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Happy summer, y’all! I’m more of a winter person, but one of the best parts of summer is the food, in my opinion. 😛 Grilled stuff, barbecue, veggie salads and cold dips, fruit delights…and of course, ice cream! I thought I’d put together a roundup of summery recipes that you can use at your next picnic – or for the Fourth of July this week! I’ve included recipes that you can find here on my website, but I’m also reminding you about a bunch of the scrumptious exclusive recipes in my cookbooks that I don’t want you to overlook.
I tried to limit this list to recipes that are THM S or Fuel Pull and low carb so you don’t have to sift out the THM E recipes if you don’t want a crossover meal. However, you can find lots of great summery THM E recipes that center around healthy carbs here on my website and in my cookbooks. I’m talking about things like baked beans, three bean salad, and fruit slush (all of which can be found in Convenient Food).
To make your menu, simply pick a main dish, a side or two or three, and a dessert! Better yet, invite some friends and make it a potluck!
Speaking of cookbooks…
I marked the recipes below with “NF” if they’re found in Necessary Food and “CF” if they’re found in Convenient Food. (The recipes without labels have been posted to my site since the cookbooks were printed.) Together these cookbooks make an amazing set with a wide array of main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and everything in between! CLICK HERE to order them together, or check out the individual sale pages to learn more about each book.
To answer a common question, Necessary Food (the first book, 2016) contains about 2/3 blog recipes and 1/3 exclusive recipes. Convenient Food (the second book, 2018) is 50/50.
Click here to pin this recipe roundup!
Grilled Recipes
Asian Grilled Chicken | CF page 164
Easy Basic Marinade | NF page 85
Western Burgers | CF page 112 (pictured)
Ranch Marinated Chicken | CF page 166
Cilantro & Lime Marinated Chicken | CF page 169 (pictured)
Family Favorite Grilled Chicken Thighs | NF page 82
Marinated Picnic Chicken | NF page 83
Mustard Grilled Chicken | NF page 83
Italian Marinated Grilled Chicken | NF page 84
Barbecue
Bri’s Baked Barbecue Ribs | CF page 90 | I baked these but I bet you could put ’em on the grill, then finish them off in the oven for even more flavor!
Bri’s Kickin’ Barbecue Sauce | CF page 476
Perfect Barbecue Sauce (and Pulled Pork) | CF page 475
Sweet & Tangy Barbecue (pictured)
Bri’s Sweet & Spicy Rub | CF page 484
Other Entrees
Barbacoa Pork Tacos | CF page 84
Adobo Pork Tacos | CF page 86
Burrito Bowls | CF page 169 | There is a Healthy Carbs (THM E) option with this recipe, so if you want to stay low carb stick to the Healthy Fats or Low Carb/Low Fat options.
Pigs in a Blanket | CF page 466 (pictured)
Sloppy Joes | NF page 113
Salads & Sides
Bacon & Cheddar Cauliflower Salad (pictured)
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad | NF page 145
Festive Broccoli Salad | CF page 221
Creamy Cucumber Salad | NF page 143
Ranch Cucumber Salad | CF page 222 (pictured)
Italian Cucumber Salad | NF page 144 | This yummy salad is like pasta salad without the pasta.
Special Occasion Salad | NF page 147 | a delicious salad with red onion, seasoned pecans, feta, unsweetened dried cranberries, and a yummy dressing
Seven Layer Salad | NF page 149
Creamy Coleslaw | NF page 142
Picnic Radishto Salad | CF page 224 | This salad made with radishes mimics the flavors of potato salad! (pictured)
Pasta Salad | CF page 225
Berry Gello Salad | NF page 137
Bri’s Better-Than-Ranch Dressing | You can find several other dressing options in Convenient Food, like Creamy Sweet Onion Dressing and Balsamic & Lime Vinaigrette.
Fresh Salsa | NF page 151
Guacamole | CF page 454
Baba Ghanoush | CF page 455
French Onion Veggie Dip | CF page 458 (pictured)
Spinach Dip | NF page 405
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip | NF page 409
Marshmallowy Fruit Dip | CF page 459 | Serve with strawberries to keep it low carb!
Veggie Pizza | CF page 464 (pictured)
Easy Jalapeno Poppers | CF page 467
Deviled Eggs | CF page 468
Pizza Appetizer Pinwheels | NF page 398
Cow Sauce | CF page 478 | This is my mock “Chick-fil-A Sauce” that would be perfect for dipping your grilled chicken.
Desserts
Blueberry Cheesecake Delight | CF page 413
Strawberry Delight | NF page 367 (pictured)
Lemon Cheesecake Delight | CF page 414
Dessert Pizza | NF page 365
Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight | NF page 370
Cottage Cheesecake with Sour Cherry Topping (pictured)
Lemon Squares | NF page 332
Lemon Cupcakes | NF page 280
5 Ingredient Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse
Blueberry Custard Bars | NF page 334
Briana’s Peanut Butter Cream Pie | NF page 344
Fresh Strawberry Pie | CF page 410 (pictured)
Double Crust Blueberry Pie | NF page 348
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie | CF page 389
Raspberry Crumble Bars | CF page 396
Coconut Cream Pie Bars | CF page 398 (pictured)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Bars | CF page 400
Chocolate Whoopee Pies | NF page 316
Frozen Treats
Ice Cream Recipe for 6 Quart Ice Cream Freezer | NF page 238
Special Occasion Ice Cream | NF page 237 (pictured)
Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Topping | NF page 414
Chocolate Pudding Popsicles | NF page 258
Peanut Butter Cookie Doughsicles | CF page 338
Strawberry Delight Popsicles | CF page 340 (pictured)
Strawberry Kiwi Popsicles | CF page 341
Creamy Red Raspberry Sherbet | CF page 313 | A pretty deep pinky red dairy-free ice cream that reminds me of raspberry sherbet!
Frozen Key Lime Pie | CF page 332 (pictured)
Ice Cream Cake | NF page 250
Ice Cream Sandwiches | NF page 251
Ice Cream Crunch Bars | NF page 252
Grasshopper Pie | NF page 254
Frozen Mocha Dessert | NF page 256
What have YOU been making from my cookbooks?
I’d love to hear about what YOU have been making from these books! Do you have any current favorites? Share in the comments below!
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Hi Briana,
I hope you and your husband are well and that your move is going smoothly.
I just wanted to let you know that I have been enjoying your cookbooks. My husband and I enjoy your recipes so much. We always tell each other that we have yet to have a bad recipe.
I have been making the baked oatmeals. I love making them and then freezing the leftovers into individual portions. They are so convenient to have on hand.
This morning I had the Ginger Peach oatmeal, Delicious! I paired it with two turkey breakfast sausage and it has become my new favorite!
Thank you so much for your creativity. It helps my diabetes stay in control and I do not feel deprived at all. I could go on and on and gush and gush.
Just know that your recipes are the reason that I am sticking with THM. It has changed my eating habits.
Thanks again and my you and your husband be blessed with God’s richest blessings in your new home and work and ministries.
Brianna, your food ALWAYS looks so delicious! Thank you for posting pictures!
I do have a small suggestion about your presentation, however. Not in any of these pictures, but occasionally I notice you are using sterling or silverplate flatware in your presentation that is tarnished. Maybe it’s just me, but tarnish has it’s own unique flavor! 😀 I think it would be a bit more appetizing if you would polish those pieces first before you photograph them. I’m sorry (and a bit embarrassed) to ask, but it’s been on my mind for a while. 🙂
P.S. I own both of your cookbooks! (The first one is my favorite!)
I left my cookbooks in Africa when we came back to the States for a visit, because I didn’t know we wouldn’t get back. 😕 But my favorites back then were the scalloped cauliflower, the apple baked oatmeal, and the peanut butter ice cream!
I love both of your cookbooks and am constantly turning to them for my meal planning. My most recent recipe find was your strawberry shortcake recipe… so good!
This post is awesome! Is there any way you could make it into a printable?
Oh yes, that shortcake is one of my favorites too! Gotta make it during strawberry season at least!
Unfortunately I don’t know anything about making printables (yet), but you could just copy and paste into a Word doc if you want the list of recipes with page numbers. 🙂 I’m sorry!
Holly, Take a picture of what you want to keep👍
I just made your Vanilla Pudding Cake for one from CF in the microwave. Wow ! It was amazing. It tasted so much like real cake and I love how healthy the ingredients are.
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that! <3
I recently made the strawberry popsicles and the sweet & spicy bbq sauce. We enjoyed both!
Awesome! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
Hi Briana
I just made a batch of your adobo sauce. I use poblanos ( non-dried version of anchos) because I couldn’t find anchos and sauce still turned out great. When I manage to find the. anchos, should I soak them in water before using them? Also, have you ever frozen the sauce? It makes a lot of sauce for two people.
Great! I’m glad it worked out for you! When you find the anchos just follow the recipe as written. I can’t remember off the top of my head if they’re soaked in the recipe or not, but if they should be soaked it’ll be noted. 🙂 I’m guessing I just threw them in the pot and cooked them down with everything else and they softened that way. 🙂 I haven’t frozen the sauce and I’m not sure if it would separate when thawed or not. Worth a try! I just kept it in the fridge for awhile (just 2 of us here too) and we used it on pretty much everything because it was that good. 😛