Can you improve your diet?

We could all improve our diet. Everyone, it’s everyone, including me. Yes Yes, me too. We can all improve our diet (of course, some more than others) but we can all improve it even a little bit. And not only food, whatever we propose, we can always improve it.

And I think that in order to improve our diet, we need tools, documents, brochures, guides… in short, a guideline that helps us know what to eat, how to eat and above all that helps us to vary our diet. Varying with nuances, that is, varying does not mean eating everything, but varying the diet within a healthy supply of food. But help us not to always eat the same thing, because in the end we end up getting bored and falling into junk food.

For this reason, today I bring you several proposals for different healthy dishes, so that you have alternatives and ideas when it comes to cooking.

I take this opportunity to remind you that it is important to cook, so as not to be tempted to buy precooked or fast food. For this, it can help you to develop and plan your menu as explained in the post how to create your own healthy menu .

How to make your dishes healthy

For your dishes to be healthy and balanced, you just have to follow the pattern of the plate. To vary them, keep reading.

More information on balance and vary your healthy diet 

Quick recipe ideas with vegetables

I am going to propose different ideas using vegetables as a base. In the next post we will see ideas based on cereals and finally based on proteins.

We have many options to do with vegetables. Not only do we have to think of the vegetable as a plate with four sad and lonely boiled green beans, there is so much world to discover:

Salads

To make a good salad you just have to follow a few simple steps:

1. THE BASE . Use any sheet as a base. A good handful of any leaf: lettuce: romaine, iceberg, endive, oak leaf, lollo rosso, trocadero, Italian … arugula, lamb’s lettuce, endives, buds, raw spinach, watercress, red cabbage, white cabbage … The leaves have very few calories and are rich in nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber, so don’t be afraid to fill up your plate. When you go to buy them, choose the ones that are seasonal, they will have more flavor and will be cheaper. Remember to wash them very well, unless you buy those bags that are already washed, ready to eat. You must make sure that they are washed and ready for consumption. You must specify it on the bag. One day I made a salad with one of them that was not washed, and it turned out to be a salad to the rich earth, as my brother-in-law baptized it.
You can use more than one, mixing a couple or three you will find different flavors and will make your salad a gourmet salad.

2. VEGETABLES. Add a couple or three vegetables. After choosing the base, add at least a couple or three of vegetables. To make a more appetizing salad, you can play with the colors. For example, if you have chosen green leaves, you can add the red of a tomato and the white of a cucumber. If you have chosen white leaves you can add the orange of some carrots or the pink of some radishes. These will also be tastier and cheaper if you choose them in season. Among the vegetables you can choose: red pepper, green pepper, cucumber, tomatoes (and all their varieties), radishes, onion, corn, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, artichoke, asparagus, hearts of palm, celery, mushrooms …

3. FRUITS. You can give it a sweet and different touch with any fruit. Once again better if they are in season, in this case you can add some seedless grapes or the grains of a pomegranate. If you have guests, they will be speechless, because surely they are not expecting it. You can choose any fruit, any.

4. PROTEINS. To make a more complete salad, add a protein part. You can add protein of animal or vegetable origin, as long as it is healthy. If we add the protein part in a single piece, a much more attractive salad will be left.

• Pulses . Chickpeas, lentils, beans … or legumes like soybeans, peas or beans. The first ones need more time to cook, soak overnight and boil for at least a couple of hours. Unless you buy them packaged, in which case you will have to wash them very well until all the foam disappears. The latter cook more quickly and if you buy them frozen, you will only have to defrost them.
• Derivatives of soybeans . Tofu or tempeh, for example. You can previously sauté them in the pan. It may also be a good option to add them hot or with some aromatic herb.
• Raw or roasted nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews … any dried fruit works well in a salad.
• Shellfish  Cooked seafood is a great choice for salad, a low-fat food rich in vitamins and minerals, such as iodine, potassium or magnesium. Buy it fresh and don’t take too long to cook it. You can cook it or grill it. Adding it at the last minute, hot, can create a nice contrast to the cold leaves.
• Preserves. Tuna, melva, mackerel, cockles, clams, sardines, anchovies … It is a valid and fast option, although they should not be abused, due to their high salt content. Natural or in olive oil are the best options.
• White meats. It can be a good option to finish off the remains of the previous day. You can also cook them exclusively for your salad.
• Fish. Adding fish to your salad is an easy way to meet the necessary recommendations. You can choose to make them grilled, baked or raw (for example, carpaccio), you can even use the leftovers from other food. Blue fish pairs better than white fish, but both are good options. Smoked and salted are less healthy but give it a different touch.
• Cheeses For every good cheesemaker, any cheese will look good, but we should not abuse those that are more fatty and cured. The fresh cheese is also very good and is leaner and healthier.
• Eggs . Chicken or quail, a boiled egg, always home!

5. CARBON HYDRATES. You can turn your salad into a unique dish by adding a small proportion of carbohydrates. Remember, you know, we will always choose the whole grain versions or those whole grain cereals. To make them look good, we must watch over the cooking, an extra boiled cereal can spoil our salad. If you prefer, you can not add these carbohydrates and accompany your salad with a piece of whole wheat bread, you will be providing your portion in the same way.

• Rice There are brands with special rice for salads and garnishes, or you can also mix different types: black, wild, whole, flavored, etc. This will give color and variety to your salad.
• Tubers Cooked potato and sweet potato are the two main options.
• Pasta. The most used for salads are spirals or farfale (bows) but you can try any variety. Do not be fooled by those “vegetable” pasta that are colored, you will see when you read the label that they have everything except vegetables.
• Other cereals. You can also try other cereals such as quinoa, couscous, buckwheat, amaranth …

You can finish preparing your salads with any type of spice, aromatic herb or toppings such as seeds. Finally a good dressing and ready!

Sauteed

Any vegetable or sautéed vegetable is a good first. You can play with the different cuts: mirepoix, brunoise, juliana, planter … and try different combinations. Again you can play with the colors and always choose those of the season.

In the same way as with salads, you can complement your stir-fries with a protein part:

• Pulses . Chickpeas, lentils, beans … or legumes like soybeans, peas or beans. The first ones need more time to cook, soak overnight and boil for at least a couple of hours. Unless you buy them packaged, in which case you will have to wash them very well until all the foam disappears. The latter cook more quickly and if you buy them frozen, you will only have to defrost them.
• Derivatives of soybeans . Tofu or tempeh, for example.
• Raw or roasted nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews… any dried fruit works well in a stir fry.
• Shellfish  Cooked seafood is a great choice, a low-fat food rich in vitamins and minerals, such as iodine, potassium or magnesium. Buy it fresh and don’t take too long to cook it. You can cook it or grill it.
• White meats. It can be a good option to finish off the remains of the previous day. You can also cook them exclusively for your stir fry.
• Fish. Adding fish to your stir fry is an easy way to meet the necessary recommendations. You can use the leftovers from other food. Blue fish pairs better than white fish, but both are good options. Smoked and salted are less healthy but give it a different touch.
• Eggs . Chicken or quail, a boiled egg, always home!

You can finish your stir fry with seeds and aromatic herbs and spices. You can also add that carbohydrate and make a complete plate, just like with salads. Any ideas:

• Quinoa stir fry with pumpkin and peppers
• Green bean stir fry with cauliflower and carrot
• Sauteed wild rice with vegetables and chicken
• Sauteed chicken strips, peppers and onion
• Tuna diced stir-fry with zucchini and chives
• White bean stir fry with spinach and garlic
• Sauteed chard with chickpeas and garlic
• Sautéed broad beans with onion and ham
• Sauteed peas with onion and ham
• Buckwheat stir fry with vegetables and tofu
• Stir-fry vegetables and tofu

Boiled or cooked vegetables

Any vegetable boiled or steamed with salt and extra virgin olive oil is a good option, too. Sometimes in simplicity lies success. Some examples: green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, chard, spinach … The ideal complement to this dish is a boiled potato.

Baked Vegetables

Scalded type. The perfect dish and complement for any idea. It always combines ideal, even in a sandwich.

Vegetable patés

Like baba ganush, it is a different way of eating vegetables. You can eat them as a main dish with some crudités or with whole wheat toast.

Vegetable creams and soups

Any vegetable made soup or cream is delicious: asparagus, mushrooms, pumpkin, zucchini, spinach … you can use potatoes, nuts or breadcrumbs to thicken them.

Also, but more summer we have the gazpacho, salmorejo or white garlic.

Stuffed vegetables

It is a way to add the protein part and make a 2 × 1. Some stuffed mushrooms, some stuffed aubergines or zucchini are a unique dish that is easy and quick to prepare. You can fill them (in addition to more vegetables), with chicken, tuna, beef, tofu, tempeh …

In coca

The typical Mallorcan trampó coca, an empanada or some toast with vegetables are another different and tasty dish.

conclusion

You see that you have thousands of options, only with vegetables and all super healthy. In future posts we will see more ideas with cereals and proteins.