Now that life is starting to look more like normal again, we need to be able to transition from our home workspace to the office, school and beyond - all while feeding ourselves well along the way. Eating delicious and healthy food is easy to accomplish with just a little planning. So, I created this list of 5 yummy and nutritious tips to make it easy for you to upgrade the quality and flavor of your food. Even the most basic plate of veggies and protein or rice and beans can be transformed with the right touches. If you’re looking for ways to make your meals more fun and flavorful, then read on.
1) Pack some Snacks: The easiest healthy eating hack is to keep a snack pack with you at all times. Always carry a piece of fruit, an avocado, and a bag of nuts with you. I call my pack “emergency rations” and it keeps me from grabbing something less healthy when I’m out and about. Recent research from the American Heart Association suggests that 2 servings of fruit and 3 of veggies each day is the optimal combination (though we in nutritional medicine advocate for more). This study of 2 million people found a significant reduction of “all-cause mortality”, including heart disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when we meet this goal. (Another study says only 10% of Americans actually meet this goal). It’s easy to do by including one (or more) of these servings in your daily snack pack.
2) Bring on the Flavor Bombs: The most delicious way to pump up the taste of your food is to release some “flavor bombs”: that’s the explosion of flavor that happens in your mouth when you bite into a leaf of fresh basil, a sliver of ginger or a coriander seed pops in your mouth. Add a sprinkle of fresh herbs to your meals: chives make a sweet potato divine; add a little tarragon and lemon when you cook salmon; or turn an ordinary cucumber salad into a Greek salad with a pinch of fresh oregano. Use dried herbs to create “rubs” for grilled chicken, fish, or other proteins. See my “Simon and Garfunkel Rub” (with parsley sage, rosemary, and thyme). Or use a Cajun spice blend to make blackened salmon. Get my Flavor Bombs Guide to Herbs and Spices here.
3) Get Sauced: Dress up your food with an array of tasty sauces! Liven up salads with my fresh lemon shallot vinaigrette. (Soaking shallots in lemon juice offers a hint of onion flavor without being over-powering). It’s easy to make and great on a variety of salads and veggies. Or check out my favorite chimichurri sauce: this green Argentinean steak sauce can wake up ho-hum eggs, baked yams and is fabulous on any protein from steak to fish and chicken. It can take a bowl of beans and rice to the next level! Or why not whip up some fresh basil pesto to garnish a bowl of minestrone soup or toss over zucchini ribbons with sautéed plum tomatoes for a fast and healthy meal?
4) Cook once, Eat twice: Make good use of your weekends by prepping meals for the week ahead. On weekend mornings, make a dozen Mediterranean Breakfast Cups with shallots, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and bubbly cheese. Wrap individually to reheat on a busy weekday morning or pair with a salad for a lunch on the go. Or, put on a pot of soup to create food for the future: it’s perfect for lunch the next day, and even better when you feel a virus coming on and can just pull out a container from of the freezer to reheat. You may want to try some sheet-pan dinners that can be repurposed as fast lunches and dinners throughout the week. All of these recipes are featured in my online course “The Good Food Way to Power Up Your Immune System”. Check it out here: www.drsallyonline.com and join me in the kitchen for some cooking fun!
5) Stock Your Pantry: It’s easier to create delicious and healthy meals when you have the basics on hand.
Here’s a mini list of some of the essentials:
Veggies: Onions, carrots, celery, avocados, yams/Yukon gold potatoes, tomatoes, greens (both salad and braising greens) and of course, garlic and ginger.
Fruit: Keep oranges, lemons/limes, apples/pears, bananas, and frozen berries on hand for snacks, smoothies and mocktails.
Nuts: Keep a stash of 5-6 different kinds of nuts and seeds to rotate (so you don’t end up eating kind every day). Pecans, cashews, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts are all delicious alternatives to peanuts and almonds. Keep some nut butters on hand as well.
Protein: eggs, sheep feta and goat cheese, as well as frozen fish, chicken, and other meats.
Spices: You need a spice rack with the basic dried herbs and spices; then each spring, plant a small herb garden so you can grab a handful of fresh parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, and tarragon to spice up your meals.
Condiments: extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, red wine/balsamic/rice wine vinegars, gluten-free tamari, toasted sesame oil, miso paste, hot chili paste, red curry paste, sriracha and sea salt.
Gluten-free grains: steel cut oats, brown or berry rice, polenta, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth and teff are all great options (and keep a pack of gluten-free pasta on hand when you’re short on time).
Beans: canned or dried cannellini beans for minestrone or a bean dip, black beans and garbanzos are among my standards.
Canned/boxed: Sockeye salmon, sardines, vegetable and chicken stock, Italian plum tomatoes, coconut milk.
Let me know your favorite ways to pump up the flavor of your food so you love every bite you eat!