Healthy Recipes

One of the greatest things about the recent surge in publicity and popularity of fresh, local and seasonal produce is that it is now available from almost everywhere. No longer do you have to traipse off into the countryside and find a local farm with a small shop to find the freshest fruit, vegetables and meat, you can get hold of them in your local supermarkets and food stores. And what this means is that you’ll have a fresh supply of fruit and vegetables all week long and with these you can follow quick healthy recipes and keep fast and junk food at bay.

Choose from things like gourmet
tuna fishcakes which require basic ingredients, including dolphin friendly tuna
, British potatoes, salad onions, parsley and lemons and vegetable pasta. The great thing about tuna fish cakes is that they’re delicious and very easy to make, requiring a maximum of 15 minutes preparation and a cooking time of 35 minutes and there are no obscure ingredients. Vegetable pasta is the same and you can definitely be very creative with this one, choosing a medley of vegetables that are in season and that you love and combining them with any sort of fresh pasta that you like. Tagliatelle works particularly well with creamy sauces which cling to the long flat pasta ensuring every mouthful is bursting with flavour. Because of the light and fresh nature of these quick, healthy recipes they are as suitable for a hot summer’s evening on the patio as they are for a cold winter’s evening snuggled round a fire.

One of the best healthy dishes you can make for the whole family is a lasagne and if you find an easy lasagne recipe it really will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare. Once you’ve roasted the vegetables and assembled the lasagne, you can shove it in the oven for 25 minutes and forget about it until the timer goes off. You can use almost anything you want in a lasagne these days so instead of mince, why not try using ham and roasted vegetables, which will go nicely with the readymade pasta sheets and your soon-to-be-homemade basic cheese sauce. All you need for a basic white sauce is unsalted butter, British skimmed milk, reduced fat mature cheese and some plain flour. Then buy some egg lasagne sheets, some ham and a selection of vegetables that will roast well, courgettes, peppers, carrots and spinach all keep their flavour, shape and texture well when cooked for long periods of time. Simply roast the vegetables and when they’re done, layer the vegetables, ham, cheese sauce and pasta sheets in an oven proof dish, in that order, until you’ve run out or you reach the top of the dish and then sprinkle liberally with cheese. Place in the oven for 25 minutes until the pasta sheets are soft and the cheese is golden; serve with a fresh salad or some seasonal greens.

A busy life doesn’t have to mean that you eat convenience foods that are full of fat, calories and sugar, find some quick healthy recipes such as our easy lasagne recipe and you’ll feel healthier without having to slave over a hot stove

It is pretty simply to cook healthy recipes, without dedicating too much of time and energy.
But in all this rush we overlook our dietary needs. This in turn leads to common medical conditions and concerns the most frequent being (IBS) irritable bowl syndrome.

There are several ways to make healthier recipes
Increase the consumption or switch to whole grain foods by replacing white with brown bread, rice, pasta, lasagne sheets.  They taste equally well.

Increase the amount of fibre in your diet through the intake of fresh vegetables, legumes and fruits. As far as possible reduce or stop meat. There are quite a few examples of animal diseases being transferred to humans e.g. the mad cow epidemic.

Replace meat with more of vegetables in recipes such as casseroles and stews.

Try and reduce fat content in your meals especially if you are a ‘potato couch’. Consume low fat cheese, skimmed milk. Try and replace cream with other ingredients such as buttermilk, yogurt wherever possible.

Avoid products like MSG as they are harmful for health. Therefore, in many of recipes I have stated its use as (optional), because a lot of people like to still incorporate it in their diet.

Try and keep salt levels low in food as increased consumption can lead to problems of blood pressure and heart.

Avoid fatty salad dressings (replace with avocado or salsa dressing) or more of sugar in preparing recipes.

Irrespective of all your healthy eating habits remember, consumption o water is utmost important for life. Medically it is recommend to consume a lot of water at least 8 glasses (1½ litre) a day. Water is a vital element in flushing out toxins and waste products from the body.

When was the last time you prepared real good food for your family? Many people today, with their busy schedule, usually rely on instant foods and fast food products for their meal. These foods don’t require a lot of time to prepare, and all you really need to fill your stomach is money. However, the danger here lies on the fact that instant foods contain lots of harmful elements—cholesterol and fats, preservatives, and other chemicals. If you don’t watch out your food intake, you may end up obese or suffering from serious disease like heart failure and hypertension. Well, it’s time you consider healthy recipes to prepare nutritious meals for you and your family.

What You Need

With the help of easy-to-follow healthy recipes and some helpful kitchen equipment, you can prepare delicious and healthy meals for everybody in the family. It will also be helpful if you stock healthy foods in your cupboard and refrigerator for those emergency cooking moments and food preparations. Among these are:

•    Fruits (fresh, canned, or dried). With fruits around, it’s easy to make simple nutritious snacks like juices, smoothies, salads, pies, and many others. All you’ll need are simple equipment like blender and food processor to make things easier. And if you’re really press for time, you can simply eat them raw and fresh—they’re even healthier that way!
•    Vegetables, like fruits, are very healthy options. Most of them—like cabbage and asparagus—are also easy to prepare. All you need is to do some good cutting and then you can easily make salads and some crunchy snacks. And if you don’t like all the chopping and cutting and all that, you can get a food processor to do all the tasks for you. Some veggies also require simple roasting or grilling and then some spices for flavoring, and you’re done!
•    eggs. The good thing with eggs is that you can prepare them easily without even the need for any other ingredient. Just boil them for a few minutes and they’re ready to eat! You can also use them for your sandwiches and salads together with vegetables, mayonnaise, and cheese.
•    Meat and fish. These typically take time to prepare and they require effort. But, if you have an hour, you can find healthy recipes that you can serve your family. And if you have a slow cooker or crock pot, that’s better! By preparing all your needed ingredients early in the morning and then plugging in the crock pot just before you leave home, you’ll surely have dinner ready when you and your family get home in the evening.

With all these, there’s no reason you shouldn’t eat healthy foods again. All you will need is to find healthy recipes to help you with your cooking. You can find cookbooks specializing in quick meals, as well as online sites with tips and suggestions to help you with food preparation. These recipes will show you the way to a healthier diet—no matter how busy you are!