I love grilling for my family in the summer—here’s how I keep meals healthy + kids happy

There are many reasons I love summer—pool days, beach days, lake days, pretty much anything that involves me and my family all submersing ourselves in a body of water to beat the heat. But one thing that always signals the start of the season is getting outside and grilling for my family. As a mom of four kiddos, I’m always looking for the healthiest ingredients possible—ones lure my kids to eat their vegetables and proteins. Firing up the grill gets me out of my hot, cramped kitchen and into the great outdoors. But more importantly, with the summer bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, it’s so much easier for me to create and serve healthy meals to my kids. And with some help from my go-to condiment brand Primal Kitchen® , I’m able to give my sometimes-picky (okay, okay—all-the-time picky) eaters (and my husband who’s been Keto for a year now) a variety of dipping sauces that suddenly make grilled eggplant or zucchini way more fun. And those condiments aren’t full of empty calories and refined or added sugars. I love the entire Primal Kitchen collection because it’s full of healthy ingredients like avocado oil, collagen, oil of oregano and apple cider vinegar—with zero containing dairy, gluten, grain, refined sugar or soy.

Below are some of my favorite grilling additions, perfect for your summer meals, whether you’re having burgers and corn on the cob or a simple salad.

Mayo with Avocado Oil

Say it with me, folks: Yum. As the first-ever avocado-based mayonnaise, this one is made with organic cage-free eggs, has no sugar, is Whole-30 Approved and Paleo and Keto friendly. Slather it on a bun or throw it in a chicken salad for a healthy spin on classic mayo you’ll always feel comfortable serving to your family.

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Organic Unsweetened Ketchup

Since my husband embarked on his Keto journey, we’ve learned a lot of shocking things about the ingredients in our favorite food, but none were more shocking than the fact that regular ketchup—you know, the stuff we throw on everything all year long—is laden with a crazy amount of sugar. But finding a version that actually tastes good and has no sugar added was no easy task… until I discovered Primal Kitchen’s organic version. Tastes just like the classic version we know and love but with zero sugar and features organic California-grown tomatoes!

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No Dairy Ranch Dressing + Marinade

Is there anything better than a delicious summer salad drenched in ranch? Or some grilled chicken with a ranch drizzle? This one is a whole lot more delicious thanks to its avocado oil base infused with monosaturated fats and organic eggs. What’s not in there? The guilt-inducing ingredients. Zero buttermilk, dairy, gluten, soy, canola oil or refined sugars. Bonus: You can use it as a marinade, too.

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Classic BBQ Sauce

Nothing says summertime quite like the smell of barbecue chicken or ribs, and now you can transform your old (full of sugar) recipe to something that is just as tasty, but minus all those unwanted ingredients, like corn syrup. Although it’s unsweetened, it’s full of smoky flavor—making it a go-to in our household. (Psst, it’s not too spicy so kiddos will love it just as much as adults.)

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Organic Spicy Brown Mustard

Unless you have a child with an adventurous palate (and if you do, can you tell me how this came to be, pretty please?), this spicy mustard is likely to be mom and dad’s go-to item this grilling season. Smokey and savory all at once, it pairs perfectly with hot dogs, sausages and burgers all summer long.

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