One of my readers commented recently and asked where I found healthy recipes and meal ideas. I have a few sources that I go to.
Books / Cookbook
I like to browse through books from the local library and if I find a book that seems invaluable to me - for meal ideas/recipes that I'll use over and over again, I will often purchase the book. Here are some books I've been reading through lately:
Most of these books have good healthy recipes in them and also ideas for cooking meals that will bring loads of good nutrients to the body. I just recently finished reading Steven Pratt's SuperFoods HealthStylebook and found so much useful information. He notes the benefits of eating foods in season and highlights several "superfoods" in each respective season. For example, it's Spring, and we should be eating foods like kiwi, pineapple, spinach, kale, other greens, orange bell peppers, honey, and tea. For each of these superfoods he also lists how each one benefits the body/our health, how to use it in the kitchen in everyday cooking/food prep, and how much/how often we should be eating these healthy superfoods. Sprinkled throughout the book are also sections of exercise, sleep, and other wellness strategies. I learned so much from this book and I would highly recommend it if you are seeking to improve your health in ways that go beyond just "dieting".
Magazines
There are also many good magazines out there with great recipes. Even if I don't follow the recipes I find verbatim, I still get some great ideas for healthy meals. I try to load as many vegetables into each meal as possible - even breakfast, if I can. It often takes some imagination and willingness to step out of the norm and try some things not usually eaten. This has been one way that I've discovered some new and interesting dishes. Shopping in the fresh produce department at my local grocery store also gives me ideas for meals. Yesterday, Emilee & I were at Whole Foods Market again and I saw the pretty bright orange organic bell peppers. I hope to make a stuffed pepper dish this week with some quinoa (a fabulously healthy whole grain that I've been experimenting with) and other veggies mixed in. I also picked up a Florida avocado, which looks (and feels) different from a regular avocado that I want to try using in a vegetarian quesadilla recipe I've been thinking about (that also include red pepper pesto).
Notice in the photo above that broccoli has been added to the pizza as a topping. Now, I wouldn't normally think of broccoli as a pizza ingredient, but this actually looks very tasty and I plan to try this recipe soon. Broccoli is a superfood and is a very nutrient-dense food - why wouldn't it be good in pizza?
Last week I made a vegetable marinara sauce. Normally, I just add some onions, garlic, and mushrooms to some crushed tomatoes to create a sauce with several seasonings. But this time I decided to add a few more vegetables to make it even more tasty - thinly sliced zucchini, roasted red pepper, diced tomatoes (and can you see the fennel seed, basil, and rosemary seasonings in that sauce?).
Adding this marinara sauce to a cup of whole wheat rotini noodles makes a great meal, with a side salad of mixed greens, carrots, and cucumbers.
Healthy Food Blogs
I find lots of fun and healthy recipes on the internet also - just by reading health food blogs and doing searches highlighting one or two ingredients. I mentioned doing some experimenting with quinoa as another alternative to brown rice. The other night I cooked a small batch of quinoa in my rice cooker and then after steaming some vegetables (asparagus, zucchini, red pepper, onions, and carrots) I tossed a cup of the cooked quinoa and the veggies into a skillet with a dab of extra virgin olive oil and mixed it together with some awesome szechuan sauce.
I don't know why I don't have a photo of the finished product (I thought for sure I took one), but trust me - it was incredibly good! Healthy grain, vibrant vegetables, and a little kick - what's not to love?!
I have found lots of good recipes at several of the blogs I visit on line:
101 Cookbooks
Kath Eats Real Food
Edible Perspective
Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
These are just a few that I read regularly and their blogs have given me lots of menu ideas and recipes to try.
If you're trying to eat healthier meals like adding more vegetables and whole grains, a good idea is to replace an animal protein with a vegetable protein for at least one meal a week [i.e. cannelini white beans replaces chicken or black beans replaces ground beef]. My diet for the past three months has been leaning more toward a vegetarian focus. I still eat some meat (mostly chicken or fish), but it's not the main focus of my meals. In other words, I build my meals around the vegetables/grains and not the meat. My husband still insists on meat at nearly every meal. Often I will fix the meal, adding the meat dish for him, but I will not eat it, just focusing on all the vegetable offerings. For example, last Sunday for Easter I made sure there were several other options to eat other than the ham because I knew Emilee & I would not eat it (we don't eat pork at all). The guys loved having the spiral cut ham with all the trimmings, but I also enjoyed the meal because I prepared a variety of foods that met everyone's taste buds.
There are many sources out there to help in planning good healthy meals for you and your family. I hope I've given you some ideas to look beyond what you normally fix and try some new/different foods in your menu planning.
Please share your ideas with me also - I'm always looking for good, healthy meal ideas.
What is your favorite "healthy" meal or food to fix at home?
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