5 Healthier Dishes You Can Make For 4th Of July

The dishes we tend to eat on the Fourth of July aren’t always the healthiest. Mac and cheese, mayo-filled salads, and other heavy dishes often find their way to the table, forcing our health and weight goals to take a backseat. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of healthier, delicious dishes that are easy for you to make and won’t rob you of that indulgence feeling. Below are five of the best-tasting (and also festive!) recipes I could find that I highly recommend for this Fourth of July.

Red, White, & Blue Popsicles 

Unlike typical boxed popsicles, these pops aren’t made with fruit juice, so they’re not loaded with sugar. I love that they only have three ingredients, plus you get antioxidants and fiber from the berries and protein from the yogurt!

Ingredients

• 1 heaping cup of raspberries

• 1 cup of blueberries

• 1 cup vanilla flavored Greek yogurt

Instructions

• Using a small 4 cup food processor, or blender, puree the raspberries until smooth. Set aside.

• Do the same with the blueberries.

• Put the yogurt and each of the berry purees in separate small measuring cups with spouts. The goal is to thin them just a bit so they are pourable, so you can add water to the yogurt and the raspberries, and, depending on the color of your blueberries, you can use water, or yogurt if you need to brighten up your “blue.” Keep these cups chilling in the refrigerator when you are not using them.  

• To layer your pops, start by pouring a little of the blueberry in the bottom of each mold.  The only tricky part to these popsicles is getting the layers in without too much spillage to mark your stripes.  

• Put the mold in the freezer and freeze till firm, at least an hour, or more.

• Layer a little bit of yogurt into each mold for the next stripe. Cover the top of the mold with foil, and insert the popsicle sticks. Make sure to get the stick a little bit into the frozen layer so they will stand straight. Put back into the freezer until solid. 

• Remove the foil at this stage, you won’t need it since the stick is in and you need to layer. Next comes your raspberry stripe, and so on until the molds are filled. Make sure to freeze each stripe until solid before adding the next. Don’t worry if the stripes are uneven, but do try to clean up any dribbles as you go.  

• Once filled and completely frozen solid, you can un-mold your pops. To do so, fill the sink with hot water. Remove the foil, and immerse the mold just up to the lip, being careful not to let any water splash onto the top. Hold it for a few seconds, remove, and try to pull the pops out. If the pops don’t slide out, put the mold in the water again for just a few seconds.

• I recommend keeping the popsicles in the mold until you are ready to serve, or, if you are working in batches, wrap each pop quickly in waxed paper or put into a baggie and put back in the freezer.  I don’t recommend making these more than a day in advance.

Note:

• Prep Time: 15 minutes

• Freezing 6 hours

• Makes 10 popsicles

Recipe Source: theviewfromgreatisland.com

Chicken & Vegetable Kebabs 

I totally have a thing for kebabs. I don't know what it is, but things just taste better when chopped up into smaller pieces and served skewer style. It must have something to do with the fact that the marinade can saturate each individual piece, plus isn’t everything better bite-sized? 

Ingredients

• 2 tsp lime zest

• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

• 3 Tbsp orange juice (mandarin or navel)

• 3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing grill

• 1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)

• 1 tsp packed brown sugar

• 2 tsp chili powder (preferably 1 tsp regular 1 tsp ancho)

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp minced canned chipotle pepper, or more to taste (about 1 pepper)

• 3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

• 1 tsp salt

• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 3/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1 1/4-inch pieces

• 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks

• 3 bell peppers (preferably 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green), cored and diced into 1-inch pieces

Instructions

• If using wooden skewers, soak in water overnight or for at least 1 hour.

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together lime zest, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, chipotle pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper.

• Place chicken in a gallon size resealable bag then pour marinade mixture over chicken

• Seal bag while pressing out excess air, rub marinade over chicken and transfer to the refrigerator.

• Let marinate at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

• Preheat the grill over medium-high heat to 400 degrees.

• Thread chicken and peppers onto skewers (similar to the pattern pictured).

• Brush grill grates with oil, then place skewers on grill and grill until center registers 165, about 6 minutes per side.

• Serve warm garnished with cilantro. I recommend serving over quinoa or cilantro lime rice or serve in warmed tortillas.

Recipe source: CookingClassy.com

Vibrant Orange & Arugula Salad 

You’re going to love this beautiful green salad featuring fresh oranges, goat cheese, almonds and radishes! A simple lemon dressing ties it all together. Recipe makes enough for 6 side salads.

Ingredients 

For The Salad

• ¼ cup sliced almonds

• 5 to 6 ounces baby arugula

• 2 oranges, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

• 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)

• ¼ cup thinly sliced and roughly chopped radishes

• Pinch of ground cinnamon, to sprinkle on top

Lemon Dressing

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 ½ teaspoons honey

• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• First, toast the almonds: In a small skillet over medium heat, warm the almonds until they are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, stirring frequently (careful, they’ll burn), about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl to cool.

• Place the arugula on a large serving platter or into a large serving bowl. Arrange the oranges, toasted almonds, goat cheese and radishes on top. Sprinkle the top lightly with a pinch or two of cinnamon. Set aside.  

• In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt. Whisk together until blended. Taste, and add a little more honey if it’s unpleasantly tart.  

• Once you’re ready to serve, drizzle the dressing lightly over the salad (you might have a little extra), toss, and serve immediately. 

Recipe source: cookieandkate.com

Herbed Potato Salad 

This healthy potato salad recipe is full of fresh flavor.  It’s mayo-free, easy to make, and sure to hit at your potluck!  This salad is vegan egg free and gluten free.  Makes 6 side servings.  

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds

• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt

• ¼ cup olive oil 

• ⅓ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus about 2 tablespoons more garnish

• ⅓ cup roughly chopped green onions, plus about 2 tablespoons thinly sliced for garnish

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 3 stalks celery, chopped

Instructions

• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine sliced potatoes and salt. Cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are easily pierced by a paring knife and pulled out with little resistance, about 5 to 6 minutes.

• Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain. Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl.

• In a small food processor or blender, combine the olive oil, ⅓ cup parsley, ⅓ cup green onions, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic and freshly ground pepper.  Process until the herbs and garlic have been chopped into little pieces. Then, while running the food processor, pour in the reserved cooking water and process just until blended. (If you don’t have a food processor or blender, just finely chop the parsley and onions and whisk the dressing together until the oil is fully incorporated.)

• Drizzle the potatoes with the herbed olive oil mixture and gently mix to combine. (it will look like you’ve poured in too much dressing, but don’t worry, the potatoes will soak it up!) Let the potatoes rest for ten minutes, gently tossing every few minutes.  

• Add the celery to the bowl, sling with a couple tablespoons each of additional chopped parsley and green onions.  Toss again.  Season generously to taste with salt and pepper.  

• Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. This salad is best served within a few hours, but will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days. 

Recipe source: cookieandkate.com


Corn Tomato Avocado Salad 

This Corn Tomato Avocado Salad is summer in a bowl, and it makes the perfect side dish for any barbecue! Double the portion if you want to serve it as a main dish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup corn kernels from 1 large steamed corn on the cobb

• 5 ounces diced avocado

• 1 1/2 cup diced Persian cucumbers (about 3 small)

• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons diced red onion

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• fresh black pepper, to taste

Toss all ingredients together and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Recipe source: skinnytaste.com

What I love about these five recipes in particular is that you can make one or you could make them all—they go well together, so this could be your whole menu! I hope you love these recipes and have a wonderful rest of your summer. 

Sending you love, 

Renata