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 favorite healthy dish for a BBQ is a fruit salad. So easy and refreshing!
I love pasta salad with whole wheat pasta, ton of veggies and lite Italian dressing. Yummy
My favorite disk would definitely be grilled seafood, and a healthy dessert like watermelon or grilled fruit!
My favorite healthy dish to bring to a barbecue is a black bean and corn salad that is packed with veggies and spices. It’s delicious!
I love to make a Mexican bean dish with fresh summer veggies!
Delicious sounding recipes! My favorite things to enjoy during a summer cookout are anything fresh! I’m all about simple, fresh ingredients during the summer – corn on the cob or fruit are my favorites!
I’m obsessed with grilled corn!
I love fresh, healthy food!
I love to make sangria and guacamole for summer parties!
I love to bring fresh salsa with pita or tortilla chips and a large veggie platter with homemade hummus. For dessert I like to make fruit kabobs with strawberries, grapes, watermelon, apples and pineapple. I also love to bring angel food cake with strawberries and bananas and whipped cream on top! I love summer time BBQs.
Love bean salad that my mom makes with bacon and blue cheese! Watermelon is amazing as well!
As a vegetarian, I love to bring marinated veggie kebabs to barbecues. Everyone always ends up enjoying them (and I have to make sure they leave enough for me!)
I love all cookout food!! My mum will grill potatoes in the summer, and they’re so delicious, so that’s definitely one of my fave dishes. I always love to make a big fruit salad for everyone to enjoy. With all of the fresh fruit around, I think it’s the perfect summer dish.
I love ribs. My dad makes awesome ribs on the grill. Is the 4th here yet??? 😉
My favourite summer potluck dish is baked beans! goes with anything and everything!
I love bringing healthier desserts that highlight some fresh seasonal fruit!
I love grilled stuffed tomatoes! Two of my favorite healthy options are just a fresh fruit salad- perfect for hot summer days- or a portabella mushroom ‘burger’, where the large mushroom cap takes the place of meat!
I love bringing salads! Preferably with fruit added!
I can’t wait to make that Sangria when I go to Newport with my girlfriends. The dessert is perfect for my lactose free diet. Yumm
I love anything off the grill, and a kebob loaded with lean protein and veggies is always my go-to!
Turkey burgers and Cowboy caviar!
I love love love a healthy, loaded salad at a cookout!! I love a fresh chipotle style salad with lots of cilantro and avocado dressing, corn, and salsa! 🙂
I am all about the pasta salad at summer bbqs!
These recipes look fantastic & easy too 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
ALL of those dishes looked fantastic, and I’m anxious to get my hands on some of that LITE hard lemonade! I’m dubbed as the “healthy” one in my family and circle of friends, so you can always count on my to bring a salad full of the good stuff (veggies, avocado, feta, etc)! I do love to indulge in my favorite foods though, so my go-to is always a grilled burger. I had lamb burgers not too long ago, topped with feta and a Greek yogurt sauce. HEAVEN.
I absolutely love bringing a family favorite, Texas caviar! It’s a veggie mix with dressing! Some people dip chips, but my favorite is on top of chicken!
I like to make healthy kabobs when I’m looking for something healthy to make on the grill. Those turkey burgers look great, too! I may have to try them this summer.
I love homemade turkey burgers as a healthy, protein packed alternative to frozen beef patties!
My favorite dish to enjoy at a summer cookout is any type of grilled fish. I also love too cook pizza on the big green egg- makes sure the crust is perfectly crispy. I love to bring bean salsa and guacamole dip for a healthier appetizer.
I love bringing everything in season! Mixed fruit, corn, avocado salsa, and much more.
I love to bring fruit salad to barbecues!
Just made the Lemonade Sangria and the fruit dip for a rooftop party tonight. I can already tell both will be a hit! I can’t name a favorite cookout food…I like them all! I usually like to bring a healthy and tasty pasta salad.
So happy to hear it!!
I love a fresh arugula, watermelon and feta salad with a homemade citrus vinegrette !
All of your recipes look so good! Can’t wait to try the sangria! My favorite dish at a cookout is corn on the cob for sure!! And I love bringing a variation of a tomato salad by putting a cherry tomato, small square of mozzarella cheese and a leaf of basil on toothpicks and pour a little balsamic over them for a fun healthy finger food appetizer!
nothing better than watermelon on a summer day 🙂
Grilled shrimp ceasar salad or greek pasta salad are my go-to’s in the summer! Both are super easy to make & both are refreshingly delicious on a hot summer night!
I always enjoy dips at bbqs! I like making fruit salad topped with a little unsweetened coconut flakes! Tasty and refreshing!
I love BBQ chicken and usually bring a quinoa
I love to bring a watermelon feta salad to Bbqs. So tasty
I like to bring AND enjoy a dish that includes quinoa and veggies, and some light dressing!! 🙂 SO good!
My favorite cookout meal is hamburgers topped with avocado and grilled squash! I can’t wait to try that turkey burger recipe…. looks delish!
My favorite dish to bring to summer bbq’s is watermelon, mint, and feta salad!
I love a classic fruit salad! (And ice cream for dessert, of course!)
I love a good burger off the grill! So hearty and tasty. I love bringing a nice fruit salad or fruit tray with some dip, always a hit 🙂
I like to make a light and fresh quinoa salad for summer BBQ’s!
A clam bake is my favorite kind of bbq. I can’t go to a bbq without a request for my guacamole.
I love making and eating black bean burgers that are even better than the ones at restaurants!
i like a good turkey burger with avocado and salsa, no bun
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I always eat too much guacamole or watermelon. Yum!
My favorite healthy dish to bring to a BBQ is a slaw recipe that I created based on all my favorite “crunchy bits” left at the bottom of my salads:). Cabbage or broccoli slaw, some Craisins, sliced almonds, and newmans own light balsamic. It’s not a heavy mayo slaw – nice and light with a little sweet, crunchy bite!