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Easy Meals and Snacks
Staying Ahead of the Game
Meal time does not have to be gourmet, complicated, or of the freshest ingredients
to be nutritious. There are many foods that require little to no
cooking and can still provide you with the nutrition that you need
to keep your immune system strong, promote a healthy body weight,
and be quick and flavorful!
Fresh is always best, but sometimes fresh food can be difficult
to keep. Frozen vegetables are a great alternative and can stay
in your freezer longer. The same applies to fruit products. Fresh
fruit can be expensive if not grown locally or if out of season.
Try frozen fruit in smoothies, mixed into oatmeal, or tossed into
cold cereals and salads. When limited to canned products choose
fruits packed in water not syrup, and low sodium vegetables when
you are able.
To make sure that your meals and snacks are nutritious and easy
to prepare here are a few tips.
- Immediately after you return from the grocery store
wash, cut, and bag vegetables for quick use.
- If you buy family packs of meat or poultry store them
in individual packages in the freezer. This way you
can take out a piece as you need it and not have to defrost
a whole pack.
- Cook fish first as it tends to spoil first.
- Add meats to stews, soups, and sauces as you need
them.
- Try to plan ahead. Last minute decisions
often lead to poor decisions.
- Pick snacks that are easy to throw in your bag. Trail
mix, fruits with thick skins, granola bars, cereal, nuts, and
pretzels can all travel well.
- Make meals in large batches that you can save for
the week. Heat leftovers as you need them. Feel free
to freeze meals that you may want later on that month.
- Season foods with spices and citrus. These
condiments do no have a lot of calories, but pack a ton of flavor!
Use garlic powder, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, lime juice, rosemary,
and parsley.
- Pack as much nutrition into meal time as you can. Choose
whole grain bread products, low fat and low sugar foods.
- Add beans and leafy greens to soups and stews. These
foods are packed with vitamins and healthy nutrients.
- Stock your cabinet with sandwich bags, Ziplock® bags,
Tupperware®, and paper bags or lunch boxes.
One pot meals
One pot meals are a great way to pack in Nutrition. These recipes
are fuss free, and better yet, you have fewer dishes to clean in
the end.
Stews usually have a TON of beans, vegetables, and lean meats
in them. These foods are high in vitamins and proteins. Here is
a recipe that can really help you to pack in the Nutrients you
need.
Turkey Chili
1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey meat
2 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
1 Medium onion
1 Large bell pepper (red or green)
1 Bay leaf
1 Cup of Frozen corn kernels
1 Can of Kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (32 oz) Can of crushed tomatoes
2 Cups of low fat/low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 Tablespoon of ground cumin
1 1/2 Tablespoon of chili powder
*1–2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper sauce (optional)
* 2 scallions, white and greens chopped
* Salt and pepper to taste
Dice onions, peppers, and measure spices. Set ingredients aside
for cooking. Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp
of oil. Add ground turkey to the pot and cook till slightly browned
on the outside (about 15 min). Remove turkey and set aside on a
paper towel to drain.
Next, add a little bit more oil into pot, if needed,
and dump your onion and peppers in to cook. Stirring occasionally,
cook vegetables till onion is translucent (about 5 min) turn down
heat if you veggies start to stick.
Add your turkey back to the pot along with spices. Add corn, tomatoes,
and broth. Stir well and season with salt and cayenne pepper sauce
to taste and simmer for ~30min.
Serve in a bowl with warm whole wheat tortillas, grated low fat
cheddar cheese and scallions.
Freezing Foods
Freezing foods can be a great idea if you plan ahead and
do it right. All frozen produce has been blanched prior
to freezing making it almost as healthy as the fresh stuff! Blanching means
produce is cooked very quickly and then dropped into the freezer.
Freezing your own produce can save you time and can also help
to keep some of your favorite freezer friendly foods on hand. Make
sure that you have plastic bags that are freezer friendly, carry-out
containers, or even glass jars to freeze foods in. Moisture is
not good! Make sure that all of your produce is wrapped really
well! It is important to completely dry and cool foods before placing
them into the freezer.
Some freezer friendly foods are
- Corn
- Spinach
- Peas
- Edamame (Soy Beans)
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
- Peaches
- Chicken
- Ground Turkey
- Shrimp
Like everything in life there are rules to follow when storing
frozen foods. Food does not last indefinitely in the freezer. Before
you use a frozen food check the expiration dates! Berries usually
last about 8 months, meat and poultry for 3 months, and fish and
shellfish for 3-6 months. Make sure you mark the date on your foods
so you know when to get rid of it. Remember…when in doubt throw
it out!
Key Points…
- Frozen fruits and vegetables can go right into to sauté pan,
warmed dish (oatmeal, farina), or smoothie straight from the
freezer.
- When defrosting meat you should put it in the fridge about
48 hours before you need it. Never thaw meat on your
counter top.
- Never freeze: Canned foods, shell or dried eggs, cornmeal,
flour, all-purpose flour, or rice.
www.foodnetwork.com
Spears, Marion C. Foodservice Organizations; A managerial and
Systems Approach Third Edition.
Here is a recipe that use some freezer friendly items.
Orecchiette Pasta with
Spinach and Pine Nuts
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 14 oz package of frozen Spinach
1/4 C pine nuts
3 Garlic Cloves minced
1 cup of halved grape tomatoes
2 Cups of Orecchiette (whole wheat if possible)
Boil a large pot of water on your stove for pasta. Heat oven to
250 degrees.
Take spinach out of freezer and microwave on high till thawed.
Use a clean cloth dish towel and wring out all of the extra water
from the spinach. Wash and halve grape tomatoes and set aside.
Measure pine nuts and place in an oven proof container. Toast pine
nuts in oven stirring frequently till golden (about 5-7 min.) Make
sure to watch them because they can burn quickly.
In a large sauce pan heal olive oil and add garlic to pan. After
garlic has been warmed toss in spinach and grape tomatoes. If pasta
water is ready add Orecchiette and cook till al dente (about 7
min). Vegetable Ingredients should cook till tomatoes are wilted
and soft to the touch.
Strain past and add it to the vegetables stirring the two till
well mixed. Toss in pine nuts and serve.
**This dish is a great side with grilled boneless skinless chicken
breast and a fresh green salad.
Snack Attacks...
It is hard to think of a nutritious snack when your stomach is
yelling at you. Often times our motivation is to quiet our hunger
pains rather than feed it something nutritious. There are things
that we can keep on hand that can help us do both!
Fruit is always a great option. Cutting up and apple and dipping
it in yogurt is a great snack! Other foods that are low fat and
full of nutrition are:
- carrot sticks
- celery
- nuts
- raisins or dried fruit
- Sliced turkey and cheese
- Whole wheat crackers or pretzels with peanut butter
Often times it is what we put on our food that makes it
less healthy. Think of all the high calorie foods we stack on bread,
crackers, and chips. Dips and spreads can secretly add a lot of
calories and not a lot of nutrition. Here are some recipes for
dips and spreads that you can make and keep close if you need to
add a little zing to your afternoon snack attack!
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
3/4 Lb of low fat feta cheese
1/2 Cup of sun dried tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 Clove of garlic
1 tsp of dried Thyme
12 tsp of dried oregano
3/4 Cup of low-fat or non-fat milk
1 tsp of black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Serve
with whole wheat pita or cut up veggies.
Hummus
1 14.5 oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
2 rounded tablespoons of Tahini paste (found in specialty foods)
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 garlic clove, chopped
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender till smooth. Serve with whole
wheat pita or cut up veggies.
Trail Mix
1 Cup of whole roasted un-salted almonds
1 Cup of roasted unsalted peanuts
1 cup of Raisins (golden or regular)
1 Cup of dried Crasins
1 cup of dried unsweetened banana chips
1/2 Cup of yogurt chips
1 Cup of mini Pretzel sticks
Toss all ingredients into a large bag Ziplock® and mix together.
Take a few handfuls of your trail mix to snack on throughout the
day!
Mini Meal Ideas
- Pre-sliced bagels topped with tomato sauce and cheese make
great mini pizzas.
- Carrots and hummus with tuna salad or lunch meat rolled with
cheese.
- Good old PB&J on whole wheat bread with a side of carrots
and celery.
- Whole wheat cereal with low-fat milk and fruit.
- Vegetable soups with low fat cheese on top and whole wheat
toast.
- Whole wheat grilled cheese and tomato.
Revised 8/06
© 2006 Gay Men's Health Crisis |
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