I have been experimenting with tweeking some of my favorite meals to be more healthy and nutritious. Here are some tips:
1. Stuffed eggplant or zucchini: change the ground beef and white rice to ground turkey and bulgar.
2. If you ever need to fry eggplant or cauliflower (as many Middle Eastern meals require), try drizzling olive oil on it instead and baking for about 30 mins (till it's brownish). Be generous with the olive oil if you want it to taste deceivingly fried. Also, keep in mind that you can often replace cauliflower for meals that require potato, such as chicken with potatoes on the side.
3. If a meal requires chicken legs or even chunks of beef or lamb, try slow cooking a chicken breast instead as a substitute. This will make the chicken tender and give it the same texture as tender beef or chicken legs (easy to shred into pieces).You can also replace ground chicken or ground turkey for meals that require ground beef.
4. I've mentioned this before and will mention it again: avoid white rice whenever possible. Instead, try whole grain couscous, bulgar, brown rice or quinoa....all healthy substitutes. Quinoa is a particular favorite because it is extremely nutritious and even contains protein!
5. If you have a sweet tooth, try eating a fruit instead of cake or cookies. If that doesn't satisfy you, try a skinny cow ice-cream bar or some nuts with bittersweet chocolate chips.
Good luck with your culinary endeavors!
I've been trying to make healthy meals. Two days ago, I made a swiss chard and lentil meal. And tomorrow, I'll make an artichoke/tomato dish with tomatoes from my garden.
ReplyDeleteAnd on your suggestion, my husband picked up quinoa at the store today. What recipes do you make with quinoa?
I have a cookbook with a whole chapter on cooking quinoa. You are welcome to borrow it :)
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