Readers’ Choice #5: Lettuce, prey.
Quoth Sarah:
“I’d love to hear how your health kick is going. Maybe it will inspire me to shed the last pesky pounds.”
Oh, Sarah. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. I wish I had better, more inspiring, news for you. The truth is that my “health kick” turned into more of a “health dispirited-shuffle” last month when my dear mother came to stay for two weeks and took me out to eat, to places where I had things like talleggio and speck ravioli, whitefish salad with apples and horseradish, and plump, airy gougeres. You know how Eskimos allegedly have dozens of words for “snow?” Well, in the world of healthy eating, sometimes it feels like there are 6,700 words for “whole grain” and NONE for “butterfat.” It’s difficult.
You would think I would be a paragon of fitness, seeing as I am actually paid cash money to write about exercise from time to time. Speaking of which, I have had four posts at Lemondrop, most recently one that lays to rest any questions you may have had about how many calories one can burn by writing, and on those FOUR entries, I have gotten a total of four comments. One of these comments merely informed me that there are referees in basketball, which, FINE, I did not know. Four measly comments, people! My theory is that people who like exercise don’t care for my derogatory remarks on the subject, and people who DON’T sure as hell aren’t reading fitness columns. Or maybe they’re all just put off by my incredibly unflattering bio picture.
But that is beside the point. The point, in case you’d forgotten—and who could blame you—is that I am going to do better. In fact, just today I resolved for the what, sixteenth time since Simone was born to rededicate myself to the cause of getting healthy. I was on a roll for a while. I lost five pounds! I ate vegetables! I was invincible! And then…prosecco. Dim restaurants with club chairs. Adult conversation. I was powerless to resist—which would have been fine, if after my mother left I had returned to my healthy, butterfat-eschewing ways. But instead I was lured by the siren of takeout, who seems even more alluring when she unbuttons her blouse is viewed through the haze of sleep-deprivation and laziness.
What I need, obviously, are some meal ideas—easy things that are at least moderately healthy. What do you all have for dinner? Any favorites? Don’t get too carried away with the “healthy” part, though: I don’t eat margarine or false (lowfat/fat free) cheese, and while salad is perfectly fine in its place, lettuce is NOT a meal, unless you are a huggable, long-eared lagomorph.
61 Comments
you know what’s enraging? i totally (yes, i used that word) commented on your first lemondrop article, and WHERE THE HELL IS IT?
i’m sure it was really insightful/witty, just can’t remember.
Oh man. Here are some of our favorites:
1. Mashed butternut squash with butter and Tabasco sauce
2. Boiled corned beef with potatoes, carrots and onion.
3. Indian chicken curry (homemade, with yellow curry, varied spices and chunks of chicken breast in a yogurt sauce).
4. Stir-fry with plenty of peppers, water chestnuts, peas and baby corn. And *sigh* brown rice.
5. Ratatouille over rice (my French mom’s version has tomato, onion, eggplant, yellow squash, peppers and herbes de Provence).
The following is easy and delicious. It is also healthy, but you would never know it by the way it tastes. You can serve it w/ rice or pasta and the best part is that it requires almost no time on your part. Enjoy!
Crockpot: Chicken Cacciatore
3 lb chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin removed
1/4 c FF Italian Dressing
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms (about 10 medium), sliced (about 2 c)
1-11.5 c coarsely chopped onions (about 1 medium)
1/2 c each: red and green pepper strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
Place mushrooms, onions, peppers and garlic in slow cooker; top with the chicken. Pour dressing over chicken. Combine tomatoes, salt and thyme; pour over ingredients in slow cooker. Cover with lid. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH for 5 hours).
Be careful of bones!
Serves 6-8
P.S. I know it serves a lot, but it freezes well and also makes a delicious leftover lunch.
Tonight for dinner I made my “Lazy Chili”:
Saute half a chopped onion and 3 cloves garlic.
Add pound lean hamburger, brown.
Drain fat.
Add jar of tomatoes (ok, I used a jar and a half, I like tomatoes) and one can of drained, rinsed black beans.
Add favorite chili seasonings (I use paprika, chili seasoning, cumin, touch cinammon, and a teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder), salt and pepper.
Simmer while making steamed rice.
When rice is done, serve chili over rice.
Also, for breakfast I love to have an egg over some re-heated rice. Easy AND fast, provides good protein for the day.
Day snacking? Apple and a bit of peanut butter.
Er, I meant to say chili powder, not chili seasoning.
Are you in favor of curry? I have a billion curry recipes. Tonight we had “Cumin Rice with Eggplant and Peppers” which is a kind of curryish casserole thing that I really liked.
We make a lot of stir-fry’s (fries?) which tend towards being higher in veggies and lower in fat.
Carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, cauliflower or broccoli, even cubed squash work well. Throw in chickpeas or tofu instead of meat and it’s even better for you.
Tonight I did a peanut sauce (natural PB, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and lime juice) but another old favorite is coconut milk (good fat!) and curry powder or paste. We usually use brown rice or wheat pasta for a base.
It’s never the same twice and you can tinker endlessly to find your favorite combinations.
PS I second the apple with PB idea. Best snack ever.
Like you, I eschew margarine and low-fat or fat-free cheeses. I’m from Wisconsin, and I have German ancestry, so I am all about heavy cream and butter. However, I love the magazine Cooking Light, because the recipes actually do include butter, cream, sour cream, etc., just in moderation. And the recipes are fabulous! The recipes from the magazine are available on their website without a subscription; however, other magazines, such as Southern Living, are also included in the recipe collection. Thus, some of the recipes in the database are decidely un-healthy, but overall, the site and the magazine are both really great for figuring out healthy and tasty meals.
Michelle
Baked/roasted chicken, sweet potato and veggie of choice. Healthy and so easy to make, just toss in the oven and it practically fixes itself. Good luck!!
by the way I so slather the chicken with butter and it is still healthy :)
The trick (which I have yet to master) is quality vs. quantity. So eat the chocolate, butter, cheese, wine etc. Just eat a third of what you think you want. Very easy in theory, very hard when you have hand rolled gnocchi with braised beef short rib, kale & gremolata on your plate. I did get the smaller order.
(If you ever visit Boulder, you can find the aforementioned meal at The Kitchen.)
Eating healthy. Try and try and try. This one? My husband, pre teen step daughter, teen step son ALL love it. The little guy doesn’t have enough teeth for it yet, but I’m guessing he’ll be a fan too. ;-)
(250 Calories per serving, 4g saturated fat, 50mg Cholesterol, 490mg sodium, 31g carb (dietary fiber 3g), protein 26g)
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
2 cups uncooked wheat farfalle pasta
1 lb asparagus, cut in to 2 inch pieces
2 medium onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups fat free, organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves (or 3 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil)
3 tablespoons non oil packed, sun dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Parmesan cheese
Remove fat from chicken. Cut chicken in to one inch pieces.
Cook and drain pasta as directed. While pasta is cooking, spray 12 inch skillet with olive oil cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Cook asparagus, onions and 1 cup of the broth in skillet 5-7 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Remove mixture from skillet.
Spray skillet with cooking spray again; heat over medium high heat. Add chicken, stir fry about 5 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
Return asparagus mixture to skillet. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup broth, basil, tomatoes, pepper and pasta. Cook about 2 minutes until mixture is hot. Sprinkle with cheese.
GREAT with whole wheat garlic parmesan bread! yum!
I love the book– the perfect recipe to lose weight– by pam anderson– it is about real food– not low fat– which I don’t do ever–i actually think eating low fat causes me to eat more– she loves food and eats well– and is a healthy but not skinny weight– i love her granola and fish recipes– and soup inspirations and pasta ideas– and yummy coconut cookie recipes– check it out–
I roast a chicken at least once a week. We eat the extra meat in tortillas or soup. Soup is good winter healthy food, and if you have a little bread with butter alongside, it’s probably still pretty wholesome.
Now that the babies fuss from when I get home to bedtime, the crock pot is my best friend. Or I dump some raw chicken pieces on top of some brown rice and chopped up veggies, add hot broth, cover and bake for an hour. Sprinkle with lemon juice and parmesan, and you’ll never notice it’s low-fat and whole grain. Ooh, or roast some salmon and serve with half-potato-half-cauliflower mash, with butter.
I cook while wearing a baby almost every day. They like it, except when I chop onions.
I like whole filling things when I am trying to be healthy. I will generally make a vegetable soup with just about all the vegetables I can find. That will generally do lunch for a few days and dinner for 1 or 2, until I get bored of it and freeze the rest.
However tonight? I am easting pasta with butter and cheese. Oh so delicious. Oh so unhealthy.
Roasted veggies – potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, green beans, mushrooms, onions, whatever… Cut everything into chunks, toss it with a smidgen of olive oil and some chopped garlic and rosemary or basil or whatever herbs and seasonings sound good, roast at 400-ish for about 45 minutes.
Light fish – like tilapia or roughy – drizzled with a little oil and some lemon pepper seasoning and broiled for about three minutes. Make rice with broth instead of water for flavor, leave the butter out, and toss in a little parsley. Slice up some tomatoes. Tah-dah, dinner.
I think the best way to eat healthier and not feel like you’re starving is to add a lot more fiber to your diet. It’s good for you and filling. Fill your house with whole fruits and vegetables, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and beans beans beans. (You can ease up to maximum bean consumption; let your gastro system prepare itself!)
There’s so many possibilities… eg
(a) veggie stir-fry with a light soy and ginger sauce, over brown rice.
(b) black beans (either dried/soaked, or canned) with tomatoes, salsa, and corn, served with dollop of plain yogurt and half an avocado.
(c) baked potato (or baked sweet potato) with warmed refried beans and salsa (and a little dollop of light sour cream, or a bigger dollop of plain yogurt).
(d) Sundry’s kick-your-butt salad, which is lettuce but add to that a bunch of garbanzo beans, corn, edamame, cherry tomatoes, maybe some cooked chicken, and a dressing made of salsa and lime juice.
(e) the above salad but add some cooked chilled whole wheat pasta and feta cheese, with a Greek vinaigrette.
(f) whole wheat pasta (corkscrew tastes better than spaghetti, IMO) and marinara sauce. Stretch the sauce and make it less oily by mixing in a bunch of plain diced tomatoes and/or cooked bell peppers for a chunky sauce.
I like a lot of your commenters’ ideas too, especially the crock-pot meals!
health-foodish, but delicious anyway: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
Put it in a roasted butternut squash, with onions and cheese. It’s almost a complete protein!
Healthy food CAN be good!
Some ideas:
Hummus. Garlicky, breath-annihilating, hummus. For a healthy twist, try with carrost sticks. Oooh, or snap peas. Sweet and tangy. YUM. Yes, I know it’s not the same as the fried pita but still: pretty damn tasty.
Laughing Cow cheese. Deinitely not fake cheese, and definitely very good spread on apple slices or even (gasp!) celery. (Well, ok, the make a fake, fat-free version, but that just seems so…wrong.)
My favorite quick dinner: broiled tilapia. Lemon juice, quick dusting of parmesan and a pop in the oven, et viola!
Good luck with the efforts-keep it up!
Stir fries or soups are your best bet. Quick and easy. Use lots of vegetables and not much meat. Fish usually has less calories than meat. Snack on fruit and a daily smallish serve of almonds, walnuts or pecans. Always have chocolate in the ‘fridge for emergencies ;-)
Pasta with broccoli and garlic. In a perfect world, one sautes the garlic in olive oil and then adds broccoli rabe, all the while cooking pasta separately.
In my world, one throws some garlic into a pot of water, brings it to a boil, adds pasta, then adds frozen broccoli florets five minutes before the pasta is going to be done. Drain, add olive oil (and red pepper flakes if you swing that way), mush up garlic, stir.
I grate Parm over it, even though I know it’s wrong. I don’t care.
These days I always cook with half a mind on whether my one-year-old will like it, which has cut down on the curries and distracted me from questions of fat (he needs fat, he’s a baby). I also need to be able to cook with him screaming at me and clinging to one of my legs, so I have got very lazy about doing pasta and vegetables, or even ravioli, which is starchy and probably full of additives. But for a super-easy healthy meal I recommend Thai curry. Rather what EJW said above: stir-fry onions and garlic and whatever veg you fancy, add Thai curry paste, add some sort of protein (I usually use prawns), pour coconut milk over the top, leave to bubble for a bit, and serve with egg noodles. It’s what I cooked the evening I my waters broke, which may or may not be a good sign.
Loved reading all the healthy idea’s for cooking. By the time I get home from work it’s a RUSH to feed. Love pancakes for dinner and scrapple.
Funny you should mention it; I’m a somewhat lazy gourmand with a cooking blog (check the name link). Couscous is the king of easy low-fat meals. It takes all of five minutes and can serve as a base to just about any sauce or stir-fry or whatever.
Anything on this site will fit the bill healthwise, and everything I’ve tried is… DELICIOUS
http://www.101cookbooks.com/index.html
we are all about chicken here, since it’s all my boys will eat. I dip skinless breasts in yogurt, roll in bread crumbs, and bake. Yummy. I also bake, panfry, poach…God, I am so sick of chicken.
i use those Ziploc steamer bags all the time, we have been eating a lot more fresh veggies…they are foolproof, and most steamed fresh veggies just need a little lemon juice or bit of butter or salt…
also, salad – eh. But lots of greens sprinkled with dried cranberries, toasted almonds, and some bleu cheese, topped with blue cheese dressing (moderate amount) – mmmmmmm.
Easy vegetarian chili — make it ahead and eat it for a few meals in a row, or it freezes well. Just take it out of the freezer the night or morning you want to eat it, and then defrost in the fridge.
2 cans of black beans, drained
2 cans of kidney beans (or bean of your choice)
1/2 bag frozen corn
2 small or 1 big can tomatoes
1 onion
few cloves garlic
2 red peppers
1 hot pepper
1-2 tbsp chili powder
optional things that people seem to like to add to chili: cinnamon, lime juice, cocoa powder, beer, salt
Saute diced onion, garlic, and red pepper in olive oil in a big, deep pot. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, diced hot pepper, chili powder (remember, you can always add more later, but you can’t take it out once you’ve added it). Let simmer for a while (as little as 15 or 30 minutes, as long as… well, whatever). Taste and maybe add more chili powder, or optional ingredient or two. Simmer more, until you’re ready to eat. Goes very well with cheddar cheese and/or sour cream, and biscuits (so easy to make) or cornbread.
Also? Adding fat to veggies to make them tastier (salad dressing, cheese, butter, olive oil) does not somehow remove the nutritional value of the veggies. You’re still eating your veggies, so good job! And if adding the fat makes it easier for you to eat them, well, then, I’d add the fat and take the nutrition along with it.
Oops:
Just take it out of the freezer the night or morning BEFORE you want to eat it
I just joined Relish, an online meal planning service that *claims* the recipes are healthy. I took the shopping list (that they provide after you pick your meals, awesome!) to the store yesterday and came home with A LOT of cheese! Like, more cheese than I’ve ever bought at one time before! I’ll make my first recipe tonight, so if it’s good, I’ll get back to you!
I LOVE sweet potato fries, and since they’re not actually fried, they are actually pretty healthy and easy to make. I chop them up into fry shape, toss them with a little bit of canola oil, spread them out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice (easy!) on top. I bake them at 375 to 400 for about 35-40 minutes. They aren’t as crispy as “real” fries, but they are delicious nonetheless.
Sorry to get off topic, but I was wondering if I could ask 2 quick questions about domperidone: what dosage were/are you on and where did you get it? My local compounding pharmacy no longer carries it, and I think my midwife doesn’t have me on a high enough dosage. Thanks for the help!
ooooh, fun!
My fave healthy thing:
sautee broccoli crowns in olive oil with garlic and salt. Add chopped tomatoes when broccoli is almost done (bright green and still crunchy)
Stir in whole wheat pasta.
Done.
YUM. And super-easy and fast.
Hirschleber Geschnetzeltes mit Rösti
Geschnetzeltes
Ingredients:
1 deer liver, skinned and thinly sliced
4 Tbs butter
1 Onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup cream
lemon juice
chopped parsley
Saute the liver in very hot butter. Remove from the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and keep warm. Reduce the heat slightly and briefly saute the onions. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice. Reduce heat and add the liver back in to reheat. Don’t let it boil. Dish up and garnish with chopped parsley.
Geschnetzeltes is traditionally accompanied by a rosti (see below for recipe). However, the dish goes quite well with pasta or spaetzli.
Rösti
Ingredients
1.75 lbs potatoes, boiled and cooled in their skins
1 tsp salt
1/3 lb butter
3 tbsp water
Grate the potatoes on a coarse grater. Sprinkle salt between the layers. Put the frying pan to heat without the fat in it then add 1/3 of the butter (moving it round so that it coats right up to the rim of the pan). Add the potatoes, spread them out and press them down slightly.
Fry for about 10 minutes over low heat. Now press them into a compact pancake shape and add a further 1/3 of the butter all round the edge of the pan.
Cover with a plate and fry for another 10 minutes over a low heat until the underside has formed a golden crust. Turn the Rösti over by tipping it onto the plate that has been used as a lid and sliding it back into the pan.
Add the remaining 1/3 of the butter and leave to fry for another 10 minutes. Serve the finished Rösti on the plate that was used as a lid.
You can add onions, cheese, or whatever you wish to this recipe but with the rich liver dish, plain is probably best.
Carb-free caccitore – sliced up peppers, mushrooms, onions sauteed w/ chicken (or not if you don’t feel like meat) then smothered in tomoato sauce and add some cheese on top. Very good.
Stick with whole grain or sprouted grain breads and pasta. Avoid rice as it spikes blood sugar quickly and you feel hungrier later. Low carb veggies: salad greens, all dark leafy greens, radicchio, herbs, bok choy, celery, radishes, seaweed, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, mushrooms, cucumber, peppers, summer squashes, egg plant, asparagus, leeks, brussels sprouts, green beans and wax beans, tomatoes, eggplant, artichoke, fennel, carrots, turnip, water chestnuts, pumpkin. Pair any of these, boiled or roasted, with some fish, seafood, chicken or other low fat meat. The more simple the food, the healthier it is. Vegetable stir frys with any of these is delicious. Avoid sauces, gravies and too much fat. Good fats include first cold pressed olive oils, peanut oil, canola oil. Butter is ok but not too much. Avacados are good fat but not too many of these. Avoid the high carb veggies such as beets, corn, parsnips, peas, plantains, potatoes, yams, winter squashes.
Another thing I wanted to add is to load up on sald before your meal. Then pay attention to your portions. Usually 1/2 to 3/4 cup of entree for lunch and 1 cup of entree for dinner. Paid this with a vegetable and salad.
Living in MN it is hard when winter hits to try and eat anything that doesn’t make you want to hibernate after wards, but a couple things I have learned, fat doesn’t always equal bad, its sugar that usually equals bad, small changes like black coffee, if you drink soda, diet soda, steer clear of vinaigrette’s, especially fruit ones slathered on salads. I have also started to do a dinner’s of the world night on the Sunday’s when I can remember to do it, its not always healthy but it can be and its a great way to mix up the regular cooking routine and learn about the culinary world. I have blogged some of my experiences, here: http://www.Leyelei.com .
Easy, fast and moderately healthy:
3 green peppers
brown rice
salsa
black beans
cheddar cheese
combine cooked rice, beans and salsa. Layer into cleaned peppers along with cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Top with more cheese. Eat.
I invented this in college because it is cheap and delicious. If you want to make it healthier, use less cheese. (You can cut out the cheese in the peppers altogether.) Makes tasty leftovers! You can also parboil the peppers if you think they’ll come out too crunchy/raw for your taste.
Pork tenderloin. It’s lean, tender, tasty, and fast. Billions of ways to prep it — we especially like it with a Cajun rub and drizzled w/ a little brown sugar mixed with hot sauce before popping it in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes or so (if you like it blush pink in the center). Do NOT buy it pre-marinated at the store — those options are injected w/ all kinds of high-sodium blah. Instead, check out Kowalski’s, which always has it fresh, unfrozen, and plain for about $7/lb., or go to Costco, where they’re sold in four-packs for $4/lb.
Bean Salad w/ Couscous (adapted from the version at Jason’s Deli)
-1 can each of kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans
-Minced onion (get mine in a bag from the freezer section)
-Minced red and yellow bell pepper (again from the freezer section)
-Cilantro (2 Tbsp. chopped)
-Lime juice (about 2 Tbsp.)
-Balsamic vinaigrette dressing (about 2 Tbsp.)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup cooked couscous
Heat frozen veggies in microwave just enough to thaw (about 30 seconds). Mix frozen veggies with beans (sans liquid) in big bowl.
Add cilantro, lime juice, dressing and salt and pepper. Mix well. Add lime juice and dressing as desired.
Add warm couscous. Enjoy!
Dieting can wait, when there’s a mom taking you out to nice restaurants!
I ramped up my protein quite a bit post partum to help fill me up more for longer periods of time. My favorite was Sonoma Chicken Salad, which I’m sure you can find easy recipes to on the web. It was convenient, tasty, protein-packed but not dry.
Otherwise? A lot of soy products, black bean patties (get: canned jalapeno black beans, pine nuts, tomato paste, bread crumbs and an egg. Voila), and sandwiches made with deli meats, tomato and avacado.
http://coltempo.wordpress.com/2008/09/06/our-new-favorite-dinner-pt-1/
i put up a few postings on an easy, veggie-centric dinner that is super good. also, my new favorite salad in the world is arugula, big chunks of avocado, fresh tomato, squeeze of lime, salt, and pepper. you will not miss salad dressing.
delurking with one word: BEANS.
these are my two favorite ways to eat beans; they’re fast, easy, scrumptious, and best of all you can make them in substantial quantities so that they’re at the ready for days and you can grab them when the opportunity presents itself.
for lunch: chickpea salad. drain and rinse one can of chickpeas (good ones, you don’t want them all squishy). toss in a bowl with a tablespoon or two of good olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and a generous squirt of lemon juice. add a couple tablespoons of diced red onion and you’re ready to go–you can top it with parmesan if you like, but cheese-lover that i am, i don’t find it necessary. add some good olives on the side, yummmmm. i eat this every day. i’m eating it right now!
for dinner: bean burritos. saute a diced onion in a big pot, then add a couple of cans of drained and rinsed beans (black, pinto, kidney), canned chilis if you like, a large can of diced tomatoes, and some seasonings (cumin, chili powder, salt, etc). let them simmer a while, then wrap them in tortillas with some guacamole, a little cheese or lowfat sour cream (that stuff ain’t so bad), and chow down. fabulous. i ate this every single day of three pregnancies–i couldn’t stop myself.
an alternative to the above would be to prepare the beans as described and then serve them over brown rice with maybe some chopped green onion and shredded cheese on top. adds to the healthy aspect and still scrumptious.
This is my go-to weeknight meal when I want something tasty and don’t want to spend the better part of an hour in the kitchen. Plus, it includes lettuce! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-chicken-recipe/index.html
I’m all about the quickness these days. Haven’t been able to get into the crockpot since the babe was born.
So for me it’s:
Salmon burger (frozen, just put on grill or on stove top) I have this without the bun.
Green salad with cucumber and GODDESS dressing. Add your choice of veggies.
Polenta (fried in a little olive oil with a little cheese and seasonings of your choice). Couscous is also good with a little cheese and seasoning (isn’t everything?).
I’m also using tofu more often to include in pastas instead of meat. Tofu absorbs the sauce and best of all, it’s already ready! Tofu also works well in curries or vegetable korma.
For snacks, I’m all about hummus on rice cakes or crackers; yogurt; or a pear.
I’ve lost most of the baby belly eating like this. I can’t say “I’m loving it” like a McDonald’s hot fudge sundae, but it works and it’s healthy. Another trick is choose spicy over fatty (that is if you like spicy).
Happy day flotsam!
Sarah
I eat a lot of stir fry – brown meat (lean chicken or pork) in sesame oil, toss in some veggies (broccoli, asparagus, snow peas, bell peppers, etc) and garlic and ginger, add plum sauce and low sodium soy sauce. Serve with brown rice. Easy peasy! Also, pork chops or chicken breasts grilled with a simple steamed veggie and salad. Right now I get to eat a lot of pasta because I’m in training (running) but I go with the above ideas when I need to cut back!
ohh I super suck at healthy eating! But we are trying too in my house hold. Basically if we cook it we are considering us doign well! We love eating out at resturants and the appeal of fast food after a crap day at work is often our escape. Soooo I am also trying to cook more, eat more veggies etc. Good luck!
Alcohol has a lot of calories in it.
My favorite lately is greens stir fried with a little soy sauce, walnuts & garlic. Okay, walnuts are fatty, but it’s GOOD fat. Total brain food. And it takes the bitterness right out of the greens and hence they are not so scary.
Serve it up with a baked & buttered sweet potato and your meat of choice.
When we’re cutting out carbs, I just throw a bunch of crap in the crock pot and let it go all day. Lean meat and beans, usually. Then some kind of vegetable at night, or throw carrots in the cooker. It’s SO easy and makes the house smell great, enough for leftovers. Love it.
sautee a finely minced shallot in olive oil, toss with whole wheat spaghetti, halved cherry tomatoes, basil ribbons and a handful of shredded parmesan. takes, like, 20 minutes, mostly time waiting for water to boil!
I am big on http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/ . I pick a topic and then sort by rating. I have found some great ones. I love the crock pot recipes in particular as I find it easier to prepare the night before and then drop in at the right moment.
lentils! coconut curry ones!
do you like indian food?
chop up every veggie you can think of, and saute it in olive oil – i do carrots, peppers, onions, spinach, tomatoes, and whatever else is about in the fridge. like zucchini maybe. or mushrooms.
and don’t forget garlic.
saute everything until they veggies are still firm, but have softened.
next, add some water and veggie or chicken stock, a can of coconut milk and some fresh shredded if you have it on hand, plus pinch after pinch of curry. i like A LOT. then add some cumin, ginger, paprika, chili powder, and any other spice you like. zest a lemon, throw that in, then use the juice of the lemon also. stir it all up, and add lentils. make sure the liquid and veggie mixture covers the lentils, though. i generally use about three quarters of a pound of lentils.
cook them until they’re soft, probably about half an hour, and eat the curry like that. you can also eat it over rice. or with naan.
it makes a lot of servings, a whole soup tureen of servings.
oh, my, alexa! i have so many recipes to share in my little head.
you should do a commenter recipe contest.
yes?
- sarah anne
i thought of something else, too. mostly because i didn’t realize how many curry whatnot posts there were.
butternut squash (or pumpkin) polenta:
saute onions, garlic, green peppers (or green chiles if you have them, even better),and some chorizo (yes!) in a pan. cook until, well, cooked. just make sure the chorizo is done enough.
add fresh, mashed or canned pumpkin or squash to the saute.
throw some chicken stock and a smidge of milk or water in a pot and let it boil, add polenta and cook. it doesn’t take long.
mix the two together, add some seriously sharp chedder – but only a little, not low fat, though! – let it melt a bit, salt and pepper it up, and go to town.
simone’s the cutest.
have a nice night.
- saw
1.) Spread veggies on a cookie sheet and lightly spread with olive oil. Sprinkle pepper on them. Some nice veggie ideas are: frozen artichoke hearts, baby zucchini, brussels sprouts, halves of baby tomatoes, mushrooms….
2.) Roast for 20 minutes at 400
3.) while roasting, cook whole wheat pasta.
4.)mix ww pasta and veggies. the roasted tomatoes make it saucey, the olive oil makes it tasty. mix in shaved parmesano reggiano for an extra kick. just go easy on the olive oil and heavy on the veggies to make it very healthy!
and when my baby is big enough i will blend it up for her!!!
Forget the healthy recipes — I want to know where you’re eating out. I suppose it might be a boring blog post for non-Minnesotans, but since you’re posting often for NaBloPoMo, maybe they can handle it? I need more suggestions and you seem to have a line on good places to eat in St Paul and across the river…
I just clicked over to your Lemondrop columns, misread one’s title as “Alexa Evacuates” and thought “Well, no wonder no one’s commenting.”
Ah-hah! EVALUATES! Different story altogether, isn’t it?
I second (or third, or whatever) the suggestion of Cooking Light magazine. I eat fairly healthily, and this magazine has been a real source of inspiration. I very often make substitutions to their recipes for my own tastes (or to modify for my psycho husband’s complete refusal to eat spinach), but on the whole, their recipes are quite fine just as they are.
We try to plan out our meals on the weekend, and this week we planned soup twice, since it has finally started to get cold (realizing, of course, that NC cold and Minnesota cold are two wholly different things). Minestrone -recipe here- is always good and high veg/low calorie. Of course, the grilled cheese sandwich alongside was not as healthy, but it was high protein, and not too ridiculously fatty.
Monday was Cooking Light’s Oatmeal Crusted Chicken Tenders -recipe here- with roasted potatoes (just mix 2 tsp oil with 1/4c water and pour over chunks of new potato and roast at 450 for 30 minutes) and broccoli slaw (recipe on bag) on the side. It was reviewed as “perfect” by the meat-and-potatoes loving husband, but was still light.
Last night was pancakes (light mix) and vegetarian sausage and fruit.
Tonight will be corn soup (this is pretty close to my recipe, but I use half skim and half whole milk, and I add a handful of fresh cilantro), and oranges.
Tomorrow will be Steak Frites with Shallot Reduction (-recipe here-, another Cooking Light favorite), with broccoli on the side.
So that’s what we’re eating. They’re all reasonably healthy, but don’t rely on freaky processed foods.
Oh, and one last recommendation- Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home is awesome if you are in to vegetarian cuisine at all. Those recipes are fast and pretty pleasing and, being vegetarian, they obviously rely heavily on vegetables and are thus a little healthier than average.
Jennifer’s Recipe (#3 above) completely rocked my kitchen! My husband and our au pair (and me, of course) thought it was the best thing I ever made in my crockpot. HIGH praise, indeed! Thanks, Jennifer!!
Total and fabulous cop-out on the meal thing here. I “assemble” dinners at Dream Dinners (a national franchise) and then I parcel them out. I feed myself and my son; my husband likes meals consisting of a bagel smeared with cottage cheese, drizzled with a lot of mustard, and flecked with capers, so it’s obvious we can’t eat together. But Dream Dinners is working for me. And it’s fun.
here is one that is quick and easy.
1 box penne
1 can white kidney beans
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
handful or more of fresh spinach
feta cheese
Mix diced tomatoes and beans together in skillet, bring to boil, shimmer 5 minutes. Add spinach and stir until it wilts. Pour sauce over cooked pasta, sprinkle with feta and enjoy. Delicious and moderately healthy!
I make it all in a slow cooker when my son gives me a moment!