Hands up if meals are a constant event in everyone’s lives, so much so they have become a chore. Sometimes all you need is a boost or reminder of ideas to keep the boredom and repetition from setting in.
Winter brings a change in new food choices and they tend to become warmer and heavier. We also tend to slow down ourselves and rug up. To help keep you running at your healthiest and best this winter here are some simple and tasty ideas to try at home.
Vegie smuggle – grate up or blend vegetables and add to mince dishes. This bulks up the meal but also adds the extra nutrients and vitamins.
Zoodles – these are slices or spirals of zucchinis into noodle like ribbons. They can be used in place of spaghetti or noodles. These give you added nutrients and, if you’re watching them, less carbs.
Dark chocolate – having dark chocolate generally means you’ll eat less than milk chocolate. The dark chocolates also generally have less sugar, that’s always a good thing.
Salt – used dried herbs or citrus juice on your meals instead of salt. They still add flavour without the sodium consumption. Also, try cooking with no salt and adding it after, everyone’s tastes varies.
Deep frying – try this oven frying technique instead. Dip your protein in milk, buttermilk or egg then press in to breadcrumbs or dukkha then coat lightly in olive oil. Place in the oven and bake at 230C till crispy. Using this method you can cut about 40% of the calories and 4g of the saturated fat over 2 pieces of chicken.
Butter – use pure butter for the good fats but be mindful of the amount. When making sandwiches use butter or mayonnaise or avocado not all. When baking try avocado, weird I know, but you can’t tell the difference.
Roasts – use a grill rack when roasting, marinade the meat with a dry rub and allow the fat to drip off. This can be collected and disposed of easier, rather than down the sink and clogging you household pipes too.
Dairy– when a recipe calls for sour cream try using natural greek yogurt instead, grate your cheese rather than slicing, it will spread easier over your food. If you love your cheese and don’t want to give it up try cutting down by using a stronger flavour like parmesan instead of cheddar. This gives more of a flavour boost with less fat and reduces your dairy consumption.
Everyone has different palates when it comes to flavours. Try something new and you may be able to expand your destination for flavours.
