Beyond Burgers: Fun Foods You Can Grill

It is Labor Day weekend this weekend and I don't know about you but it has got me craving some good BBQ.  Labor Day for me kind of marks the end of summer and makes me realize I need to get that last BBQ in before the weather starts to get cooler.  Burgers and Brats definitely are not the most healthy things you can BBQ, although they are delicious!  But there are still many healthier options that you can cook over your grill, try one of them out this weekend!

Pizza doesn't have to be cooked in an oven.  Grilling your homemade pizza outside gets you out of the hot kitchen.  If you are feeling ambitious you can make your own whole wheat pizza dough or you can just grab a premade one from the store.  Put on your favorite sauce-tomato, BBQ, pesto, plain olive oil-and top with large amounts of vegetables.  To cut back on calories keep your meat portions small, if you put any on at all, and use small amounts of cheese. Part skim mozzarella is a great option!

Here are some yummy options to try:

• Olive oil, minced garlic, diced chicken, fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes
• Barbecue sauce, canned chunk chicken, sliced onions and diced pineapple
• Pesto sauce, canned artichokes, mushrooms and low-fat feta cheese
• Tomato sauce, chopped broccoli, sliced zucchini, banana peppers and sliced tomatoes

Once you have your toppings on, place it on the grill and close the lid.  Keep an eye on it and cook until the cheese is melted.

Fresh Fruit from the grill in the summertime is amazing! The heat of the grill caramelizes the natural sugars in the fruit that leaves you with an amazing dessert like dish that is full of fiber and vitamins but without the calories.  Try placing whole bananas or sliced peaches directly on the grill.  Skewer whole strawberries.  Apple, pear and pineapple slices are also great.  Just remember with all fruits that larger is better to help prevent burning.  Pair the fruits with a salad, eat them as is for a sweet side dish, top your protein or indulge in a after dinner treat of frozen yogurt topped with grilled fruit. 

Corn on the cob is usually boiled in a pot of water on the stove top but it can be delicious when put on the grill.  Soak the corn in cold water for 15 minutes and then transfer them to the hot grill with husks intact.  Cook for 3 minutes on one side and then rotate 180 degrees for another 3 minutes.  Then carefully remove the ears and shuck the corn removing husks and silk.  Place the corn on the grill for about 5 minutes rotating frequently.  Your guests will be impressed with the fancy grill marks and the corn and the smoky taste.    The corn will be so sweet and moist you won't need butter or salt!

It's Still So Very Important!

Yet again I hear of people not eating breakfast and wondering why they just keep packing on the pounds, because they are eating less calories. Then they eat a late lunch, only to find themselves starving at dinnertime and overeating.Before bedtime they are hungry and eat again.

The only thing this habit does for you is put on weight!

Do the research, and you will find that it has been researched and studied to death, and has been proven that having breakfast is essential, even critical to weight loss, or weight maintenance.

Your body has not eaten all night. Making it wait longer tells your body to hold on to avoid starvation. It goes in self preservation mode. You need to eat to start your metabolism, so you can burn calories.

Start this one habit, of eating something for breakfast. Preferably some protein, and something healthy. Even if you think you do not like breakfast. Force yourself.

You truly are what you eat...If you don't eat, you may end up fat and grumpy.

Size Really Does Matter

Do you have a lot on your plate?  Does squeezing in time for the gym just seem impossible?  Paring down your portions is the easiest secret to staying slim.

Before you swear off everything except for baby carrots and celery, read this!  The culprit behind weight gain may not be what you eat but how much you eat.  Since the late seventies, we have added 570 calories a day to our diets, and half of them can be attributed to larger portions, according to research at the University of North Carolina.  "Even though today's serving sizes can be more than triple what the USDA recommends, they've become our new normal, and anything smaller can seem puny by comparison," says Lisa R. Young, Ph.D, R.D., a Fitness advisory board member and the author of The Portion Teller Plan. Fortunately, having strong visual aids can go a long way toward helping you shift your mind-set.  Once you know what right-size portions look like, selecting them will become second nature.  And the best part?  You can downsize your plate--and your weight--without giving up the foods you love.

Smoothies:  Even the smallest size at most smoothie shops is often double the amount you should be sipping.  A large can contain 40 ounces and 1,000 plus calories!  Pass up the juice bar and bring your own recovery drink to the gym.  Try Dannon DanActive or Oikos Organic Drinkable Low fat Yogurt.  Or at home, make your own by blending three quarters of a cup of low fat milk with a half cup of frozen fruit and half a banana.  Makes 8 ounces and has 235 less calories.

Pasta:  This is one dish that always seems to be served in gigantic portions.  Researchers at the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that pasta dinners at some popular chain restaurants contained between three and three and a half cups of noodles, or 840 to 1,040 calories with sauce.  Next time you eat out ask if they offer lunch or half-size portions.  If you don't see a smaller serving on the menu ask to be given just one cup of pasta and have the rest boxed up before its brought to the table.  Special requests are standard nowadays and most waiters are happy to accommodate you.

Potato Chips:  "Snack sizes are often twice as big as they were 30 years ago," says Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  "And even though the labels on the bags say they serve two or more, many people polish off the entire contents themselves." One of the most popular snacks, potato chips, may contribute more to long-term weight gain than many other foods or drinks.  A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that every additional serving of chips a person consumes daily, they gain nearly two pounds every four years.  Choose popped as opposed to fried chips to get more food for fewer calories.  IF you prefer the classic version, opt for a one-ounce package or split a bigger bag with a buddy.

Ice Cream: "Eating directly out of the carton means you may well keep going until you hit the cardboard at the bottom," says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., the director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University.  IF you're indulging in premium ice cream, that can be the caloric equivalent of a double cheeseburger, plus a whopping 20 grams of saturated fat--nearly your daily maximum.  Dish out a single serving and use a small bowl and spoon.  A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that doing so could shrink your helping by about 30 percent.  At the ice cream parlor get a cup or a cone with a single scoop rather than a sundae or milkshake, which can contain roughly 1,400 to 1,700 calories.

Workout In A Rut? Try Something New...

Are you tired of the same old workout but aren't sure what new to try?  Just dance!  Zumba does more than whittle your waist.  Shake your stuff next time your're struggling to meet a challenge at work or resolve a disagreement with a pal.  "Dancing engages multiple parts of the brain," says Diane Duggan, Ph.D., a psychologist and dance therapist at New York University's Steinhardt School. "It can help you see problems in a new way and find solutions when non seem possible."  So whether you go try out the new Zumba class at the gym or you throw on some tunes and dance around your house you will get a good workout and engage your brain!