Healthy Eating Fresh Veggie Style
By Stephen R. Farris
Cooking healthy and nutritious meals is becoming more and more popular these days, since most folks are looking towards eating healthier. The good news is that cooks and chefs are coming up with unique ways to incorporate fresh vegetables into their dishes to make them more healthier for their customers. Many of these recipes are being passed on to the consumers so that they may prepare them in the comfort of their own kitchen at home.
The first step is to pay a visit to your local supermarket and head to the produce area. There, you should have a good variety of fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from. However, some of the favorites may not be in season, leaving you no choice than to see if they're available in the frozen food section of the store. Of course, you can (if there's one available in your area) visit your local farmers market, or local farm with a produce stand to purchase your veggies. There's nothing like farm-to-market, fresh produce.
Now the rest is up to you on preparing your produce for the family meal. Luckily, here's a few ideas to help get you started on some family favorites.
Guacamole
Traditionally, guacamole is made by smashing up avocados and adding a little lime juice, and a dash of salt (sea, kosher, etc.). To liven your traditional guacamole, throw in some diced onion and tomato, and/or even a little garlic and bell pepper. This adds more flavor to an already healthy fat, as well as some added nutrients.
Meatloaf
Your family will be screaming "baby I'm a want you, baby I'm a need you" after feeding them your new veggie induced meatloaf. Instead of the traditional ground beef and tomato paste/sauce, mix some onion, garlic, zucchini, celery, spinach, carrots, or other types of fresh, healthy veggies in with your meat. Any of these (or mixture of them) will add extra flavor and give your family some added nutrients.
Rice Substitute
Traditional cooked white rice has about 53 grams of carbs per cup. That's a lot of carbs, and when it comes to eating healthy, you probably want to avoid that many carbs in one meal. The good news is, if you love rice and just have to have it then try substituting cauliflower instead. Making cauliflower rice may require the use of a food processor (for faster preparation). Just one cup of cauliflower rice contains 5 grams of carbs, but is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate, and potassium to give you better nutritional value. Plus, you can beef up your rice by adding different veggies to bring even more flavor to your cauliflower rice dishes.
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