Do you need recipes for healthy and delicious meals?
Easily create balanced meals from simple ingredients using these flavor guidelines
Start with the basics, what is a balanced meal?
The Healthy Plate
A healthy plate = vegetables + lean protein + complex carbohydrates + healthy fat
- The focus of the meal is on vegetables, covering half of the plate with a colorful variety of cooked or raw vegetables
- Lean protein is the next essential part and should cover about 1/4 of the plate
- Complex carbohydrates and healthy fats share the remaining 1/4 of the plate
What are Complex Carbohydrates?
Whole Grains
- Rye, , brown rice, barley, oats, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, and other whole grain products
Starchy Vegetables
- Squash (acorn, spaghetti, etc.), sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, corn, and green peas
Starch + Protein
- Peas, lentils, and beans
What are healthy fats?
Oils for Cooking and Dressing
- Olive and coconut oils, flax seed oil ( do not heat!), and cold, expeller pressed, unrefined nut and seed oils
Flavorful additions
- Avocado, nuts and seeds, flax seed, chia seed
What is Lean Protein
- Poultry, eggs, grass-fed beef (loin cuts and lean ground), fresh or canned fish and seafood, ham, pork loin, well-trimmed lamb leg
- Tofu, edamame, tempeh, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds
- Low fat dairy products
Serving Sizes
Carbohydrate
- 1/2 cup grain, pasta, starch or potato; 1 slice of bread.This is roughly the size of a computer mouse or cassette tape (remember those?!)
- About 2-3 servings of carbohydrate makes a standard meal-sized portion. 2 servings = 1 cup and is generally the size of a tennis ball.
- 1-2 servings is part of a small meal or snack
Protein
- 1 slice of cheese or the size of a pair of dice, one egg, 2 tbsp nut butter, 1 ounce nuts or seeds, 1/2 cup of beans or lentils, one deli slice (always "nitrate-free"!), or 1 ounce of meat
- A standard meal-sized portion of meat is 2 ounces, the size of a deck of cards
Easy portion sizing!-
One portion of a carbohydrate food should be about the size of your fist, one serving of a protein food should be about the size of your palm. Fill in the rest of your plate with yummy, colorful veggies!
Flavor Combining for Quick Healthy Cooking
Mixed meals can be made with a variety of fresh, raw, or frozen ingredients
You can easily creat balanced meals from basic ingredients using simple flavor guidelines
Start simple with foods from each category, for example- sweet potato (carbs), chicken breast (protein), spinach, red pepper, mushroom (veg), and avocado or EVOO "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" (fat)
Use certain oils, seasonings, herbs, and spices to add flavor that brings together the basics deliciously. You can make marinades, salad dressings, or sauces. Be creative!
Many fresh herbs grow easily in the northwest; mix them with a citrus or vinegar, a healthy oil (try walnut, avocado, or macadamia oils!), and a high quality, colorful salt such as Himalayan, Celtic, or "Real Salt"
ITALIAN
Try this one for a bean soup:
garlic, thyme, marjoram, bay leaf, red chilie flakes
Salad dressings or marinades:
garlic, basil, lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, EVOO, Dijon mustard
Also use: rosemary, oregano, parsley, shallots, red wine vinegar, and toasted pine nuts
ROASTING FLAVORS
For vegetables or poultry:
sage, rosemary, oregano, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, EVOO
ASIAN
Dressings, tofu or meat marinades, stir fries:
shallots, scallion, ginger, garlic, red chili flakes, cilantro, lime or lemon, sesame oil, coconut oil, rice wine vinegar, Mirin, miso, tahini (used best cold, as in a cabbage salad dressing)
LATIN AMERICAN FLAVOR
Sabrosura!
Use in sauces and salsas, bean dips, marinades, beans, rice, and soups:
cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic, lime, tomato paste or sauce, cilantro, green onion
Be creative in creating your healthy meals, experiment with a variety of herbs, spices, and oils. Try new whole grains, beans, and vegetables. Get the family involved and have fun!