In this day and age, cooking is a dying art. Making the time to prepare healthy meals at home can seem deterring as there is a wide range of time saving alternatives, such as fast food restaurants, precooked meals prepared in microwaves, and so on. However, easy access to foods made outside of our own kitchens comes at a cost because these kinds of meals contain many dangerous ingredients.
Making Fast, Healthy, and Delicious Meals
Preparing healthy food at home can be a rewarding process as it allows you to be in charge of what you and your family are eating. Collecting and using healthy recipes to prepare food on a daily basis prevents many common health issues while at the same time can help save you money.
Healthy Breakfast Recipes
Many people find it demanding to take the time in the morning and prepare an adequate breakfast. Breakfast is the most essential meal of the day as it puts our metabolism in motion, giving us energy. Breakfast should be very nutritious and fast to prepare. Some of the examples of good breakfast include apple cinnamon oatmeal, veggie scrambled eggs or an omelette, pancakes made of oatmeal, polenta fritters, spaghetti squash potato pancakes, and nut butter banana toast. For instance, from apple cinnamon oatmeal we get fiber and vitamin C. Cinnamon which helps control our blood sugar, is a great source of manganese, possesses anti-microbal abilities, and has a gentle anti-inflammatory characteristics. Ingredients to prepare apple cinnamon oatmeal include 1/3 of a cup of rolled oats, 2/3 of a cup of liquid, 1/2 of an apple cut into slices, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and a little bit of salt. To prepare, put all the ingredients into a small pot and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat and cook for 5-7 minutes until it turns soft.
Healthy Lunch Recipes
Due to our busy daily schedules, lunch is usually eaten outside our home and in a hurry. However, sandwiches and leftovers from dinner can make for a fine and tasty lunch. For instance, veggie deluxe sandwich, grilled chicken and artichoke sandwich, whole grain salad, or potato lentil soup with greens are healthy, easy and quick to prepare. For a veggie deluxe sandwich, use 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 2 tbsp. of hummus, ¼ of chopped avocado, 2 oz. low fat cheese, 1 big leaf of lettuce chopped into big portions, 1 small sliced tomato, and other assorted veggies. To prepare, cover the slices of bread with humus, add all of the ingredients into the sandwich, and top off with vinegar and oil.
Healthy Dinner Recipes
Although preparing a meal after a hard day of work certainly seems difficult, there are some helpful tips on how to do it easily, promptly and enjoyably. Get the ingredients ready ahead of time by washing, slicing, and preparing the veggies on the weekend, or during free time, and storing them in the refrigerator. Use pots that cook food quickly so that you have more time left after dinner to do other things. Some healthy dinner ideas involve sweet potato tacos/burritos, ham and broccoli quiche, chicken marbella, bean burgers, spinach veggie lasagna, and hamburgers. Sweet potatoes are full of vitamins and minerals and make for a tasty side dish. To prepare them with burritos or tacos, use big, chopped sweet potatoes, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, 2 Tbsp. of curry, 2 tsp. of cumin, 1 tsp. of chilli powder, salt and pepper, 2 cups of beans, low-fat cheese, 1 sliced avocado, and tortilla shells. Fry the olive oil with onions in a frying pan until they become clear, and add curry, garlic, and cumin until the mass becomes savory. Then add sweet potatoes and chilli powder, and stir constantly. Add a little bit of water and cook until sweet potatoes become soft. Heat the beans, skin the cheese, and chop up the avocado. Heat up the tortillas for 5 minutes, and add cheese, sweet potatoes paste and beans onto them.
Healthy Dessert and Snack Ideas
It is proven to be highly beneficial for some people to eat a lesser number of smaller meals in a day coupled with small snacks or desserts. Some healthy dessert and snack ideas include oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie, chocolate pudding, fruits and nuts, hummus and veggies, and yogurt. Healthy snacks such as these are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, while controlling blood sugar and cholesterol.
Tips on Making Your Favorite Meals Healthier and Faster to Prepare
Changing recipes around to make them healthier is a good way to retain the tastiness and flavors while keeping your diet balanced. It is always a good idea to prepare foods with more veggies than meat, as well as to go for whole grains instead of white flour, even if the recipe says otherwise. Also, opt for low fat dairy products, and avoid salt. Use less oils and butters, in addition to cutting back on the sugar. Additionally, there are good ways to decrease the time spent in the kitchen to make a healthy meal. For instance, cooking simple meals, like steaming veggies or baking a potato, is a good healthy, and time saving technique. Making meals ahead of time, or preparing more than necessary at once is also beneficial. Choose to cook with tools that are easy and quick to use, like a steamer or a blender, to make the process more effortless.
The Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a substance found in many beverages and snacks, some even labelled as healthy foods. From the 1970’s to the 1990’s no other food additive has been used as much as the HFCS, the same years during which there was a steady rise in obesity in the United States. The primary purpose of using HFCS is the fact that it is a much cheaper way to make beverages sweeter. It involves a complicated process in which the starch from corn is first converted into glucose and then to fructose. Scientists believe that because fructose does not stimulate insulin production, a crucial component for regulation of food intake, it in turn contributes to weight gain. HFCS makes up for 40 percent of all caloric sweeteners included in the foods, and is the only caloric sweetener used in sodas in the United States.
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