats a burger hot off of the grill.
Corn on the cob right off the grill!
My favorite cookout food is watermelon!