By Megan O'Reilly, AFPA Certified Nutritionist and Wellness Consultant
The summer grilling season is in full swing! Here are a few easy tips to make the most of your grill.
Tip #1: Share or change your focus to vegetables and fruit!
Vegetables: While we often focus on burgers and meat when grilling, it is definitely time to shift some of that focus to grilled vegetables.
Unquestionably, vegetables give us the critical vitamins, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants that can dramatically help reduce our risk of many health conditions and diseases. As a bonus, if you are trying to lose weight, fiber in vegetables makes you feel full longer. Asparagus, eggplant, onions, peppers, and corn keep popping up on cooking channels and blogs lately, as the top 'grill-able' vegetables. Fitness manager and trainer Raquel Herron's family favorite grilled vegetable combination is thickly sliced zucchini and onions, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Lately my lazy go-to for grilled veggies has been a bag of mixed frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. I throw them, still frozen, on a grill pan, drizzle a little olive oil, and sprinkle some sea salt. It doesn't get easier than that! If you have time, marinating cut vegetables for about 30 minutes prior to grilling adds flavor as well.
Since the USDA recommends half of your plate be vegetables and fruit, why not also give fruit a chance on the grill? Watermelon, peaches, apples, strawberries, coconut, figs, bananas, and cantaloupe make the list of best grill-able fruits. Pear halves filled with feta, walnuts, and craisins are one of my personal favorites.
Tip #2: Experiment for variety.
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans tells us to "focus on variety, nutrient density, and amount" (Guideline #2). It might be time to consider variety, and add something new this summer. If you are open to some new ideas, try a Google or Pinterest search using these terms, "sheet pan dinners," "make-ahead foil packet grilling." "salmon patties," "grilled sweet potato boats," and "grilled stuffed avocado." Looking through the library's cookbooks or tuning into a cooking channel can also provide fun inspiration for the whole family. Trainer Rob Ordaz says he enjoys experimenting with a variety of flavorful rubs and seasonings, such as Sriracha, rosemary, oregano, thyme, salt, and garlic.
Tip #3: Save time, grill extras.
Grill once, eat many times! Extras can be reheated and are delicious as is, or added to a wrap, sandwich, egg scramble, rice bowl, or a number of other tasty combinations. I often sneak small bits of grilled vegetables in my kids' quesadillas.
Tip #4: Save prep time.
Let the grocery store do the work for you. The Chillicothe Kroger is well-stocked with ready-to-go grill-able foods, such as pre-made shish-ka-bobs, stuffed portabellas, and pre-seasoned meats. In the freezer section, the Morning Star Spicy Black Bean burgers are a personal favorite, which are especially good with grilled red peppers. Freeze Prep Cook, a small business located on Willow Knolls in Peoria, is another place to check out for ready-to-go grill packets.
So, get out and get grilling! We would love to hear some of your favorite healthy summer grilling recipes or tips.
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