Healthy Memorial Day Recipes for almost any special diet!

Holiday weekends can be tough for those who are trying to eat a healthy diet and for those on a special diet. To make your Memorial Day a bit simpler, I've pulled together some healthy Memorial Day Recipes for you all.

Memorial Day Thoughts

Of course remembering the reason for the Memorial Day holiday is crucial. In the US we are celebrating those who died serving in our armed forces.

Recently, we've been chatting about war and freedom a lot in our home. Talking about what we think is a just and unjust war, what a right response is to wrongs we perceive, and what the right roles of the U.S. Government should be.

One thing is sure– we may not agree with all of the wars and why they were fought, but we can remember and honor those who gave their lives doing what they thought was best.

My father in law served in Korea. He died fairly recently, but our memories of his war stories live on. My youngest was just going through his military awards the other day, particularly thrilled that his Grandpa had received one of the most prestigious awards (at least that's what his military book said), the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Grandpa used to tell us the story of how he awoke from sleeping to the sight of a North Korean soldier with a bayonet at his neck. He startled and screamed and the soldier ran away!

Unbelievable.

It's so wonderful for my son to know the legacy of those who went before him. I remember once, just after my father in law died, my youngest was looking at some other awards that he had won. He said, with a smile on his face, “I never knew that I was related to someone so important!”

We also have a former neighbor whom we hope to visit. She's a veteran of WWII (there aren't many of them left). She lives alone with no family around and we try to get over to see her whenever possible. She didn't lose her husband in the war, but instead met him there. But we know it's a special day for her.

Healthy Memorial Day Recipes

On Monday, we hope to have some students from my husband's college and their siblings over to have some healthy memorial day recipes and some fun, but we will remember, honor, and celebrate those who gave the supreme sacrifice as well.

Here are some of the things I'm thinking about making–thought you might want to add some of them to your Memorial Day Menu Plan as well :).

Every recipe here is gluten free. Most of these healthy Memorial Day Recipes are keto-friendly, or easily adaptable, and most will work for paleo and vegan diets too!

Other Healthy Holiday Recipes

Besides this post, there are a lot of other holiday-oriented posts on the blog that you might enjoy such as:

Healthy St. Patrick's Day Snacks
Healthy Easter Recipes
Super Bowl Recipes and
Healthy Mother's Day Recipes

Easy Baked Chicken Nuggets

These are a BIG fave in our home! Make extra and freeze for the future!

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This is a super-simple recipe to pull together and it's very easy on the budget, too. We love it warm or cold! And you can make it without the meat for a great vegetarian side dish.