No matter what the season, finding easy and healthy recipes to keep yourself and your family from succumbing to food boredom can sometimes feel like a challenge. We can hear you saying, “Chicken? We’ve had it three nights in a row! Fish? Well – that’s a thought but I don’t usually keep fish on hand. Beef? Isn’t that terribly unhealthy?” The best recipes are those which are healthy, fun, and easy to make. Here are some tips for helping you to choose the right ones.
Tip #1: Look For Ethnic Recipes
Unlike many American favorites, foods from various cultures that emphasize vegetables, whole grains, and healthy cuts of meat can be an interesting departure from the ordinary, and they also tend to be much healthier. Most favorite easy and healthy recipes from Indian and Asian cultures for example, do not give you a list of canned items to purchase for the recipes. Instead, they call for spices like ginger and turmeric. They usually call for very little fat, and many times, you can substitute broth for much of the fat used in sautéing.
Tip #2: Look For Foods Your Whole Family Will Enjoy
Making a lot of foods no one in your family will enjoy, much less try, is an exercise in futility. If your family is very picky, you can begin transitioning to easy and healthy recipes by adding some different touches to the recipes you already use. For instance, if you usually use the highest fat ground beef available to make your tacos, then use low fat ground beef instead. Increase the amount of vegetables you use, and next time, make it taco salad instead of tacos, eliminating the taco shells and using a sprinkling of organic corn chips to garnish the salad instead of as a base. Use more salsa and less sour cream, and enjoy a healthy scoop of guacamole. This type of transitioning lets your family enjoy the flavors they are accustomed to, while increasing the amount of healthy food they (and you!) are taking in.
Tip #3: Healthy and Easy Recipes Don’t Have to Be Expensive to Make
A tight budget is often a fact of life, and there is no reason to spend more than necessary on your meals. The good news is that many of the best easy and healthy recipes you can create are based around whole grains,lentils and fresh vegetables, using very little processed food if any. You can buy in bulk and save money, and you can double your recipes, portion out healthy foods you have made, and have them for lunch instead of buying expensive pre-made lunch items that could be contributing to an expanding waistline.
The bottom line? Look for healthy foods in season and stock up on fresh herbs and spices. Changing the way you eat doesn’t usually happen overnight, especially if you are cooking for a family. The good news is that every step you take toward healthy cooking and eating is a positive one. Soon, you’ll have new selection of easy and healthy favorite recipes to enjoy.
