30 Light Memorial Day Recipes

Traditionally on Memorial Day weekend, my friends and I always get together and grill in one of our yards.  Being in the backyard with friends, smelling the deliciousness coming from the grill, and hearing the kids playing out back – it doesn't get better than that! This year, I feel like Memorial Day weekend came super early. The only definite plans I have this weekend is going to friend's wedding, aside from that we really have no plans, but I'm really ok with that too! Since the beach opens this weekend, and I am only 10 minutes away, I just might spend the day there!

Whatever happens, I thought I would put together some of my favorite (light) recipes for backyard grilling to kick start the summer. Let's start with desserts first!

These Red, White and Blueberry Yogurt Cupcakes taste too good to be under 100 calories!

Red, White and Blueberry Trifle is a beautiful, guiltless dessert that will make your

Memorial Day gathering proud.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is the perfect combination of sweet and tart.  

Skinny chocolate chip cookies made with absolutely no butter or oil sandwiched together with fat-free frozen yogurt and colored sprinkles make these Skinny Chocolate Chip Fro-Yo Sandwiches – a great way to kick off summer.

If you need a last minute EASY dessert, try these Red, White and Blue Fruit Skewers with Cheesecake Yogurt Dip – no cooking involved!

Frozen Banana Popsicles are an easy, fun summer treat for the kids and grown-ups too!

No cooking required for Watermelon on a Stick.  Sometimes it's the simplest things that make the best desserts.

If you want something quick and easy for dessert, Grilled Pineapple is wonderful!

What can be a better way to start off the Memorial Day festivities than with a glass of Freshly Brewed Ice Tea with Fresh Mint

Iced Green Tea Mojito the perfect cocktail to welcome the start of summer and the start of your party.

This Skinny Shrimp Salsa is the perfect light appetizer, just set out some baked chips!

Southwestern Black Bean Salad – this salad makes enough to feed a crowd as a side dish or to start the party off as an appetizer if you serve it with chips.

Guilt-free Grilled Potatoes are made right on the grill. Perfect along side a burger this weekend!

Summer Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini is the perfect macaroni salad without a ton of calories or fat.

Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa and Mango Medley perfect as a side dish and for the vegetarians at your party.

Asian Cabbage Mango Slaw.  A light, fresh, crisp slaw goes great with fish, pork or even burgers.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, a protein packed salad with fresh Mediterranean flavors.

Baby Red Potato Salad is great if you're not a fan of the traditional potato salad loaded with mayonnaise.

If you love pesto as much as I do, you'll love these Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kabobs. 

Another recipe using my skinny homemade pesto are these Grilled Pesto Shrimp Skewers – delicious!

Lemon slices in between pieces of salmon make these Grilled Salmon Kabobs  pretty as well as delicious!

The spicy, salty, sweet combination of the creamy chili sauce is what makes these Bangin' Grilled Shrimp Skewers soooo delicious.

The Best Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers are perfect for your vegetarian guests.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork will have your house smelling incredible while it slow cooks all day!

If you're looking for a new way to enjoy a burger, try this Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Burger.

Homemade blue cheese dressing makes these Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw amazing!

No one will know these Turkey Burgers with Zucchini are loaded with extra veggies.  

Salsa Verde Burgers (MY FAVORITE) are topped with pepper jack cheese, salsa verde and avocado...delicious!

You won't miss the meat after one bite of this Spicy Black Bean Burger.

Why not make your own barbecue sauce this year.  Homemade Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce is a great balance of sweet and spice; perfect on chicken, pork or beef.

What are your plans this weekend? Whatever they are, hope you enjoy!!

The Best Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I set out to make a great tasting grilled portobello mushroom burger that even a meat lover would love. The mushrooms are marinated then grilled and topped with melted Swiss Cheese, grilled red onion,  tomatoes, spinach, and avocado – yum!!

The only thing my husband said would make these burgers better is adding bacon... maybe next time.
I wanted to give the mushrooms a meaty flavor, so I marinated them with balsamic, soy sauce and Montreal steak seasoning. These were so good, perfect for meatless Mondays or any night of the week.

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Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs

These chicken kebobs just SCREAM summer, made with my skinny basil pesto and grape tomatoes. Serve this as an appetizer at your next backyard bash, or have them for dinner any night of the week with a great big salad or over pasta.

We grow sooo much basil in my garden all summer long, so I make a lot of pesto and use it so many ways. This is super easy and can be made a day ahead, in fact the longer it marinates the better! Doubling the skewers helps keep everything in place while grilling, and makes them easier to turn. I love how the tomatoes taste after they are grilled, and they smell just divine when they come off the grill. To make my pesto skinny, I use less oil and make it without the pine nuts – but it's still so flavorful you won't miss them! If you're having this for dinner, I would serve 2 skewers, rather than one with salad or grilled veggies on the side.

These are gluten free, inexpensive, low-carb, clean and simple. If you want to make them paleo, you can leave out the parmesan and swap it for pine nuts. If you love pesto as much as we do, you may also love Skinny Chicken Pesto Bake, Grilled Pesto Shrimp Skewers, or this delicious Eggplant Panini with Pesto – so good!!

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Red White and Blue Fruit Skewers with Cheesecake Yogurt Dip

If you need a quick last minute dessert that doesn't require much work, it doesn't get easier than this! These fresh strawberry, blueberry and angel food cake skewers are perfect for Memorial Day.

I'm not sure what it is about putting fruit on sticks that makes them so appealing, but my youngest daughter's eyes lit up when she couldn't wait to eat them.

I wanted a cheesecake flavored dip so I played around with yogurt, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar, and it was exactly was I was looking for. The strawberries tasted wonderful with this dip, a keeper!

This will feed a large crowd, you can assemble it in the morning, and refrigerate until ready to eat.

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Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Burger

If you're looking for a new way to enjoy a burger, then I think you'll love this Hawaiian inspired teriyaki burger made with Laura's Lean ground beef, carrots, scallions and topped with a homemade pineapple teriyaki sauce and a grilled pineapple.

Last weekend I spent four days in Disney World with my husband and youngest daughter Madison. I attended the Food Blog Forum which was truly inspirational, and we stayed at the Grand Floridian Resort which was a lovely place to stay. One of those nights we ate dinner at the Kona Cafe at Disney's Polynesian Resort, where I had a delicious teriyaki steak topped with pineapple; which was the inspiration for this burger recipe.
 

I did a little research into what goes into a Hawaian teriyaki sauce, and after reading many recipes I came up with my own version which was so good, this will certainly be a regular. You could of course buy teriyaki marinade to speed this up, but making it from scratch tastes sooo much better.

I'm a huge fan of Laura's Lean Beef, because it's low in fat and saturated fat, and free of hormones and antibiotics, which is important to me when choosing meat. Their beef is available in many supermarkets, and I even found it at Target. I'm also running a giveaway over at Skinny Bits for two $25 vouchers so if you haven't tried Laura's Lean Beef, here's your chance (click link for giveaway)

And I just have to share this contraption that easily cuts pineapple into perfect rings. My girlfriend Gabbie bought this for me a few years ago, and I love it; it's called the Pineapple Easy Slicer. It's simple to use and it's awesome. If you prefer canned pineapple, be sure it's packed in juice and not syrup.

By the way, this is also great without the bun if you're watching your carbs, just serve it on a bed of lettuce and drizzle the teriyaki sauce on top. Without the bun, the burgers are Weight Watchers 6 points plus.

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Summer Pasta Salad with Baby Greens

I love making this mayo-less pasta salad with arugula, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, capers, fresh shaved Parmesan cheese and a splash of balsamic and oil. It's great for lunch or dinner, and has a healthy serving of baby greens. In the summer, when tomatoes are at their sweetest, I replace the sun dried tomatoes with fresh tomatoes from my garden.

I usually have this for dinner on those warmer nights when I want a meatless meal or just something light, and because it has pasta in it, I feel full and satisfied after I eat it. The portions are pretty large for under 200 calories (only 5 WW points plus). This also makes a great side dish if you reduce the portions when you're grilling up some burgers or chicken.

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Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw

It's 80° today, perfect day for grilling so I thought I would highlight this recipe from the archives. Turkey burgers with a cayenne pepper kick! Here's a fun way to turn boring turkey burgers into something with a little more exciting. If you're a buffalo wing fan, you'll love the flavors in this turkey burger topped with a broccoli slaw tossed with my very own homemade blue cheese dressing.

Someone recently emailed me and gave me this idea, she took my zucchini turkey burger recipe and dipped it in hot sauce after. I decided to add it to the turkey meat instead, and figured you can always serve more on the side if you wish!

And by the way, there's carrots in these burgers but I promise, you can't even tell. It's a great way to add more fiber and vegetables into your diet whether it's for yourself or your family.

I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy food, so Frank's hot sauce is perfect for my taste, but if you really like it hot you could use Tabasco or your favorite cayenne hot sauce.

To make these burgers gluten free, you can sub the breadcrumbs for gluten-free oats.


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Summer Potato Salad with Apples

Apples add a sweet crunch to every bite of this lightened up potato salad.

A perfect side for any backyard BBQ or picnic. You can easily double this recipe to serve a larger crowd.

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Watermelon On A Stick

Watermelon on a stick, isn't that the coolest idea? No cooking required for this one! Sometimes it's the simplest things that make the best desserts.

Take sweet watermelon for example, the perfect summer dessert as is - but add a stick to it and you have a fun way to present it at your backyard parties. I saw this on Real Simple and I knew I wanted to share this idea with you all. My husband thought it was brilliant as we happily enjoyed this after dinner.

Note: not a recipe, simply a fun idea I thought I would share. No cooking requires : )

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