By Affiliate Elise Rubenstein
Holidays and social gatherings can be hard when you want to eat healthy and don’t want to feel lousy and bloated the week after too many barbeques, beer and potato salad. How can we enjoy these events and still stay on track with our goals?
Lighten up! Take the mystery goo out of your food…overly sweet barbeque sauces, salads with mayonnaise, frozen cocktails and frosting-laden desserts. Olive oil based marinades with fresh herbs are a great alternative to a barbeque sauce. If you are going to a party, you can ask your host to grill your meat or fish plain or bring your own mixture of olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper to brush on your food.
No barbeque would be complete without potato salad. I love to roast potatoes and toss with a dressing of vinegar and oil, some mustard and spices. This mayonnaise-free potato salad will free you up to have a great piece of corn bread or a small s’mores for dessert.
My best advice is to always offer to bring something that you would like to eat and share with others. If you bring a great homemade bean salad, watermelon and feta salad, or even a big green salad, you are guaranteed of having something to eat and you may even inspire someone to try your healthier version of a BBQ treat!
My favorite salad to bring to a party is my Quick Lemon and Garlic Quinoa Salad. I love bringing this salad because it takes only 15 minutes to put together and I get to introduce my friends to a new grain that they may not have tried. I love telling everyone, “A cup of quinoa has as much protein as a cup of milk!” If you would like this recipe, please contact me at elise@eliserubenstein.com.