As we gather with friends and family outdoors this 4th of July, sharing delicious food is at the heart of our celebrations. To enhance your BBQ experience, Ovvia® offers a roundup of ten of our most popular dishes from our exclusive virtual Recipe Book, accessible to our $5 paid subscribers and Ovvia members. Join now to get access, and let's celebrate health and taste this Independence Day! And don't miss the "Special Occasion" section, where I share more of my holiday favorites,...

Temperature Guide for Grilled Burgers:

They cook quick! Three minutes for a 1/4 lb. 4 oz. burger brings it to 90% cooked most typically. Recommend using an instant-read thermometer to avoid over-cooking. Happy grilling! 

•  120°F rare (red & raw)
•  130°F medium-rare (warm, but pink)
•  140°F medium (starts to dry-out, mostly pink)
•  150°F medium-well (grayish-pink, significantly less moist)
•  160°F + well-done (completely gray, can be...

If you want to have “fast food” on hand at home, frozen burgers are absolutely essential. Why? Most all of the boxed brands do NOT require a defrost. Which means, you can cook them frozen! Get the temp. guide here too!

Convenience is the big advantage over fresh burgers, because they’re always ready to go in the freezer to “cook & eat”.  in less than 10 minutes on an outdoor grill or in a pan on the stove top. Either way, you’ll likely waste...

Perfect Pan Seared Chicken Thighs

Protein, Cooking Method

By the time I quit dieting I was SICK of chicken breasts. This chicken thigh cooking method helped me fall in love with chicken again. Healthy eating doesn't have to mean dry and flavorless food. 

Get my favorite chicken seasoning here!

Ingredients

• Chicken Thighs, bone in, skin on
• Favorite Seasoning
• Avocado Oil
• (Oven safe pan)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º
2. Dry chicken thighs with a paper towel and season generously....

Healthy food can taste good! Check out all five photo images along with links, so you can try them and decide if you want to stock them in your pantry too! 

Ovvia's recipes for making your own salsa, guacamole and pesto are great ways to add flavor to your food. But homemade isn't always fast, easy and convenient. That's why, I keep these five things on my shelf at all times! 

"Everything But the Bagel" 

Yes this sesame seasoning blend is free of smuggles! And while I...

Salsa 3 Ways

Fiber, Flavor

These salsas are so yummy! All three recipes are include fiber-filled ingredients, which makes them a healthy way way to enjoy as a dip with chips on occasion. Salsa is a great way to enhance the flavor of burrito bowls, eggs, fish, chicken or salads! 

1: Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 large firm avocado, cut into chunks (just very slightly ripe)
• 1 1/2 heaping cup diced mango (from 2 large ripe mango)
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/4 cup...

Pancakes are a fun food I enjoy on occasion and when I do, they better be exceptionally good! Which means, I will make my own mix, using simple ingredients, from my family recipe below: no fillers, no fakes and no flour imposters. 

What’s a flour imposter? It’s flour impersonating a healthy food, because it is made from a healthy ingredient, it pretends to be healthier. But it isn’t because once the healthy ingredient is transformed it into flour it’s an...

Complete Meal, Resistant Starch, Fiber

This recipe is a delicious and healthy spin on a traditional risotto. Following the same cooking method of gradually adding the veggie stock & stirring frequently. Quinoa is a great substitute as a healthy grain, because it maintains its creaminess and full flavor, just like traditional risotto. Real parmesan cheese is key along with veggie broth as a base instead of water. This recipe is a must try to satisfy the whole family!

Ingredients

• 6 cups...

It's not just fresh ingredients! A healthy salad is just like any complete meal and includes the top three essential nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and satisfied: fiber, protein and healthy fat. Unfortunately, there are a lot of imposters that mimc healthy salad ingredients, which is why, you need to know more about what's essential and what to avoid. 

Learn more and follow the highlighted links below to my 9 favorite healthy salad recipes! 

FIBER FOUNDATION

Brussel...

Not all Olive Oil is the same. Last week, I shared why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the healthiest oil and you learned about the abundance of counterfeits. Here you'll learn exactly which certifications to look for and where to buy it!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is like wine. The region where the olives are grown influences the flavor and color. The process and care as to how the oil is extracted and bottled is another key to quality. And finally, if it's not stored properly, it will spoil. But...