HealthyHabits - nutritious food recommendations

Parent Cafe
21

Thanks @sabaray - “Nutritious Delicious” looks interesting.

Tonight DH and I are both sick. Dinner had to be easy. We had chicken breasts baked with a tiny amount of pesto (would have done more, but the jar was near empty - it does feel good do “move it on” from the fridge). I tried a frozen riced cauliflower “stir fry” (with a small amount of veggies, seasoning) … it was pretty good. Had it not been in the freezer, we likely would have eaten something much less healthy. Also had some kale/mango/coconuts salad from deli - we like it, but someday I want to make my own so I know what’s really in it.

22

@mom60 Where in WF did you find the sandwich thins? I was in there today and didn’t see them, but I was in a rush and couldn’t really give a good look.

23

@my-3-sons they are in the refrigerated section

24

@mom60 Thanks! I’ll be down that way again tomorrow and will see if I can grab some.

25

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/feb/13/how-ultra-processed-food-took-over-your-shopping-basket-brazil-carlos-monteiro

this was a great article. I think many have a hard job working out what is real food anymore. If that is true for adults, the young people are in trouble.

26

Great article above. It does give me pause as a few too many of those processed things have slipped into my life, even if they are higher end ravioli and tamales, my indulgences. I have read that for immigrants, learning what Americans eat is confusing, as the barrage of advertising for unhealthy products gives a false impression of the basic foods that make up a good diet for many of us.

I was going to say that I have a bit of a problem with the question starting the thread, as the answer is so elementary. Healthy food has always been there and if you have a grocery store, you have access. Shop the perimeter of the store for produce, dairy, and meats with a foray into the aisles for beans, seasonings and whole grains. There are complaints about cost. Dried beans, potatoes, carrots and eggs are cheap as are the onions and garlic to season them. What is scary is the disappearing lack of knowledge to make up a meal quickly and efficiently as well as the immediate access to a place to buy it for some.

Recently I realized that for my kids generation, they are a little too accustomed to vegetables being coated in olive oil or other fats, rather than steamed as I grew up with. Roasted vegetables are great, but the EVOO adds to the caloric burden if used regularly.

27

^^^ On the other hand, I (and my family) have probably happily consumed 2-3 times more vegetables roasted or stir fried with a little fat than I ever remember eating when I was younger and veggies were boiled or steamed. For me the trade off of a little fat is worth the ^^^ in veggie consumption. I don’t claim to be a calorie saint! :slight_smile:

28

I think there’s more to a healthy diet than just looking at calories (which are, of course, important). A book I read some time ago was “Salt, Sugar, Fat” - essentially a study of how food manufacturers trick us into eating those ultra processed foods and wanting more of them. It really made a big impression on me. Times have changed - it used to be eating a “Lean Cuisine” dinner with the low calorie count made me think i was eating “healthy” for weight loss. Not any longer. I’m sure I consume more calories, but I’m sure the foods I’m eating are healthier. Good article, @Sybylla, thank you for posting that.

Re: roasted vegetables - sure, they are more caloric than steamed. But I think it’s more important to look at an item in the context of your entire diet, rather than in isolation. And really - who would prefer steamed beets or brussels sprouts to roasted? Blech.

29

I am enjoying this thread! I generally try to avoid any processed foods and actually enjoy cooking. That said, I’m firmly in the “it’s OK to buy riced cauliflower” - it’s just easier (I buy the frozen from Costco). I still buy a whole head when I want to do roasted cauliflower. It drives MIL crazy that DH loves vegetables now - I do so many of them roasted, which are delicious and a huge step up from the boiled to death version that he grew up with. No wonder he used to hate veggies.

30

No doubting the appeal of roasted vegetables! We adore them. We also have weight issues as a family, so that is the part of the equation I am looking at. But I also am satisfied with steamed beets and many other vegetables as I grew up with them, and it is an easy way to cook a whole pile of filling vegetables.

31

I will say this re: roasted or stir fried veggies and fats. You can control how much you use. If you watch the cooking shows I swear they sometimes SLATHER the fats -just glug, glug, glug out of that olive oil bottle!

Maybe think about how much you use and see if you can reduce the fat by 25%. When I roast veggies I pour a little olive oil - then use my hands to toss the veggies around to be covered but not in a pool of oil.

32

Totally agree on cooking shows. I always reduce the amount of oil roasting or frying recipes call for.

33

Reading too fast. I read that as vegetables…easy way…cook a whole PIE.

!!!

34

We eat pretty clean - at least 85% of the time. Most of the supply comes from Costco or TJ’s

Costco:

Any of the organic premixed salads( oriental chop, slaw with organic cherries) and sometimes a non-organic version. I don’t use the enclosed dressing. Instead I make a good sized batch my own - Dijon mustard, 'fancy balsamic (including a bit of a flavored kind like fig, black cherry, or a highly aged one which is thick like syrup), a bit of maple syrup water to thin and then salt and pepper.

We add some of the Costco rotisserie chicken and it’s a full dinner.

Roast a big batch of mini potatoes with garlic cloves. Some of the sausage offerings have very acceptable ingredient lists. Mix the sausage with the potatoes, add a dollop of sour cream on top.

Large bags of broccoli, cauliflower or pre-cut squash which I roast using a bit of EVOO and some of the balsamic. It’s surprising how much the veggies ‘shrink’ during the roasting. A big bag will carry us thru several days. They get added to eggs (we have our own chickens) or to roasted potatoes.

Love their organic ground beef and buffalo. It’s my understanding that the beef is grass fed except the certification process is onerous.

Great organic chicken bone broth - add roasted veggies and more of the chickens

The seasonally available seafood mixture (scallops, shrimp, clams, calamari) over pasta with the organic Alfredo sauce (okay, the sauce is processed and fatty but the ingredient list is still pretty 'clean).

H loves the chuck rib steaks - again over the mixed salad.

TJ’s

Refrigerated Bleu Cheese dressing
Several of the frozen Indian meals. Yes, some processing but doable in a pinch.
Pre-made salads - again using my own dressing - make for a quick lunch at home

A lot of the cooked ingredients will keep for several days in a good sealing glass storage container. H and I mix and match at will.

35

“Maybe think about how much you use and see if you can reduce the fat by 25%. When I roast veggies I pour a little olive oil - then use my hands to toss the veggies around to be covered but not in a pool of oil.”

I find using a measuring spoon really helps. A tablespoon gives you a nice amount with only about 120 calories and this nicely saturates half a head of cauliflower or large portion of broccoli ( which is what I eat myself) if you pour in a bowl. . Agree that the cooking shows use way more unnecessarily. I often make some chicken with it and throw it in the bowl to season after I’ve done the veggies. It gets a bit of oil on it from what’s still in the bowl without adding more oil than I’ve accounted for.

36

I also use a measuring spoon when I roast veg or shrimp. It doesn’t take much olive oil at all. The cooking shows seem to use much more oil than is really needed.

37

I try to eat mostly unprocessed foods. I don’t shop at Costco or TJs. In the winter, I get my fruits and veggies from a local green grocer or WF. In season, I grow my own lettuce/greens as well as peppers and tomatoes. I also shop at an organic farm stand in season. My husband is a great cook and makes almost everything from scratch. He is semi-retired so he has time. Our biggest downfall is eating out, which he do more than we should. We don’t eat fast food, but I think some of the local ethnic (Korean, Thai, and Japanese) restaurants we frequent use way more fat/salt/sugar than we need. I followed the Whole30 food plan in January as part of a Challenge program at my yoga studio. I think it is really healthy, but not always easy to follow. I like a glass of good wine—and alcohol is something you cut out on the Whole30.

38

I have been trying to eat fewer processed foods and really keep my eye on sugar consumption lately so I am cooking more. One cookbook that has been very useful is “Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat slow” by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. The recipes really are easy and the several that I have tried have been delicious. Even H agrees.
I also make a large salad (many from that cookbook) every Sunday for my workweek lunches.

39

Love those cookbooks, @FallGirl. Flu fighter stew from the first book is in regular rotation at my house. Chicken, ginger, garlic, onions - all good stuff.

40

This is a great thread.

I’m curious about what you label as processed food. Does that mean Lean Cuisines? Tyson chicken strips? Stoffer’s lasagna? Anything you can make from scratch instead of already prepared? The rice mixes with flavoring?