Healthy eating gets a little tricky on holiday weekends.
The grill is fired up. Burgers and hotdogs pile on the table. Bowls of chips are within arm’s reach. And there’s enough dessert to make you wonder how you’ll fit into your jeans again on Tuesday.
But a holiday meal doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing event.
In fact, one of the easiest ways to enjoy a cookout while staying aligned with your health goals is to build the menu around foods that naturally give you more protein, produce, and satisfying flavor. You don’t need to skip the burger. Just make your plate work for you.
These Labor Day recipes are a great place to start. They bring plenty of produce, protein, and flavor to the table without making the meal feel like diet food.
Let’s dig in.
🌿 Watermelon Feta Salad
Sweet watermelon, cool cucumber, salty feta, fresh mint and basil make this salad synonymous with summer. A honey-lime dressing brings it all together.
This recipe adds a load of fresh produce and a refreshing contrast to richer grilled foods. Plus, it comes together in about 15 minutes.
🌿 Grilled Zucchini and Burrata Salad
Burrata. Have you tasted it? This stuff is so good, it will make you break out in song:
Burrata.
Creamy like ricotta.
Feels so gourmet
Now, that’s amore.
It’s like we’re at the trattoria.
Delicious euphoria.
Have I convinced you to try it? If not, get this:
A 2-oz serving contains 9 grams of protein.
So, while your grill is hot, throw together this combo of zucchini, mini sweet peppers, creamy burrata, and fresh herb dressing.
You’ll be singing in no time.
🌿 Buffalo Slaw
It’s got fiber. It’s got protein. And it’s got blow-your-socks off buffalo flavor.
This is the type of side I want to see at a summer party, people.
Load it on your hotdog or burger, and enjoy a spicy, fresh crunch to balance your bite.
This recipe is versatile too. I love adding a big drizzle of my high protein ranch on top. Sometimes I toss in chopped dill pickles and fresh dill. Add roasted cauliflower or shredded chicken for a more filling side.
🌿 Pickle Cheeseburger Bites
Mini burgers you can pop in your mouth with pickles for buns? Yes, please!
This recipe tops tiny ground-beef patties with creamy cheese, then threads them onto skewers surrounded by dill pickle chips, plum tomatoes, and lettuce.
Because they’re small and individually portioned, they’re such a fun option for a grazing-style Labor Day gathering. And, with 19 grams of protein per serving, they’re more substantial than most wimpy appetizers.
🌿 Garlic Mango Shrimp Skewers
Oh me, oh my, oh mango shrimp skewers! These are addicting and refreshingly simple.
Very ripe mango is blended with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to create the marinade. A second, firmer mango is cut into chunks and threaded onto skewers with the shrimp. The skewer cook on a hot grill for just a few minutes per side.
They’re packed with fresh and savory flavor. And each skewer packs in about 16 grams of protein per 214 calories.
🌿 Grilled Skirt Steak with Cucumber Chimichurri
For the steak lovers at your Labor Day cookout, this recipe takes a classic grilled skirt stead in a fresher direction.
The steak is simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano before grilling. The chimichurri gets its smoky flavor from cucumbers that are grilled before being combined with parsley, capers, and caper brine, lemon juice, garlic, crushed red pepper, and olive oil.
Eating this steak feels like fine dining. I double the sauce and serve the extra on the side. It’s wiped clean every time.
🌿 Zucchini Bun Hot Dogs
When the hotdogs hit the grill, try this clever swap.
Half several zucchini, scrape out the seeds, and brush with olive oil. Grill, face-down, until each is nicely charred. Then use your zucchini half as a hotdog bun!
This recipe tops it all with a fresh mixture of avocado, corn, tomatoes, green onions, and lime juice. But a pile of the buffalo slaw (above) would taste amazing as well!
🌿 A Slider Bar
Sometimes the best way to make a meal macro-friendly is to let everyone build their own.
This slider bar starts with lean ground beef and brioche slider rolls, then adds toppings like bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and pickled onions. The burgers are grilled as small slider-sized patties, and everyone assembles their own!
This gives you control over how much bun, meat, cheese, toppings, and condiments end up on your plate without making anyone else at the party eat the same way you do.
My perfect slider? Lettuce bun, double burger, swiss cheese, pickled onions, and brown mustard, please!
🌿 Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Dip
This no-bake dip combines cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla for a creamy cheesecake-like treat. Serve it chilled and topped with fresh berries or crushed graham crackers.
One serving later, and you’ve added 6 more grams of protein and only 133 calories to your daily goals!
🌿 Red, White, and Blue Electrolyte Popsicles
Finish things off with a frozen treat.
These red, white, and blue popsicles are made by mixing three Ultima Replenisher flavors (cherry pomegranate, lemonade, and blue raspberry), then freezing them in layers to create the most festive popsicle at the party.
They’re colorful, festive, and refreshing for a hot afternoon cookout.
Make Your Labor Day Plate Perfect Practical
Let me leave you with my biggest piece of advice.
Don’t panic about building the perfect plate on Labor Day. Set yourself up for success with recipes you know support your health. Then, don’t stress about the rest. Enjoy the day. Trust that your healthy habits are part of a long-term lifestyle. And enjoy your day with your friends and family.
You’ve got this.
