I recently posted the The Free Fitness Tips Ultimate Healthy Summer BBQ Guide. In that guide I provided you with a range of practical tips for staying healthy at various barbecues that you host or attend this summer. Over the next few days, I am going to be expanding on the tips covered in that guide and providing you with a range of healthy barbecue recipes you can use over the summer.
Today I’m going to be focussing on meat and providing you with five healthy and natural meats to try along with a healthy marinade you can apply to each meat for maximum flavour. Not only do these marinated meats taste great but they are generally much lower in calories than processed meats and also contain many essential nutrients. In addition to this, the marinades prevent dangerous, carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) forming in the meats when you cook them.
To prepare each of these healthy, natural barbecue meats and marinades you will need the following equipment…
– 1 Mixing Bowl
– 1 Wooden Spoon
– 1 Sealable Container
1) Healthy Lemon, Salt & Pepper BBQ Chicken Breast
Chicken breast contains just 187 calories per average 113g breast and packs a serious nutritional punch. Just one breast provides you with over 20% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein, choline, phosphorus, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6. When you compare this to a chicken and bacon burger which contains 450 calories and a fraction of the nutrients, you can see exactly why chicken breast is the better choice for your health.
Ingredients:
– 1 Average Sized Chicken Breast (113g)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Lemon Juice (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of White Wine Vinegar (18ml)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Salt (3g)
Instructions:
1. Place the black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar and salt in the mixing bowl and mix them together with the wooden spoon to form a marinade.
2. Once the marinade ingredients are fully mixed, add the chicken breast to the mixing bowl and coat it fully in the marinade.
3. Once the chicken breast is fully coated in marinade, pour the chicken breast and marinade into the sealable container and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to allow the marinade to fully soak into the chicken breast.
4. If you have time, turn the chicken breast halfway through to ensure that the marinade soaks into it evenly.
5. When it’s time for the barbecue, remove the sealable container from the fridge and carry it to the barbecue.
6. Cook the chicken breast for 5 minutes on each side on a medium to high heat.
7. Enjoy the healthy lemon, salt and pepper barbecue chicken breast with a selection of vegetables or some salad.
2) Healthy Chilli, Mustard & Soy Sauce BBQ Beef Fillet Steak
Beef fillet steak is a rich, tasty and healthy barbecue meat with an average 113g beef fillet steak weighing in at 218 calories and containing generous amounts of protein, monounsaturated fat, saturated fat, choline, iron, selenium, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and zinc. While there’s not much difference in terms of calories between a beef fillet steak and a regular quarter pound beef burger, in terms of nutritional value, the beef fillet steak wins hands down.
Ingredients:
– 1 Average Sized Beef Fillet Steak (113g)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Mustard (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Soy Sauce (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of White Wine Vinegar (18ml)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Chilli Powder (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Salt (3g)
Instructions:
1. Place the black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, mustard, soy sauce, white wine vinegar and salt in the mixing bowl and mix them together with the wooden spoon to form a marinade.
2. Once the marinade ingredients are fully mixed, add the beef fillet steak to the mixing bowl and coat it fully in the marinade.
3. Once the beef fillet steak is fully coated in marinade, pour the beef fillet steak and marinade into the sealable container and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to allow the marinade to fully soak into the beef fillet steak.
4. If you have time, turn the beef fillet steak halfway through to ensure that the marinade soaks into it evenly.
5. When it’s time for the barbecue, remove the sealable container from the fridge and carry it to the barbecue.
6. Cook the beef fillet steak for 3-5 minutes on each side (depending how well done you like it) on a medium to high heat.
7. Enjoy the healthy mustard and soy sauce barbecue beef fillet steak with a selection of vegetables or some salad.
3) Healthy Lemon, Lime & Mint BBQ Lamb Chop
Lamb chops are a highly flavourful, tender meat that don’t often get a look in at barbecues. However, at just 229 calories per average 113g lamb chop, they’re definitely something you should consider for your next one. As well as being low in calories, lamb chops are also a very nutritious choice and contain over 20% of the RDA for protein, monounsaturated fat, saturated fat, iron, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin B3, vitamin B12 and zinc.
Ingredients:
– 1 Average Sized Lamb Chop (113g)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Lemon Juice (18ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Lime Juice (18ml)
– 1 Teaspoon Of Fresh, Chopped Mint (1g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Salt (3g)
Instructions:
1. Place the black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, mint, white wine vinegar and salt in the mixing bowl and mix them together with the wooden spoon to form a marinade.
2. Once the marinade ingredients are fully mixed, add the lamb chop to the mixing bowl and coat it fully in the marinade.
3. Once the lamb chop is fully coated in marinade, pour the lamb chop and marinade into the sealable container and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to allow the marinade to fully soak into the lamb chop.
4. If you have time, turn the lamb chop halfway through to ensure that the marinade soaks into it evenly.
5. When it’s time for the barbecue, remove the sealable container from the fridge and carry it to the barbecue.
6. Cook the lamb chop for 2-5 minutes on each side (depending how well done you like it) on a medium to high heat.
7. Enjoy the healthy lemon, lime and mint barbecue lamb chop with a selection of vegetables or some salad.
4) Healthy Chilli, Ginger & Soy Sauce BBQ Pork Chop
Pork chops are an excellent, natural alternative to the calorie rich hot dogs you’ll find at barbecues. An average 113g pork chop contains 223 calories and is also a fantastic source of protein, monounsaturated fat, saturated fat, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, six different B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12) and zinc. In comparison, an average jumbo hot dog with ketchup contains 400 calories, nowhere near as many nutrients, a hell of a lot more carbohydrates and many more unnatural ingredients. It also doesn’t taste anywhere near as good, so no matter which way you look at it, the pork chop is the better barbecue choice.
Ingredients:
– 1 Average Sized Pork Chop (113g)
– 2 Tablespoons Of Soy Sauce (36ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Chilli Powder (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Ginger Powder (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Salt (3g)
Instructions:
1. Place the black pepper, chilli powder, extra virgin olive oil, ginger powder, salt and soy sauce in the mixing bowl and mix them together with the wooden spoon to form a marinade.
2. Once the marinade ingredients are fully mixed, add the pork chop to the mixing bowl and coat it fully in the marinade.
3. Once the pork chop is fully coated in marinade, pour the pork chop and marinade into the sealable container and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to allow the marinade to fully soak into the pork chop.
4. If you have time, turn the pork chop halfway through to ensure that the marinade soaks into it evenly.
5. When it’s time for the barbecue, remove the sealable container from the fridge and carry it to the barbecue.
6. Cook the pork chop for 5 minutes on each side on a medium to high heat.
7. Enjoy the healthy chilli, ginger and soy sauce barbecue pork chop with a selection of vegetables or some salad.
5) Healthy Hot Garlic & Worcester Sauce Duck Breast
Duck is another soft, tasty meat that you should definitely try at a barbecue this summer. With an average 113g duck breast containing just 172 calories, it’s one of the lightest meats you can get. It’s also a brilliant source of protein, copper, iron, phosphorus, selenium and five different B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12) which means it’s also much better for your body than the processed alternatives.
Ingredients:
– 1 Average Sized Duck Breast (113g)
– 1 Crushed Garlic Clove (3g)
– 2 Tablespoons Of Worcester Sauce (36ml)
– 1 Tablespoon Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (18ml)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Black Pepper (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Chilli Powder (3g)
– 1/2 Teaspoon Of Salt (3g)
Instructions:
1. Place the black pepper, chilli powder, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and Worcester sauce in the mixing bowl and mix them together with the wooden spoon to form a marinade.
2. Once the marinade ingredients are fully mixed, add the duck breast to the mixing bowl and coat it fully in the marinade.
3. Once the duck breast is fully coated in marinade, pour the duck breast and marinade into the sealable container and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to allow the marinade to fully soak into the duck breast.
4. If you have time, turn the duck breast halfway through to ensure that the marinade soaks into it evenly.
5. When it’s time for the barbecue, remove the sealable container from the fridge and carry it to the barbecue.
6. Cook the duck breast for 5 minutes on each side on a medium to high heat.
7. Enjoy the hot ginger and Worcester sauce barbecue duck breast with a selection of vegetables or some salad.
Summary
I hope you enjoy these recipes and find them useful. With five different healthy and natural meats to try, there should be plenty to keep you going for your next few barbecues and with every single one containing less than 250 calories and plenty of nutrients, they’re sure to keep you healthy and lean all summer long.
If you use any of the recipes, I’d love to know what you think of them, so be sure to come back and leave a comment to let me know. Also, if you have any further meat marinades that you’d like to suggest, please share them in the comments section.