Healthy Grill Ideas for July 4

By Kaitlin Bitz Candelaria | June 27, 2016
Need some great grill ideas for the weekend? Look no further.

July 4 is Monday, meaning it’s time to break out the sunscreen, the fireworks and the float. What better way to celebrate being an American than breaking out the grill?

Summer holidays don’t mean you have to wreck your healthy eating plans. In fact, it’s the perfect time of year to eat seasonally and experiment with new, fun methods of cooking. Getting original with the grill is just one of many ways you can enjoy the warmer weather.

Grill Ideas for the Main Course

Get away from the usual hotdogs and hamburgers and experiment a little bit this summer. We’ve got two of our favorite grill recipes below.

Jerk Shrimp Kabobs with Pineapple

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of shrimp
  • 1/3 cup of jerk seasoning
    • 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon of paprika (or cayenne pepper if you’d like a bit more spice)
    • 1/4 teaspoon of parsley
    • 1/4 teaspoon of allspice
    • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
    • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 cup of pineapple
grill ideas

Directions

  1. Peel and devein your shrimp and set them aside.
  2. In a small bowl, combine your seasonings. If you have a pre-made jerk or Caribbean seasoning that you prefer, use that instead!
  3. Chop your pineapple into kabob-size chunks.
  4. Load your shrimp and your pineapple onto skewers and lay them side by side.
  5. Use a brush to coat the kabobs with the seasoning before throwing on the grill.
  6. Cook for 10-15 minutes (depending on the temperature of your grill) and serve.

Hobo Dinners: Summer Edition

Ingredients

  • 2 kielbasa sausages
  • 1 eggplant
  • 1 white potato (or sweet potato)
  • 1 green pepper
grill ideas

Directions

  1. Tear three large pieces of aluminum foil and set them to the side.
  2. Thinly slice your sausage, your eggplant, your potato and your green pepper.
  3. Take a third of each item and put it in the tin foil. Once you’ve added all four ingredients, season to taste and then wrap the dinner up completely. Add another piece of aluminum foil to the top if it isn’t completely covered.
  4. Cook on the grill for 20 to 30 minutes and enjoy.

Grill Ideas for the Side Dishes

Parmesan Zucchini Chips

  • 2 zucchini
  • 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
grill ideas

Directions

  1. Tear a large piece of tin foil off and set it to the side.
  2. Clean and thinly slice your zucchini.
  3. Put the zucchini in the aluminum foil and top with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese as well as any other seasonings you’d like.
  4. Add another piece of aluminum foil to the top if the zucchini isn’t completely covered.
  5. Place the package on the grill and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the zucchini is soft.

Zesty Asparagus

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon
  • 1 bunch of asparagus (Expert Tip: The heartier the asparagus is, the better it will do on the grill. Thin asparagus will cook more quickly and be more likely to burn)
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee or butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
grill ideas

Directions

  1. Tear off a long set of aluminum foil.
  2. Spread your asparagus out over the aluminum foil.
  3. Squeeze the lemon juice over the asparagus before topping with ghee, salt and pepper.
  4. Wrap the asparagus well and cook on the grill for 15 minutes or until the asparagus is soft.

Corn with Butter, Lime and Cilantro

Ingredients

  • 2 pieces of corn on the cob
  • 2 tablespoons of ghee or butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon of paprika
  • 1 lime
grill ideas

Directions

  1. Tear off two pieces of aluminum foil, one for each cob of corn.
  2. Place the corn on the foil and squeeze lime juice on top of each one.
  3. Garnish well with cilantro, salt, pepper and paprika.
  4. Add a pat of ghee or butter to each packet and wrap them well.
  5. Grill for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Grill Ideas for Dessert

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream

Although this isn’t technically Paleo, everyone is allowed to indulge every once in a while.

Ingredients

  • 2 peaches
  • 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
grill ideas

Directions

  1. Cut your peach into halves and remove the pit.
  2. Make sure your grill is on a lower temperature — somewhere between 250 and 350 — and place the peaches, half side down, on the grill for five to ten minutes.
  3. Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream (or your favorite flavor) and enjoy.

Honey Bananas

Ingredients

  • 2 bananas
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
grill ideas

Directions

  1.  Take your bananas and peel them before carefully cutting them into halves. Try to cut them so that there is a flat side on each banana.
  2.  Make sure your grill is on a lower temperature — somewhere between 250 and 350 — and place the peaches, half side down, on the grill for five to ten minutes.
  3. Remove the bananas from the heat and drizzle with honey and sprinkle them with cinnamon before serving.

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