How to Make Your July 4th Cookout Healthy

There's nothing you want more on the 4th than a cheeseburger and some ice cream. But this summer holiday doesn't have to pack on the pounds! Click on the link below to find out!!


How to Make Your July 4th Cookout Healthy

Miss Tonia's Banana Bread

This recipe is courtesy of my friend Jamie’s mom, Tonia Livingston Greathouse.

BANANA BREAD

1/2 Cup Butter, softened (1 stick)

1 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

3 Ripe Bananas, mashed

2 Cups Self Rising Flour

1/2 Cup Nuts, chopped (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Cream Butter and Sugar. Add Eggs and mashed Bananas, mix well.
Add Flour a little at a time and mix until well blended. Fold in nuts
if desired.
Pour into a well greased Loaf pan and bake until knife inserted in
center, comes out clean. Check after about 45 minutes.

Notes:

The larger the bananas, the more dense the bread will be and you may have to bake it longer.
I usually have medium bananas and with my oven I turn the oven down to 325 and bake it 15 to 20 minutes longer.

Mississippi Mud Cake

2 sticks of butter
½ cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 ½ cups chopped nuts
1 tsp vanilla
miniature marshmallows
chocolate frosting (recipe below)

Melt butter and cocoa together. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and eggs. Mix well. Add flour, salt, nuts and vanilla. Mix well and pour batter into a greased 13” x 9” x 2” pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle marshmallows on top of warm cake and cover with chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

1 box confectioners sugar
⅓ cup cocoa
½ cup whole milk
½ stick softened butter

Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.

In-A-Minute Stew

1 ½ lbs ground beef
¾ cup quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked
2 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
⅛ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup milk
1 egg

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans (10.5 oz each) condensed beef broth
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (1 lb) small white potatoes, drained
1 can (1 lb) baby carrots, drained
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen lima beans
¾ tsp marjoram
¼ tsp powdered thyme
½ tsp salt
3 cups water divided
½ cup dry red wine
½ cup flour

Combine first 8 ingredients, shape into 24 small meatballs. Brown in hot vegetable oil. Pour meatballs and pan juices into large saucepan or dutch oven. Add beef broth and tomato sauce. Add vegetable, herbs, remaining salt and two cups water. Bring to a boil, lower heat then simmer 20 minutes. Remove meatballs and vegetables and put on a heated serving dish. Combine remaining 1 cup water, wine, and flour, stir until smooth, pour into beef broth mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour over meatballs and vegetables. Makes six servings.

Dirt

This is an awesome dessert if you like cream cheese and Oreo cookies. My mother usually makes this during the holidays and the kids love it.

Dirt

1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 box instant vanilla pudding
2 cups Cool Whip
1 pkg Oreo cookies, crushed
1 clean flower pot
fake flower
Gummy worms

Mix pudding according to instructions on box. Then mix cream cheese, pudding and cool whip well. Crush cookies in blender or food processor. Put a layer of crushed cookies on the bottom, then a layer of pudding mixture, repeat then end with a layer of crushed cookies on top. Put a fake flower in the center and add gummy worms around it. Chill well.

My Momma's BBQ Sauce

My Momma’s BBQ Sauce

½ cup or 1 stick of butter or margarine
1 cup vinegar
1 cups ketchup
4 tbsp worcestershire sauce
½ tsp red pepper
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp white or brown sugar
4 lemons to each half gallon
2 medium onions
2 pods of garlic

Melt butter, add vinegar then the other ingredients. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes.

Whiskey Cake

Whiskey Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
½ cup oil
1 cup milk
1 shot whiskey (1 ½ ounces)
1 cup walnuts

Combine all ingredients. Mix for three minutes. Pour into a well greased tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Topping

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whiskey

Melt butter. Add sugar and whiskey. Cook until sugar is dissolved and is a syrupy texture. After removing the cake from the oven, poke holes (with fork) in the top (leave cake in pan while doing this). Pour some of the syrup mixture over cake. Let cake sit in pan 15-20 minutes. Remove cake from pan and brush remaining syrup on sides and top of cake.

Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

2 cans of green beans
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup mozzarella cheese
french fried onions

Empty can of cream of mushroom soup into a baking dish, mix in the evaporated milk and mozzarella cheese until smooth. Add in green beans and stir. Top with french fried onions and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Campfire Stew

Campfire Stew

1 to 1 ½ lbs ground beef
1 tbsp fat
1 large onion
2 cans of concentrated or condensed vegetable soup
salt and pepper to taste (I add a pinch of sugar)
½ to 1 can of water as needed

Fry onions in fat until brown, add meat and cook five to ten minutes. Add vegetable soup and enough water to keep from sticking. Season to taste. Cover and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Longer is better but just be careful to not let it stick to the pan.

Baked Beans

Baked Beans

4 slices of bacon, cut into thin strips
⅔ cup finely chopped onions
2 - 16 oz cans of pork and beans
½ cup BBQ sauce, any flavor
⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp mustard


Saute bacon and onions in a large saucepan until onions are tender, stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.

Chili Con Carne

Chili Con Carne
1 lb hamburger meat
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp fat
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chili powder
¼ tsp pepper
2 cups tomato soup
1 #2 can kidney beans


Brown hamburger meat and onions in hot fat. Add seasonings, tomatoes, kidney beans. Cook over low heat 20 to 30 minutes.

Squash Casserole

Squash Casserole

1 lb of squash, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ cup milk
¼ tbsp salt
Pepper to taste
½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup cracker crumbs

Cook squash and onions in boiling water, covered, 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash, then drain again. Add butter, eggs, milk, and seasonings. Blend well. Pour into lightly greased casserole dish. Combine cheese and cracker crumbs, then use as the topping. Bake 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 6 servings.

BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken

2 ½ lbs frying chicken, cut into parts

Mix the following sauce:

½ stick of butter
¾ cup vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp salt

Mix and melt the sauce in a pan. put the chicken in a shallow baking dish. Pour sauce over it. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.