Tips/easy Recipes to Help Me Get Healthy!

Hi! You can roast any veggie and make them awesome. Cauliflower roasted with some garlic, lime juice, and romano is the only way my son will eat it without whining. You can make a veggie "lasagna" by roasting any variety of veggies and layering them with some cheese and baking. You can roast, stir-fry, eat raw, make salad, or even steam any combination of things. Cabbage with apples (my kids insist on craisins too) or onions.

What did we buy this week... leeks, eggplants, tomatoes, squash, asparagus, scallions, red and yellow peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, lettuce, celery, and corn. I think there is something else but I can't remember what...Oh, avocados! I also have frozen veggies to fall back on. Don't be afraid of things you've never tried, they just might become your new favorites!

Fruit--- have you grilled pineapple? We eat it with supper as a veggie. I find if I prep fruits ahead (wash and cut) they are more likely to grab a bowl. A cantalope is much more likely to get eaten if it is ready to go. Berries are so easy. I have a pint of fresh figs in the fridge right now. I washed them when they came home and I just grab one sometimes when I go into the fridge. Sarah loves to make fruit smoothies and put them in the freezer. She takes them to dance and by the time she gets a break they are slushy but drinkable. Again, don't be afraid of something you've never had, there is an amazing world of fruits out there now!
Have fun!!!

The best advise I have is to go to www.bountifulbasket.org and purchase a basket form their co-op. Every week there is something differnet in the basket and you don't know what will be in there until you pick it up. I usually wait unitl I get my basket, make my shopping list based off the basket and go to www.allrecipes.com to make new meals. I love Bountiful Baskets and I know there are multiple locations in Gilbert. There are always options of buying additional products like bread (their sourdough is awesome), avocados, tomatoes and seasonl fruit. You can make your basket organic for an additional charge. For example, last week I purchased the standard basket for $15.00 and a 20lb box of pear-apples for $18.00. And the previous week I added a 20lb box of tomatoes to can my own tomato sauce. The baskets have enough fruit and veggies in them to fill up a laundry basket. Since every week you don't know what you are going to get you can mix up your recipes every week. Make it fun so you don't get discouraged. Good luck!!

My husband and I are doing the same thing!
His company has employed a doctor and dietician who gave us a shopping/cooking guide. SO I spent the weekend sorting through and making lists of what to buy and what not to buy, so I'd LOVE to share with you as we are excited too!
I just tried Quinoa for the first time and even my kids, PICKY kids loved it! Use it like you would rice. As a side or add chicken and veggies to make a meal. One tasty exception is cook it in chicken broth instead of water! YUM :)
As far as veggies and fruit, buy frozen as well as fresh. Frozen are usually a lot cheaper and last longer. Same nutritional value!
For pasta go for the Barilla in the yellow box. They aren't as chewy and grainy as whole wheat pasta. That is what she recommends.
For bread products make sure it says 100% whole wheat. If it doesnt say 100% avoid it.
For meat, stick with skinless poultry, fish and shrimp. Avoid red meat unless it's very lean. Substitute ground turkey for beef. Works for spaghetti, chili etc.
For dairy stick to 2% or skim, even with cheeses.
And here's a basic shopping list she provided:

Lettuces-Romaine, leaf, Bibb or Red
Red,yellow,orange peppers-organic if possible
asparagus , red or purple grapes
avacado , plums
red onion , cherries
mushrooms , kiwi
cabbage , bananas
tomatoes , melon (canteloupe,honey dew)
brown or wild rice
beans, dried or canned w/ low sodium
any nut or seed (unsalted is better)
any CANNED tomato product
salsa
extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil or canola
canola cooking sprays
Greek yogurt unflavored or vanilla or plain low fat yogurt NO FLAVORS
Olive oil mayo (use sparingly)-------
Also lemon juice for flavor, rice wine vinegar
For meals, prepare chicken a few days ahead of time to add to salads, whole wheat tortilla wraps, or serve w/ quinoa or rice and roasted vegetables (drizzle cut up veggies with olive and season w/ paprika, pepper other spices bake at '350 for about 15 min) Make turkey spaghetti or chili add sauteed veggies to the sauce, make a chicken or lean beef stir fry, use LOW SODIUM soy and brown rice, quinoa.
Make sure to eat breakfast...omega 3 fortified eggs if possible w/ veggies for an omelette. Eat a yogurt and pice of fruit. 100% wheat bagel w/ banana and a little peanut butter! Make your own soups w/ broth and veggies and beans.
Good luck! This is a big change for us too :)
I forgot too add....use dark baking chips, or semi sweet chips for a sweet fix, make your own trail mix with almonds, sesame seeds, peanuts and choc. chips, so yummy!

Sorry this is going to be long.

You sound a lot like me. I’m also a basic cook who is trying to make healthier choices. It is overwhelming knowing where to start. I have found a lot of ideas on Pinterest about healthy eating. Something I learn is not to try and buy too many different types of fruits & vegetables at once or they’ll go bad and you’ll end up throwing them out. I don’t know if you have a Sprout’s near you but that’s where I get my produce. Their stuff is fresher and cheaper than anywhere else.

If you go to the www.undressedskeleton.tumblr.com site she has a tab that says something about “getting started” (sorry my work computer won’t let me post that link), she has good ideas on there about how to get started & incorporating fruits & vegetables, getting enough water, etc..

One thing that I’ve been trying to do is incorporate a different lettuce each week as they all vary in vitamins. (Someone had posted on pinterest a chart of all the different types of lettuce and their nutritional benefits). The first week I bought Bok Choy (never bought it before & didn’t know how to use it), I did the water & vinegar bath on it (that’s how I clean my produce) and stir fried it with some garlic and some other veggies in a little bit of sesame oil and it was really yummy. I stir fried chicken strips sprinkled with Mrs. Dash in another pan and added it all together with just a tiny bit of soy sauce. I served this over microwavable brown rice (from Trader Joe’s). This past week I bought I bought a bag of kale from Trader Joe’s and it was already washed & chopped up (and on sale!). I threw some in a salad & my oldest daughter made kale chips out of them. If I don’t know how to use something I just google how to cook_ and it will often pull up the info that I need.

I also try and buy new and interesting fruits. We have tried different melons in the past. I bought some witches finger grapes from Sprouts (taste like regular grapes to me) and my family couldn’t get enough of them. My youngest daughter loves mango but I hate cutting it up so I found a mango cutter at target and it helps a lot! We also love avocado (it’s a bit fattening but it’s the good fat so a little bit’s okay). If the avocado is ripe enough I just mash it up and sprinkle some McCormick’s garlic powder (I don’t know why but I only like McCormick’s garlic powder). I then use it for a dip with chips but you could use it as a spread for a wrap as well.

Have you tried spaghetti squash? It’s really yummy, low calorie, and healthy. Here’s a link with various ways of preparing it: http://www.food.com/recipe/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash-7... I use the microwave version because I’m a lazy cook  I make a meat sauce using lean ground turkey, the lowest calorie spaghetti sauce that I can find (usually the canned Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce), sautéed mushrooms (I buy the sliced mushrooms and then dice them up a bit smaller), either jarred or fresh garlic, onions (white or yellow), & bell pepper (any color). I actually got this recipe idea from watching Live Big with Ali Vincent (the first female winner of the Biggest Loser). She has the actual recipe up on her the Live Big Network but really you don’t need an actual recipe for it.

I get a lot of ideas from watching her shows. You can watch them online as well. She is full of simple ideas to incorporate healthy eating. She did a Flat Out Pizza using the Flat Out wraps. You can make a veggie version or use turkey pepperoni. She recommended on her show to use spices to add flavor to meats. She suggested using a Cajun seasoning to chicken or some other type of strong seasoning since chicken is pretty bland and spices do not add very many calories (if any?). Just be careful of the sodium levels. (She is also on pinterest.)

Another way of incorporating fruits & veggies is by making different types of salsas (mango salsa, pineapple salsa, the original tomato based salsa, etc.) & spooning those over grilled meat such as fish & chicken.

Also, microwave “baked” sweet potatoes or really yummy. I add a little bit of low calorie margarine and cinnamon and it tastes so good. My kids love it!

Oh, and also couscous is really good and fast. I’ve seen recipes for couscous salads that incorporate a lot of colorful veggies. I haven’t tried that yet but want to soon. We just eat it as a side dish for now. My picky husband and kids LOVE it.

I also get a lot of ideas from food.com. Here are some good ones that I’ve found & tried:
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/honeydew-melon-wit... (I love these)
http://www.food.com/recipe/mrs-dash-grilled-honey-dijon-c... (these were so simple & amazingly good!!! My husband doesn’t even like mustard and he never knew it was in this recipe.)
http://www.food.com/recipe/ww-4-points-crab-quesadillas-2... (these are great for a fast weeknight dinner. I’ve made them many times. I probably cheat a little bit on the cheese though.)
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/watermelon-and-cuc... (this is so good, my kids love it!)
http://cheese.food.com/recipe/ww-pintos-and-cheese-276402 (this is a weight watcher recipe & it taste just like Taco Bell’s bean burrito filling. It’s warm, gooey & cheesy! Pair it with a low carb whole wheat tortilla.)
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/strawberries-with-... (another one that I love)
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/cinnamon-oranges-5... (these are really good!!!)
http://www.food.com/recipe/hot-vanilla-197195 (guilt free low-fat drink)
http://www.food.com/recipe/popcorn-stove-top-119045 (We use this one a lot. Popcorn is whole grain. Plus you can season it up however you like. We love a homemade Cajun seasoning with extra paprika on ours.) I’ve also seen a recipe floating around online for making popcorn in a brown lunch bag in the microwave.

These ones I haven’t tried yet, I had them tucked away in my online cookbook:
http://mexican.food.com/recipe/taco-filled-pasta-shells-8... (this is also a weight watcher recipe & sounds warm, gooey & cheesy)
http://www.food.com/recipe/broiled-grapefruit-kid-pleaser...
http://www.food.com/recipe/chickpea-and-fresh-tomato-toss...
http://www.food.com/recipe/healthy-bow-tie-chicken-supper...
http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-lemon-jicama-slaw-ww-382052
http://www.food.com/recipe/baby-greens-and-garlicky-white...
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/quinoa-black-bean-...
http://www.food.com/recipe/spinach-apple-and-pecan-salad-...
http://www.food.com/recipe/cranberry-feta-and-walnut-sala...
http://www.food.com/recipe/spinach-strawberry-salad-14409
http://www.food.com/recipe/black-bean-and-couscous-salad-...
http://www.food.com/recipe/avocado-tomato-and-hummus-sand...
http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-edamame-84022
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/jicama-chili-stick...
http://www.food.com/recipe/hot-baked-cinnamon-apples-77666
http://www.food.com/recipe/kale-chips-110071
http://www.food.com/recipe/cauliflower-popcorn-roasted-ca...
http://www.food.com/recipe/peppery-cantaloupe-cubes-102423
http://www.food.com/recipe/oven-roasted-asparagus-with-ga...
http://www.food.com/recipe/sugar-snap-peas-with-tomatoes-...
http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-asparagus-12192
http://www.food.com/recipe/ww-roasted-string-green-beans-...
http://www.food.com/recipe/ww-roasted-carrots-187151
http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-green-beans-133821