Mar 02 2010
Cooking Tip Mondays: The Eating Healthy Edition
As you may already know from our Facebook Fan Page, we have been working very hard at providing you with healthier alternatives and healthy recipes for you and your loved ones. We compiled some what we hope are helpful tips to help you on your path to eating healthy…
Cooking Tip #1
When you’re first looking for ideas for cooking healthy, before you go and buy every cookbook under the sun…start with your normal recipes! Many can be converted into healthier versions easier! I.e. Calories in lasagna are easily cut in 1/2 by subbing low or nonfat ricotta cheese, or even cottage cheese works, & roasted, pureed tomatoes! If you’re adding meat or sausage, make sure it’s a lean meat, 90% fat or more, or a lean sausage, like turkey or chicken sausage! Another wonderful alternative – marinate some tofu in a quick oregano vinaigrette (read: Italian dressing), sauté with some spinach, and use that instead! (Do not let the tofu frighten you…tofu is your friend…lol) Add whole wheat pasta instead of regular pasta - you’ve just cut your calories in half! See how easy that was?
Cooking Tip #2
The best way to add nutrients to your diet without adding a multivitamin? Eat the rainbow! By that, we mean something red (apples, strawberries), something orange (carrots, mango), something yellow (squash, banana), something green (broccoli, honeydew)…you get the drift! Your rainbow should also be brightly colored, even when cooking…once it loses the color, it loses the essential nutrients! Your veggies should still have a bite to them when they are done. Sorry, ladies and gents…no more soggy broccoli or overcooked string beans. =o(
Cooking Tip #3
More of a suggestion - loading down your salad, tasty as it may seem, does not help you eat better! If you get romaine, asiago cheese, croutons, bacon bits, and olives…and then you pour on the dressing…you might as well just have gotten a sandwich. Drenching your food defeats the purpose. Light dressings with loads of flavor are the key…the other thing is…the Caesar salad with the creamy dressing? Hate to be the bearer of bad news…but it’s not good for you…*cringes*…sorry…To be honest, Caesar dressing, traditionally, is a light dressing, tangy, with a hint of anchovy (yes, ANCHOVY, even the creamy one has it, check – it shocked me too at first, but that’s what gives it the distinctive flavor) but no worries! We will be sure to post an awesome & HEALTHY Caesar dressing recipe, just for you Caesar lovers! (And we promise you’ll like it.)
Cooking Tip #3.5
(Yes, we said 3.5!!) Our rainbow suggestion works perfectly with salads! The more colorful it is, the better it is for you, and when we do our Sweet TnT Post tomorrow on The Power of the Awesome Salad, you will get some great tips on the GREATEST tasting salads…including the taco salad recipe that we made a while back that many of you asked about!! Keep a look out for it! =o)
Cooking Tip #4
Most people tend to revert back to unhealthy eating because they get tired of eating the same thing, ALL the time. Dr. Arthur Agatston, leading physician on the South Beach Diet, notes, “It’s important for people to like the food they eat. Eating is meant to bring pleasure, even when you’re trying to lose weight”…or, in the case of most of our readers, eat healthier. Instead, try alternating different meals and styles of food: perhaps a stir fry saute here, or maybe a baked dish there…it will make all the difference.
Here are some great websites to get ideas for healthy recipes, besides our own:
Food Network Healthy Food Ideas
Check with us later on for some of our own tasty, healthy recipes! =0)