Monday, July 5, 2010

Celebrating Freedom!

"To preserve the freedom of the human mind then and the freedom of the press, every spirit should be ready to devote itself to martyrdom; for as long as we may think as we will, and speak as we think, the condition of man will proceed in improvement." Thomas Jefferson

As we celebrate our country's Independence Day, now's a good time to celebrate the many freedoms we have: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the freedom to eat whatever we want!

Today we'll be chowing our way through BBQs, picnics, festivals and carnivals, and enjoying every minute of it! Here are a few suggestions to help keep your caloric intake in check:

  • Choose grilled chicken breasts over burgers or hot dogs

  • If you do grill burgers/hot dogs, use turkey franks and burgers, or beef burgers with the lowest fat content

  • Watch the carbs! If confronted with baked beans, potato salad and macaroni salad, only choose one

  • Try fresh fruit for dessert, fat free ice cream or sherbet, or strawberry shortcake (using angel food cake in place of real shortcake)

For your next cookout, try my recipe for fat free baked beans. I don't mean to brag, but my baked beans are awesome! My writing might get rejected, but never my beans. Hope you enjoy these as much as everyone else does who raves about them. Gosh, I really must sound conceited! (But I must give all the credit to Bush's Baked Beans and Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce!)

Skinny BBQ Baked Beans

2 28 oz. cans, plus 1 16 oz. can Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans

1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)

1/2 green pepper finely chopped (optional)

1/2 cup Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce, but one that's fat free)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 t mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 45 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

What's your favorite picnic fare?

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