Memorial Day + BBQ recipe ideas

Hi guys <3 Hope that those of you who are off from work today are enjoying a relaxing holiday. The girls (dogs included) have all enjoyed having the man of the house around again. Weโ€™ve been enjoying ice cream dates, dinner on the patio, and beachside walks. Itโ€™s been a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

On Saturday, we got the chance to check out the Point Loma lookout point at the Cabrillo National Monument. To get onto property, you drive past a military cemetery. As we drove by, my eyes started to sting at the thought that each tombstone and corresponding flag represented a LIFE: someoneโ€™s child, sister, father, brother, friendโ€ฆSomeone who made the ultimate sacrifice.

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(photo source)

Families were gathered in prayer, men in crisp white Navy uniforms stood in solemn silence, and kids walked with their parents to their loved oneโ€™s gravesite.ย 

This weekend, Iโ€™ve spent some time to send gratitude to those who sacrificed everything to protect our freedoms. Thank you to past and present service members for your selflessness, and to the military families, too.

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On a lighter note, the Cabrillo monument also has tide pools on property, so Iโ€™m excited to take Livi back to check them out. (Are there starfish there?)

Are you BBQing this weekend? Any last-minute planners out there? Iโ€™ve had the menu planned for ages. (Ages = 5 minutes ago when I scrawled the following onto our grocery list. Trader Joeโ€™s is going to be a madhouse today.) If thereโ€™s anyone else out there scrambling for ideas, hereโ€™s whatโ€™s on the menu over here:

The Pilotโ€™s famous(ish) jalapeรฑo turkey burgers

The crunch chopped saladย 

Sweet potato fries

Vegan Banana Pudding

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Some more of my favorite BBQ recipe ideas:

Avocado chicken salad

Clean eating tuna salad

Sweet potato chicken salad

Loaded baked potato chicken salad

Mexican quinoa salad

The crunch chopped salad

Berry crumble in a jar

The best fruit salad

No-bake blueberry custard pie

Weโ€™re going to spend the morning at the beach and grill at home tonight. See ya later today with some weekend pics!
xoxo

Ginaย 

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17 Comments

  1. Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie on May 26, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    I know the point of Memorial Day is to remember and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, but please thank the Pilot for his service. I’m so glad you and Livi are getting to spend the day with him.

    • Jen on May 26, 2014 at 6:46 pm

      ^^what she said. Thank you both (and livi too) for your service and sacrifice! <3

      • Fitnessista on May 27, 2014 at 12:22 am

        thank you! <3

    • Fitnessista on May 27, 2014 at 12:24 am

      thank you! xo

  2. Livi on May 26, 2014 at 1:06 pm

    Have fun!! All those recipes look delicious!

  3. Mere on May 26, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    I always get chills driving by Rosencrans cemetery (the one on the way to Cabrillo).

    The tide pools are beautiful – I have seen lots of crabs but no starfish yet ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Sara @ LovingOnTheRun on May 26, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    Have a wonderful Memorial Day with your family ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Fitnessista on May 27, 2014 at 12:23 am

      thank you, hope you had a great one too ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Cassie on May 26, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    I went to a Memorial Service when my hubs was army at Monterey, CA, and it did make me cry. They are such beautiful services though!

  6. Domi @ Eat, Pray, Lift on May 26, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    SO grateful for our brave servicemen who’ve paid the ultimate price over the years. “Greater love has no man,” you know? I’m thankful for them every day, but especially on days like this when we reminded of just how great the cost of freedom. My heart breaks for the families who have lost loved ones, and I am so thankful for their sacrifice in that part, too. xo

  7. Lucie@FitSwissChick on May 26, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    Oh I want to try the Sweet Potato Fries and the Banana Pudding! Actually all of them.
    Have a wonderful Memorial Day with your family! !

  8. Jenn@Mark My Miles! on May 26, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    I am definitely taking time to reflect and thank all of those who have served and are serving our country. Being a military spouse myself, it is amazing to think all that our men do!

  9. Megan @ The Skinny-Life on May 26, 2014 at 5:12 pm

    Thanks for the reminder on the banana pudding! I need to try that and I have a ton of bananas to use up!

    • Fitnessista on May 27, 2014 at 12:22 am

      let me know if you try it ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Nichole on May 26, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    I made your pasta salad today and it was amazing!! I subbed out goat cheese crumbles (hubs doesn’t like feta) and also added some chopped olives – sooo delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!

    • Fitnessista on May 27, 2014 at 12:22 am

      yeahhhh! so happy you like it! love the changes you made, too ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Dean on May 28, 2014 at 1:54 am

    Love the recipes! BBQ’s don’t have to be all meat. They can be healthy too!

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