Summer Grilling with Lightlife!

This is a totally sponsored post! But it's sponsored by an awesome vegan company that I've supported for years, so I'm okay with that. I only work with vegan-friendly companies that I trust and love!

Lightlife reached out to me a few weeks ago asking if I'd be willing to do a post about summer grilling with Lightlife in exchange for them sending me free hot dogs, a portable grill/cooler, condiments, and grilling tools. How could I say no? Few things make me happier in the summer months than picnics and grilling, and I have a genetic predisposition for hot dogs (my mom is OBSESSED with hot dogs, and that trait was certainly passed down to me).

This past weekend, Paul and I met up with friends Vaughan, Nicole, and their dog Shelby for a hot dog picnic in Overton Park. Rain was in the forecast, but we managed to get the grill going and the food prepared just before a light drizzle started. We enjoyed our meals while sitting in the warm rain, and it was just perfect.

Lightlife sent me a gift card to purchase hot dogs and other side items. I bought the Jumbo Smart Dogs, the regular sized Smart Dogs, and some Lightlife Smart Bacon to make Loaded Bacon-Wrapped Veggie Dogs!

And they sent me condiments by Sir Kensington. That Dijon has a splash of chablis, and it's possibly the best Dijon I've had. I tend to buy store-brand mustard and ketchup, so this was a fancy step up for me.

They also sent me an awesome Picnic Time Caliente Grill Tote. It's a cooler and a grill all in one!

The top half is a cooler, so we stuffed that with assorted beers and some fizzy water.

And the bottom half holds a small grill.

The charcoal grill was the perfect size for four Jumbo Smart Dogs, and a few slices of Smart Bacon. We were basically just heating the bacon, so we stacked the slices. The Jumbo Smart Dogs pack 13 grams of protein per dog, and the bacon has 2 grams per slice, so a bacon-wrapped dog with 2 slices of bacon has 17 grams. Y'all know how I love my plant protein!

Paul and Vaughan handled the grilled duties, which in retrospect seems like a total gender role stereotype. But Nicole is the real grilling expert, and she guided them every step of the way.

At home, before we left for the picnic, I sauteed about eight ounces of mushrooms and one onion in a tablespoon of avocado oil. I also packed dill relish and pickled jalapenos. Here's my Loaded Bacon-Wrapped Veggie Dog. I wrapped the dog in the grilled bacon and topped with mushrooms, onions, relish, jalepenos, ketchup, and Dijon! On the side, I made the Dillweed Potato Salad and Summer Tomato Salad from Cookin' Crunk.

Such a fun afternoon! And Lightlife hot dogs are truly delicious, especially when they get that fresh-grilled charcoal flavor. Summer may be waning, but there are a number of warm picnic days left to get out there and get grillin'.