5 Super Easy Ideas for Barbeque Side Dishes for This Weekend

As you prepare to shop for the weekend’s activities, here are some fast, easy ideas for a cheap take on the traditional barbeque side dishes we all love for family backyard get-togethers. Teri Gault, the founder of TheGroceryGame.com and author of “Shop Smart, Save More,” provided these ideas, which she says can make the cost of a backyard barbeque between $2 and $4 per person.

The meat you serve is what determines the cost of the meal per person – Gault says hot dogs run $2 per person, chicken $3 per person and red meat $4 per person. She suggests checking the sales for the week at your favorite grocery store to find which one is on sale.

Here are her easy side dish ideas:

#1 – “Crowd Pleasing Filler”: Potato Salad – When I say “filler”, I mean “cheap”! 10 pound bags of potatoes are a great value any time of year. At less than 25 cents per serving, potato salad should be at every BBQ.

Tip: The secret to “creamy” potato salad is to mix it and squish it with clean hands! Messy and fun. Buy main ingredients like mayo, mustard, and dill pickles when you see them on sale for about 50% off. Add a coupon to the sale for about 67% savings. If you want to splurge a little, add fresh chopped dill for a gourmet look and taste.

#2 – “Easy off-the- shelf Beans”: BBQ beans – Canned pork and beans are on great sales throughout the summer.

Tip: Add brown sugar, chopped onion, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard for a homemade taste. Cut 3-4 raw bacon strips with a pair of kitchen shears onto the top of the beans. The bacon will crisp up and add great flavor when heated in the oven.

#3 – “Do-ahead Summer Salad” – Broccoli salad – Non-lettuce salads can be made the night before, and are even better when tossed together and sit in the fridge overnight (same applies to potato salad) Make a cool summer salad from whatever vegetables are on sale.

Tip: Search for recipes on the internet for whatever veggies in on sale. Or make up your own recipe. Be creative You don’t need anything fancy or complicated to keep your summer salads cool. Just two sizes of bowls works perfectly. Put your salad in a medium bowl, nestled into a larger bowl full of ice. Especially important with mayonnaise-based salads like potato salad.

Tip: This time of year, stock up on great sales on salad dressings. Check the sell buy date, and buy enough of these great bargains to last throughout the year. When stocking up, remember salad dressings make for great marinades for chicken or fish! So think ahead and never pay full price!

#4 – “No Peeking Corn” Corn on the Cob – the worst thing you can do with fresh corn is to open the husks to take a peek. The corn begins to dry out, and is not as juicy and fresh as if it is when you leave it “sealed”.

To cook the best corn on the BBQ: Simply soak the corn in its husks for a few hours before you put it on the BBQ. Grill over medium heat 2 minutes on each side (think of the corn as four sides = 8 minutes). Remove from grill and wrap in several layers of beach towels to steam for another 5-10 minutes. Peel back the husk leaving it attached to use as a “handle”.

Tip: Serve with a mug of melted butter. A natural bristle paint brush is wider than a BBQ brush, and easier to cover the corn quickly. Buy at any hardware store. Cook a few extra ears and slice off the cob and chill to add to salads for the next day’s meals. This is a good way to use any ears that didn’t look good enough to serve to guests once you opened them. Remember, that’s why you bought a few extra ears, and they’re cheap!

#5 – Dessert: Fresh Fruit – take advantage of fresh summer fruit while it’s in season. Serve alone in all its colorful beauty, or layer into individual parfaits with “real” store bought whipped cream (whipped cream often on sale and with coupons)!

Tip: When making parfaits, choose two different colors of in season fruit, like strawberries and blueberries for added interest.

About Teri Gault and The Grocery Game

From her website: The Grocery Game grew out of a very smart and frugal hobby. Teri Gault (the company’s founder and CEO) was intent on saving her family money. Her common sense homestyle approach to good living included collecting coupons and matching them to grocery store sales. Eventually, this hobby became a passion. Teri would share her money saving ideas with family and friends who were more than impressed by her attention to detail and her ability to predict sales trends. After some time, it became obvious that Teri’s “hobby” was more than just a good idea to share with friends.

The business of The Grocery Game was underway. At first, The Grocery Game made “TERI’S LISTs” available mainly to members in Southern California. Later, by offering franchises to persons throughout the United States, the company was able to expand at an unprecedented pace. Currently, The Grocery Game offers “TERI’S LIST” in all 50 states, and 7 foreign countries. Tens of thousands of members log on each week and save hundreds of dollars a month on their groceries.

Check out Teri’s blog here: http://blog.thegrocerygame.com/ – she also offers nutrition, recipes, fashion ideas – all kinds of great ideas so check it out!