Hey Food Finders!

We are now in the full swing of summer and backyard BBQ season! It’s super easy to eat healthy if you are hosting your friends for the BBQ at your house. You can create a menu full of light salads, grilled meats, fish, and veggies, along with a colorful fruit salad and even some light ice cream or cupcake cones as the grand finale!

But what if you are invited to a BBQ at someone else's home or to a potluck at a park? We all know how that goes. Tables filled with countless kinds of chips, dips, and salty snacks. Mayo-laden salads, butter drenched corn, and grilled cheeseburgers and hotdogs follow. Before it’s said and done, there is another table filled with different cookies, brownies, and cakes for dessert.

If you have been working hard on creating and maintaining healthy eating habits, this scenario could leave you panic stricken, wondering how you are going to make it through the day without diving into the middle of it all! Now, take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. You just need to arm yourself with a few key strategies to set yourself up to succeed without white knuckling it.

Tips for Success

Tip #1

A Fun Iced Cold Drink - Make sure you bring a big water bottle or outdoor cup filled with a fun cold summer drink like a Fruity Iced Tea, a sugar free lemonade, or a creamy & sweet cold brew made with unsweetened almond milk and Truvia. Having a delicious drink in your hand that you can sip on all day will help keep you from heading for the sodas & beer. Also, with the drink in your hand you don’t have as many opportunities to raid the food table.

Tip #2

Scan and Pre-Plan - When you get to the BBQ, scan the tables to see what the offerings are before you eat anything (after greeting your hosts and friends/family of course). All the food at these events can look overwhelming. If you scan it all first, you can pre-plan what you are going to eat and strategize your success.

Tip #3

Bring a Delish Dish - I don’t know any host who refuses an offer to bring a dish for the party. Always make sure that you bring one or two dishes that you CAN pile your plate with and eat happily guilt-free. Offer to bring a vegetable platter, Veggie Chips and a Greek Feta Dip, or an Antipasto Platter as an appetizer. Or you could bring a side dish such as a healthy Coleslaw or Cucumber and Onion Summer Salad. Hebrew National 97% fat free hotdogs are always a winner for people following weight watchers since 1 hotdog is only 1 SP and 45 calories! You could bring a couple of packages of those to throw on the grill. Everyone loves watermelon or a colorful fruit salad, or you could make a healthier version of a cookie, brownie, or cupcake to enjoy a sweet treat. Decide what foods would make you happy and offer to bring some for everyone.

Tip #4

Feel Good Food - Focus on what you feel good about having and have it. If you want a burger and chips, have it, but leave off the bun as a trade off for having the chips. If you’ve saved some calories or points for the occasion, scan the tables early on to decide what your splurge will be. Lastly, as I always recommend, if you want something decadent, share it with as many friends/family as you can.

Tip #5

Be a Socialite - Keep engaged in the conversations. This will help keep your mind on having fun and being connected with your friends. We are often so focused on the food, we miss out on finding out what’s new with everyone. Make it a game for yourself to learn at least one new thing about as many of the guests as you can.

Remember...

When all is said and done, the memories of our connections at these fun summertime backyard BBQs will last far longer than the memories of the food served.

Relax, enjoy, laugh, and most importantly...

HAVE FUN!

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