If You Can Eat It, You Can BBQ It http://ift.tt/1iMapfz

The following post was written by Ashleigh Hinrichs who blogs at Daily Cup of Asheejojo and is part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.

I'll admit it: if you've never used one before, a grill can be a little intimidating. But once you lift up the lid and light the fire, you'll see that it's one of the easiest ways to cook your meals this Summer! I love that barbecuing can add so much flavor to dishes without having to do too much - just a little seasoning and a great marinade can go a long way. And there is no limit to what you can barbeque . . . trust me. If you can dream it, you can BBQ it!

What you need for a simple, flavorful, and healthy BBQ:

• A barbeque


• Drumsticks, or chicken portions of your choice


• BBQ sauce or marinade


• A large plastic bag


• Corn


• Pineapple


• Heart of romaine lettuce


• Salad dressing and toppings of your choice

Directions:

1. Being with the prep work. Toss the drumsticks with BBQ sauce or marinade in a plastic bag. Set aside.


2. Shuck the corn, cut the pineapple into spears, and rinse the romaine lettuce.


3. Heat the BBQ to medium-high heat. Start with the chicken. Space evenly across the grill, and close the lid. Wait around 8 to 10 minutes to check.


4. Once the drumsticks begin to get nice grill marks and blacken, flip. Repeat on the other side. Continue this process until the chicken looks uniformly grilled and the inside has cooked through to 165°F.


5. Toward the end of the chicken-cooking process, place the corn on the grill. Let it sit until the bottom starts to blacken. Flip, and repeat.


6. Add the pineapple to the grill. Let it sit until grill marks start to form. Flip, and repeat.


7. Lastly, place the romaine hearts on the grill for about 1 minute. Flip, and let it sit for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat immediately.Cut off the end of the heart of romaine. Top it with dressing and any toppings of your choice (I love honey mustard dressing with avocado and walnuts!).

Barbecuing is a great way to make healthy dishes with minimal ingredients. Just make sure you check your sauces for additional sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, and processed ingredients.

As you can tell, some of my favorite things to barbeque are somewhat out of the norm. Grilling pineapple gives this fruit a touch of savoriness, while releasing so many juices. Grilling romaine gives a salad a charred effect, slightly wilting and warming the lettuce, while playing with your taste buds.

The BBQ is all about having fun! I have not found "the perfect method" for grilling, but I love pretending I'm a grill master and playing around with cooking times.The most important thing is that your meat is fully cooked to the internal temperature of 165°F. Other than that, grill away!

from POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/1x3Vnoe