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Better Nutrition February 2020

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ASK THE NUTRITIONIST *<br />

Q<br />

Are there any secrets<br />

for making quick, “clean”<br />

meals at home so I’m<br />

not tempted to go to a<br />

drive-through and pick up unhealthy<br />

fast food? —Maryanne C., Tampa, Fla.<br />

Absolutely. With a little planning and<br />

preparation, it’s possible to bring<br />

healthy meals together in under 10<br />

minutes. You have to start by selecting<br />

smart products at the natural foods<br />

store and setting aside slightly more<br />

time one day a week to prepare some<br />

meat, such as broiling burgers, meat<br />

kabobs, or lamb chops or steaks, which<br />

can be easily reheated at another meal.<br />

For variety in your choices of<br />

protein, it’s a good idea to have frozen<br />

shrimp in your freezer, along with eggs<br />

and packaged or canned tuna in your<br />

refrigerator. I also recommend buying<br />

an organic rotisserie chicken once a week.<br />

You can eat a thigh and/or drumstick<br />

hot when you bring the chicken home<br />

from the store, then refrigerate it and<br />

cut the meat up a day or two later to<br />

use in salads, stir fries, and soups.<br />

42 • FEBRUARY <strong>2020</strong><br />

answers to your food questions<br />

Come-Together Fast Food<br />

Everything you need to know to make healthy meals in a jiffy<br />

BY MELISSA DIANE SMITH<br />

In your refrigerator, be sure to have<br />

salad greens and/or spinach and other<br />

vegetables that you like in a handy,<br />

easy-to-use form. For making quick,<br />

low-fuss meals, you’ll also need a wok<br />

or large frying pan, a broiling pan, pans<br />

or containers for reheating, and a pan<br />

with a removable steamer basket.<br />

Once you have these basics, there are<br />

countless ways to quickly and creatively<br />

combine meat and vegetables. The following<br />

are 12 fast-food lunch or dinner<br />

meal ideas to get you started. A few of<br />

them include mentions of tasty products<br />

that offer time-saving luxury.<br />

1<br />

Organic Rotisserie Chicken<br />

Thigh and/or Drumstick and<br />

Steamed Broccoli with Butter.<br />

Steam broccoli spears for about 10<br />

minutes, top with butter, and serve with<br />

just-bought chicken.<br />

2Easy Veggie Fried Rice.<br />

Use Cece’s Veggie Co. Organic<br />

Veggie Medley of riced cauliflower,<br />

broccoli, carrot, and green onion<br />

to help you make this dish with sesame<br />

oil, gluten-free soy sauce, eggs, and<br />

cooked protein, such as chicken, tofu, or<br />

shrimp. (See recipe, right.) Cece’s offers<br />

organic riced, spiraled, noodled, and<br />

z-cut griller vegetables, which makes<br />

vegetables fun and ultra-easy to use for<br />

quick meal preparation.<br />

3Mediterranean Tuna Salad.<br />

Combine an undrained can of<br />

Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna<br />

with coarsely chopped artichoke hearts,<br />

chickpeas, chopped red bell pepper,<br />

chopped pitted Kalamata olives, chopped<br />

red onion, shredded carrots, basil or<br />

oregano, and capers. Mix in a dressing<br />

of red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon<br />

juice, and salt and pepper, and serve.<br />

Photo: adobestock.com

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