If you didn’t have a reason to fire up the grill, now you do. This grilled vegetable medley is simple to make and exhibits that smoky, charred flavor you want as summer comes to a close. You can turn these grilled veggies into a side dish or make a unique salad. The choice is yours, and we hope that you put your own creative spin on it, as everyone is their own grill master. Just make sure that you don’t burn your veggies to a crisp. You want them to retain some chew and juiciness. Cooking them for too long can dry them out and complete zap them of all their nutrients.

This medley uses red, green, and orange bell peppers, red onion, and zucchini. Feel free to add white button mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, or replace the zucchini with yellow squash. You can even slice up some eggplant if you want! Although we seasoned these veggies with the staples (sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder), you can add other herbs that you enjoy. Great herbs to add include rosemary, thyme, oregano, and parsley.

For grilling, we high recommend that you use a grill basket. A grill basket makes it very easy to keep your veggies from falling through the grates. You can also use a skillet-like basket, or a closed basket with lids and handles. That allows you to flip your vegetables. If you do not have a grill, feel free to use a cast iron grill pan and cook the vegetables on the stove. A grill pan will give you the same char marks, just without the open fire char. Both are viable options!

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The word “holiday” is essentially synonymous with food. People get together and celebrate with unlimited drinking and eating. More often than not, the food and drinks are of the less-than-healthy varieties, especially during Labor Day celebrations. 

People often refer to Labor Day as the last hurrah of summer. People bid adieu to the summer fun in the sun and prepare for cooler days. BBQs, football, shopping, potlucks, and beach parties go hand in hand with Labor Day. In fact, an average of 160 million Americans enjoy a cookout at some point during the holiday weekend.

When you come face to face with so many temptations, it’s hard to resist them or maintain discipline. Because most people fall into the trap of indulging more than they should during Labor Day weekend, we have detailed many helpful tips to stay healthy. Avoid diet pitfalls and stay on track. We believe in your willpower!

Don’t Skip Meals

For most holidays, including Labor Day weekend, the common thought is to skip meals to save room for the big feast. This is the worst approach you can have because skipping meals often leads to overeating. It’s better to have several nutritious snacks or smaller meals throughout the day before the potluck, party, or festivity. A handful of nuts, plate of fruit, fruit and vegetable smoothie, or even a small salad are excellent options to help you feel full and keep you from overindulging. 

Consider Which Parties To Attend

There are parties that have every unhealthy food under the sun, and then there are parties with a more health-conscious theme. Everyone has friends who want to lose weight or put their health first. If you receive an invite from one of those friends, consider attending that Labor Day event versus the unhealthy one that is essentially a ticket to high blood pressure and weight gain. When you spend time with like-minded people who have more of a focus on health, you will benefit. 

Grill Healthy

Hotdogs, burger patties, slabs of steak, and ribs aren’t the only things you can cook on the grill over the holiday weekend. You can shift your focus from meat to vegetables. Slice a head of cauliflower into thick steaks or grill portobello mushroom caps. Marinate veggie kabobs and then grill them for maximum flavor and a little char. There are many healthy ways to grill, so look up some recipes online and get creative with your food. 

Survey The Spread Before You Load Up

When you go to a table of food without a plan in place, you will most likely grab a little bit of everything, and then some. Don’t just wander the food table and grab anything that looks appetizing. Scan the table and take a closer look at what you can eat. Come up with a plan for what to grab and then go in. Additionally, it’s beneficial to pinpoint the foods you really want. You don’t have to eat everything just because it’s there. Make an effort to control portion sizes and try to make at least 50% of your plate consist of vegetables. 

Avoid Alcohol

Some people don’t count liquid calories, but knocking back a few alcohol beverages can quickly ramp up your caloric intake. It’s very common for people to drink alcohol at Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas celebrations. If you are trying to eat mindfully, though, it’s best to avoid alcohol. Not only does alcohol lead to excess food consumption, but it also impairs your ability to resist temptations. After a few drinks, the desserts you are trying to avoid may quickly find their way onto your plate. 

Just Say No

The power of the word “no” is very real. You don’t always have to say yes to every food item in sight. For instance, if someone wants to offer you something that you know you should avoid, you can politely decline by saying, “It looks so tasty, but I’m too full right now. Thanks for asking, though.” 

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For the average person, grills and vegetables are not the perfect pairing. Classically, steaks, chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, and ribs are the only items meant for a grill. This is a backwards way of thinking because the grill is one of the best culinary tools for cooking vegetables. Using a grill to cook vegetables is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare them. 

Some people have the desire to eat more vegetables, but they don’t find creative ways to cook them. It’s easy to lose interest in the same salad that accompanies your meals, but vegetables don’t always have to be a side dish. You can bring vegetables to the center stage, especially if you grill specific varieties in unique ways. For example, marinate a portobello mushroom cap, grill it, and eat it as your main course. Slice a cauliflower head into thick steaks for a vegan steak alternative. The possibilities are endless!

How To Prepare Vegetables For The Grill

In order to grill vegetables to perfection, it all comes down to the way you prepare them. An ultra-thin vegetable will burn to a crisp within a minute or two. You won’t even taste the vegetable at that point. It’s ideal to give your vegetables sufficient surface area, meaning that they need to be big enough for you to see grill marks. Cutting them too small increases the risk of them falling through the grates. There is a list of common vegetables to grill below and how you should prepare them. 

• Zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant: Cut lengthwise into thick, rectangular strips.
• Tomatoes: Cut thicker tomatoes in half to help them stay together on the grill.
• Bell peppers: Seed and quarter bell peppers to get plenty of char marks. 
• Onions: Peel the outer layers, remove the ends, and quarter the onion. Keep flipping quarters on the grill. 
• Cremini mushrooms: Remove the stems and cut them in half. You can grill large portobello mushrooms like a hamburger patty.
• Asparagus: Remove the woody ends and grill in a grill basket. 
• Corn: It’s best to place un-shucked ears of corn on the grill because the husks help to steam the kernels. After about 5-10 minutes of grilling, remove the husks and then grill for a couple minutes per side to get char marks. 

Start With A Clean Grill

Before you even lay your veggies on the grill, it’s important to remove all debris and built-up food particles. Turn your grill on to about medium heat and allow the fire to run for about two minutes. This will aid with easy removal of debris. Old food particles will impart a gross flavor into your vegetables because their flavors are easily overpowered. You can use a wire brush to clean the grates. Cut an onion in half and rub the onion cut-side down along the grates to help clean them. 

Season And Marinate

Vegetables deserve seasoning and marination! Those steps are not solely reserved for choice cuts of meat. Mushrooms do great in marinades because they easily soak up the flavors. For most vegetables, though, a combination of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil is just perfect. You can use Italian seasoning, parsley, thyme, curry powder, paprika, cayenne, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or whatever entices your taste buds. Olive oil on your veggies helps prevent sticking to the grill, just FYI. 

How Long Do You Grill Vegetables?

The cooking time will change depending on the size and shape of your vegetables. Most grills also have hot spots, so the placement of the vegetable will also dictate the cooking time. Ideally, it’s best to cook vegetables over medium heat, placing heartier vegetables in the hotter spots. Onions tend to take the longest, followed by bell peppers. Zucchini and eggplant slices and mushrooms cook fairly quickly, but not as quick as asparagus. You may have to experiment with your placement and come up with cooking times based on your grill. Typically, though, you can follow the cooking times below. 

• Zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, and eggplant: Seven to eight minutes (three to four minutes per side)
• Bell peppers and onions: Eight to ten minutes (four to five minutes per side)
• Asparagus, tomatoes, and green onions: Four to six minutes (two to three minutes per side)

Use Metal Skewers

Metal skewers are not always necessary, but they do come in handy for certain vegetables. Cherry tomatoes, cauliflower or broccoli florets, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts will likely fall through the grates. Skewering these types of vegetables prevents them from rolling around. Don’t use wooden skewers because those can burn and break easily. Plus, they don’t support a lot of weight. Opt for metal flat skewers because the vegetables won’t spin around on them. 

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The unofficial start of summer is nearly here! Memorial Day is the first long weekend just before the summer solstice and people are ready to gather and celebrate. There’s no better weekend to socialize outside and make delicious food than Memorial Day Weekend. That’s why this article brings you seven amazing, healthy recipes that will surprise your taste buds with bold flavors. 

The sad reality is that most people will abandon their diets and wolf down all sorts of unhealthy foods over the weekend. According to statistics, there are roughly 800 hotdogs eaten every second on Memorial Day. That means that about 72 million hotdogs are eaten on this day alone. Perhaps this is because roughly 57% of people engage in barbecuing, but maybe it’s because Americans are inherently unhealthy. 

If you are looking to stay on track with your health goals, however, there are tasty recipes you can make that won’t cause a caloric overload. Make the following recipes this coming holiday weekend and let us know how you like them. 

Mango And Watermelon Radish Salsa

Refresh your palate and elevate your salsa game with this raw vegan dip made with mango, cucumber, watermelon radish, cilantro, and more. It is bright, zesty, and has summer vibes in every bite!

Click here to make the recipe.

Sweet Chili Jicama Sticks

New to jicama? Crisp sticks are tossed in a sweet chili sauce, making them a highly addictive and nutritious snack, which is not a common theme at Memorial Day gatherings.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Grilled Romaine Hearts With Balsamic Dressing

Elevate your grilling game this Memorial Day Weekend with this easy recipe that takes less than 10 minutes to make. Romaine hearts are great on the grill and the sweet tanginess of the balsamic goes great with those char marks.

Click here to make the recipe.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

Here’s another great grilling recipe for all you grill fanatics out there. Crank up the heat with these grilled portobello mushroom caps. Marinated in a tart, herbaceous balsamic marinade, these grilled portobellos make for a light and meaty entree or perfect side dish.

Click here to make the recipe.

Oil-Free Baked Vegetable Chips

Skip the hydrogenated oils and chemicals in processed potato chips and churn out a batch of crispy, vegetable chips this holiday weekend! Although this recipe calls for carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, beet roots, and turnips, you can whichever vegetables that you enjoy.

Click here to make the recipe.

Melon Ball Salad With A Minty Lime Dressing

Refresh your palate and hydrate the body when you enjoy this Instagram-worthy melon ball salad that has a zesty, minty dressing.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Pineapple Mango Agua Fresca

Perfect for hot summer days, this refreshing, tropical pineapple mango agua fresca is naturally sweetened with a subtle hint of tartness. It’ll put you in that perfect summer state of mind!

Click here to make the recipe. 

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“Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches….” Super Mario movie, anyone? Anyways, summer is almost over and that means that the freshest peach varieties may not be available for much longer. They are incredibly juicy when ripe and offer an impressive nutritional profile. These classic summer fruits are refreshing to enjoy raw, but another great way to enjoy them is toe grill them. As a quick reminder, you cannot grill if you are cleansing. This is strictly a vegan recipe meant for people who are not cleansing.

Do you need to peel your peaches? You actually want to leave the skin on your peaches because it helps them stay intact on the grill. When it comes time to eat the grilled peaches, you can remove the skin if you want. Because it will be cooked, the peel will be very easy to remove at that point. The peel does have a lot of nutrients, so removing it prior to eating is entirely up to you.

When it comes to grilling peaches, you have to know when they are done. The easiest way to tell is that is when they are visibly soft and start to collapse just a little. They should have sufficient char marks as well, but not so intense to the point where you cannot even detect the fruit. Once they are done, it’s time to serve them. You can serve them with some vegan ice cream or pair them with a savory dinner. Even though peaches have an inherent sweetness, they work well in desserts or dinners. You can even serve these grilled peaches with yogurt!

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Year after year, more and more people continue to embrace plant-based diets. A 2021 survey found that 65% of people in the United States consumed plant-based meat alternatives in the previous year. Some people go plant-based to feel healthier and others do it for environmental reasons. Whatever your reason for wanting to eat more plant-based meals, we support you! 

You have most likely seen plant-based meat options in restaurants and grocery stores. Health experts project that the global market value of meat substitutes will reach more than 35 billion dollars by 2027. Currently, the U.S. market for plant-based foods is worth seven billion dollars alone. Impossible burgers, black bean patties, Beyond sausages, and more are commonplace in today’s culinary scene. If you want to be healthy, though, relying on those vegan options is not the way to go. 

The unfortunate reality is that those vegan meat substitutes are appealing as “much healthier” alternatives to meat. Those lab-created foods are rich in lots of processed ingredients, preservatives, and sodium, so overconsumption can lead to health complications. If you truly want to reap the health benefits of eating more plant-based meal options, it is better to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. The following recipes focus on real foods and we hope they inspire your next summer barbecue. 

Mint Kiwi Lemonade

You can’t have a summer barbecue and not have a refreshing beverage. That’s why we gave the classic old school lemonade a facelift and a healthy twist. It’s even more delicious than it already was!

Click here to make the recipe.

Grilled Romaine Hearts With A Balsamic Dressing

Elevate your grilling game with this easy recipe that takes less than 10 minutes to make. Romaine hearts are great on the grill so fire it up!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Grilled Peach Salad With A Honey Vinaigrette

This refreshing salad is just in time for summer. Take advantage of the scrumptious seasonal peaches and prepare them in a unique way. Some char marks on the sliced peaches bring a smokiness to the crisp salad. 

Click here to make the recipe. 

Vegan Potato Salad With A Mustard Dressing

Whether you’re attending a potluck or having a family barbecue, this vegan potato salad is the perfect side dish on a warm day.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks With An Herb Sauce

Grilling isn’t only reserved for meat eaters. You might even start grilling more vegetables once you taste how delicious these “steaks” are! The fresh herb sauce is the real star of the show, though!

Click here to make the recipe. 

California Grilled Veggie Sandwich

The sandwich may be one of the best culinary creations on the planet. Vegetables cook very quickly on the grill so it’s important not to leave and forget about them. And don’t forget that avocado because it wouldn’t be a California sandwich without it!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Simply Vegan Quinoa Burger

Whether you’re attending a potluck or having a family barbecue, this vegan potato salad is the perfect side dish on a warm day.

Click here to make the recipe.

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The Fourth of July is a day for Americans to celebrate their independence by doing three things: drinking, eating, and blowing stuff up. Would it be America’s birthday if those three things didn’t happen? Some argue that this holiday is more about food than fireworks. Just because it is a holiday weekend that involves gatherings with friends and family, it doesn’t mean that you should completely let yourself go. 

It’s easy to let food and drink get the better of you during holiday festivities. Even if you happen to be on a diet already, hotdogs, ribs, burgers, beers, and the array of chips and dips can make you weak in the knees. Temptation exists on every picnic table, grill, and in every fridge. You don’t have to lock yourself away from the good times, though, because there are ways to make your Fourth of July weekend a little healthier. You don’t have to take wheatgrass shots and eat smoothie bowls (nothing wrong with that plan, though) this weekend, but you don’t have to ignore your health either. Stay healthy this Independence Day with the following tips. 

Swap The Soda For Seltzer

This is an easy way to limit your sugar intake during the holiday weekend. A common 12-ounce can of soda can contain between 35-42 grams of sugar. Depending on the beverage, the sugar content can be higher or lower. Since it’s common for the average person to crack open more than one can of soda during Independence Day festivities, it’s a healthier option to switch to seltzer water. There are so many seltzer waters in existence, some of which have crispy carbonation and subtle flavors with no added sugars. Enhance your bubbly water game by adding lemon or lime slices, muddled blueberries, or fresh mint to the glass. 

Keep It Light

Most food that people make for Independence Day festivities is very hard on the body. It can lead to sluggish digestion, dehydration, and fatigue, especially if you spend the day in the sun. Instead of feeling like you can’t even get up from a chair, opt for lighter food options that balance the main course. Make a collection of salads, a veggie tray, a fruit medley, or homemade hummus and salsa recipes. Just don’t eat an entire bag of chips!

Keep The Grains Whole

It’s hard to convince people to let go of the familiar and make healthier choices on a classically unhealthy holiday. Rather than white bread or buns that contain enriched flour and refined sugars, choose whole wheat or sprouted grain varieties. If you make pasta dishes like pasta salad, consider using one of the many gluten-free pasta options that exist. There are lentil-based, quinoa-based, brown rice-based, and spinach based pastas! You can also add cold barley or quinoa to salads in order to increase your fiber and protein intake. 

Protect Your Skin

While the focus of this article is predominantly on diet tips, the skin deserves equal attention and care. Don’t neglect your skin while grilling, swimming, or lounging out in the sun this weekend. In order to keep your skin sunburn-free, apply a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Ideally, the sunscreen should be water resistant and environmentally friendly. Apply sunscreen 15-20 minutes before sun exposure to reduce the risk of UVA and UVB damage. If you take a dip in the ocean, pool, or lake, or you simply sweat a lot, reapply every two hours or so for optimal protection.

You Can Grill Veggies Too

Do you want to know the craziest thing? You can grill more than meat! The flames that provide lovely char to your meats have the same effect on veggies. If you have a grill basket, load it up with a vegetable medley of zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Alternatively, grill some asparagus with olive oil and lemon juice. Portobello mushrooms also hold up incredibly well on the grill, and marinating them only enhances the flavor. Don’t forget that veggie kabobs are great options too!

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If you make an effort to eat more vegetables, you deserve a round of applause. Even if you don’t convert to veganism or adopt a vegetarian diet, eating more vegetables is a step in a healthier direction. Most Americans fail to meet their recommended daily intake of vegetables, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, only 9% of American adults consume between 2.5-3.5 cups of vegetables daily. 

When you incorporate more vegetables into your diet, you automatically increase your intake of various nutrients. Most vegetables contain both macro and micronutrients, but they also offer beneficial antioxidants that encourage healthier cells. This is all excellent news, but most people get in their own way, cooking vegetables in ways that dramatically reduce their nutritional content. You made the decision to eat healthier foods, so don’t ruin them with the following cooking mistakes. 

You Overcook Your Vegetables

A lot of people advocate for raw preparation of your vegetables in order to preserve the most nutrients. The belief is that many nutrients get lost during the cooking process, but whether raw vegetables are better than cooked ones is still up for debate. Overcooking vegetables, however, can decrease their nutritional levels between 15-55%. You can benefit from eating certain vegetables raw, but others are better cooked. No vegetable is nutritious if you overcook it, though, so keep that in mind. 

You Boil Your Vegetables

Some people want to avoid frying and using excess fat, so they decide to boil their vegetables instead. This is the quickest way to reduce the nutritional content in your vegetables, especially if they primarily contain water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin C and B vitamins will leach into the water during the cooking process. Unless you drink that water, your vegetables will be very low in nutrients. You are better off roasting, baking, or sautéing your vegetables, and you can learn more about the best cooking methods by clicking here. 

You Use Too Much Salt

People either use a little salt because they are conscious of their health, or they use way too much. Don’t be the person who uses the salt shaker before you even taste the food. You also should not salt your vegetables before, during, and after the cooking process. Most vegetables are great sources of potassium, which helps to lower the sodium content in the body. This is excellent news if you suffer from high blood pressure! That means that over-salting vegetables works against those heart-healthy efforts. Lightly salt vegetables with sea salt before roasting them, and then taste them before you add any additional salt. You can also use other herbs and spices to flavor your vegetables, and they will help lessen your need for salt. 

You Abuse Vegetables

What we mean by this is that many people use vegetables as a vehicle for calorie- and fat-laden sauces. Incorporating vegetables into your meal doesn’t automatically make your food healthy. Blending a zucchini into a sauce that contains cheese, milk, and bacon is not a healthy preparation of zucchini. Vegetables need to be the stars of the show! When you prepare vegetables on their own, they have fewer calories and provide more nutrients. Don’t lose sight of vegetables in your meals!

You Discard The Good Parts

Do you throw away broccoli stems? What do you do with beet greens and celery leaves? Do you peel all of your vegetables? If you do any of those things, you are doing yourself a disservice. Too often do people throw away the healthiest parts of the vegetables. Skins, stalks, and leaves are nutritionally dense, and they sometimes contain nutrients that don’t exist in the actual vegetable. The concentration of vitamins also tends to be higher in the parts of the vegetables that people throw out. Step away from the peeler and don’t simply chop and toss. 

You Char Your Vegetables

It’s hard to beat that signature charred, smoky flavor that comes from grilling. Unfortunately, subjecting your food to high heat, such as grilling, heterocyclic amines can form on the food. These are chemicals that may increase the risk of cancer development. This happens on all your food, not just vegetables. You don’t want to burn your vegetables because carcinogens can form on them, according to a 2012 study. One way to avoid charring your vegetables is to put them on the second or top rack of your grill. They won’t be exposed to direct fire, but they will retain a smoky flavor.

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Lettuce may not be your go-to grilling item, but romaine hearts happen to hold up incredible well on the grill. The charred flavor complements the refreshing crunch on the inside. It’s surprising the first time you try it, but it becomes an addictive bite that you continue to crave. It may be the simplest and most creative way to enjoy lettuce, and it’s near impossible to mess up the recipe. Well, the only way to fail at this recipe is if you forget the romaine hearts on the grill and let them burn to a crisp. Let’s pray that doesn’t happen.

The easiest way to grill a romaine heart is to halve it lengthwise and place it cut-side down on the grill. After a few minutes, you’ll see perfect grill marks. Plus, the smoke from the grill sneaks into the little nooks and crannies of the lettuce, giving you a smoky, charred flavor in every bite. This recipe doesn’t just call for grilling the romaine hearts, though. It’s important to liberally brush the cut-side with the balsamic dressing, which you quickly whisk in a separate bowl.

The reason that you do not grill the romaine hearts too long is to avoid compromising the nutritional profile. Cooking a veggie, especially lettuce, for too long can kill the beneficial enzymes. Two minutes on the grill is all you need! This grilled romaine heart recipe is perfect for anyone who is not cleansing. Once you finish a cleanse, fire up the grill and try this out!

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The eggplant is an underutilized ingredient, but that’s because most people don’t know what to do with it. It’s an inexpensive produce item that receives little to no love. You know how we feel about eating the rainbow, and eggplant is a purple food, and people don’t eat enough purple foods. Both blue and purple foods are great for reducing inflammation, free radical damage, and stress.

The simplest and most delicious way to enjoy eggplant is by grilling it. It’s also a blank canvas, meaning it easily adopts flavors. When you marinate the eggplant slices, you impart depth of flavor that only becomes more intense when you grill it. The beautiful char of grilled eggplant only enhances the garlicky, citrusy flavor of this marinade. We hope you like it.

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