Everyone knows that the holidays are synonymous with excess. If you want to get back to healthier habits, check out our tips and tricks for creating nutritious and delicious meals.
Home-cooked meals boast loads of benefits!
The key to saving money? Making home-cooked meals as often as possible! Fast-food and takeout meals are more expensive and often contain more fat and sodium than home-cooked ones. Not to mention the portions, which are significantly more than one person needs. So, it comes as no surprise that making your own dishes from scratch is good for your health . . . and your wallet.
Tastier
When you prepare homemade meals, you tend to use top-quality ingredients, and that adds a ton of flavour to your dish. Have you ever noticed that the taste of your homemade lasagna is way better than any store-bought lasagna?
Healthier
Making your own meals also allows you to control the amount of added sugar and salt. For example, you can replace a portion of a recipe’s sugar with natural aromas and spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla and almond extract. Diced fresh fruit or compote are also great sugar substitutes, as are dried fruit like cranberries and apricots.
Helps you unwind
Cooking doesn’t need to be a chore! By carving out a few hours in the kitchen each week, you can transform the activity into a relaxing and meditative experience. Make sure to have all the ingredients on hand, put on some music, and get ready to unwind.
Baking sheets for the win!
In January, it’s time to say goodbye to heavy meals and hello to vegetables! One of the best ways to cook veggies is on a baking sheet. Try it once and you’ll never want to make them any other way!
The benefits
This method of cooking lets you create healthy and delicious meals! All you need is a very small of amount of oil and you’ll get beautifully caramelized veggies that are bursting with flavour. Plus, it’s quick and simple!
Cooking instructions
Cooking your vegetables on a baking sheet is easy, as long as you apply a few basic principles. First, start by lining your baking sheet with parchment paper (this will prevent your vegetables from sticking). Next, place your veggies on the sheet and drizzle with a little oil. And finally, make sure to chop your vegetables into same-size pieces, to ensure they cook evenly.
Perfect pairings
For optimal results, we recommend combining vegetables and proteins with similar cooking times. For example, serve your fish with asparagus or zucchini. Making chicken? Serve it with root veggies that require a longer cooking time. Follow these tips and your meal prep will be quick and simple!
Healthy school snacks
Hummus and veggies
Homemade hummus is way more flavourful than store-bought hummus! Simply place a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas in your food processor, add lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, and the seasoning of your choice, and puree until smooth.
Oatmeal cookies
Want to make your cookies more nutritious? Add some dried fruit and replace half the white flour with whole-wheat flour.
Zucchini muffins
Sneak in some extra vegetables by adding grated zucchini to your muffins. Your kids will never know. Plus, the zucchini makes the muffins even more moist!
With a bit of planning, you can eat healthier all year-round, without sacrificing flavour or fun!
