I think it’s important to experiment a little when it comes to cooking. If you can have a few staple meals plus a few experiments in your cooking arsenal, life is easier. I think the main problems with “not-so-perfect” eating occur because you either didn’t plan ahead, or you tried to plan, but just didn’t know what to cook. That’s the danger zone. When you come home after a long day at work and you’re famished, it’s much easier to reach for a processed snack, cookie, or some sort of junk food, than to plan and cook a meal.
So, I like to have a few meals that are “regulars” on our weekly menu. But, during the summer, I feel like it’s also a great time to start getting creative. With so many delicious fruits and vegetable at the local Farmers’ Markets in town, it’s easy to pick up some veggies you might not usually eat. For example, it’s the season for eggplant right now where I live. So, I bought eggplant … and now comes the hard part. What do I do with it?
This is when you pull out those handy recipes you’ve been collecting all year. It’s time to branch out! So, tonight’s menu is a veggie lasagna but without the pasta. I’m using slices of zucchini, eggplant and yellow squash as the “noodles”. Then I’m going to make the filling with ground turkey, low fat cottage cheese, ricotta, fire roasted tomatoes, and low fat cheddar. I thought this would be a nice way to try out a super low carb dinner. I’m getting hungry already!
So, the bottom line isn’t that you’ve got to be some kind of fabulous chef. The idea is to keep an eye out for great recipes as you go through your day, so that when the time comes to be gourmet, you’ve got something up your sleeve. Eating clean and healthy doesn’t have to be boring. You can make it fun by trying out new recipes here and there. You can put the recipes you like “into rotation” and things that didn’t turn out quite so well can fall by the wayside.
Get creative by replacing processed versions of your foods with healthier homemade alternatives. You’ll be surprised at some of the delicious meals you come up with!