Healthy BBQ Meal Makeover

This week there were a couple of gorgeous sunny days, and I found myself thinking about summer BBQ food when it came time to cook dinner. There are a lot of really tasty but really unhealthy BBQ-type foods out there, so I wanted to capture the essence of flavor but also avoid making a calorie/fat-laden meal. The catch was, I really didn't feel up to firing up the barbie or doing a ton of prep-work :) Predicament!

I drove my tired self to Raley's after work to see what kind of easy-to-prepare foods they had to offer. I like some of the items they have near the meat section, especially their shredded chicken, which is really great for quick tostadas. I found some pulled pork, which sounded so good, but the nutritional facts were disappointing. I finally found a great option with Lloyd's BBQ Pulled Pork:

A 1/4 cup serving has 80 calories, 2g Fat & 6g Protein. When I took out my 1/4 cup measuring cup, I thought, wow, this looks like the tiniest portion ever, but to my delight, the serving was a perfect fit on a toasted whole wheat bun. I added a tomato slice, pickle slice & romaine for some extra flavor.

We all know that any BBQ is not complete without some tasty sides. I'm a HUGE fan of coleslaw, so I made sure to add some plain coleslaw mix (found in the produce department by the bagged lettuce) and I also found some all natural Coleslaw dressing made by Marzetti. A serving of this dressing is 2 tablespoons (at 100 calories), but I only used one since I don't like overly dressed salads. I also have to say their packaging got me. Props to their marketing department for conveying the right message through labeling and bottle-shape alone. I'm okay with admitting that I fall for all of the consumer tricks!

Last, but certainly not least, I found these great red potato fries made by Alexia. A serving is 8 pieces, and they are really hearty, so I just went with 4 pieces instead. I would highly recommend these; especially since they are made with Parmesan Cheese and Garlic (how could that ever be bad?!).

So, I threw all of that onto a plate, and I came out with the masterpiece below; and all with very minimal effort! I apologize for the lack of photographic integrity; my 3G iPhone really doesn't cut it for capturing a moment.

BBQ Dinner Stats:

368 Calories, 10g Fat, 1025mg Sodium, 5g Fiber, 14g Protein

Not too shabby and this one is also *Boyfriend approved* which is a pretty big deal when it comes to making dinners :)

Here's to much more BBQ fare, and hopefully actually using the tool that gives the food its name next time!