Make Healthy Meals

Summer’s here, and that means that many children will be at home with more time for snacking. While many would love a cabinet filled with sweet treats for snacks, it’s much better if you can get them into the habit of healthy snacks.

Now how are you going to do that?

The first step is simple to say, harder to put into practice. Simply start buying healthier treats and leave the junk in the store.

For most people it’s not quite that simple. But once you can manage it, it really does become simpler to eat healthier snacks or to give them to children. There’s nothing else available in the house.

So what are the kids supposed to snack on?

You can switch them from chips to baked crackers or pretzels. These can still have some interesting flavors, but be better for you.

Some other ideas take more preparation.

Chop up fruit into a fruit salad, for example. If it will encourage people to eat it, add some yogurt or even whipped cream (if that’s what it takes). Certainly much healthier, yet often a very welcome snack.

My children also love frozen berries. They’re significantly cheaper than the fresh ones, and the ones I buy at Costco cost less per ounce than those sugary fruit snacks. Yet the kids prefer the berries.

You can also chop up some vegetables. Pay attention to the ones people in your family will actually eat. Don’t be afraid to include some salad dressing or hummus as a dipping sauce.

If you have a yard you can even consider growing some good snacking food. Even if you don’t have one, cherry tomatoes or other small varieties of tomato don’t require a lot of space to grow, yet many children love them as snacks. They can be eaten right off the vine.

If you have a bit more space and a bit more time a fruit tree works well also. The house I grew up in had a plum tree in the back yard. Those were a favorite snack. The ones right off the tree were so much better than the ones that had gone into the fridge.

Frozen treats are always a big hit. A fruit smoothie is one fairly simple idea. Throw frozen fruit, apple juice and some honey into the blender. You decide the exact mix. A banana often goes well in there also, or even a carrot.

You can also freeze yogurt into popsicles. Get a fairly healthy type; many varieties have significant amounts of sugar added.

Nuts are also a pretty healthy snack. They have a lot of fat, but it’s generally of healthier types. A nice trail mix can be a lot of fun.

As everyone gets used to snacking healthier, it no longer feels like deprivation to leave out the less healthy foods. You may deal with some grumbling or even feel like complaining yourself at first, but as everyone gets used to the routine and finds their own favorites it should get easier.

If you haven’t done a lot of cooking in your life, it can seem pretty intimidating. Many recipes look really complicated. And of course we’ve all had to taste the results of cooking disasters. Why subject yourself to that?

One of the best reasons to learn to cook is that it gives you more control over what you’re eating. It’s also cheaper and generally healthier than eating out. How healthy depends on what you’re making, but at least you have the control if that’s what you want.

Fortunately some foods are very, very easy to make.

Pasta

Pasta in general is very easy to make. Fill a pot about half full of water. Put it on the stove and turn the burner on. When the water boils, add some pasta. You’ll need to guess at how much you need for the number of people eating and the size of your pot.

The pasta is done when it is tender. When I worked at an Italian restaurant, the chefs would check to see if the spaghetti was done by throwing individual pieces it at the wall. You don’t have to do that. Use a spoon or fork to retrieve a piece from the water when it starts to look about right (about 10-15 minutes in), and blow on it to cool it before tasting. If it’s not crunchy, it’s done.

You can finish this off with a jar of your favorite sauce.

Frozen Vegetables

Fresh vegetables are wonderful, but if you’re just getting started, practicing on the frozen ones can be easier. And all you really need to cook them is the microwave.

Put the vegetables in a microwave-safe container. That’s plastic or glass, in case you’re that far inexperienced, although I think most people can microwave now. Add just a touch of water and cover lightly. A plastic lid, plastic wrap or paper towel will do the job.

Cook time depends on quantity. When in doubt, remember that you can add to the cook time as needed. The water will help to steam the vegetables.

As you get comfortable with frozen veggies, you can give fresh ones a try. Chop them up first, and just add a little water for steaming. As you get more comfortable you can use olive oil or your favorite spices to make things a little more interesting. Garlic and lemon juice work well for many people.

A key thing to remember is that overcooked vegetables taste awful! Most are best if they are still just a touch crunchy. If there’s a vegetable you’ve always hated, it could well be that you’ve only ever had it overcooked. This is particularly true of vegetables such as broccoli which many people seem to overcook. It’s an entirely different taste if cooked for a shorter time.

Stir Fry

It doesn’t take long at all to master a basic stir fry. You chop up your meat and vegetables and cook until done in a frying pan with some olive oil, soy sauce and a bit of sugar to counteract the saltiness of the soy sauce. Add other spices and flavors to suit your taste. Use a spatula to keep stirring the food around until it’s all cooked.

Probably the only key thing I would add is that you will slowly learn which vegetables need to be in there the entire time, and which need much less cooking. Carrots, for example, take longer than zucchini to become tender.

Find Recipes You Want to Try

The big thing to remember about cooking is that you’re following directions. Start out just doing that with simple recipes you find, and work your way to whatever complexity you desire. As you get comfortable you can learn to play with the recipes a little and figure out what you can switch around for the flavors you prefer. Cooking can be a great way to express your creativity once you get comfortable with it.

For many people lunch is one of the great challenges of healthy eating. The healthy options that are easy enough to bring to school or work just get to be so routine. Fast food and eating out quickly becomes more appealing.

Lunch doesn’t have to be just sandwiches, salads and wraps, however. You can get more creative about it.

The first thing to consider is whether or not you will have access to a refrigerator and microwave. Both of these really open up the possibilities. You can keep many foods cold enough with a well insulated lunch box and ice pack, but there aren’t good substitutes generally available for reheating food safely.

If you’re able to keep your food cold and reheat it, you can bring just about anything you want for lunch. Despite how many people feel about leftovers, they really can be a great option. If you freeze a wide range of them you don’t even need to limit yourself to the previous night’s dinner, which can help with the boredom factor.

But let’s say you’re pretty well limited to cold lunches. No facilities to reheat food for one reason or another. What then?

You don’t need to limit yourself to your standard foods. You can dress up even basic sandwiches to make them more interesting.

Try using pesto rather than mayonnaise, for example. You’ll get a much more interesting flavor out of it.

That’s kind of thing is the key. Don’t settle for plain flavors. Roast a pepper and add it to your sandwich. Add olives if you like them. Switch up the cheese. Buy better bread.

Salads can be improved similarly. Get something better than a plain head of lettuce. Try romaine, spinach, whatever suits you. Throw in artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, a touch of feta cheese or whatever appeals to you while keeping things fairly healthy.

You can even take some inspiration from those premade lunches kids like. Bring the ingredients to build a quick pizza on a tortilla. You may not be able to melt it all together, but you can roll it up and get a good meal. Don’t limit yourself to pepperoni and red sauce. Be creative.

The thing to remember is that you’re bored with your lunch because you haven’t decided to make it interesting. If you can work with a wider range of ingredients you can make your lunches healthy, simple and interesting. Build the habit and you’ll find out that it’s really not that hard.

A lot of people make convenience foods when they eat because that’s all they’re comfortable with. It seems to be the simplest thing to do. But all those convenience foods typically come with the price of added sodium and fat. They just aren’t as good for you as cooking for yourself.

If you don’t cook regularly, it sounds pretty intimidating. Lots of people think they can’t cook because they haven’t done much at all in the kitchen. But some basic ingredients work with most foods: Olive oil, lemon, garlic and pepper.

Salt can help too, of course, but you don’t want to overdo it. Most people get more than enough salt in their diets anyhow. And if you don’t like garlic, you probably aren’t going to use it.

I always say to use olive oil because it is one of the healthiest oils out there, and it has a very light flavor. It’s not going to overpower your meal.

Most vegetables you don’t even have to do that much, although the flavors really come out with a little seasoning. The quickest way to prepare any vegetable is to boil it until just tender. Do not boil into mush - that’s the mistake too many people make. Boiling too long ruins the flavor and much of the nutritional value.

But there’s much more you can do to a vegetable than just boil it.

They do well in the oven. Stir fried. Steamed. Grilled. Each method brings out a slightly different flavor, and if you drizzle a little olive oil on and sprinkle a little crushed garlic or pepper on, you have a nice, simple flavor.

You can do similar things with meats. The acid in the lemon juice can help to tenderize it just a touch, or you can mix up a marinade. My basic marinade is a mixture of olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and whatever seasonings appeal. The beauty of it is that many cuts of meat love it if you leave them soaking in the marinade for hours, so you can cook when it’s convenient. Say… first thing in the morning before you head out to work.

Or if you want a very simple marinade, soak the meat in Italian salad dressing. Very simple and flavorful. Italian dressing goes very well with chicken.

Simple meals have an appeal all their own. It’s not just that you’re saving yourself a lot of stress trying to keep up with 4 pots on the stove top and another dish in the oven. Simple flavors can really work well together.