How to Create Healthy Meal Plans

By Ruthie Chant

Do you want your husband to lose weight? Or do you want the family to adopt a better, healthier lifestyle? You have to begin by creating some healthy meal plans. It is best to make about 4-5 meal plans and then to rotate them so that you can get a lot of variety in your meals. Here are some tips for meal plans that are healthy for your family:

1. When you make healthy meal plans, make sure of one thing: breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day, and it is also the most ignored one. Take care that your family eats a healthy breakfast. You can include healthy cereals, sprouts, fresh fruits and juices in the breakfast. It is best to have three meals a day and two snacks between them. Eating more might sound unhealthy, but eating smaller portions more often is actually healthier. It increases metabolism and burns more fat. Plus it reduces the tendency to eat out in the evening.

2. Make sure you include some carbohydrates in healthy meal plans. Though most people think that carbs are bad, but your body needs some of them to function properly. You need some energy to operate, and carbohydrates are the source of that energy. You can select whole wheat options like bagel, waffles, or toasts. Also, if you have growing kids, make sure you include calcium in your breakfast. It is good for women as well. Have a small glass of skimmed milk or a cup of yogurt. Include eggs in breakfast as they are an excellent source of protein.

3. For the first snack, pick something light and small. But it should be satisfying so that it keeps your family full till lunch. You can have nuts for energy, but try to avoid fattening ones (like cashews). You can pick almonds and walnuts instead. Also, low sugar flavored water would be a good addition. Then for lunch, include protein rich diet, like tofu burger, vegetables and fruits. You can also have shredded cheese along with baby spinach leaves and a tomato slice.

4. For the second snack of the day, include a couple of fruits. You can also give them some cheddar slices. And if they crave salt, pack some mini pretzels. Plan the dinner to be light since they are going to sleep after it. You can have some fruits, salad, and a light protein dish. There should be at least a one-hour gap between eating and sleeping. This way your body will digest the food easily, and you can have better sleep.

When you prepare healthy meal plans, make sure you prepare enough servings for each food group. Rotate your menus so that your family doesn't complain of lack of variety.

Ruthie began her meal planning journey in 2005 with the birth of her first child. Since then, the self-confessed kitchen problem-solver has worked hard to piece together hundreds of fresh recipes, countless time saving tips and delicious, budget friendly healthy meal plans.The result is a membership site packed full of these things and more - online meal planning.com

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Cooking Healthy - It's Easier Than You Think

By Jeremy Raglin

Are you interested in cooking healthy meals for your family? You're making a smart choice.

This article will provide you with several tips that you can use to start creating healthier meals for your family.

One of the misconceptions about cooking healthy that almost everyone I've talked with is cooking healthy is expensive and isn't always affordable especially if your family lives on a budget like my family does.

Here are five tips to help you cook healthier and without breaking your budget.

Tip 1 - Spend at least one hour before your next trip to the super market and plan out meals for the next one to two weeks. Each meal should incorporate a fruit and a vegetable in it so everyone in your family meets a quota of having at least 4 fruits and 4 vegetables in their diet every day.
Your shopping cart should also include plenty of whole grains, fish, poultry and beans to round out a balanced diet for your family.
If you have questions about what foods make up a balanced, healthy diet you should download the food pyramid. Just go to Google, type in food pyramid and there are plenty of websites to download it from and also plenty of other healthy cooking ideas as well.

Tip 2 - Start baking and creating your own snacks instead of buying them. Most people learn how to bake when they are children but lose the interest in baking as they get older because it's easier t to buy foods that are already pre-made. When you bake your own snacks you can avoid adding the sugars, preservatives, fats and other unhealthy ingredients that are found in store bought foods.
Baking doesn't take a lot of time either and if you plan your meals right you can always have a supply of home made healthy snacks whenever you want.

Tip 3 - Start grilling more or broiling. These methods both require direct exposure of food to heat and will allow fat to drip away from your food.

Tip 4 - Steaming - This is one of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables because only a small amount of nutrients are removed from the food compared to other forms of cooking.

Tip 5 - Start using herbs and spices. Many people don't think about using herbs and spices when they cook other than just adding a little salt and pepper and they are missing out on a whole new world of flavor that can be added to their meals. If you don't have any herbs and spices in your home you should invest in a basic spice rack because adding spices and herbs will add more flavor to your meals and also help to improve your families health as well.

When using herbs and spices in your meals you should always try and add bright colored herbs and spices last part of the cooking so you don't over cook them and sap them of their important nutrients and flavors that they will add to your meal.
Don't give up on the idea of cooking healthy. It just takes a little more effort but in the end it's totally worth it.

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Healthy Cooking Basics

By Vinnie Reynolds Cooking healthy meals doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, by learning some basic techniques, you can prepare healthy and delicious meals for your family without spending much on cookware. There are actually lots of healthy cooking techniques that allow you to cut back on calories and unhealthy fats. Most of these methods are effective and helps you capture the taste you want without compromising on nutrient contents. Baking is one of these methods. It's pretty simple and it's the first cooking technique most women learn. Aside from cookies, breads and other desserts, you can also bake lean meat and seafood. You can even bake fruits and vegetables. The good thing about baking is that you won't have to add fat to the food you are preparing. Another method you can make use of is grilling or broiling. These cooking techniques both require direct exposure of food to heat. For grilling, you can either use live charcoals or gas heated rocks. Broiling on the other hand is a fast way for cooking meat. Both of these cooking methods allow fat to drip away from your food. Perhaps the simplest form of preparing food is steaming. It's a healthy cooking method and can be used for any kind of food. If you're health conscious, this is the method that's best for you since it doesn't require oil for cooking. What's more, only a small amount of nutrients is removed from food when steaming in contrast to other forms of cooking. Make it a habit of using herbs and spices when preparing meals. It is one way of adding color and aroma aside from taste to your food and you can be sure 100% of the time that you are providing nutritious food for the family. Always pick bright colored herbs and make sure to add them at the last part of the cooking so as not to overcook them and sap them of their important nutrients. If you come to think of it, there are hundreds of ways you can prepare healthy meals at home. Again, they don't have to be expensive at all. As long as you have the right cooking equipments and the right ingredients, you can always provide nutritious mouth-watering food for your family. Vinnie Reynolds is an expert writer about home improvement topics. He recently published his latest reviews on kitchen island designs and the kitchen island bar here. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vinnie_Reynolds Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5630081

Healthy Cooking Tips

By Carole S. Guinane
More and more, Americans are avoiding the kitchen and relying on the convenient yet fattening fare offered at fast food restaurants and other national chains. While most people are aware that cooking at home is an effective way to save money, many of us ignore the fact that preparing our own meals can be beneficial to our health, as well. When taking steps to prepare meals in the healthiest possible way, you can not only develop a healthy relationship with food, but also probably have a little fun in the process. Most importantly for patients of weight-loss surgery, learning to prepare healthy meals is one of the biggest steps towards meeting long-term weight loss goals and maintaining healthy eating habits. The following tips represent just a sample of the many ways you can make the meals you prepare as healthy as possible.

Remove the Skin and Fat

Whenever you prepare chicken or any other type of meat, you should remove the skin and fat before cooking. Not only will you leave yourself the best-tasting portions, you will be able to avoid plenty of unwanted calories and unhealthy fat.

Cut the Oil in Half

If you prepare your meals from cookbooks or family recipes, add only half the amount of oil listed - or less - to all of your dishes. Though many cooking oils - such as olive, safflower, sesame and canola - contain unsaturated fats that can help lower cholesterol levels, these additives can also pack plenty of calories that can jeopardize your weight loss goals. If you consume these oils in moderation, you will be able to obtain the healthy benefits, retain the taste of your meals and stick to your weight loss goals.

Coat Your Pans with Cooking Spray or Chicken Broth

One of the easiest ways to avoid excess consumption of such cooking oils is to use cooking sprays and chicken broth instead. When sautéing meat or vegetables on the stovetop, coat your pans with a fat-free cooking spray or healthy chicken broth instead of traditional oils. Once you perfect the simple art of healthy sautéing, you will be able to enjoy meals that are not only healthier, but more delicious.

Pour in Skim Milk Instead of Cream

Much like the suggestion to substitute cooking sprays for oils, using skim milk - especially the evaporated variety for weight loss-surgery patients - instead of whole cream can help you trim fat and calories from your meals. People may also be surprised to hear that buttermilk is also naturally low in fat and is available in low fat and non-fat versions in some markets. When shopping for dairy products, you should also stock up on low-fat yogurt to use in lieu of sour cream or mayonnaise and low-fat cheese instead of the standard variety. Thick, creamy fat free or low fat Greek Yogurt serves as a delicious replacement as well.

Use Applesauce in Your Baked Goods

For all of your baked goods recipes, substitute applesauce for any type of cooking oil. However, you should definitely try to limit your consumption of baked goods, especially pastries that incorporate large amounts of sugar.

Cook with Fresh Spices

Rather than dousing your meals with unhealthy amounts of salt, you should also try to learn the art of cooking with fresh spices. Not only will spices add an incredible amount of flavor to your meals, you can season your food without worrying about the potentially dangerous effects of salt. However, be careful of packaged seasoning mixes as many contain excessive amounts of salt, destroying the benefit of using different spices.

Find Healthy Ways to Prepare Your Meals

Even if you follow all of the previous tips, using the wrong cooking methods can ruin the healthy benefits of your meals. As a result, you should avoid such cooking methods as frying. Instead, try steaming your vegetables and cooking your meats on a grill or in the oven. Your microwave also represents a healthy solution, as most foods can be cooked thoroughly without the use of oils or fatty cooking additives.

As you perfect the methods of healthy cooking, you should also try to enjoy the entire process of cooking - from the simple activities to the aromas. You may even want to purchase new pots, pans, utensils or cooking appliances to help you make the most of your healthy meals. Eating should be a relaxing experience and allowing yourself to enjoy cooking will help you develop a healthy lifelong relationship with food. Many people find success by making it a family activity to teach their children how to shop, cook and eat healthy.

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Become A Super-Chef Yourself - Watch Healthy Cooking Demos

By Abhishek Agarwal
If you are keen on learning the basics or even advanced cooking recipes created by professional chefs, the best and simplest way to ensure your practical education in this field of the culinary arts is by viewing healthy cooking demos! At times, many get confused with the instructions given in cookbook or the language is not something familiar to regular use besides the lack of visual and audio sync that cookery shows offers, which makes the viewing and learning an easy and enjoyable process for the beginner cook! Probably the reason why the picture's worth is considered equal to a thousand words and therefore the popularity of tuning in to healthy cooking demos is increasing too!

Well, that said, what is left to do is watching healthy cooking demos; you have a choice of renting a show, attending one or buying a healthy cooking demo version you like. At times, an expert cook you admire may be visiting and you can get to learn their techniques and secret recipes first-hand by attending the show. Those with more cooking experience can consider sharing their wealth of knowledge in a specialized cuisine area by holding healthy cooking demos in their locality besides benefiting from making additional income out of it!

However, if you are smart and have the time, you can search for free healthy cooking demos that are also available with a bit of effort; some resources for these free of charge shows are at vendor expos and exhibition of cookware products. The advantage here is you learn about the various types of utensils and appliances used for top class healthy cooking and also get to pick up new and varied recipes! By watching healthy cooking demos, you stand a better chance of learning how to use a new cookware product or tool along with picking up meal-planning and preparation tips.

Besides the above mentioned advantages to viewing healthy cooking demos, the scope for recording these and viewing them at leisure further enable a student-cook to understand an expert chef's method and techniques for preparing and presenting exotic or regular food, which is in-depth study at your convenience. Even the live cooking demos enable you to record or play-back certain segments while pre-recorded tapes in the market are an anytime cooking aid for those keen to try the same dish demonstrated by the chef at home. Some feel it's like having a personal cook teaching professionally the culinary arts we love to indulge in.

Thus, one finds that by paying attention to the methods and approaches to healthy cooking, demos and online shows can provide loads of useful information on cooking methods and recipe ideas for the learner besides boosting menu choices for you as each chef has a personal way of demonstrating the same recipe, bringing their personal touch to the dish.

Abhishek is a cooking enthusiast! Visit his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com and download his FREE Cooking Report "Master Chef Secrets" and learn some amazing Cooking tips and tricks for FREE! Learn how to create the perfect meal on a shoe-string budget. And yes, you get to keep all the accolades! But hurry, only limited Free copies available! http://www.Cooking-Guru.com

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Healthy Cooking For A Healthier You

By Juzaily Ramli
You love to cook, and you love to eat. But you feel like you're not doing it right. Somehow you know you need to change the way you cook. You eat and you gain weight. Yet there are others out there who eat such lavish dishes yet never seem to put on the pounds. You need to learn the secrets of healthy cooking. Don't fret, you can learn these easy healthy cooking techniques and cook you way to a better diet, better health and a better life.

It is relatively easy to find healthy cooking techniques which you can apply to your daily life. Just look it up on the internet, and you will find hundreds. Look at books and videos, and you will find even more techniques for cooking healthy. Just remember that cooking healthy is simple and will not alter your life. One of the most immediate technique that you can use is as easy as replacing your salad dressing. Instead of the usual high-calorie fattening salad dressings, opt for low-fat or non-fat dressings available readily in the market. This basic change will assist in reducing your intake of calories. Many of us would think that eating salads would be a healthier choice compared to say a burger. However keep in mind that if we drench our salad with the fattening dressing, our salad will contain more calories than that burger!

Hey, those low-fat and non-fat dressing tastes funny, you say. Or they are tasteless. Well, this doesn't have to be so. Another option is to have salsa, which packs a punch. Salsa is a fantastic alternative to fattening salad dressings. The appetizing salsa can help dress up any dish you have. Instead of salsa, you can also choose marinade. These no fat low calorie marinades instantly add a burst of flavor. Or you could have some mustard mixed with some soy sauce. This homemade dressing is simply delicious. Be creative and bold and try out new recipes.

If you're a meat eater and love cooking meat, you can have ground beef or turkey as alternatives to a healthier diet. One healthy cooking technique that you can try is to basically cook the meat and once that is done, to use a spatula to hold the meat in place while you drain off the excess oil and fat. Once you drain off all the unnecessary oil and fat, you can now enjoy your meat without the excessive fat content and calories. Your food will taste lots better and you will not be dragged down by the lethargic feeling you'd normally get from eating a greasy, fattening meal.

Healthy cooking techniques when put to use can improve your diet, your health and your life. And if you cook for others, you will be giving them the great gift of these advantages too! You will be in for a great surprise when you realize how easy it is to utilize these healthy cooking techniques in your everyday diet, and make room for a healthier you. If you're a meat eater and love cooking meat, you can have ground beef or turkey as alternatives to a healthier diet. One healthy cooking technique that you can try is to basically cook the meat and once that is done, use a spatula to hold the meat in place while you drain off the excess oil and fat. Once you drain off all the unnecessary oil and fat, you can now enjoy your meat without the excessive fat content and calories. Your food will taste lots better and you will not be dragged down by the lethargic feeling you'd normally get from eating a greasy, fattening meal.

Healthy cooking techniques when put to use can improve your diet, your health and your life. And if you cook for others, you will be giving them the great gift of these advantages too! You will be in for a great surprise when you realize how easy it is to utilize these healthy cooking techniques in your everyday diet, and make room for a healthier you.

If you've never really bothered about what you eat, it's time that you should consider eating healthy. Juzaily Ramli and his wife share tips and guide on healthy cooking recipes and vegetarian cooking for everyone

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