Food For Thought

I have to admit, I am NOT the chef at my house . . . never have been, never will be . . . but, I do have some input. My husband is the real cook of the family so this blog is for us so we can do a better job when it comes to food preparation. Many of you have already made some major changes in your cooking. I have to admit, I'm a little behind in this part of the challenge. That's why last weeks meeting with the Parham's was so helpful to me. I got a lot of great ideas, tips, and new information. For those of you who missed the meeting, need a reminder, or want to learn more, this is for you too.

Cooking and Healthy Eating Tips

• Sneak vegetables in sauces and casseroles whenever possible
• Use only half of the prepackaged season mixes (ex., taco mix) and add spices to cut down on sodium
• Add extra vegetables or salad to your plate so you have less room for higher calorie foods
• Use smaller plates . . . if you can't get as much food on them, you won't eat as much
• Cook things like chicken and some rice and vegetables ahead of time and have on hand so you won't be tempted to go through the drive-thru when you are hungry
• Pack lunches ahead of time so they'll be ready to go out the door when you are
• When you cook, cook larger portions and put small amounts in containers for later
• Keep essentials on hand
• Always be thinking of ways to modify your favorite dishes

Key to Healthy Cooking is SUBSTITUTION:

• White flour to wheat flour
• Enriched to whole
• Sugar to agave nectar, xylitol, or stevia
• Bread crumbs to oatmeal or cereal
• White pasta to wheat pasta
• Soups to low-sodium soups
• Seasoning to low sodium seasoning
• Sauces to lower sodium, more natural sauces
• Eggs to egg whites
• Regular oil to olive oil or natural oil
• Fried food to grill or baked food

There you go . . . more "food for thought!"


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