Your not alone if the idea of healthy eating conjures of images of celery sticks, canned tuna, and low fat cottage cheese. It may even bring to mind feelings of deprivation as you force yourself to eat a bland low fat diet. I know because for years I felt this way.
I knew I needed to eat more vegetables because of the nutrient content, but had been led to believe that vegetables were only good for you if they were steamed or raw. And then the only added flavor was carefully measured low fat margarine, low fat salad dressing or Molly McButter. Certainly no salt, nuts, seeds, avocados, or no dried fruits.
And what about the low fat/no fat processed foods or 100 calorie packaged cookies and bars? These are suppose to be your treats, but they taste like cardboard and yet you still blow your diet by eating 2 or 3 of them instead of the recommended serving.
The good news is that truly eating healthy is anything but boring once you figure it out! In fact with a few guidelines, it is like unlocking a whole new world full of delicious meals and snacks that are easy to make and won’t bust your budget!
Skip the “healthy” processed foods. These packaged convenience foods my seem like a good idea, but they don’t truly save you that much time and are not near as nutritious as eating real foods. Many have hidden forms of sugar labeled with unrecognizable names. Do most of your grocery shopping on the perimeter of the store: produce, meats, dairy, eggs etc.
Learn some basic cooking techniques. My favorites are roasting and stir frying. You’ll be surprised how easy and delicious those boring veggies become when they are roasted in olive oil, real butter or coconut oil and seasoned with salt and pepper or fresh spices. While your veggies are cooking you can easily stir fry some chicken or pork in healthy oils and have a delicious meal in 30 minutes. Check out some of my favorite go-to recipes here.
Besides planning your meals for the week, do much of the meal prep in advance. I have found that this keeps me from falling back on that frozen pizza or resorting to a peanut or almond butter sandwiches because I’m starving and don’t feel like cooking. Often I will roast up a large pan of veggies for week. Sometimes we roast a chicken or smoke a pork butt as well and I’ll cook up some hamburger patties. I also cook all my breakfast sausage at one time and cut up onions and bell peppers. This cuts way back on the time I spend cooking breakfast, plus it ensures that I cook breakfast since its already done!
Experiment with new foods. Make it fun! Next time you are at the store look for something you haven’t tried before and then do a little Google search for recipes. Make it a goal to try one new food a week. Don’t get overwhelmed with creating a completely new meal, just try one item and serve it with foods you already enjoy. That way if it’s a flop or not to everyone’s liking, you haven’t ruined the entire meal.
While we are talking about experimenting, don’t be afraid to change up ingredients in a recipe. If you don’t care for a particular spice or food, switch it for something you do like. If you have all the ingredients on hand but the green bell peppers, then don’t sweat it or make a special trip to the store. Just leave them out. A lot of times I’ll find a recipe and by the time I’ve made it, it’s completely different because I cooked whatever veggies I had on hand. The recipe was more of an inspiration or a starting point. I have found this especially helpful when cooking for picky eaters.
What tips will you implement to make your meals healthy and fun? Leave a comment below.
