Pineapples are currently in season and because of that I like to use them as much as possible. I have used pineapples on pizzas, salads and drinks and because of the tropical flavor I like to use them as much as I can when they’re in season. Pineapples really remind me of summer.

I think the combination of pineapples and lemons is sensational–don’t you think? I mean what is more indicative of summer other than lemons and pineapple, that is the reason why I came up with this recipe.

This summer, I was able to take a trip to Spain where I got to visit with family and friends. While there, I spent some time in the kitchen and developed a few recipes. While I was there, I came up with something very similar to this recipe, but have since spent some time perfecting it. The result was this Grilled Pineapple Lemonade, and I really hope you enjoy it! 

This Grilled Pineapple Lemonade has an amazing, refreshing, tropical flavor. My original recipe called for regular pineapple juice, but using grilled pineapple instead elevates the taste of this drink. It truly makes a big difference.

Another thing I love about this recipe is how flexible it is. You can make two different versions, a kid-friendly version or a spiked one. Any coconut rum would work great in this drink. So, if you’re feeling up to it, add it. I have tried both versions and they are both equally refreshing and delicious.

Some notes to mention about this recipe:

1. While grilling the pineapple gives this recipe a unique flavor you can also hack the recipe and use bottled pineapple juice instead. If you are in a hurry this would be the perfect solution, so don’t be afraid to use bottled pineapple juice. 
2. I don’t like my drinks on the sweet side, but you can adjust the amount of sweetness to your taste and add some maple syrup if you like. In my opinion, this recipe is already perfectly sweet.   

For the lemonade, I used Florida’s Natural Brand Lemonade. Florida’s Natural Lemonades are a family favorite of ours: delicious and refreshing on their own, or used in marinades, salad dressings or drinks like this Grilled Pineapples Lemonade. They come in five tasty flavors to play around with in whatever recipe you make, including traditional Lemonade, Lemonade with Strawberry, Lemonade with Raspberry and Peach, Lemonade with Blackberry, and Zero Sugar Lemonade.

I hope you get to try this Grilled Pineapple Lemonade–with a refreshing, tropical, unique flavor, it is nothing short of amazing.

Enjoy! 

Grilled pineapple lemonade

miryam's original recipe

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 oz fresh pineapple, cored and sliced
• 2-4 cups Florida’s Natural® Brand Lemonade
• 2 tbsp maple syrup, optional
• 1/2 cup Coconut Rum, optional

Directions:

Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill pineapple slices about 5 minutes on each side or till desired. Set aside until cool.

In a blender, blend the lemonade and pineapple until you get a smooth consistency.

Add coconut rum and maple syrup if using and whisk until well combined.

The post Grilled pineapple lemonade appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I simply love grilling. Whenever possible, I like to have grilled vegetable skewers. Having grilled vegetables is one of my favorite ways to have them even though I don’t get to grill as much as I would want to. I find that grilled vegetables are way more flavorful and juicy, especially on a charcoal grilled.

Since my family hardly eats any meat or chicken, having grilled vegetable skewers is perfect for us. I always like to find different ways to served vegetables and the flavor the charcoal gives to the vegetables is just very unique and tasty. Everyone enjoys the distinct flavor it gives to the vegetables.

I decided to use Kingsford® Original Briquets. I chose my favorite charcoal, Kingsford Original because it’s ready in 15 minutes and has a long burn time besides that it lights quickly.

Believe or not grilling on a charcoal grill it is easier than you think. Here are a few tips for those that have never tried it before.

Before you light the briquets in your charcoal grill just make sure:

• If you have any leftover ash in your grill dispose of it. Link here on how to do that.
• Clean the grill grates.
• Place the briquets in a mountain shape and light them up.
• Once the briquets have been burning for 15 minutes and are a pale grey color they are ready to be used. Spread them out and place the grill grate over the briquets.
• Preheat your grill grates and oil them slightly to make sure your food won’t stick to it. Now your grill is ready for action!
• I use metal skewers that I find work best. Wooden skewers turn to burn and brake.
• Once I was done grilling, the vegetables skewers were gone in no time. I wish I had doubled the batch. If you have leftover veggies you can serve them the next day on a salad or just simply as a side dish.

Fall is a great season to get creative and use many of the vegetables available at grocery stores. Make your own combinations and use your favorite veggies. Any vegetable combination will do.

I hope you try to give charcoal grilled a go. It is the authentic way to grilling. The flavor it brings to your food is just sensational. Once you start grilling this way you will never go back!

Enjoy!

Grilled vegetables skewers

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Large Zucchini
• 16 oz Mushrooms
• 2-3 red Onions
• 2-3 Large Peppers
• 1 tbsp Oregano
• 1 tbsp Garlic salt

Directions:

Alternate chicken and 2-3 pieces of veggies repeating until you have about 3-4 pieces of chicken on each skewer. Repeat until you have run out of veggies and chicken. I got 10 skewers.

Once your grill is ready place skewers in the grill and cook on each side for 4-5 minutes depending on how far you have placed the grill grate from the heat.

Serve immediately.

The post Grilled vegetables skewers appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I was a bit skeptical using the outside grill for the first time, however, the result was just perfection. The sauce is what actually made the shrimp exceptional. The recipe itself was also simple, which is always a win win situation for me. Neither making the sauce or cooking the shrimp won’t take long at all.

To make the sauce I used not from concentrate Florida’s Natural^® Brand Orange Juice. It’s the perfect juice to use because it’s made entirely from Florida oranges grown by actual farmers. Just how juice is supposed to be!

The orange flavor is very intense. You will taste the orange come through in the sauce so if you like orange flavor and would like good results with your sauce make sure you use this type of juice and not a concentrated form.

This is something that I strive to do every time I cook and bake. I always try to use the best possible ingredients to make sure that my recipes come through with flavor.

If you have leftover sauce you can also store this sauce in your refrigerator and used it for chicken, fish, beef….whatever type of protein you may like. I have marinated chicken over night with this sauce and saute it for lunch the next day and worked really good. If you like the sauce it is very versatile so make sure you don’t discard the leftover.

For this recipe I used shrimp but if you are not too fond of shrimp you can use chicken too. Either one is fine.

I hope you get to try this grilled spicy orange shrimp. It would be the perfect grilling recipe for July 4th.

Enjoy!

Grilled spicy orange shrimp

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh uncooked jumbo shrimp, devein and cleaned

Sauce

• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 tsp pepper flakes

Directions:

To make the sauce, over medium to low heat, place the sauce ingredients into a small sauce pan and stir constantly until it thickens. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

Place 5-6 shrimp on each skewer. With a brush, brush the shrimp with the sauce.

Grill over medium to low heat for 3-5 minutes on each side. You can brush more sauce over the shrimp after they are grilled if desired.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds and fresh herbs if desired. Serve immediately.

The post Grilled spicy orange shrimp appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I love nothing more than making grilled cheese sandwiches especially when I am in a hurry and I want something comforting and tasty. This caprese grilled cheese sandwich was just perfect for dinner tonight paired with some creamy soup. It is the perfect combination.

There is nothing better than gooey, melty, warm cheese. Grilled cheese sandwiches are very versatile, I love the fact that you can make pretty much endless variations. I have done different types of grilled cheese sandwiches already but never tried a caprese version before today. I really don’t know what I was waiting for, especially given the fact at how much it is that I love tomato and basil together.

One of the most important components to getting perfect tasty grilled cheese sandwiches is to make them with the best quality ingredients. If you have been visiting my blog you probably noticed that I like to consume the best possible ingredients when making food. My kids love cheese and whenever they have tried a funky type they have noticed right away. Their palate is already refined enough to identity artificial ingredients when trying new foods.

Arla sliced cheese is available in four naturally delicious flavors including Havarti, Gouda, Fontina and Muenster. To browse their products and find out sale locations near you make sure you visit ArlaUSA.com

For this caprese grilled cheese sandwich I used Havarti cheese, which is perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. It has a buttery and gentle creamy taste, is semi-soft and has a mellow aroma that melts perfectly on a grilled cheese sandwich. I also used Fontina which is semi-soft with a slightly sharp edge that adds the perfect upgrade to an every day sandwich. You can use any of the other type of Arla sliced cheese if you like. You can’t go wrong with any of them.

Also, if you are like me and love basil, add more if you like. It gives the sandwiches a great flavor. As far as the bread is concerned, I used mutigrain bread but you can use any other hearty type of bread.

Well, I hope you like these caprese grilled cheese sandwiches. They are for sure the perfect comfort food for the family

Enjoy!

*Made with milk from cows not treated with rBST.  No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST-treated cows.

caprese grilled cheese sandwich

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
• 2-4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp pesto sauce
• 4 oz Arla® sliced Fontina cheese
• 4 oz Arla® sliced Havarti cheese
• 12-15 basil leaves
• 8 slices whole grain bread

 

Directions:

Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat.

Brush the outsides of each slice of bread with olive oil, then brush the other side with pesto. Layer sandwich with one slide of Havarti and Fontina cheese, followed by tomatoes and basil. Finish with a slice of bread. Place sandwiches in the prepared griddle until cheese is melty and each side is golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

The post caprese grilled cheese sandwich appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

This is actually my first time grilling peaches. It was a bit of a pain at first because I forgot to grease some of them and they got stuck to the grill pan. Next time I will also try to grill them on my outside grill. My husband is actually the one that uses it all the time, I always stick with the grill stove top so will see how using the outside grill work out.

For the balsamic reduction sauce I used Truvia brown sugar blend. I think the balsamic reduction dressing made the salad stand out even more. My family went back for seconds so I guess that was a good sign. This salad was so simple yet so delicious!

I love making my own salad dressings. This one takes a bit longer to make because of the reduction step but most of my other salad dressing recipes literally take just about 3 minutes to put together. Way healthier and better than store bought varieties.

For this grilled peach salad you can add any other veggies you may like. I thought about some type of dried fruit or even nuts. Jut get creative and make it your own. I know I will be making this salad a few more time this summer. I think it was one of the best combo salads I have made in a while.

Enjoy!

Grilled peach salad

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh peaches, halved
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 6 oz mixed greens
• 6 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 1 red onion, sliced

Dressing

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup Truvia brown sugar blend
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Celtic salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

To make the balsamic reduction, mix balsamic vinegar with sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until glaze is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Keep a careful eye towards the end as you don't want to burn it. When it coats a spoon, it will be thick enough.

Preheat your grill or stove top grill pan. Brush peaches generously with olive oil and grill on each side for about 3 minutes. You don't want the peaches to be soft and mushy so keep an eye on them.

Transfer peaches to a clean plate and let them cool.

In a large mixing bowl add the rest of the salad ingredients followed by the peaches. Add some of the balsamic reduction with the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

Serve immediately.

The post Grilled peach salad appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I love getting my kids in the kitchen even for simple things such as these grilled cheese tomato sandwiches. Little by little this has become an important tradition in my house. Teaching my kids the importance of cooking and nourishing their bodies correctly, especially as they continue to grow, it is of most importance to me.

Also, as a mom, ensuring my kids have access to healthy hydration options, such as water, puts a smile on my face. We all know how many sugary drinks kids like to drink and how unhealthy these can be.

• Getting their own water when thirsty.

• Eating their fruits and vegetables at meal times without reminders.

There is no other type of drink that I rather see my kids consume that is why water is always our number one.

Water does not need to be boring! It is an essential part of life and helps provide hydration as your family takes on the day. From the morning bus ride to the afternoon soccer game and family dinner at home, Nestlé® Pure Life® Brand is thinking outside the bottle to make water an exciting part of your family’s beverage routine. With an interactive contest and kid-friendly bottle designs that encourage families to reach for water first, NESTLÉ PURE LIFE makes drinking water more than just a healthy hydration choice.

Share Your Smile” Contest Overview:

The NESTLÉ PURE LIFE brand is thinking outside the bottle, creating an interactive contest that engages the entire family, by inviting parents to have their children Draw “What Makes Them Smile” and enter their child’s design in the contest for a chance to have it included in the 2017 Share-a-Smile bottle label collection. The two Grand prize winners will each also receive a $25,000 college scholarship, a trip for four to Florida, and free NESTLÉ PURE LIFE Purified Water for a year!

The contest will run from April 7, 2016 – June 6, 2016. The winners will be announced on or about August 16, 2016. For more information on the contest and to enter please visit share your smile contest.

The two Grand prize winners will each receive:

• “$25,000 college scholarship, a trip for four to Florida and NESTLÉ PURE LIFE Purified Water for a year (awarded as 24 coupons, each good for a half liter or 8 ounce 24-pack of Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water).”

• NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MANY MAY ENTER, FEW WILL WIN. Parents may submit a label design created by their child between the ages of 6–12 into the Nestlé^® Pure Life^® “Share Your Smile” Label Design Contest (“Contest”). Parents or legal guardians must be at least 18 years of age and legal U.S. residents residing in the 50 United States or D.C. Contest void outside the 50 United States and D.C. and where prohibited. Entry deadline 6/6/16. For full Official Rules, submission guidelines and prize details/ARVs, visit www.shareyoursmilecontest.com. Sponsor: Nestlé Waters North America Inc., Stamford, CT

• If you need more instructions on how to enter you can visit these youtube videos, one in English and one in Spanish.

As always, grilled cheese sandwiches are pretty versatile. I have used pesto sauce to spread over the bread before to add a bit more flavor but you can just leave the sandwiches as is. Either way, grilled cheese tomato sandwiches are the bomb. Easy, delicious and super fast to make, and don’t forget, water is always the best way to hydrate.

Enjoy!

Grilled cheese tomato sandwich

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 slices whole wheat bread
• 16 slices provolone cheese
• 4 large tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

Over medium heat preheat your indoor grill/griddle. Place a slice of cheese over 4 slices of bread. Top with some tomato slices followed by another slice of cheese.

Top with the remainder bread slices and grill sandwiches for 3-5 minutes on each side.

Serve immediately.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nestle® Pure Life® . The opinions and text are all mine.

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