Need help with clean eating & cooking...

S

sue320

Cathlete
I went to a naturopath (sp?) today and was, of course, told my diet left a bit to be desired. By most people's standards, my diet is pretty good but in reality...bleck!

Here's my question...I want to learn how to season meats and veggies in healthful ways (without trial and error...the kids and dh would starve!) and also how to cook meats/veggies in quick, easy ways. Does this make sense? Is there a book/cookbook that anyone would recommend? Dh and I love gourmet meals but in reality that's a luxury & not something I can do all of the time.

Thank you for any input!

Sue<><
 
Hi, I love to cook and love gourmet meals BUT for everyday meals that are health conscious I use recipes from the South Beach Diet, Suzanne Sommers, FoodTV light cuisine -- can't recall the name of the female chef -- she lost 80 lbs after she got a job at a spa hotel and cleaned up her own diet. I love Cooking Light magazine - you'll get tons of info from it. For veggies I like to roast them in pan with olive oil and minimal seasoning such as salt/pepper/garlic (cover with foil/bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees). I also have Greek Seasoning that is fabulous and use it on veggies and almost everything else. Roasted asparagus is very delicious. For meats and poultry -- for summer time nothing is better than the outdoor grill with minimal seasoning. I like the expression "clean eating" -- that's pretty much what I do during the week -- weekends are a different wonderful experience! On line recipes are wonderful - just do a search for low fat or low cal recipes and you'll get a ton of stuff and it's just sooo much fun!

Good luck and enjoy.
 
Hi Sue!

I love to cook...I'm pretty much a foodie. I think seasoning is a great way to add flavor. Marinades are also great for adding flavor, especially to meat. The internet is a great tool for finding recipes. I really like the Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook. It's not really a health cookbook, but it does list a short nutitional analysis for each recipe. We have the American Heart Association cookbook which offers low fat, low cholesterol recipes which are pretty good. Of course, Cooking Light magazine is great. Personally, if I see a recipe that seems like it could be healthier, I try to make it healthy.

One thing I like to do, that my kids love, is making fajitas using the Grill Mates powder marinades. I marinate sliced chicken in the Grill Mates Southwestern marinade (packaged as a powder and you have to add oil -I use canola-, vinegar, and water). I like to marinate it overnight to maximize the flavor. Then, take the chicken out of the marinade and saute with sliced peppers and onions. I serve it with tortillas warmed in the microwave.

If you like potatoes, my favorite roasted is a seasoning blend of thyme, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and dill tossed in some olive oil. Roast at 400 deg for about 20 min.

Yesterday, I marinated chicken with nonfat plain yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, salt, garlic, (fresh) ginger, ground coriander, cumin, a little cayenne. Grill or broil.

I could go on forever! :)


-Melanie
 
Hi Sue,

Cooking Lite puts out a compilation cookbook every year of the recipes published in the magazine. I have a couple of these and they're great. Loads of variety and lots of stuff that, even though is quick and easy, comes off as quite "gourmet".
 
Thanks to all that offered advice! I can't wait to track down the cookbooks/magazines that have been mentioned. Also, thank you for the cooking tips! You've helped make this journey a little less daunting!

Sue<><
 
Hi Sue! I just purchased through Amazon 2 cookbooks from a nutritionist. They're called "Healthy Foods" and "Saving Dinner" by Leanne Ely. I viewed both of them & liked what I saw. My DH & son don't/won't eat the same things that I do so it's become quite a problem for me cooking 2 different dinners. I'm hoping that with these 2 books they'll understand how to eat better. HTH, Kathy:D
 
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