Living La Vida Holoka


10 Summer Salads for Your Labor Day BBQ

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Celebrate Labor Day and the end of summer with one of these delicious and crowd pleasing summer salads including pasta salads, quinoa salads, Caprese salads, and more!


Well, that’s a wrap! Summer is unofficially O-V-E-R in a couple of weeks!  Don’t worry – I said, unofficially! You’ve still got time to hit the beach, hang by the pool, or head to the park!  But it’s also time to start planning one last summer bash before it’s back-to-school, back-to-work, and back-to-busy routines. 

If you’re getting ready to throw, or attend, a fabulous Labor Day BBQ to say good-bye to summer, I’m sure you’ve got the hot dogs and burgers covered.  So let’s talk about what to serve with them!  I’m all about a good side salad during a barbecue.  Especially when it’s quick, easy, loaded with delicious and fresh ingredients, and can feed a crowd!  If you’re looking for a new salad to make, or take, to your Labor Day BBQ, there are plenty of ideas with these 10 simple salad recipes.

I’m sharing everything from pasta salads, quinoa salads, green salads, and even a fruit salad or two for something a little sweeter. So many of these salads have been on repeat in our house.  They’re perfect for summer and Labor Day gatherings, but they go way beyond the season as great side dishes or meal prep ideas! 

10 Summer Salads for Your Labor Day BBQ

  1. So Fresh and So Green Quinoa Salad
  2. Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad
  3. Mixed Berry Salad with Grilled Chicken
  4. Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
  5. Caprese Style Quinoa Salad
  6. Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
  7. Grilled Peach Caprese Salad
  8. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
  9. My Famous Italian Pasta Salad
  10. Star Spangled Fruit Salad

If you make one of these salads for your Labor Day BBQ, share pics of your recipe creation on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats.  Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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What salad has been your favorite to make this summer?

BLT Style Bunless Hot Dogs

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Ditch the bun with these BLT Style Bunless Hot Dogs! This fun hot dog idea will keep your Labor Day barbecue fresh, delicious, and low carb!


When your healthy lifestyle changes include a low carb diet, it can make barbecues seem a little tricky to maneuver. Labor Day is coming up and there’s guaranteed to be at least one backyard barbecue happening.  So how do you enjoy all of your favorite barbecue dishes without the guilt? 

Hands off those buns! 

I’ve been using lettuce wraps in place of buns lately.  And I’ve got to tell you – I think I’m enjoying all of that crunch and freshness way more than bread! A head of Romaine lettuce can go a long way in place of burger and hot dog buns.  It’s way cheaper than a package of buns, too.  Remember that for your next cookout!


The fun part of living a low carb lifestyle is getting creative with fresh produce and protein.  Hot dogs are a summer staple, but they aren’t necessarily the best food for a diet (or, really, in general).  But when you’ve got a package of them on hand, you might as well try to make them healthier.  

Since there’s only two of us, one package of hot dogs lasts us a while. So I decided to make us hot dogs for dinner the other night.  In place of a bun, I used lettuce leaves.  Then, in place of mustard or ketchup, I decided to make them BLT style and top them with chopped tomatoes and onions, and a strip of bacon. 


If you like a little pinch of heat with your dinner, top off these hot dogs with some sliced jalapenos and spread on some of Trader Joe’s Jalapeno Sauce.  Trust me – it’ll take your BLT game up another level! 

If you’re planning on making these dogs for your Labor Day barbecue, they’re easy to prep ahead of time!  Precook the bacon, wash and dry the lettuce, and chop the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos (if you like them).  Then, keep the lettuce, bacon, and tomato and onion mixture in separate plates and containers for easy assembly.

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BLT Style Bunless Hot Dogs

BLT Style Bunless Hot Dogs

Ingredients

  • Low sodium bacon, precooked
  • Hot dogs
  • Romaine lettuce leaves, separated, washed, and dried
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, chopped
  • Optional toppings: sliced jalapeño peppers, jalapeño sauce, mayonnaise

Instructions

  1. Mix the chopped red onion and tomato in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Preheat grill to medium heat. Cook hot dogs for 7-10 minutes, turning until grill marks are noticeable and they start to expand.
  3. Place one hot dog in each lettuce leaf.
  4. Add a bacon strip alongside each hot dog.
  5. Top the hot dogs with the onion and tomato mixture. If desired, drizzle on a splash of jalapeno sauce or mayonnaise and add a few jalapeno slices to each hot dog.
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If you really want to put a healthier spin on this recipe, use veggie dogs (a nice way to include your vegan and vegetarian friends) or chicken sausage in place of regular hot dogs. You could even swap turkey bacon in for regular bacon!  

Share your pics of this BLT Style Bunless Hot Dogs recipe on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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If you like this low carb recipe, you might enjoy these as well:

Turkey Taco Stuffed Tomatoes

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These low-carb Turkey Taco Stuffed Tomatoes are a healthier way to celebrate Taco Tuesday by ditching the tortilla and keeping traditional taco flavors!


Here’s the thing – when you go on any sort of special diet, you tend to get bored and discouraged after a while. Well, as a foodie, I’m not going to let that happen to you or to me! It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I’ve been doing pretty well on my version of the Fast Metabolism Diet (with a few weekend slip-ups, but I’m only human). I’m not only feeling a hell of a lot better, but I’ve lost a few pounds just by tweaking my meals and snacks.

I’m viewing this more as a lifestyle change than a diet. After all, “diet” is a word that can trigger negative feelings. And there’s already enough negativity in the world! So while I’ve added a lot more whole grains, fruits, veggies, and lean proteins to my meal plan, I also refuse to ditch pizza night and give up some of the other foods I love.

Turkey Taco Stuffed Tomatoes – a low carb way to enjoy Taco Tuesday!

 
For instance, today is Taco Tuesday and it’s just as much of a celebration in our house as pizza night.  But on the FMD, I can’t have taco shells or tortillas (unless they’re sprouted grain tortillas).  I also shouldn’t have dairy.  So there goes like half of a taco right there!

As the crafty gal that I am, I figured out a way to still get my Taco Tuesday fix!  So I’m stuffing taco seasoned ground turkey into a tomato and topping it with green onions, lettuce, olives, and hot sauce.  And maybe sneaking in a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, in place of sour cream, and a little, teeny-tiny sprinkle of shredded cheddar.


You could also flip this recipe by stuffing peppers and adding chopped tomatoes on top.  But it’s summer in NJ, so we’ve got plenty of fresh Jersey tomatoes growing in our backyard garden!  Our tomatoes are the perfect size to stuff – not too big and not too small. 

If your tomatoes are on the smaller size, two should be a sufficient serving.  However, if you’re using a larger tomato, like a big ol’ beefsteak, consider that a full serving.

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Turkey Taco Stuffed Tomatoes

Turkey Taco Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound ground turkey
  • 2 tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 6 tbsp. water
  • 1/2 small jalapeño pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
  • 4 medium tomatoes, tops removed
  • Optional taco toppings: sliced green onions, shredded cheddar, sliced black olives, lite sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, hot sauce

Instructions

  1. Cook the turkey meat in a skillet over medium heat, breaking apart the meat as it cooks.
  2. When the turkey has browned, add in the taco seasoning and water.
  3. Once the taco seasoning has been fully incorporated into the meat, add in the jalapeño and red onion. Lower the heat.
  4. With the tops removed off of the tomatoes, scoop the insides and chop. Add the chopped tomato to the skillet and stir to combine.
  5. Remove the turkey taco mixture from heat and spoon into each tomato.
  6. Serve with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
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Double this recipe to meal prep it!  Keep your scooped out tomatoes separate and spoon in the taco meat before enjoying.  You could even prep the taco toppings ahead of time by keeping small containers of chopped ingredients handy.  It’s easy meal prep and a great way to enjoy tacos when you’re on a low-carb diet!

Share your pics of this low-carb, keto-friendly, taco recipe on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats.  Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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If you like this taco recipe, you might enjoy these as well:

Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad

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This gluten-free Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad is made with brown rice pasta and veggies. It’s a healthy salad that’s perfect for weekly meal prep!


Between our anniversary, my birthday, family parties, and everything else in between, it’s been hard to keep my healthy eating habits in check this summer.  I’ve eaten way too much ice cream – that’s for sure – and definitely started to feel it! 

I mean, I’ve made a ridiculously delicious S’mores Ice Cream Sandwich Cake a few weeks ago and had two back-to-back Mr. Softee dipped ice cream cones at my nieces’ joint birthday party (it was so worth it, at the time).  Not to mention that ice cream has been on sale nearly every week at the grocery store.  I’ve had more than enough of my fill!

So I’m restarting the Fast Metabolism Diet as a reset for my body.  But I’m doing my own version of it.  I’m still following the schedule of Monday and Tuesday being fruit and healthy carb days, Wednesday and Thursday being protein days, and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday being focused on healthy fats.  I’m just not being as strict about it. 


Since pasta salads are always a summer staple for us, I decided to make a healthier version based off a FMD pasta recipe for Chicken Sausage Fusilli.  Just like the FMD recipe, this pasta salad uses brown rice fusilli.  It’s a little stickier than traditional pasta, but it’s gluten-free and just as filling and satisfying! 

The trick in making brown rice pasta is not to overcook it or it’ll become mushy.  Draining the pasta and rinsing it with cold water stops the cooking process and gives you that perfect pasta texture!

The “bulk” of this Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad

 
I included the chicken sausage in my pasta salad to bulk it up and add a good dose of lean protein.  Then, I tossed in a bunch of veggies like fresh broccoli florets, roasted red peppers, zucchini, and onions.  I dressed my salad with lemon juice and Italian dressing seasoning.  Before serving, I added a little chopped parsley for some added freshness.  

Oil isn’t restricted on the FMD, but it’s mostly reserved for “healthy fats” days. So I skipped adding it to my lemon dressing. I didn’t want to saturate my pasta.  I just wanted to give it some flavoring.  You can definitely tweak the dressing, or use your favorite pasta salad dressing, if you feel it needs more.

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Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad

Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. brown rice fusilli pasta
  • 3 sweet Italian chicken sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 generous cup broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup roasted red pepper strips, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup zucchini, seeded and cubed
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, or Italian dressing seasoning

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare the brown rice fusilli according to the package. Don't overcook the pasta and rinse with cold water as soon as it's done to stop the cooking process.
  2. Add the pasta to a large bowl or container.
  3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add about a tablespoon of water and the chicken sausage to the pan. Cook until completely and browned on the outside, about 6-8 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken sausage to the pasta bowl. Then, add in the vegetables.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and Italian seasonings.
  6. Pour over the pasta salad, mix to combine, and serve.
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When I first put this pasta salad together, I think I expected it to be a bit bland and boring. But it’s so fresh, so satisfying, and has a nice flavor to it, thanks to the chicken sausage and simple lemon dressing.  Eat it cold or leave the lemon dressing out and reheat this as a warm pasta dish.

Whether or not you’re on a special diet, you can’t deny a good pasta salad during the summer!  They’re perfect for meal prepping and taste better by the day! 

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If you like this pasta salad recipe, you might enjoy these as well:


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