fatfreerecipies.info

Another day, another dinner to prepare. Are you having a difficult time finding easy to prepare meals that can satisfy your growing family?

You want to give your family the best, but time is in short supply and preparing a healthy meal has become a chore. Too often take out or frozen dinners have to do. Is there a way to combine healthy eating with convenience?

Healthy Family Meals - Better for Children, Easier for You
Yes! Quick and easy recipe, new methods of cooking and easy to prepare staples can change your eating habits and lead to a better eating style for your family. According to the ‘Kid’s Health’ Program created by the Nemours Foundation, family meals are an important part of developing healthy habits in your kids.
Eating as a family will encourage your kids to eat healthy foods like whole grains and vegetables. It will discourage unhealthy snacking and even make them less likely to try smoking, alcohol or marijuana.

But how do you plan healthy family meals on a tight schedule? Here are some ideas to start:

Does your family love lasagna? Maybe you thought that it was a labor intensive dish that just doesn’t fit your lifestyle. Cheesy and full of fat, perhaps it’s not even a wise choice. However, lasagna is actually one of the most versatile meals to prepare - and with instant (no boil) noodles, it doesn’t even have to be a big job.

There are lasagna recipes for vegetarians, low-carb, low-fat and even diabetic diets. Lasagna noodles now come in instant, no-cook preparations that cut time and energy when making this hearty dish.

For lasagna or other pasta dishes, try using whole wheat pasta and shredding carrots or zucchini into the meat sauce for an easy way to up the nutritional value. Using lean ground beef or even substituting with ground turkey or chicken can make for a surprising, yet nourishing result. Buy bottled pasta sauces for even faster preparation - many grocers carry a wide assortment that will add variety to your dishes.

Looking for an elegant chicken dinner? Don’t forget about frozen skinless chicken breasts. Baked in the oven with a dollop of salsa and shredded cheddar on top makes for a healthy alternative to frying or heavy sauces.

Need ideas for a side dish? Why are you wasting time cutting and washing lettuce when you can pick up a prepackaged bag at the grocers? Not to say it’s the cheapest method, but it definitely helps busy families put nutrition ahead of convenience when planning a meal.

Have you ever tried steaming vegetables in the microwave? Fresh or frozen veggies make for another easy side dish when they’re popped into the microwave for a few minutes. Add a couple tablespoons of water and cover with a paper towel, an easy AND healthy alternative to frying or boiling.

We’re all concerned about our children eating healthier foods. Regular family meals will encourage kids to develop healthy eating habits - an important key to good health later in life. By making meal time less stressful you can focus on the joys of spending time together instead of the hassles of preparing healthy family meals.

About.com: Fat-Free Recipes

Epicurious.com: Fat Free Recipes

Martha Stewart: Fat Free Recipes

Food Network: Fat Free Recipes

All Recipes: Fat Free Recipes

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen Blog

Recipezaar: Fat Free Recipes

All Recipes: Fat Free Mini Prune Honey Muffins

Epicurious.com: Low-Fat Almond-Cinnamon Biscotti Recipe

Recipezaar: Fat Free White Bean Dip

Epicurious.com: Beef Tenderloin and Pearl Onion Skewers Recipe

About.com: Chyrel’s Chicken & Broccoli Fettucini Recipe

About.com: Fat Free Creme Brulee

Jeena’s Kitchen: Jeena’s Kitchen: Eggless Carrot Cake … Fat Free!

Saffron Trail: Childhood memories and a fat-free snack

Dessert Recipes: Fat Free Honey Cake

Fatfree Vegan Kitchen: Double Mushroom Miso Soup and Sesame Broccoli

Slashfood: Fat Free Posts

Food & Wine: Low-Fat Tips

Detroit Free Press: Butternut Squash Soup (2007)

Deutsche Welle: German Butcher Develops Nearly Fat-Free Sausage

Amazon.com: The Fat Free Living Super Cookbook

Amazon.com: Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking

Barnes & Noble: Ultimate Fat-Free Cookbook

Barnes & Noble: Best Ever Fat Free Cookbook

Believe it or not, fat is not tantamount to adding pounds. It has been a misconception among the majority, so they then tend to avoid all the foods they think can make them fat and eliminate the good ones in the process too. There are different types of good fats and bad fats. In your fat free food list, it is healthy to determine which one qualifies as a “can eat” or “cannot eat.”

Fats that should be IN your food list:

1. Foods rich in monosaturated fats such as
   • Almonds and almond butter which are also rich in other nutrients
   • Other highly nutritious nuts such as macadamias, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans and pistachios
   •  Avocados
   • Olive oil and canola oil
2. Polysaturated fats in foods like:

• Fatty types of fish such as tuna and salmon
•  Walnuts, safflower and other types of nuts
•  Corn oils and sunflower oils

Fats that should be OUT of your food list (or should be at a regulated amount only):

1. Saturated fats
   • Animal products such as pork, beef, chicken, and other dairy products such as butter
2. Trans fats

•     Fast foods are the usual sites for meals containing high amount of trans fats
•      Commercially baked products
•      These two contain trans fats due to the hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated types of oils

1. Cholesterol

•        Egg yolks
•        Meat
•        Some types of shellfish
•        Dairy products

Keep in mind to not easily fall for foods labeled as fat free. They may be lesser in fat, but taking a look at the nutritional content can reveal a high quality content. What is important when considering a diet plan is to make sure that you are doing it the safe and proper way. 

Social Bookmarking

Often described as rabbit food or cardboard food, the sight of vegetables in a dinner plate is enough to make a lot of people flinch. The fast food and processed food culture has certainly changed our taste buds to leamore towards a manufactured flavor which is considered unhealthy at most.  

If you cannot be an all-out vegetarian and can’t bear the thought of permanently abstaining from meat and other non-veggie foods, at least consider eating at least seven meals a week. Granting that each day there are about three complete meals, in a week that would be equal to 21 meals. When you look at it this way, seven out of 21 meals do not seem too much of a sacrifice. You can start with lesser number if you want, just make sure to gradually increase it over a period and start feeling the advantages of getting direct nutrition from these foods. The vitamins and mineral content of this food group can never be captured by processed products, and can only come as close as half of its nutrition, despite its labels of being healthy. Doing so in your diet, and preferable keeping a dish or two with your usual daily meals, can aid your digestion, help in the flushing of harmful substances and toxins by becoming the most natural detoxification program, and keep you away from illnesses and disorders.

The environment we now live in is not as free from chemicals and pollution as before. To battle it out, being mindful of what we take in inside our body is the best front line of defense that we can give ourselves.

Social Bookmarking

Most health buffs and health conscious people are crazed and attracted to anything branded as healthy. At times, the end results are disappointing, bearing only little or no effect at all. Here are some of the beliefs that only do little in bringing you good at all.

Myth number 1: fat free labeling in manufactured food are healthy and good for you. This is certainly not always the case. Every time food manufacturers create products that are free from these fats, they worry that the taste would suffer and become unappealing for its consumers. What they do instead is to add other flavorings and ingredients that turn out to be unhealthy, even after taking off the fat content. Always check the information table regarding the nutritional contents. You might notice that although there is less fat, a higher calorie concentration can be found.

Myth number 2: diet programs can make you loose weight in no time. The way a body reacts with the changes in the daily meals are different from one person to another. Some may work fast in a couple of days while some takes longer – up to a point that it does not work at all. The purpose of a diet is to regulate the nutrition and intake of healthy food, but is not enough to promise you a magic bullet in terms of making your body healthy and even loose weight. Exercise complements the diets, which makes it effective.

Myth number 3: in relation with the first myth, manufactured foods labeled as healthy can replace nutrients from natural sources. The natural composition of the nutrients and vitamins derived from healthy food first hand cannot be replicated by science no matter what the process is. If you are looking for better nutrition, get it directly from foods that contain them instead of relying on the packaging.

Healthy food depends on healthy choices. Never sacrifice the quality of good food over the cost and the advertisments.   

Social Bookmarking

Getting a good nutrition is important for any age, and that is because diseases and illnesses do not choose a time to attack, except when the body is already weak. Keeping your body healthy is a good line of defense against them, so what should you remember?

First is to avoid too much cholesterol and unhealthy fat in your meals. These are known causes of clogging in the arteries and result to heart failures as well as different circulatory complications. Take the skin off in poultry and opt for lean meat instead. Replace whole milk with a low fat one and decrease consumption of cheese, lard, butter, egg yolks, and fat rich desserts and pastries.

Next is to remember the 3 B’s of cooking. Instead of frying, which would use oil, better bake, boil, or broil your food. If frying is the only option, use canola or olive oil instead.

Third reminder in proper nutrition is to reduce salt and sodium intake due to its ability to help increase blood pressure and the risks of heart attack. Instead of using salt as much as possible, use herbs and spices to make the flavor of your dishes better.

Fourth is to avoid eating in fast foods and manufactured products as a replacement of real dishes. Getting the nutrients straight from the source is the best way to get proper nutrition.

Proper nutrition is not just about following a fad or a bandwagon. A lot of people are into getting healthy – and reasonably so – because a good health is the best way to achieve everyday tasks.

Social Bookmarking