Quick and Healthy Homemade Eats

When we aren't out being fat fatties, I actually cook pretty healthy meals. I try to cook with a lot of fruits and veggies to make up for the greasy, carb-loaded foods we eat during the weekend. Although I cook between 4-5 nights a week, I do find it difficult to cook like I did in Houston. My oven is tiny and won't even fit a whole cooking sheet (not to mention I have to convert measurements and Fahrenheit to Celsius). There's no microwave to heat up leftovers or to defrost frozen foods. The stores next to us don't have all of the ingredients that I am used to cooking with. However, I try the best that I can. Here are some simple, healthy meals and snacks.

Side note, I don't stick to a particular diet, I just try to eat as little unprocessed foods as possible when I'm home. Some days I try to be a vegetarian, others I do the whole Paleo thing. I feel healthiest when I stick to wholesome ingredients, and I try to make my meals have mostly veggies and lean protein.

For some reason, I call this Who Hash and make several variations of it. This one involves organic chorizo, kale, carrots, broccoli, sweet peppers, purple onion, and a bit of purple potatoes. I love cooking with sausage because it requires no other spices. Just make sure it is organic, so it doesn't have all of the preservatives and "secret" ingredients that regular sausage contains. I cut off the casing so that I can crumble the sausage, then simply add all of the veggies to the pot so that they can soak up the flavors. Really simple and healthy. If I'm feelings hungry, I add quinoa and omit the potatoes.

 



 Something else we love that spruces up meat is a marinade of lemon and whole grain mustard (About 2 T of both), then top the meat with a crushed nut (almonds, pistachios, and walnuts are all good). I usually do this to salmon or chicken, and then bake with a bunch of veggies. We usually don't add a starch, unless it's a few purple fingerling potatoes. Purple potatoes have more antioxidants in them and just taste amazing IMO.

I do make pasta once a week, but I add so many veggies that it is about a 1:1 ratio. I always use whole wheat pasta, and usually add frozen spinach, asparagus, kale, or whatever else I have on hand. I top with squeezed lemon, a few bits of baked prosciutto, and some freshly grated parmesan. In my opinion, you don't need to add more than a quick pour of olive oil. Go easy on the cheese- a little goes a long way.

One thing the UK has that I never saw in the US...coconut yogurt. SOOOO good. It is just coconut milk and probiotics. Dairy free and vegan...I believe the ingredients are just coconut cream and probiotics...it is nearly 100% fat, but still only 160 calories for the whole tub (no carbs like regular yogurt, which even if you buy nonflavored, it still has lactose). I eat is like whipped cream, and put it on top of fruit. Today, I had it with fresh pomegranate seeds and strawberries. Yum- I think I'm might go for seconds of this now!

So, those are some thrown together meals that I like to make. Nothing fancy or recipe-following, just simple ingredients that make my belly feel happy and healthy! Like I told Daniel as he was snuffing at all of the veggies I cooked tonight,  I want us to live a long and healthy life together, and I really believe loading up on produce is the way to do that!