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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