Make-Ahead Barbecue Ideas

Save yourself the time of doing all the cooking and preparation work for your barbecue on the day-of. Instead, get everything you need prepared ahead of time so you can relax and enjoy the barbecue with your household!

Drinks

There is plenty you can do ahead of time to make sure everyone stays refreshed and hydrated. Bar tools can be brought out from storage and given a quick rinse, and any outdoor cups and pitchers can also be given a quick wash and organized in a bar area or on a counter until they are needed outside. Make sure to put cans and bottles into the fridge to chill in advance and bring out any coolers that may be needed. Don’t forget to make sure you have plenty of ice as well! 

While some garnishes are best prepared closer to the actual barbecue to prevent them from wilting, others can also be cut up and placed in containers until everyone in your household is ready for dinner.

Thrillist has a list of cocktails that can be made ahead of time. While they had the beach in mind for these drinks, the recipes can also work great to cut down on preparations even if you’re just at home and relaxing with your household in the backyard.

Otherwise, you can start planning what ingredients and tools you might need to make these classic cocktail recipes that are perfect for any size of household, like these Peach Bellini and Sangria recipes or this unique Apposta Cocktail recipe, all from Better Homes and Gardens.

Food

The food is obviously the main event of any barbecue, and many classic barbecue dishes can easily be prepared in advance so all you need to do once supper time comes is heat the grill and cook!

These two foil pack recipes from Delish conveniently include all you need for a barbecue meal in one individualized pouch. Even better, you can easily put these together ahead of time by prepping the vegetables, preparing the foil pouches, marinating the meat, and assembling everything together ahead of time to store in the fridge. Check out this recipe for Chicken, Tomatoes and Corn or this one for Sausage and Peppers.

Burgers are a popular meal to serve at a barbecue, and this “Full Works” burger from Olive has it all! While it looks like a lot, the sauce and other garnishes are best made a few hours or even a day before, leaving you with less preparation right before the meal.

Barbecue ribs, like this recipe from Food Network Magazine, are always a great choice to cook on the grill, especially if you have a larger household to feed. To get the most flavour out of these ribs, they are best if the spice mixture is prepared and rubbed onto the ribs the night before the barbecue – leaving only the cooking to be done in the oven a couple of hours before they are finished off on the barbecue.  

Every barbecue star dish is not complete without a side dish (or more!), and there are plenty of recipes and ideas that are easy to prepare the day before or morning of. For example, this unique take on a tomato salad from Taste of Home features a lot of different vegetables that can easily be prepared a day or two before so it only needs to be assembled right before eating.

 An even simpler dish like grilled vegetables requires even less effort – simply wash and cut your favourite vegetables, give them a light seasoning, and place them on the grill! This grilled rapini recipe from AllRecipes shows just how easy and delicious grilled vegetables can be! A lighter salad or dessert option perfect for an outdoor barbecue is a fruit salad, which is also good to prepare in advance and leave in your fridge. You can simply put together a salad from what fresh fruit you have on hand or try something new like this watermelon and basil salad from AllRecipes.

Ready for Spring Cleaning? Make Your Checklist!

Spring is almost here! As with every year, that means it’s time to get your home and yard cleaned and organized after the long winter. In Calgary, it often feels like winter has never left us, but even one sunny day can be enough motivation for the warmer season ahead to get started on all the cleaning tasks needed to be done. 

While getting clean and organized always feels good at the end of the day, it can take a lot of energy and motivation to get started. Often, the number of tasks we know we need to get done can seem overwhelming. In cases like this, many of the activities we hope to accomplish end up not being completed, or we start something that we just don’t have the time or resources to finish.

This year, avoid falling short of your spring cleaning goals by creating an easy to manage checklist that will only ensure success. The key is to focus on breaking down the big picture tasks you want to do and breaking them down into easily-manageable activities that won’t take up an entire day. These activities should be easy to do in a couple hours or an afternoon and spread out over a longer period of time. This way, you can work towards one project at a time.

For example, if one of your spring cleaning goals it to organize the garage, don’t just leave it at that. There is so much involved in organizing and cleaning a garage, so try breaking it down into even smaller steps:

Organize the Garage

Declutter

• Go through all items currently in the garage.

• Sort through items (what is to keep, what is to donate, what is to sell, and what is to discard).

Cleaning

• Sweep the garage floor

• Spray out the garage floor.

• Wipe down any cupboards/containers.

Storage

• Create a plan for storing items.

• Purchase or re-purpose additional bins/shelves/hooks needed to store items.

• Put items away in their proper place.

Whatever your spring cleaning projects may be, breaking down everything that needs to be done can make the tasks more achievable and not so daunting. Plus, creating a checklist can also help you keep on track on what has been completed and what needs to be done so you don’t start a project without finishing it.

Before the season starts in earnest, take the time to create your spring cleaning checklist with everything you want to get accomplished. Even the most basic checklist can help make your projects simple, easy, and manageable!

Spring is here - get outside and enjoy it!

After a long and (very) cold winter, it looks like spring is finally upon us! The days are longer, and the weather is a lot warmer – so why not take advantage and spend more time outdoors with your family! There are many free activities you can organize that everyone in your family can participate in. From exploring Calgary’s parks to having fun in your own backyard, you and your family don’t have to break the bank to enjoy the season.

Decide on an activity

It isn’t easy trying to decide what activity to do, especially if multiple people are involved. Why not start by getting together with your family and allowing everyone to share what activities they would like to do throughout the spring and summer. Everyone can be tasked with coming up with one or two ideas, which can be recorded on a board or sheet of paper. Once a few options have been decided, you can start putting them in to action. It is a good idea to go through all of the activities and make sure they are possible to accomplish. Are there any age limitations? Is distance or cost an issue? Do they require equipment you don’t have? Depending on what activities have been chosen, you can either decide to randomly draw an activity each weekend or every couple of weeks, or you can plan out activities for the next couple of months (especially if they are time sensitive or require special planning).

Plan your experience

For free activities like visiting city parks or natural areas, the only factor that might prevent you from visiting is the weather or renovations. Check the weather a couple of days before to get a more accurate idea of what the conditions might be and plan accordingly. Some events might take place at certain times throughout the summer and can only be experienced on certain days. If you need to book time off work, make sure that you are able to take that time, and make any other arrangements, like transportation, as soon as possible.

There are many activities that you can even plan in the comfort of your own backyard, like sports, scavenger hunts, tag, and campfires. These activities may require a visit to a local grocery or recreation store, but there are not many other tasks that need to be completed ahead of time. During periods where they weather is more unpredictable, activities like this are more ideal because they can easily be scratched or changed as needed.

Pack a bag (and bring some snacks!)

Before you head out, put together a day bag with plenty of sunscreen, bug spray, and water. Don’t forget to bring hats and sunglasses on particularly sunny days. For parents with younger children, a few snacks should also be packed for full-day activities. Snacks do not have to be anything extravagant, just enough to satisfy any hunger cravings, and prevent you from having to spend money on pricier items at stores or restaurants. Multiple snacks can even be combined in one bag to make a fun-looking treat!

• Fruits and vegetables

Not only is this snack easy to put together, it’s healthy and easy to carry around as well. Cut up carrots, slice an apple, or wash a handful of grapes and store in a plastic container or recyclable plastic bag. When you’re choosing fruits and vegetables, choose ones that don’t have extra peels, stems or pits, and pre-cut anything that can’t easily be eaten on the go.

• Cheese and crackers

This is another simple snack for shorter excursions, as the cheese should not sit out for a full day, especially if you don’t have a cooler or cold place to store your bag. Consider placing the cheese slices on the crackers before placing them in a container or plastic bag for each child for a more efficient snack break.

• Energy balls

With so many different variations, energy balls are also a delicious and easy snack that can be made up ahead of time. They can be sweet or savory, and you can bring a couple of different kinds to a weekend activity, so your family can pick and choose which ones to have. Putting the energy balls together can be a fun activity on its own, as everyone in the family can help roll them out.

Have fun!

Sometimes, even the best plans can fail, so always be prepared for weather, injuries or other obstacles that may impact your spring activity plans. Whatever happens, make sure that you make the most of the warmer season enjoy the warm weather with your family!