The weather's warming up and the time for outdoor eating and entertaining is almost here. Some of my favorites at BBQs are grilled salmon, lean meats, veggies, and even some fruits. Grilled apricots are delicious! Salads are always great to bring to large gatherings. If you bring a green salad with lots of Mediterranean veggies added, and dress the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar ahead of time, all you need to complete a Zone meal is some lean meat off the grill. Another favorite of mine is to bring a hummus dip with veggies or a bowl of fresh berries, whatever type is in season. Again, all you need for a complete Zone meal is to add a little lean protein from the grill. This year I'm going to be adding pasta salads to my contributions to picnics. That's Zone 1-2-3 pasta, of course!

Do you have a favorite Zone friendly picnic dishes or tips to share?

I am going to try grilling slices of eggplant this year. I have never done it before. Actually, I have not ever experimented with grilling veggies at all!

I have been experimenting with lots of salad combos lately. One can easily grill up 3 oz of chicken breast and add to a salad, or use the salad as a nice side dish. I got some of my ideas from the zone pasta recipes, but since the Zone pasta didn't work out well for me, I am using oat groats in place of the pasta, then adding my chopped veggies and my chicken breast and a dash of oil, oh and the seasonings. Makes for a huge plate of food, and works better for me than the zone pasta.

Grilled eggplant is delicious! I only sprinkle the slices with sea salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder, and spray the grill with non-stick spray. I don't miss the oil at all (I prefer to save the fat for almonds :-) ... )

I was thinking of dusting them with a spray of oil (using one of those hand-pump oil sprayers), and then seasoning. Just picked up a jar of "Tastefully Simple" seasoning salt, and I also just bought a bunch of Mrs. Dash that were on sale at the store.

DH was going to grill out on Saturday night, but between the 2 of us, neither of us got home at a decent hour to start up the grill! Otherwise, I would have tried this already! LOL!