Possibly more than any other country the U.S. has a problem with obesity. Families are turning to diet foods recipes, seeking out low calorie dinners. Unlike the common perception, eating healthy can be a joyful event!
If you use your common sense, you can select a good menu every dinner of the week. One good idea is to base as many meals as possible around fish and chicken. Beef and pork have a high fat count. An added bonus to eating fish and chicken is that they cost less than pork and beef.
Cut back on starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta and bread. Whole grains are the best alternative if you wish to continue eating starchy foods.
In regards to health, large salads are a positive choice above rich rice dishes in sauces. Raw vegetables such as celery, tomatoes, beets, and carrots are simple add-ons to salads. Leafy green vegetables are always a good choice.
Keep the salad dressing simple|Simplicity is golden re: salad dressings|With salad dressings, simple is good}. (Here is a tasty vinaigrette|Try this salad dressing|The number of ingredients doesn’t dictate the taste}:
* 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
* Sea Salt
* A touch of honey
When possible, organic produce can suit you best. Both taste and health benefits suggest such an approach of organic produce.
In addition you can add a few elements to make the salad more exciting:
- Nuts
- Fresh fruit
- Seeds
- Cheese
- Dried fruit
Protein also has a place in many salads. Turkey or chicken go well. If you aren’t interested in chicken or turkey, you always can add tofu to your salad.
Baked chicken is an easy and economical dish for the whole family to enjoy. Baked chicken can prove to be a life saver for mom’s stretched on time. If you stuff the chicken’s cavity with fruits, it can give the chicken a nice flavor. Since baked chicken alone hardly comprises a complete meal, an easy selection to go along with it is whole grain bread.
You can add to the quality of any meal by serving steamed vegetables. The nutritional value of your vegetables, a primary reason for eating them, will be lost if the vegetables are overcooked. It’s bad news whenever the water you are cooking vegetables in assumes the color of what you are cooking because that means vitamins have escaped the vegetable.
Spices have no calories, but add a lot of flavor to a dish. To enhance the culinary experience you desire from spices, use them when they are fresh. Feel free to sample different combinations of spices. One trick is to smell the spice while you’re cooking. Trust your senses. Trust your nose in regards to discovering what spice combinations please you the most.
Serving fish depends on whomever is cooking the fish. To provide a base, it’s simple to sauté vegetables in olive oil combined with fresh herbs. You can include a little white wine for flavor as well.
The fish you have is next seated on foil. With the fish still visible, smother it with the vegetable mixture. Your oven should be ready to accept your fish once it has been sealed in the foil. Check it in about 10 minutes.
Guacamole is another food of choice. Avocados are high in calories, but they are also high in nutrition and give your body needed protein.
You cannot avoid cubing avocados and dicing tomatoes if your goal is to make guacamole. Add a little onion (raw) and sprinkle fresh lemon juice over it. Sprinkle a pinch of salt if desired. Yet another option, according to desired taste, is to add some cilantro.
Don’t cringe when you think of meals diet. You lose little, if any taste when you prepare these simple, cost-efficient meals. Once you’ve mastered the genre of successfully cooking with spices, each new meal can be a successful adventure.