Summer is here, and it is the perfect time to fire up your backyard grill. Making a barbeque in the backyard is a great way to have some family time, however, when you are trying to maintain your summer body and watch your weight, grilled foods might not be the best.
Well, it doesn’t have to be like this. If you know the right recipes, you can have a grilled barbecue while losing weight. That’s right! In today’s post, I am going to tell you about five grilling recipes that are low in calories and unhealthy fats, but provide you with healthy proteins and help you maintain a lean and mean summer body.
So, keep reading to check them out:
Healthy grilled chicken breasts:
Total time: 45 min
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 5 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts (two 4oz pieces)
- Garlic (1 clove)
- Sage (1 tsp)
- Thyme (1 tsp)
- Rosemary (1 tsp)
- low-sodium chicken broth (1/8 cup)
- Lemon juice (2 tsp)
Directions:
- Start by pounding the chicken to the thickness of half an inch.
- Now, mix all the ingredients except the meat and bowl, and pour it in a Ziplock bag. Add the chicken in the bag and marinate for at least half an hour, if not more. Make sure the chicken breasts are evenly coated in the marinade.
- Fire up your grill, and let it heat up for at least five minutes. Now place the marinated chicken breasts on the grill and cook for about two and a half minutes on both sides. You should check some online reviews to get the best pellet grill.
- Once cooked thoroughly, and seared on the outside, take the breast of the grill, and serve with some steamed vegetables.
Dry rub grilled hot wings:
Total time: 20 min
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients
- Chicken wings (2 lbs.)
- Olive oil (2 Tbsp)
- Crushed red pepper (1 tsp)
- Garlic powder (1 tsp)
- Pepper (1 tsp)
- Cayenne pepper (1 tsp)
- Red hot paprika (1 tsp)
- Onion powder (1 tsp)
- Any hot sauce of your choice
Instructions:
- Combine all the spices and herbs in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Drizzle some olive oil on the wings and coat them with the spice and herb mixture.
- Let them sit for a while so that the spices can absorb into the meat.
- Now, fire up your grill, and let it preheat for about five minutes. For chicken recipes like this, a gas grill or a pellet grill is excellent. If you’re in the market for durable grills, only trust reputable sources like Outdoor Cooking Pros for your BBQ equipment.
- Grill the wings and cook them through. About 3-4 minutes on both sides will be more than enough.
- Remove from the grill and drizzle with the sauce of your choice.
Grilled corn on a cob, with honey basil butter:
Total time: 12 min
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- Sweet corn (4 cobs)
- Unsalted butter (2 Tbsp, softened)
- Thinly sliced basil (1 Tbsp)
- Raw honey (1 tsp)
- Flaky sea salt (according to taste)
Instructions:
- Start by opening the outer leaves of the corn cobs. Peel them open, but don’t remove them. Clean up the corncobs and remove all the silk.
- Take a small bowl and with the softened butter with the honey and the basil.
- Fire up the grill and let it preheat for about five minutes
- Meanwhile, spread the butter on the corn cobs, until they are generously coated. Now, close the leaves of the corn, and use some kitchen twine to secure if needed.
- Now grill the corn for about 7-8 minutes. Keep turning them to cook them evenly and avoid burning. Once they are done, remove from the girl, and set them aside until the corn’s outer husks are cool enough to touch without burning.
- Now remove the husks and serve the corn with the left honey-basil butter. Sprinkle some sea salt on the corn according to your preference, and your healthy and low calorie grilled recipe is ready.
Grilled orange beef and broccoli:
Total time: 45 min
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the beef:
- Orange juice (2 cups)
- flank steak (1 2-lb)
- Italian seasoning (1 Tbsp)
- Salt and black pepper for seasoning
- Garlic powder (1 tsp)
- Onion powder (1 tsp)
- Chili powder (2 tsp)
For the broccoli:
- Broccoli (2 heads)
- olive oil (1/4 cup)
- Salt and pepper (as preferred)
- Orange juice (2 tbsp)
- Shallot, (2 tbsp, finely chopped)
- Dijon mustard (1 tsp)
Instructions:
- Pour the orange juice in a saucepan and cook it until it is reduced to half. Add some salt and remove from the heat.
- Once the juice is at room temperature, pour it into a Ziplock bag. Put the steak in the bag and marinate it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
- In the meantime, prepare the dry rub by mixing all the spices in a small bowl.
- When the marination time is completed, remove the steak from the bag, rub it with the spices and let it sit at room temperature for an additional hour.
- Fire up the grill on high heat, and cook your steak to your desired level of doneness.
- Let the steak rest under foil for about ten minutes before you carve it.
- Blanch the broccoli in some hot water for a minute and remove.
- Mix the Shallot, masters, orange juice and olive oil, in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper to make the dressing.
- Now grill the broccoli, toss in the dressing and serve with the steak.
Grilled peaches with Greek yogurt:
Total time: 10 min
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients:
- Ripe peaches (3)
- Plain Greek yogurt (2 cups)
- Honey (1/4 cup)
- Cinnamon powder (as preferred)
Instructions:
- Slice the peaches in half, and remove the pits.
- Mix the honey into the yogurt and grill the peaches until lightly charred.
- Combine yogurt and honey in a bowl and mix until well blended.
- Top them with the yogurt and honey mixture and garnish with some cinnamon powder.
