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 sampling a little bit of everything at parties. Since it’s usually a lot of dips or snacks that you only make for a group of people or only make occasionally.
While it’s not the healthiest I always love my mom’s potato salad. I like to bring some type of healthier dip or fruit salsa.
I love to bring a cole slaw that is dressed in olive oil and lemon juice rather than mayo. I hate mayo, so it is an easy way to lighten up the meal.
I love to do kebabs on the grill in the summertime. It’s so easy to combine meats and veggies any way you like to create a healthy and satisfying dish!
For cookouts, my mom always makes a great pasta salad with whole wheat/veggie pasta, tons of veggies, a little feta cheese, and light balsamic vinaigrette as the dressing! It’s a delicious side dish that always makes me think of summer 🙂
watermelon!
I enjoy grilled veggies the most, but when I go to a summer cookout I usually bring hummus and celery dippers. You can’t go wrong with a dip.
At summer cookouts, I love something you actually pictured – grilled corn! It tastes so yummy covering in butter and I also like to add a little cayenne pepper, then roll in foil to grill it up! So good!
To bring to summer barbeque, my favorite is a super easy and healthier version of pasta salad – using whole wheat rotini noodles, lots of fresh cut up veggies (cucumbers, green onions, all colors of bell peppers, tomatoes, black olives), shredded parmesan cheese, and a vinaigrette based dressing either homemade or zesty italian store bought is always great! It’s simple yet always gobbled up. The longer it sits in the freig the better, so leftovers are the best 🙂
At summer cookouts, I love something you actually pictured – grilled corn! It tastes so yummy covering in butter and I also like to add a little cayenne pepper, then roll in foil to grill it up! So good!
To bring to summer barbeque, my favorite is a super easy and healthier version of pasta salad – using whole wheat rotini noodles, lots of fresh cut up veggies (cucumbers, green onions, all colors of bell peppers, tomatoes, black olives), shredded Parmesan cheese, and a vinaigrette based dressing either homemade or zesty Italian store bought is always great! It’s simple yet always gobbled up. The longer it sits in the freig the better, so leftovers are the best 🙂
My favorite dish for summer BBQs is summer fruit on a bed of spinach with a balsalmic vinaigrette dressing. So light and delicious!
My go-to healthy dish for summer is an orzo/spinach/tomato pasta salad.
Ah, Mike’s Lemonade takes me back to my college days – who knew Mike’s grew up, too, and now has light options? Can’t wait to try!
My absolute favorite thing to eat in the summer is watermelon! I know it is not properly a “dish” but I just love it so much!
I enjoy black bean and corn salad at BBQs.
Burgers are definitely my fave!!
my favorite is the grilled foods such as hamburgers or brats. & i love to make this eggplant balsamic pasta salad that is filled with different vegetables, a little pasta, and some delicious 2% mozzarella cheese! 🙂
I love to bring fresh, chopped-up fruit like watermelon and strawberries- so refreshing and delicious at any cookout!
-Libby
One of my favorite dishes to make is Mexican layer dip with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, with Trader Joe’s flax seed veggie tortilla chips for dipping.
I love fresh salsa with pita chips!
I love black bean burgers! So tasty! 🙂
These recipes look great! Lately I have been making your edamame and black bean salad for almost every cookout and people love it – always a huge hit!
My answer is the same for both questions: Fruit Salad made with different melons, strawberries and grapes.
I love bringing chips and guac! Blue corn chips with a spicy guacamole = delicious pre-dinner food!
I love kabobs at summer cookouts. at summer cookouts. I usually bring a spinach salad with berries and candied pecans to cookouts.
My favorite dish to enjoy at a summer cookout is delicious watermelon or any other fruit that is in season! My favorite healthy dish to bring to a summertime bbq is a black bean avocado dip – it’s always a huge hit!
I made thai style cucumbers as an appetizer/side for a cookout this week! They were my attempt at the thai cucumbers at Cowfish – cucumbers, cilantro, red pepper flakes and rice vinegar. They were huge hit and a nice low-calorie way snack before our cookout! I can’t wait to try your savory veggie dip – looks delish!
I’m totally going to bring your dessert to my next BBQ! I love the dairy free option! I love an avocado feta cheese dip that I make too.
I make a mean banana pudding that’s perfect for summer BBQs. My fave thing, though, is probably sangria. I’m definitely looking forward to trying yours!
My favorite summer cookout dish is turkey burgers with feta in the middle. So good. I usually to bring veggies and dip or fruit salad (both on the healthy side).
I love corn! Eaten on the cob, added to salad, in salsa, etc etc etc. I could eat it every day!
Homemade hummus is my go to dish to share.
I love shish kabobs but hate that they are so time consuming! That’s why they are definitely a summer special occasion treat!
Love grilled corn!
my favorite dish in the summer is some really good bbq!! I like to make a cole slaw with an toasted sesame asian flavor to it!
My favorite thing at a summer barbecue is guacamole with either chips or carrots.
For something healthy, I like to make a recipe I have for spinach salad with strawberries, pecans, and a creamy champagne-y viniagrette. I always go with a turkey or buffalo burger, when I can! 🙂
I love to make a spinach dip with greek yogurt instead of sour cream for a healthy twist (you can’t even taste the difference). Served up with a veggie platter, it’s a great appetizer!
I’m the person that always brings a fruit tray and other desserts. I hate going somewhere and finding out nobody brought dessert – madness!
p.s. thanks for sharing the sangria recipe!
I love grilled corn!
Fruit salad!
I love making a feta, watermelon, basil salad with a tad of balsamic vinegar. It is light and fresh- perfect for beating the summer heat!
I love making my mexican pico de gallo, with all fresh ingredients (tomato, avocado, black beans, onions, peppers and salsa. This is always a hit.
My favorite thing to indulge in at cookouts are any type of smoked or grilled meat!
My favorite dish is definitely corn on the cob! I always try to take some type of dip to cookouts – they’re always a great choice.
I love corn salsa salads! It’s so refreshing and filling!
I love chicken burgers made with ground chicken, ricotta, Worcestershire, and dijon mustard! So good! a
One of my favorite things at a Cook Out is grilled chicken (or really any meat/veggies cooked on a charcoal grill. The flavor can’t be beat!
I also like to bring sweet potato wedges that I put a spice rub on, grill, and serve with a spicy dijon mustard mixed with a little agave.
Fish tacos!
Homemade mango salsa…yum!
I LOVE a good guac for an appetizer, and veggie skewers on the grill. Yum! I always bring dessert; black bean brownies or banana pudding!
i like to bring watermelon and feta salad! yum
I enjoy having a nice and juicy bacon cheeseburger. Nothing better!!!
I love any grilled meats! Brats, burgers- you name it! 🙂 I also LOOOVE grilled veggies!
I love eating the fresh, ripe fruit that’s often served as dessert at summertime bbqs. My favs are watermelon and pineapple!