Let’s get something clear, healthy does not in anyway equal bland or flavorless. Many of the healthiest meals are also healthy. It is not always the food themselves that makes them bad for you, but the portions which we insist on eating of them. Wholemeal Pasta is an okay meal, but then we load it with full fat cheeses and serve it by the truck load, it is not the pasta, it’s the portion. A fistful of pasta as a side is enough for anyone on a diet!
Let’s start with cooking methods. Deep frying is bad, but lightly frying in olive oil or oil spray is much better. Other healthy cooking options include, baking, steaming, poaching and grilling. In fact, a grill is so useful for cooking a healthy meal it should be standard in every kitchen.
Don’t ruin a basically good meal by smothering it with heavy cream based sauces or a thick, gooey layer of cheese. If you need extra flavour, add a small dab of a lighter sauce, butter and use just a light dusting of skim milk based cheese.
Chicken and turkey are good choices for the protein portion of your healthy meal. Remove the skin and any excess fat to make it a super healthy portion of muscle repairing protein. Take care to cook either meat thoroughly for safety but in a way that will not leave you with flavourless.
Try this! Roasted chicken
Wash and pat dry a good size chicken and then stuff the cavity with several halved oranges and lemons. The number of fruits will depend on how big the bird is. Slide several cloves of heart healthy garlic under the skin, and then lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil (rich in Omega 3 fatty acids), and then lightly season over the surface of the bird. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced. Tent the chicken with foil if it is browning too quickly. This is also great for roast turkey.
Make sure that no matter what the main course is, there are good side dishes as well, keeping in mind that even veggies swimming in heavy sauce or tons of cheese are not as healthy as the plain version would be. Steam broccoli and serve with little ribbons of lemon zest and a small drizzle of olive oil, to echo the citrusy flavor of the chicken from the above recipe.
Any recipe can be adapted to a more healthy lifestyle.
Give away your deep fat fryer and invest in a counter top grill instead. Use really good olive oils, learn your meat cuts and make friends with your butcher who can trim fat, and remove skin to save you time and energy. Don’t forget about sea food – know how to select it and how to cook it. Fish is an excellent source of Omega 3′s as well as heart healthy.
Getting hungry yet? I have another healthy recipe that you can make in place of grilled burgers: brush large, firm portabella mushroom caps with just a bit of olive oil and then grill for a minute or two on each side. Put them on a whole wheat bun, add some lettuce, tomato a sprinkle of cheese and eat them with a little condiments of your choice, beetroot chuney tastes great, yummy and healthy.
Any recipe can be adapted to a more healthy lifestyle. Forget your preconceived notions of what is a healthy meal and open your mind and possibly your arteries. Drop the phone book, the take away, the frozen meals and start cooking your healthy meal right now.
