15 4th of July Drinks, Desserts, and Breakfasts

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Whether you love getting festive for the fourth of July, or you're still feeling the USA love after watching Tim Howard defend the union last night, here are 15 delicious and healthy recipes you can make to celebrate your Red, White, and Blue!

Cocktails and Drinks

1. Skinny Summertime White Wine Sangria

2. Blueberry & Chambord Patriotic Cocktail

3. Strong & Skinny Strawberry Daiquiri

4. Victoria's Secret Model's Red Detox Juice
For those of you who are trying to keep away from the alcohol, there's no reason not to indulge in something patriotic and red, white, or blue!

Desserts and Sweets

5. 100 Calorie Cake Balls
These aren't red, white, or blue, but you could easily make them more patriotic. Try using natural food coloring mixed in with white almond bark for the hard shell exterior. You can make them any color you want!

6. Gluten-Free Upside-Down Apple Pie

7. Blueberry Cheesecake In A Jar

8. Chocolate Frozen Yogurt with Berries

9. 4th of July Red, White, and Blue Suckers

Mains

10. Berry Balsamic Crumble

11. Whole Wheat Fiber Waffles

12. Paleo Grilled Carrots

13. Spicy Corn & Black Bean Salsa

14. Pork, Caulirice, and Feta Stuffed Peppers

15. Grilled Eggplant with Sharp Cheddar and Vine Ripened Tomatoes

Skinny Summertime White Wine Sangria

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You might have to double or triple this recipe, because your guests are going to be fighting over it! Refreshing cold white wine, combined with fruits, sparkling juices, and citrus flavors will keep you hydrated while making you feel like summer just began with your first sip!

HAPPY FRIDAY! YOU MADE IT! (And that means so did I!)

Okay, I got a little crazy with this one. I was even in the kitchen cutting star shapes out of pineapples. You see, the first time I made this was the Fourth of July. That meant I had red strawberries, blue blueberries, and... well, pineapple. It's not white, but it's darn close. And if you carve it into a star, people will go wild. You can feel free to be a little less ambitious and go with pineapple chunks, apple slices, or get lovey and cut the pineapple into hearts! (Send me a picture if you come up with something fancy!)

Skinny Summertime White Wine Sangria

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Sliced Strawberries and Blueberries, mixed
• 1/2 cup of Pineapple cubes or fancy pineapple carvings (See below for the how-to)
• 2 bottles White Wine (I used a Chardonnay)
• 1/2 cup Cointreau Liqueur
• 1/2 cup Vodka
• 1/2 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1-2 tablespoons Truvia or Sugar, to taste

Directions:

1. Place fruits in the bottom of a large pitcher.
2. Add liquid ingredients and stir.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Overnight is best!

Ah, and were you wondering how I managed to cut the pineapple and carve it into stars?

How To Cut Pineapple Shapes:

Rip (or cut) the top off of the pineapple. If you don't have a strong mom like I do, you may have to cut it, but ripping/tearing is safer!

Cut the pineapple in half, slicing it down the core.

Print out shapes (I used stars) and then cut those out of the paper. Lay the paper shapes on top of the pineapple, trying to use as much of the core as possible, as it holds the best shape (the sides get a bit fibrous and mushy).

Use a knife to cut out the shape.

And voila!

I'm seeing stars!

4th of July Red White and Blue Jolly Rancher Suckers

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These suckers are Red, White, and Blue... and they taste a heck of a lot like Jolly Ranchers (because they're made of them!).

When I made these, it was sort of an experiment. Obviously, Jolly Ranchers would melt at a certain temperature -- after all, how else would they have molded each candy into that brick-like shape? The question was how high to turn up the heat.

As it turned out, keeping the heat fairly low (250 degrees) works perfectly, and you only need to bake them for about 5-8 minutes! 

Red White and Blue Jolly Rancher Suckers

Ingredients Per Sucker:

• 1 blue Jolly Rancher
• 1 red Jolly Rancher
• 1 sucker stick
• Aluminum Foil 
• Pam/Oil
• Optional: Coconut Flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Line a cooking pan with aluminum foil (parchment paper will also work). Spray the foil with cooking spray or wipe with vegetable oil.
3. Line up one blue jolly rancher and one red jolly rancher next to each other, leaving room for each set to spread out without melting into another set, and also leaving room for adding the sticks without getting the sticks in other suckers. I did 2 rows with about 5 sets per row, and staggered them so that the sticks would not be in the same place once I put them in.
4. Bake for approximately 5-8 minutes, or until the Jolly Ranchers melt and spread out. 
5. Remove from the oven and carefully place each stick into each sucker, twisting the stick in the still melted candy in order to ensure that it is fully inside the sucker once it dries.
6. To add the white coconut flakes, press small handfulls of flakes onto each sucker before the candy hardens. You only have a few minutes to do this, so work fast!
7. Enjoy!