Healthy BBQ Meals

Kate Save · Originally published 2024-12-23

Summer is a great time of year filled with sunshine and one of life’s simple pleasures… barbeques! A BBQ doesn’t have to consist of highly processed beef burgers, creamy potato salad and loads of white bread. BBQ’s can be one of the healthiest ways to cook.

This summer, host a BBQ that is tasty, low in calories and carbohydrates, and high in protein and healthy fats. We have developed three recipes that are perfect for this. Grilling on the BBQ is one of our all time favourite cooking methods...

Watch the accompanying video

Ingredients

Satay sauce:
½ cup natural peanut butter
½ cup silken tofu
2 tablespoons soy
1 teaspoon chilli paste

Tofu:

300g hard tofu

Method

1. Combine all satay sauce ingredients in a food processor.
2. Cut the tofu into fingers and place on a tray.
3. Coat the tofu (both sides) with the satay sauce.
4. Place tofu on the grill of the BBQ.
5. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the tofu is golden brown.

Lemon and Thyme Chicken

Ingredients 

Marinade:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
Crack of pepper

Chicken:

300g skinless chicken breast

Method

1. Cut the chicken breast into strips.
2. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add the chicken strips to the marinade and mix to ensure all chicken is coated.
4. Place the bowel in the fridge and allow to marinade for 1 hour.
5. Heat the BBQ grill to a medium high heat and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.

Chilli and Garlic Prawns

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ red chilli, diced finely

Prawns:

300g peeled king prawns

Method

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowel.
2. Add the prawns to the marinade and mix to ensure the prawns are coated.
3. Place the bowel in the fridge and allow to marinade for 1 hour.
4. Heat the BBQ grill to a medium high heat and cook the prawns for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the prawns are cooked and golden.

Pair these healthy protein sources with a big green leafy salad or some vegetable skewers using low starch vegetables such as zucchini, capsicum, eggplant and mushroom. These vegetables are delicious when grilled. You can even grill up some pineapple or corn on the cob.

The great thing about these recipes is they are not limited to summertime. You can make them any time of the year to create a perfect balanced meal.

BFF tips for a healthy BBQ:

• Choose very lean protein options such as lean beef and skinless chicken breast
• Create colourful salads- different colours mean different nutrients!
• Cook with extra virgin olive oil
• Try a lettuce or mushroom bun instead of a bread bun
• Swap beer and wine for our BFF mocktail recipes

Happy BBQ’ing BFFs!

Related reading

• Are Ready Meals Good for Healthy Weight Loss?
• Are Frozen Meals Healthy? What to Look For
• Guide to Healthy Freezer Meals That Work