The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and I’m super excited to be spending it in our nation’s capitol for the first time! I don’t know what I’m doing on the day itself, but I have plans to go to a pre-Fourth barbecue this Saturday. I have become more and more aware of how unhealthy (and lazy) my diet has gotten, so I wanted to make sure the dishes I brought to the barbecue were at least sort of healthy. Here are three super easy, super fresh, super healthy Fourth of July recipes!
1. Berry Ice Cubes
This is so simple that I almost didn’t want to post it, but these berry ice cubes are so cute that I changed my mind. All I did was finely chop up some strawberries and blueberries and then chuck them in an ice cube mold with some water. I let them freeze overnight, and that’s literally it! I have been the number one fan of the Trader Joe’s lemon seltzer water, so this year you could skip the iced tea and go for a water instead! These ice cubes dress it up so you feel a little more excited about your drink. If you wanted to go a little more fancy, these berry ice cubes are also great in a rosé spritzer. I just used one part rosé, one part lemon seltzer water, and three ice cubes. Yum!
2. Fruit Kebabs
I feel like you can’t turn around at a Fourth of July barbecue without seeing at least one kind of kebab. Apple pies, too. Nothing’s more American than an apple pie. While delicious, they are suuuper high-calorie. These red, white, and blue fruit kebabs are sweet enough dessert without all the calories! I quartered some strawberries and sliced some banana and then alternated strawberry, banana, and two blueberries. So easy. So fresh!
3. Caprese Salsa
I didn’t really know what to call this, since it’s technically more like bruschetta, but it has mozzarella. Basically, I chopped up two roma tomatoes, one clove of garlic, a few basil leaves, and about 4 oz of mozzarella, chucked it all in a bowl, and added a splash of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Voila! To add a festive touch, I served the salsa with blue corn chips. This recipe is sort of Italy-meets-Mexico-meets America, but isn’t that what the great melting pot of the US is all about?
I am super excited to celebrate the Fourth in D.C., and hopefully stick to healthy foods!
What are your plans for the Fourth, if you celebrate it?
