Grillin' and Drinkin'
by: Ca_Vol

Ahh…the smell of the grill, or for all you Westerners, the smell of the BBQ.  For most of us, that aroma signifies the beginning of summer.  Time to get out that grill and eat outside.  It has been such a rough winter, too.  I mean, there were a few days where the daytime high only reached 61 degrees here in Florida.  Sorry, did I rub that in too much? 

Anyway, let’s talk about grillin’ outside.  Believe it or not, grilling is one of the healthiest ways to eat.  The best thing about it is that you can make something without butter and oils and the food still tastes great!  Today I will share with you some low point food and drink ideas for summer bbq’s. 

First, let’s talk about what to eat before the food is ready.  Make a veggie and dip tray with celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower and baby carrots.  Mix a 16 ounce fat free sour cream tub with one packet of Lipton’s Dry Onion Soup Mix.  Viola!  Unless you eat a ton of it, you now have French Onion Dip for 1 pt.  Salsa, of course, is another low pt dipping option. 
Now to the main course!  Let’s start with my favorite food, steak.  Did you know that top sirloin steak is almost as low in pts as boneless, skinless chicken breast?  Three cooked ounces is only 4 pts and you get your protein and iron all in one.  If you control your portion size, grilling one of these is a great main course.  My dad makes the best steaks in the world.  He marinates them for a few hours in worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Then when he grills them, he even adds more.  It makes the steak very moist and tasty.  Give it a try!

Nothing says “cookout” like burgers and hot dogs.  You read in my last article that Hebrew National 97% fat free hot dogs are only 1 pt each.  These are great on the grill.  You won’t miss the real thing.  Now, I know you’re thinking that hamburgers are bad, bad, bad.  No, no, no!  96% extra lean ground beef is only 3 pts per three ounces cooked, or 4 ounces raw!  That’s a great deal of meat, too.  Many people complain that lean ground beef is too dry.  If you marinate your burgers in worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, however, they are very juicy and moist.  You can marinate them for a couple of hours but if you can do it overnight, they will rock your world!   Super Walmart sells their own 96% extra lean ground beef in the purple package.  Moran’s 96% Lean Beef and Laura’s Lean Beef are other brands I have seen at some Albertson’s stores in different parts of the country.

Fish is another great option.  Mahi Mahi is a personal favorite of mine.  4 raw ounces is only 2 pts.  Yes, only two.  Heck, you might as well have 8 raw ounces for only 4 pts.  I think this is one of the best tasting fish in the sea.  You don’t have to add anything to it and it is perfect as is.  It does not have the “fishy” taste many people dislike either.  If you do not want to spend the money on fresh fish, which I highly recommend by the way, you can buy frozen bags of it for less.  Super Walmart sells a brand of Mahi Mahi frozen fillets called Sea Best that are already portioned out into 2 pt fillets.  Whatever you choose to do, throwing Mahi Mahi on the grill will make you feel like you’re cheating.

If you want to have company over but do not want to spend the money for many steaks, think about making kebobs.  Buy some skewers and use red, green and yellow bell peppers, onions and whatever else you like.  Grilled pineapples are also a favorite of many people.  For protein, add shrimp or chopped up steak. It’s simple, easy and looks “fancy.”

Your next question is probably, “What am I going to eat with my main course?”  Well, my favorite side dishes are salad with fat free dressing and fat free potato chips.  I love Lay’s Light chips for 1 pt.  The BBQ are my favorite but the Original and Cheddar ‘n Sour Cream flavors are also good.  Pringle’s also make 1 pt fat free chips but I like Lay’s the best.  If you are sensitive to olestra, opt for baked chips for a couple more pts.
 
For many of us, burgers and hot dogs must be accompanied by alcoholic beverages.  My favorite summer drinks are margaritas on the rocks, no salt.  Baja Bob’s Low Carb Sugar Free Margarita mix is awesome!  You can have all but 4 fluid ounces of the bottle for only 1 pt.  Each shot of tequila you add is only 2 pts.  They also sell Mai Tai Mix, Strawberry Margarita Mix and many more that I have not yet tried.  Go to http://www.bajabob.com/ to find out who sells it in your area.  If no one does, you can order it online.  It is a very good investment for summer fun.

Wine is also always a good option.  Four fluid ounces is only 2 pts, but it is so close to the “pts line” that you can have the entire bottle for only 10 pts. 

I do not like beer so I turned to my husband, the self proclaimed “Beer Connoisseur” for help.  While he says the term “Good low pt beer is an oxymoron,” he gave me a list of the lesser of the evils.  I want to point out that he tried the new Beck’s Premium Light Beer that is only 64 calories.  I have never seen my husband let beer sit in the fridge for over a week.  That is how bad it was.  He also did not like the 1 pt Michelob Ultra Light.  Anyway, here are “good” beers for 2 pts that he recommends:

• Luxury Light (the best):  Amstel Light: 95 calories, 5g carbohydrates, 1g Protein, 0g fat
• Middle Class:  Miller Lite: 96 calories, 3g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 0g fat
• Budget Beer (good for cheap beer but that’s it):  Natural Light: 95 calories, 3.2g carbohydrates,  0.7g protein, 0g fat
• Avoid: Beck’s Premium Light

Dessert outside should be easy, tasty, light and “cool”!  One excellent choice is the old standby, watermelon.  I also love the Popsicle Sugar Free Tropical Flavors.  They are only 15 calories each and come in pineapple, tropical orange and fruit punch.  Do not buy the regular sugar free ones (orange, red and grape), as they are too bland.  Last but not least is strawberry shortcake.  You know those little round shortcake cups they sell next to the strawberries?  Those are only 2 pts each (so is sugar free angel food cake).  Top with strawberries covered in Splenda and sugar free strawberry glaze (sold at Super Walmart) for a great 3 pt dessert.  Want to make it even better?  Add 1 pt Breyer’s No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream on top.  YUM!