I am back on News 4 Jacksonville with my third year of healthy Fourth of July menu ideas!
First, serve a patriotic platter with nutritious dips. I love the Fresh Cravings Hummus from Walmart because it comes in unique flavors like everything bagel, roasted red pepper and honey jalapeno in 10 oz tubs and larger family sizes. Plus, it’s made with a short list of high-quality ingredients – Chilean extra virgin olive oil, chickpeas and tahini. You can also use their refrigerated, never cooked or pasteurized salsa – the conventional found chilled the produce section at Walmart and organic at Publix.
For an entrée, serve Chilean salmon with a red white and blue salsa. Chilean salmon contains a unique package of hard-to-find nutrients including vitamin D and is especially high in omega 3 fats. It’s also very low in mercury making it a good choice for pregnant women and children. You can find it fresh and frozen year-round.
It’s not July 4th without hotdogs! Hofmann is one of the oldest hot dog and sausage manufacturers in the U.S. They make handcrafted natural casing German Franks and Snappy Grillers which are German white bratwurst but hot dog size. You can find them at Publix, Aldi and Harris Teeter and grilling tips and topping ideas at hofmannsausage.com.
For a pasta option, try the new Buitoni Ravioli made with Impossible Foods. It tastes like traditional ravioli but is made with plant-based meat and a dairy cheese blend of ricotta, Grana Padano and Parmesan. Buitoni collaborated with Impossible Foods to create the Impossible Beef Made from Plants and Italian Sausage made from plants. It cooks up in 6 minutes, you can find it in the refrigerated pasta area of the dairy section at Publix.
For dessert, serve ice cream cake for national ice cream month! These are great to have stocked in your freezer for impromptu summer gatherings, pool parties, birthdays and BBQs. You can find Carvel, Oreo and Reese’s ice cream cakes locally at Publix and Walmart in the baker freezer case. Check the store locator at Iloveicecreamcakes.com.
