Keep Calm & Get Your Grill On Menu

I was inspired to create this menu during last Saturday’s Skype-fest/Transatlantic Brunch-Dinner Party with family in the UK. My brother was BBQing and was running a bit late so aimed his camera at the BBQ while he finished things up. It was sunny and 24 degrees Celsius there. Here in Toronto it was snowing. My husband joked that it was like watching that video Relaxing Fireplace with Crackling Fire Sounds that mimics the experience of sitting beside a roaring fire. Only this time we were immersing ourselves in Summer Grilling in a British Garden while our so-called-spring weather outside was more like winter.

Take heart that warmer sunny days will soon be upon us! In the meantime, in the British spirit of Keep Calm & Carry On, I have created this BBQ menu for Victoria Day long weekend. It’s a fun and easy menu that imports flavours from sunny places to warm our hearts. No grill? No worries. Everything can be done in the oven as well. I hope you enjoy it! And while you may not be able to share this food at the same table with family and friends this weekend, you are welcome to share the recipes!

So Keep Calm & Get Your Grill On! Sign up here to receive the recipes. I recommend a dry and fruity rosé wine with this menu as we could all benefit from seeing the world through rosé-coloured glasses right now. And I wish you a healthy and happy May long weekend!

Appetizer: Pineapple Coconut Shrimp (these grill up super fast and are much healthier than the deep fried coconut shrimp you see everywhere – read on about the benefits of pineapple, below)

Veggie Main (& yummy side): Cauliflower Tacos with Lime Crema (do toast up the tortillas on the grill and you can also roast the cauliflower on the grill with a veggie grilling basket if you wish)

Main: Chili Lime Chicken Drumsticks with Zucchini (note that this requires some marinating time for best flavour so plan accordingly)

Dessert: Blood Orange & Pistachio Chia Pudding (chia seeds…not just for breakfast anymore – this one also needs to be prepped in advance so it thickens, but it comes together in minutes and makes a refreshing and summery pudding for dessert)

Join The Nutritional Reset community here to receive this month’s menu today (as well as each month to come)! And read on for some nutritional tidbits about a few foods featured in the recipes…

A few featured foods

Pineapple

I wrote about pineapple’s immune-supporting, anti-inflammatory benefits in last August’s Ice Cream Parlour Menu (which you may wish to revisit with ice cream season coming up). But here I want to reiterate how great pineapple is for protein digestion. During times of stress, it is easy for our digestion to get out of whack. And as anti-bodies and immune system cells rely on protein, it’s good to have foods that help digest and assimilate protein on the menu!

Chicken

There’s good reason why chicken was flying off the shelves when Coronavirus hit. Besides being universally beloved by every non-vegan/vegetarian out there, it’s also high in protein and chock full of lots of stress-relieving nutrients like tryptophan, vitamin B5 and magnesium. And, as discussed in my Anti-Viral, Anti-Anxiety Menu, chicken (and chicken soup) supports immune function. Drumsticks are good value and they won’t dry out as easily on the grill as the breast. And you can save the bones to make soup. What’s not to love? Buy the best quality (preferably pastured) chicken you can get your hands on.

Cooking your own food is the single most impactful step you can take to improve your health and energy!

I hope you enjoy the recipes in my Keep Calm & Get Your Grill On Menu. Sign up here to receive the download link for this latest Menu of the Month. And if you want to cook more of your own food but don’t know what to make or have the time to organize your own menus and shopping lists, The Nutritional Reset offers a meal planning service. It makes preparing tasty, nutritious meals a snap. Click here to find out more.