Reasons to Love Labor Day

The holiday season is about to kick off, and with it, those oh-so-delectable temptations. As we launch with Labor Day weekend, keep these four things in mind for no-guilt goodness:
1. Meat me there. The best thing about picnics and barbecues are the grills loaded with meat. Look for the ones that appeal to you and load up on the good stuff! End up at a buffet filled with finger foods? No worries. Just use cheese and deli meat as roll-ups. They’re portable, too, so you can mingle while you munch.Watch for: Overly processed meats and sugar-laden marinades and sauces.
Try: Loaded chili dogs
Fresh Dill Relish

2. Just desserts. Generally sugary and filled with bad fats and wheat to boot, it’s best to stick to the sweet taste of cheeses and meats. But if you need a solution, take your own sweet treats and win a few friends over in the process.Watch for: Watermelon. While melons are generally low glycemic load, watermelon isn’t one of them at 11 carbs per cup. Look for the low glycemic fruits: cantaloupe and blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are better choices.
Try: Low-carb red, white and blue dessert pizza
Fruit Dessert Pizza 
Key Lime Bars
Ultimate Cheesecake

3. Hold your Sides. Potato salad and chili with beans be darned! You’ve got something better in mind. Bring along your own side dish, but watch out: yours will be gone before theirs. If you do decide to brave the sides table, look for salads that look the most natural, like the green bean/bacon dish.Watch for: Miracle Whip in recipes. It loooks like mayonnaise, but the addition of sugar makes it almost intolerably sweet.
Try:Low carb Old-Fashioned Potato Salad
The Best Chili Ever
Hard-Boiled Eggs
4. Drink it in. Beverages can be troublesome. While a true lemonade is actually fairly low glycemic when made from scratch and using sweeteners like Stevia, the beverage poured from a friend’s pitcher will likely be sweet enough to curl your toes. Try bringing your own! (Recipe below)Watch for: alcohol. A depressant, alcohol tends to also lower your guard when it comes to food choices, and since your body burns alcohol for fuel before fat cells, skipping the drinks is a better choice.
Try: Unsweetened Mint Iced Tea

Easy Lemonade
1 1/2 cups lemon juice (about 12 lemons)
10 Tbsp Truvia or 4 Tbsp Sweetleaf Stevia powder
8 cups waterMix and serve chilled.Makes 8, 8 ounce servings.
Carbs: 31 net for the entire recipe, 5 carbs per 8 ounce serving.

Have any tips? We’d love to hear them!