4th of July recipe ideas?

[Annek2014 58]

Any ideas? Will be for our family of 5 (2 adults and 2 small children). I had total knee replacement two weeks ago. So I am limited in being able to stand and cook. Hmm, I wonder if we have a bar stool downstairs? LOL

[Daisee68 2,493]

I'm thinking of making Cilantro Lime chicken in the crockpot. http://www.thehouseofhendrix.com/recipes/crockpot-cilantro-lime-chicken/ If I make it with chicken thighs, I am hoping it will be moist enough for me to at least try.

[Sharpie 3,306]

my family does 4th of July big.. bbq ribs, chicken , baked Beans , potato salad, watermelon and some kind of dessert. I no longer stress over holiday menu's. I eat what the band let's me which isn't anymore on holidays than usual. I will probably eat some chicken thighs and baked Beans. might try a small amt of watermelon. I don't think the rest of the family will care what I eat. My first Thanksgiving after being banded was great. I ate some dark meat turkey a spoon full of potatoes with gravy and some green beans. Nobody cared . I was happy as a lark and wasn't stuffed like previous years. It really is powerful to keep control.

[heynowkc 329]

@@Annek2014 I would suggest that you could enlist the help of the other adult in your family in grilling some lean meats and vegetables! You could even do kebabs. Skinnytaste.com has a lot of really good kebab ideas but I'm sure you can come up with your own combination! Then for dessert, do some fruit or watermelon. ( These look fun!: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/03/rainbow-fruit-skewers-with-yogurt-fruit.html ) Maybe a tossed salad and you've got the makings of a fun and healthy 4th! Good luck! Hope you heal soon from your surgery!

Edited July 2, 2015 by heynowkc

[Annek2014 58]

Great ideas! Yep. Hubby will handle the grill. Kids can help me put a salad together.

[Daisee68 2,493]

You know my mom just suggested making a kind of 7 layer dip for me that I should be able to eat still - or at least part of with my chicken - fat free refried Beans, low fat sour cream, avacados, 2% cheese, etc. Not sure I can eat the onions, tomatoes and olives yet but I can pick those off. All soft enough for me to eat. I saw on Eggface website that she used a dip like this as leftovers wrapped inside a piece of deli meat instead of a tortilla or taco shell. I haven't tried deli meat yet (I'm 4 weeks post-op today and I am still a little scared of deli meat. Worried it might be too stringy for me to chew up correctly?)

[heynowkc 329]

@@Daisee68 Hey this dip sounds good! Do you have the full recipe?

[Djmohr 6,965]

I make this chicken recipe for the grill and the chicken is absolutely delicious, moist and succulent. The Marinade actually makes this chicken what it is, marinade for a minimum of 1 hour but several hours or overnight is even better.

Greek grilled chicken:

Chicken breasts or things or whatever you like - I use skinless, boneless breasts

2 cloves of garlic - crushed or minced

1 cup olive oil

2 fresh squeezed lemons

2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Mix all ingredients with whisk and poor into a large ziploc bag. Place chicken inside and squish bag until all chicken is coated with marinade. Place bag inside a bowl and refrigerate for minimum of 1 hour or as long as overnight. Grill until done. Don't overlook chicken breasts.

I usually use this much marinade for 4 skinless boneless chicken breast. You can obviously double or triple for more chicken.

I serve this with grilled zucchini, mushrooms and onions. I will also make a garden salad with a vinegarette.

Yum, my mouth is watering. It does not take a lot of work to make the marinade. I just had spine surgery in my neck and am restricted. I was able to pull this dish together in 10 minutes (the chicken).

Maybe have others bring some salads to go with to keep it nice and healthy.

[Daisee68 2,493]

Ooh @@Djmohr that sounds wonderful! Gotta keep that one around to try soon!

@@heynowkc I don't really have a recipe (though I feel like I used to). I know you don't cook it. You just use a large flat pan and then I was just going to layer fat free refried Beans on the bottom, then a layer of sour cream (or maybe Greek yogurt - maybe even mix with taco seasoning?), then a layer of guacamole (which I probably will just use plain avocados pureed with lime and some spices like cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt and cilantro), and then a layer of pico de gallo (chopped up onions and tomatoes which I will have to pick off), then a layer of 2% Shredded Sharp (or Mexican blend) cheese, then topped with a layer of finely chopped black olives. Hmm, that is only 6 layers. Not sure what I am missing. I think sometimes there are also jalapenos but not quite brave enough to try that yet.

Actually I found this receipe. So kinda like this - https://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=57861

Normally served with torilla chips, but I won't be able to do that yet, so I will just eat with a fork with my (hopefully) moist shredded chicken. But it would be good in tortillas (maybe whole wheat ones?) or even in just a lettuce cup (if you can eat raw vegetables yet which I can't).

Hope that helps! I am not necessarily a good cook - just a good assembler of foods.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Daisee68

[heynowkc 329]

Thank you, @@Daisee68 !!!