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Many people enjoy bringing the flavors of fire and spice together over a hot grill.  Since grilling is widely perceived as a low-fat way of cooking, people often ignore the fat and calories of the other foods they fill their plate with off the grill.  Weight Watchers knows that deprivation should never be the focus.  Instead, good food choices and portion sizes are key to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Consider these great substitutions for your summer barbeques:
Instead of…                Try…
Regular hamburgers        Ground extra lean beef (93% lean), ground
                turkey breast burgers or vegetable burgers
Regular potato chips        Baked chips
Mayonnaise-based salads    Pasta/vegetable salads made with fat-free
                vinaigrettes
Hot dogs            Lean/vegetable franks
Regular soda        Diet soda; flavored waters
Ribs or porterhouse steak    Marinated top round (London Broil) or flank
                steak; pork loin cutlets
Sweet lemonade/iced tea    Artificially sweetened lemonade/iced tea
Ice cream            Sherbet or sorbet; Italian ices
Sauces            Fat-free marinades/dry rubs
Weight Watchers Ambassador Lisa Muehlhausen notes, “When grilling, let the natural flavors come through.”
Here are tips for making your next barbecue a tasty success:
• Try a spice rub instead of a sauce
• Lower the heat and cook slowly to lock in flavor
• Add grilled vegetables to your barbeques
• Cook in foil packets to trap in flavor and nutrients and for easy clean up
Don’t forget, desserts can be grilled too.  Try grilling bananas with this tasty desert recipe:
Charred Bananas with Sweet Lime Sauce
Makes 4 Servings
Per serving (1/2 banana with 1 teaspoon sauce):  69 Calories; 0 g Fat; 1 g Fiber
Points Value:  1
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 bananas, split lengthwise
1. Spray grill-rack with nonstick spray; prepare grill for a hot fire.
2. To make the sauce, combine the sugar, lime juice and ginger in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. Place bananas on the grill rack and grill until lightly browned, about 3 minutes on each side.  Transfer bananas to individual serving plates and drizzle each with the sauce.  Serve warm.
Recipe courtesy of Weight Watchers “Grill It! Cookbook.”
To learn more about Weight Watchers, visit www.weightwatchers.com . To find the nearest meeting location, call 1-800-651-6000 or click on the “Find a Meeting” link at the top of our homepage.

Santa Clarita Magazine

Santa Clarita Magazine