Healthy Recipes for Fourth of July

It is almost Fourth of July! This holiday is filled with friends, food, and fun. It is a celebration of the United States of America.

Often on this holiday, families come together and share an outdoor meal. This could involve barbequing, picnicking, or both. Common foods for this holiday include hotdogs, hamburgers, and chips; however, these foods are high in saturated fat and calories. Looking for delicious, but healthier dishes that you can share at your celebration? Read on for two Fourth of July inspired recipes.

Fourth of July is best represented by the colors of the American flag: red, white, and blue. To show off these colors, consider making a fruit-based recipe. Watermelon, cherries, raspberries, and strawberries are red, blueberries are blue, and bananas are close to white. Chop these fruits up and mix them together to make an easy and festive fruit salad. Here is an example recipe, but feel free to choose alternative fruits.

The Fourth of July Fruit Salad:

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chopped watermelon (1-inch pieces)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 2 cups whole strawberries, chopped
• 2 medium bananas, sliced

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients, except banana, into a serving bowl. Slice and add your banana right before serving so it doesn’t turn brown. Mix well to combine.

Adapted from: https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/fourth-july-fruit-salad/

Vegetable Kabobs:

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 8 cups vegetables (possible ingredients include onions, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, potatoes*, cauliflower*, cherry tomatoes)
• ⅓ cup oil of choice
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup water
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp each of  basil, parsley, garlic powder & oregano (each)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Metal skewers (you can also use wooden skewers if you soak them in warm water for at least 30 minutes before use)

Instructions:

1.  Wash and chop all veggies into bite sized pieces.
2. Combine all marinade ingredients in a large Ziplock bag. Add in veggies and allow to marinate 4 hours, turning occasionally. (If you are pressed for time, you can just toss and let sit at least 15 minutes, but longer is better).
3. Thread the veggies on skewers.
4. Preheat the grill to medium and grill skewers for 10 minutes or until done.

Recipe Notes

*Note: If using veggies that take longer to cook such as potatoes or cauliflower, you can partially cook them and then cool them prior to marinating.

Adapted from: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/grilled-herb-marinated-veggie-skewers/