It's Grilling Season!

Article archived: August 2010

Judy Dodd, MS, RD, LDN Giant Eagle^® Corporate Nutritionist

It's grilling season, a time to share the kitchen duties and bring on good eating! Along with taste, the goals are to keep the cost down, the nutrition up and safety first!

Keep the cost down and the nutrition up:

One trick to keeping costs down is to keep the protein portion reasonable, and fill the plate with great grilled veggies and salad. Healthy eating guidelines focus on filling one-third of the plate with protein (such as meat, fish, chicken or vegetable proteins like beans and lentils) and two-thirds with vegetables, whole grains and fruit.
Kabobs are a great way to stretch your money because you can alternate cubes of meat, chicken or turkey with veggies and potatoes. Marinate less tender cuts of beef. Watch for specials on shrimp or fish; they're great grilled on skewers with cuts of bell pepper and chunks of canned pineapple.
If beef is on the menu, consider a flank or flat iron steak. Both are served cut on the diagonal, meaning that one steak (1 -1¼ pound) can serve three to four people. Since they are both lean, there is no waste or extra fat.
Don't forget the burgers — but try blending in some grated or chopped veggies like pepper, onion or mushrooms for added moisture and flavor, and to "stretch" the meat!
Save money on chicken by buying cut pieces with the skin and the bones. Of course, your goal for healthy eating is to leave the skin on the plate — but keep it on during the grilling to baste the chicken.
Make baked beans, lentils or green beans as the protein for the meal, and use the grill for vegetables, potato wedges, pineapple rings or canned peach halves — all great additions at reasonable prices.
Most vegetables are great for grilling. Chunks of zucchini, bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, sweet or red potatoes and carrots hold up well on the grill. Spray or coat the vegetables with olive oil and your favorite seasonings for an easy plate filler that is packed with nutrition.

Make grilling safer and healthier!

Remember to use a meat thermometer to cook to a safe temperature.
Marinate foods to add flavor and help tenderize meats. Be sure to cover and refrigerate the food while it marinates.
Use extra care — and hot water with soap — to wash containers used to marinate meat, fish or chicken. Or, use heavy food-grade plastic bags and discard them.
Keep food safety at the top of your list. Anything that touches raw meat, fish or chicken is a potential source of food-borne illness. Discarding "used" marinade is the safest strategy. Your hands follow the same rule — wash or wear disposable gloves that you change frequently! If you want to baste with the same marinade, reserve some before adding the raw foods.
Separating plates, knives and cutting surfaces are necessary for transferring and cutting raw and cooked foods, especially meat, fish and chicken. Hot soapy water isn't always available. And the old "wipe and wink" method could result in sick guests or family members.
Prepare and wash fruits and vegetables before you bring them to the grill site. And remember that cut fruits and vegetables need to be refrigerated. Raw meat, fish, chicken and cut or mixed foods should be placed in a cooler or ice chest until you are ready to grill or serve!
Grill safely. One grilling concern can be lessened by removing as much fat as possible from any meat. Flare-ups that come from fat dripping on hot surfaces are dangerous and may reduce the healthfulness of the food. Have long-handled grill tools and some clean oven mitts for hot food.
Browning is fine, but "charring" or "burning" meat should be avoided. Some tricks for safe grilling without the char:
- Keep a water bottle with a spray top to put out the fires before they burn the meat.
- Use foil trays made for the grill top to shield the meat from flames. These trays have holes that allow the flavor to develop. Heavy foil with holes poked in the foil is an alternative.
Remember, charcoal or wood grills are for outside use! Ventilation is critical.

Need recipes? Email nutrition@gianteagle.com for some grilling ideas.