It’s that time of year again.

SUMMER.

As a summer baby who got married to a summer baby in the summer, this time of year is something I look forward to because of all of the celebrating that happens.

Like many of you, I’m also invited to lots of picnics and cookouts and always make sure to bring a yummy dish with me.

In my last post, I shared my top 10 tips to upgrade your summer cookout spread, and today I’m going to be breaking it down and giving you LOTS of recipe options for each course. My goal is inspire you to actually make one of them instead of sending them to the Pinterest black hole 🙂

Rest assured, most of these recipes have been taste-tested by my husband, friends, family and co-workers. Some are newbies I haven’t made yet but am excited to try.

If the recipe links to a post within my site, you’ll know that it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, free of refined sugar and that I’ve made it and have gotten two thumbs up! 🙂

mains

Our FAVORITE veggie burgers are from Hilary’s Eat Well. Bill eats them every week. If you opt for beef hot dogs or burgers, make sure they are grass-fed and don’t contain any nitrites or nitrates (it will say on the package!). Applegate Organics is a great option to try for hot dogs. For chicken, buy “pasture-raised” and for seafood, look for “wild caught.” After all, we ultimately eat what the animals eat, and we don’t want to be eating hormones, antibiotics or pesticides!

sides and salads

Well Plated’s Red, White & Blue Quinoa Salad

dips spreads

desserts

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If you have any cookout-friendly recipes you’d like to share, feel free to post them below!