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Summer Meal Swaps

Pool parties and backyard barbeques, what’s not to love about summer food except that it all adds to your waistline at just that time of the year when you need to flaunt a fab and fit body. Not to worry, we have some clever meal swap ideas from barbeques to cocktails that will let you indulgence your taste buds and socialize all you want, without breaking the calorie bank. Here they are:

Grilled BBQs

The smell of meat smoking up in the grill wafts in summer all the way which is a great thing as grilling is one of the healthiest forms of cooking. But instead of loading up on greasy cuts of meat with saturated fats, how about grilling up omega 3-rich fish like salmon or mahi-mahi. Cut your calorie by two-third with this Smoky Fish recipe. Pair it with salad or wrap it in soft tacos for a healthier substitute to fried fish taco ….

Ingredients:
1.5 pound skin on salmon or mahi-mahi fillet
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of one lime
Fresh chopped cilantro, a handful
1tablespoon blackening spice
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Heat a grill or stovetop grill pan until hot. Drizzle a light coating of oil over the fish and rub on the blackening spice. Cook the fish, undisturbed, for four minutes. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook for another four minutes. Remove.

For a nutrient rich warm weather treat, pair this up with the Mango, Avocado & Beans salad

Healthy Dessert Treats

Frozen treats are a must-have for summer weather, but trade all the fat calories in ice creams for delicious options that have less butter fat and half the calories. Denser, creamier and dreamier than any premium ice cream, good gelato is the best frozen dessert in the world and frozen yogurts or fro-yos with the abundance of calcium and vitamin and a fraction of fat is ruling the roost in this category. For a low-cal dessert treat head to the supermarket and look for Ciao Bella and G.S. gelato or try one of the artisanal outlets like Grom or Screme in NYC, Capogiro in Philadelphia and Bulgarini in Los Angeles. Most popular frozen yogurt chains are Pinkberry, Red Mango, and Tasti D-Lite.

Easy Pasta Salads

Instead of sticking to the comfort of cheese laden traditional pasta dishes, consider tossing whole grain pasta into your salad with fresh greens and fruits for a colorful, healthy and nutrient-rich potluck or picnic dish. Here’s our pick of hearty Garden Pasta Salad (sourced from www.eatingwell.com )

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat rotini, (6 ounces)
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, or lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup diced yellow or red bell pepper, (1 small)
1 cup grated carrots, (2-4 carrots)
1/2 cup chopped scallions, (4 scallions)
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup slivered fresh basil

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain and refresh under cold running water.

Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots, scallions, olives and basil; toss to coat well. Refrigerate.

Summer Sippers

Sipping on rooftops or a sky-deck is one of our favorite summer pastimes but we neither want to count how many we down nor face the perils of a bulging belly. So we highly recommend swapping your regular martini or pina colada for these light and refreshing under 100 calorie cocktails

Meal Replacement

If after you have covered all grounds, you still face the peril of not fitting into your pants, we have the perfect solution for you in the form of a delicious chocolaty meal replacement drink, Lichisuperfruit Meal Replacement Chocolate Delight. Featuring the super food lychee berry and other ingredients for natural weight management, it is a complete meal substitute with the required daily nutrients and the added goodness of whey and soy proteins, vitamins, and omega fatty acids. For more information go to www.lichisuperfruit.com