My parents were recently in town for a visit and, as usual, my children love selecting a few activities that they each want to share with them. For my son, it was important that he introduce his grandparents to his close friends over a BBQ dinner. I was surprised at his decision, but then not. That’s my kid.

So my husband and I set off to find recipes that would fit our budget and meet the variety of diet needs we have with a group this size. We needed real food, that was heart healthy and with no dairy, and we weren’t going to skimp on quality.

What did we eat?

Well, first, let me tell you that we made the recipes below for servings of 12, even though we only had 10, and enjoyed leftovers days later. All of our food, drinks and alcohol came to about $7 per person – we bought organic produce, free-range ground turkey, and fresh berries from the farm for our cocktails. This kind of meal at a local favorite, would easily cost about $25 per adult.

Seasoned Turkey Burgers

These were delicious! We bought onion soup mix from Whole Foods so that we would recognize all the ingredients. The burgers were juicy and full of flavor, especially topped with Walla Walla onions off the grill.

Red Skinned Potato Salad
There were multiple steps involved in this recipe but each play a role in the amazingly tasty potato salad. My son not only had a second serving, but a third!

Watermelon and Blueberry Margarita

Heaven. I can’t think of a better summer-time cocktail that takes advantage of two of the season’s tastiest treats!

We also had a couple bags of Kettle Chips and a bottle of sparkling raspberry lemonade for the kids. Everyone went home happy after another great evening with special friends. And good food. 

Cleaning up is more fun with friends