Fourth of July is just a week away and it's by far one of my favorite holidays. In our home, we love celebrating our amazing country with our friends and family... and lots of yummy food!
One of my favorite things to do when I have a little bit of free time is to brainstorm ways of making my favorite guilty-pleasure foods a little more macro friendly with simple ingredient swaps. Most recipes can be cleaned up by just adding a few alternative ingredients, and experimenting a bit.
Whether it’s a large gathering where you’ve been asked to bring a dish to share, or your immediate family you’re sharing with, these summer BBQ options don’t lack on taste or flavor!
Before Dinner...Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients:
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6 oz Rotisserie Chicken, Thawed Chicken Breast, or Canned Chicken
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1 Bell Pepper
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1 Diced Onion
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¼ cup diced Green Onions
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2 Spicy pepper jack Laughing Cow wedges
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½ cup Franks Buffalo Sauce
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½ packet dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix
Instructions:
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Add all ingredients except green onions & cheese wedges to Small CrockPot.
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Cook on high for four hours, or until chicken shreds easily.
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Stir in cheese wedges.
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Add diced green onions as an optional garnish on top. Serve with veggies & enjoy!
MACROS: 7 grams protein // 2 grams carbs // 1 gram fat // Approximately 8 servings
Grab this perfect serving dish for not only this dip, but so many other healthy snacks! The best part, it will arrive before the 4th if you order ASAP!
On The Grill...Greek-Style Turkey Burgers
Ingredients:
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1lb Ground Turkey (85/15 is best, to ensure burgers aren’t too dry)
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1-2 tablespoons olive oil
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4 cloves minced garlic
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¼ cup minced red onion
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¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
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¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
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1 tsp dried oregano leaves
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1 egg beaten
Directions:
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Heat oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat- or fire up your grill.
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Combine turkey, garlic, parsley, onion, feta, oregano, egg.
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Divide mixture into four equal patties.
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Cook them in the oil for about 4-5 minutes per side, or the same amount of time on the grill.
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Top with veggies, serve on a bun, or wrap in lettuce for a low carb option!
MACROS: 24 grams protein // 2 grams carbs // 18 grams fat // Approximately 4 servings
These burger baskets would make the CUTEST way to serve burgers at your fourth of July BBQ.
Pre-Fireworks...S’mores Protein Cookies
Ingredients:
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1 cup (90g) Graham Cracker Crumbs
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1 ½ scoop (48g) IHM Vanilla Protein Powder
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2 Tbsp Light Butter
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2-3 Tbsp (30-45ml) Walden Farms Pancake Syrup, or sugar-free syrup
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1 Tbsp (14g) Dark chocolate chips
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2-3 Tbsp (6-8g) Mini Marshmallows
Instructions:
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line Baking Sheet with parchment paper.
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Mix dry ingredients in Mixing Bowl.
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Add butter & syrup.
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Form into a large ball of dough.
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Separate into 6 balls. Flatten each ball with your hand and place on Baking Sheet.
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Distribute chocolate chips & marshmallows evenly in the center of each piece of dough.
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Fold dough around chips and marshmallows and reform balls with your hands.
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Bake for 6 minutes.
MACROS: 7 grams protein // 14 grams carbs // 4 grams fat
Making treat bags for on-the-go firework watching? Fill these cute takeout containers with 2 or 3 of your protein cookies, and my sister Cali’s favorite part…these patriotic gummy bears. Wrap in baker's twine and you’ve got yourself the cutest 4th of July dessert packages.