THM-Friendly 4th of July Menu
I made a healthy, low-carb 4th of July menu because I am bound and DETERMINED not to eat badly on July 4th this year! This is what my 4th of July used to look like:
7am: “Yay – it's a family day! I'll just enjoy my day and not worry too much about food – but I definitely won't cheat. It's not worth it.”
8am: “Well…my friend is bringing my favorite cookies to our potluck this evening. So…I'll eat a good breakfast and maybe just have one cookie later.”
10am: “OK, so that ONE donut for breakfast wasn't bad, because I was going to have a cookie later anyway, so today will just be a cheat day.”
12pm: “Hmmm…I COULD have a salad for lunch, but everyone else is eating sandwiches and chips. I haven't had sandwiches and chips in so long, and it's pretty much a cheat day anyway, so…”
1pm: “I feel a little gross, but it is a holiday, so I'll get over it.”
5pm: “Since I had the donut…and the sandwich…and the chips…and I'm planning on that cookie…I'll go ahead and have the burger bun, the pasta salad, and a couple of other desserts, too. I'll start over tomorrow.”
SERIOUSLY this happens every time I start to contemplate a cheat! I am just not able to ditch my eating plan for one dessert, or one meal. I would derail HARD and have a hard time coming back from it. Even worse, by night I used to dissolve into a mental puddle of self-pity and loathing. Not that it's such a huge deal to eat something unhealthy occasionally, but because I get so mad at myself for lacking self-control! This S-friendly 4th of July menu is designed to help me avoid the struggle this year. I'm making such great foods that I know I won't feel deprived!
I know that sticking to a healthy way of eating is dependent upon my willingness to make the meal in front of me a healthy one. When I used to plan to cheat, I used to derail my entire day.
That's why it's so important to plan to eat WELL. You can make great choices with yummy food and stick to them! I've put together a list of the dishes I plan to make, but please note that I don't usually make so many different recipes – I like to keep it simple in my kitchen! But on a holiday, for a special treat to serve guests, I think it doesn't get much better than this feast! Here's my dinner plan – you can pick and choose what appeals to you:
July 4th Dinner
Appetizer:
Salami Cream Cheese Roll-ups (No Crackers)
Warm Artichoke Dip with fresh chopped veggies
Main Dish Options:
Grilled Spicy Shrimp with Creamy Avocado Sauce
and/or Grilled Burgers w/ Cheese (no bun for me)
Side Dish Options:
Dessert:
No-Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake
(P.S I used to recommend a different chocolate cheesecake – pictured in the photo of this blog post – but I found the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake linked above and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to recommend it instead!)
