Hi everyone!
Today has been rainy, cool and cloudy – all I’ve wanted to do is curl up with a blanket, some warm soup and stare out at the grey clouds…but alas, I had to work. You too? Bah… 
Despite the rather un-summery weather, I stuck to the plan and made tonight’s Summer Inspired Dinner Series dinner – an All American Summer Cookout!
We’ve got all the goodies you’d find at a any down-home summer cookout…lightened up a bit! On the menu:
- Turkey Burgers
- Vegetarian Baked Beans
- Mom’s Potato Salad
- Blueberry Shortcake
Lighter on calories but definitely not lighter on flavor. Check it out…
We started with Turkey Burgers:
I took 99% fat-free ground turkey breast, added a couple shakes of worchestire sauce and ~1/2 packet of garlic & herb seasoning mix. I was planning on just adding some S&P, garlic powder, onion powder, etc. – but found this packet while I was rummaging around in my spice cabinet…nice!
Here’s a tip for you – put a plastic baggie over your hand to mix up ground meats with spices, add-ins, etc. It keeps your hands clean and gets everything distributed very nicely.
So the original plan was to grill these babies, but alas, the weather had other plans for my grill:
Instead I popped them on my flat top skillet, on the stove, for about 5 minutes a side and finished them in a 450 degree oven for another 3 minutes or so.
Topped with a slice of American cheese, some ketchup, pickles and nixing the bun – well you’ve got yourself a light, yet deeelicious burger option my friends!
Then I slaved away over a hot pan for hours opened a can of vegetarian baked beans and popped them in the microwave for 2 minutes. Seriously…who needs to make baked beans from scratch when there are such fantastic canned options at the store?!
This particular vegetarian option has 0 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving. Can’t beat that!
Next, Mom’s Potato Salad. We all have memories of eating certain amazing dishes made by our Mom’s, Dad’s, Grandma’s, etc., when we were growing up, right? Well, this potato salad is one of my amazing dish memories!
My Mom KILLS this potato salad – I won’t even touch another kind. For this reason, making it was actually a little bit stressful for me! It was my first time and although it was fabulous, I’ll admit, Mom makes it best
I used the recipe she uses, which comes from a 30 year old Betty Crocker Cookbook she and my Dad got when they got married I was too lazy to write down the recipe, so I took a picture of it. (click on the picture to make them bigger)
Now you know I am a mayo phobe, but this recipe is definitely NOT heavy on the mayo…in fact you really can’t even tell it’s in there. That said, I halved the amount of mayo the recipe called for. SUPER GOOD! The key is the homemade dressing that you let soak into the hot potatoes…mmmmmMMMM…
Finally, the crown jewel: Blueberry Shortcakes!
Ohhhh yes…I would eat shortcakes until the cows come home. All day, all night, all shortcakes, all the time.
I just made the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box and served the shortcakes with whip cream and blueberries. Fantastic!
Well I think, despite the rain, Day #3 of the Summer Inspired Dinner Series was a hit!
I lightened up the usual summer cookout fare by:
- Using turkey instead of beef in the burgers and no bun
- Choosing vegetarian baked beans instead of the regular kind laced with pork or bacon
- Including less mayo in an already less mayo required potato salad recipe
- Topped dessert with low-fat whip cream?? Ok, that’s a stretch, but it’s dessert…it’s not supposed to be light!
This is totally a menu I feel good about eating and if it’s my last summer cookout of the season, then I’m satisfied 
I’m going to go do what I’ve been dreaming about all day – curl up on the couch and relax Have a great night!
~~~~~
What’s your favorite summer dessert?
I’m also a huge fan of Angel Food Cake with whipped cream and strawberries!
Wow sucha a great dinner, you put my leftovers to shame! My favorite dessert is fro-yo with berries! Although if I ever get my hands on a food processor it will probably be banana soft serve with almond butter!
Mmmm I love baked beans! But I hate how most places have bacon/meat in them. They’re sooooo tasty!!
Found your website when searching for things on the Iowa State Fair. Loved your site, so bookmarked it and have been checking it daily since. Your photography makes everything look so delicious. However, HOW do you have time to do all this? Wish I lived closer to you and I’d hire you as my chef!
I really love going out for soft serve because it’s something you can’t just keep in your freezer(though I must admit the invention of the banana soft serve really shakes that up)
I love the baked beans, I haven’t had those since winter and now I’m wondering why the wait?
Great summer dinner! I love that you are savoring these last few weeks of summer with your summer inspired dinners. Great idea!
shortcakes = amazing. my fave dessert by far. thanks again for all your help
What a great dinner! Thanks for sharing the potato salad recipe. I like potato salad but can never seem to find one that it just right.
That dinner looks amazing. Each component is good adn they fit together for the perfect “picnic” meal. My favorite everytime dessert is a recipe from my grandma – http://eatventures.wordpress.com/eats/desserts/smores-pie/
This is very quickly turning into my new favorite blog.
What a great looking dinner! I love the idea of using a plastic bag to mix the meat, I hadn’t thought of that before! And the potato salad does look really good, I have to say that I’ve never made potato salad before — crazy!
i love those vegetarian baked beans. YUM.
Yum, yum, YUM! I’m totally making this meal next week, I can’t wait! And those blueberry shortcakes look fab, I love anything shortcake related!
Great dinner! Such a wonderful idea about putting the plastic bag over your hands to mix the turkey burgers! Love it!!
Hmm it’s hard to pick a FAVORITE summer dessert because I love dessert so much! But I would say either my Grandma’s Banana Pudding (only she can make it so good!!) or a blackberry cobbler!
Just wanted to let you know that I absolutely LOVE your website! I found it when you were featured in Juice (just a few weeks ago) and I’ve passed it onto so many family and friends! (So now you have even more fans from Chicago, DC, Omaha, and DSM) They all love it as well. Thanks for being so inspiring! You make eating healthy fun!
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