WOW Your Guests this Labor Day with Healthy Recipes

Heading to BBQ or pot luck to celebrate Labor Day? Don't be the person with the boring food dish and don't take the easy way out with purchasing chips and salsa or soda. Spice it up and be the talk of the party! To gear up for all the hard work you've put in this year, here are some super simple and extremely tasty recipes.

Best POT LUCK Recipe - Three Bean Salad

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

1 tablespoon(s) olive oil

1/2 teaspoon(s) salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/3 cup(s) diced red onion

1 can (15-ounce) black-eyed peas or chickpeas, rinsed

1 package (10-ounce) frozen baby lima beans or shelled edamame

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Fill a large bowl half full with ice water and place next to the stove.

2. Whisk mustard, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until blended. Add onion and black-eyed peas (or chickpeas) and mix.

3. Cook lima beans (or edamame) and green beans in the boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and dump in the ice water. Pat dry and add to the bowl.

4. Add beans to the salad along with parsley; toss well.

Best BBQ Recipe - Chicken Sausage Kabobs

Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

For Sauce:

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tsp. sea salt

8 cloves raw garlic, peeled and mashed

1 tsp. pepper

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste)

1 cup parley

Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

For Kabobs:

1 package Chicken Sausages (5-6 links)

4 zucchini, cut in-half lengthwise, then cut into inch-long pieces, on the diagonal

3 yellow summer squash, cut in-half lengthwise, then cut into inch-long pieces, on the diagonal

2 red bell peppers, sliced into pieces, about 1-inch by 1-inch

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into pieces, about 1-inch by 1-inch

1 orange bell pepper, sliced into pieces, about 1-inch by 1-inch

Directions: Make kabobs by skewering 3-4 veggies, then one piece of sausage, and continue alternating until you have 3-4 slices of sausage on the skewer. Repeat until all sausage and vegetables have been used. Grill for 8 minutes while basting with the sauce. Serve to your guests!

Best ANYTIME FUN Recipe - Shark Fruit Salad

I made this and took to my friends pot luck last Labor Day weekend and everyone loved it!! 

1 Watermelon

1 Cantaloupe

1 package blueberries

1 package raspberries

Toothpicks

1 package Swedish Fish

1 package Gummy Worms

Directions

1. Using a large sharp knife, cut off one end of the watermelon so that watermelon stands at an angle. Using a razor blade or small knife, score an opening for the mouth. With knife, cut out and remove mouth. Cut out triangles for teeth; remove rind from teeth.

2. For shark fin, cut a triangle from removed rind; attach to shark with toothpicks. For eyes, attach two blueberries with toothpicks.

3. Remove fruit from inside watermelon using a tablespoon measuring scoop to form circular "balls"

4. Remove the inside of the cantaloupe using the tablespoon measuring scoop to form circular "balls"

5. Stand shark on a platter. Fill opening with watermelon, cantaloupe, raspberries, blueberries, gummy worms, and swedish fish. Use remaining fruit and candies around the outside of the platter dish.

So be BOLD and make something awesome this Labor Day that your friends and family won't forget!