# Healthy Dinner Ideas! HELP!



## ANewCook (Jan 30, 2006)

Hello everyone. Once again i'm up asking for recipes. Being new to the cooking scene and inheriting my mother's knack for cooking nice fattening foods, My hubby has begged me to research out some more healthy ideas for dinner. We have a five year old so of course I must keep him in mind too. I've gained a bit of weight over the year or so and i'm ready to shed it, but still enjoy my nightly time with the family. Any ideas? I have one of the worst sweet tooth problems, too. My mother and I are so much alike!


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## Dina (Jan 30, 2006)

Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals are very healthy, low in fat and most of the time, low in carbs.  Check out her website for her recipes.  I've made about 5 of her recipes and they are tried and true delicious.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_tm


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## Dina (Jan 30, 2006)

P.S.  Juan-Carlos Cruz, "Calorie Commando", has some great healthy recipes as well.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_cv  I'll keep searching some more recipes for you.  What kind of foods do you prefer?


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## jkath (Jan 30, 2006)

A much healthier approach for dessert:
Peel & core a three apples (one for each of you). Set each in it's own bowl. (Dessert dish size). Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger on top of each. Inside the core, put a small amount of butter (like maybe 1 tsp). Drizzle a bit of lemon juice on top of each one. Microwave the dishes till the apples are pretty soft. If you MUST top it with something, try 1 Tbsp. of lite vanilla ice cream or 1 Tbsp of lite whipped cream.

Another quick alternative to dessert: cut up an assortment of fresh berries and serve with one or two small gingersnap cookies.


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## jkath (Jan 30, 2006)

Put a chicken or two into the crock pot, pour a cup of chicken broth over, and add a couple of Tbsp of lemon juice, and then a Tbsp or 2 of rubbed sage and a few shakes of pepper. Top with minced garlic. Add as many veggies as you'd like and cook on low 7 or 8 hours.


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## ANewCook (Jan 30, 2006)

Thanks for all your ideas!!! Really, we are open to any kind of food. The boys like Italian, but will try anything! So, i'm open to try a variety of things! Thanks for all your help, again.


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## luvs (Jan 30, 2006)

whole wheat pasta with veggies that you've sauteed in olive oil, (artichokes, zucchini, swt. onion, garlic, bell peppers, etc.)
bean soup, multigrain bread w/ a little butter or olive oil on it. if you keep the amount of sodium in check & avoid using bacon in it.
black beans, broiled/grilled chicken with lemon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder & ground sage. lemon on the plates to squeeze on during the meal and green veggies. 
fruit. whole grains when you they suit your meal.
broiled fish, grn. veggies, salads with lean meats and olive oil vinagrettes.
hummus on hearty bread. fat-free milk, yogurts, fruits, etc.


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## Piccolina (Jan 31, 2006)

Welcome to DC, ANewCook! 

Soup, base your soups on clear stocks (especially vegetable or tinned tomatoes), skip the cream and use an assortment of veggies. If you like creamy soups but want to scale back the fat content, puree vegetable soups such as pea, bean or sweet potato. They are lovely this way and much creamier than if left in whole pieces of vegetable.

One that I've been eating this month is a sort of very mock chilli. Take a can of tomato pork and beans (I use the kind without the actual pork), add a pinch of taco seasoning (like maybe 1/2-1 tsp), a little bit of chilli flakes and some green onions. I like to dip wholewheat or grainery bread into this and serve it with raw veggies.

Fruit and homemade low fat frozen yogurt are great desserts. I also find that dried fruit or vanilla rice milk can help to curb a craving for something much sweeter like chocolate cake.


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## urmaniac13 (Jan 31, 2006)

stir fry with lots of fresh vegetables are always a tasty, wholesome, satisfying option.
You can play with different type of vegetables, also with wild rice, rice noodles, or my recent favourite quinoa or amaranth.
For flavours you can also vary it, it is delicious with some indian(with garam masala, turmeric, cardamom, ginger etc.) or mexican(chili powder, cumin) touch, or italian herbs with a little tomato sauce etc.  There are so many ways to enjoy it!


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 31, 2006)

There is this wonderful thing called the glycemic index.  It shows the carbohydrate load of literally hundreds of foods on your body.  To many carbs stress your pancrease, increase fat production, and decrease body energy.  It can also result in type-II diabetes.  Too much red meat and fat also contribute to this fast growing condition.

A healthy diet doesn't leave you hungry, and will satisfy your craving for everything.  For instance, a moderate portion of meat (doesn't really matter whether it's fish, poultry, beef, lamb, pork, etc.), about 3 ounces, combined with a nutritions veggie (can be anything from a sweet potatoe, to squash, to cabbage, or leafy lettuce), some dairy (a glass of reduced-fat milk, cottage cheese, slices of good cheese, yogurt, etc), and a whole grain diner roll or slice of whole-grain bread, with our without butter, or olive oil, finishing up with a piece of cantaloupe or other fruit, will give you a ballanced and satisfying meal.

The key to good nutrition is deceptively simple.  Eat a bunch of different things, all in small amounts.  Eat inelligent portions, and prepare without a lot of extra fat or salt.  Use flavorings such as herbs and spices to add zest to the foods.

If you're cooking with cheese, use a sharp, strongly flavored variety so that you can use less and still achieve the flavor you want.  

Don't give up on things like chocolate, or cake, or pies (insert you favorite indulgent food here), but eat sparingly, and not all the time.

Lastly, move that body.  The more you move it, the healthier it will be.  And possibly the behavior that is more ignored than any other, or at least isn't in the limelight as much, get 7 to eight continuous hours of sleep every night, and on a regular schedule.  This will increase your mental alertness, allow your body to heal itself from everyday stresses, and boost your energy levels so that you can perform better in all aspects of your life.

Good health isn't a matter of following fads, or the South Beach Diet, or...
It's a matter of living intelligently, all the time.

And I won't preach that alcohol is bad (beer and other alcoholic drinks also place significant carbohydrate loads on your body), or that cigarettes kill.  Everyone knows that alcohol is a poison to the body.  Everyone knows the dangers of tobaco.  So use your own judgement and act accordingly.

Don't let food or life control you.  Choose the life you want and empower yourself to take control of your own future.  And believe prescious little of what advertisors are trying to sell you.  They want to make a profit, and will mislead you in order to do it.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## BigDog (Jan 31, 2006)

Goodweed is wise like the Buddha!  

My addition is to be careful and sensitive to how drastic your changes are to the rest of your family. I tried to do a 180 on a dime with my eating habits, and failed. What have I done? Slowly weaned (sp?) myself of soda/pop. I have one on occassion, but I'm pretty much a milk and water kinda guy, and maybe some fruit juice on occassion. Speaking of milk, I've slowly migratged myself to skim milk versus growing up on whole milk. I'll indulge in a whole milk drink on rare occassion (or even a Caribou Coffee Campfire Mocha with half & half!  ), and really don't have any quams with 2% or 1%, but I've learned to drink skim. The other step has been to cut down on the intake. I am a big eater, but I have been working on cutting my portions down from over-indulgence to being almost full. This has constituted in cutting my portions almost in half. 

Mind you, I'm not in great athletic shape, but I saw a friend of mine over the holidays I hadn't seen for a while, and he said I'd trimmed down quite a bit, and he guessed I lost some 20 pounds! Frankly, I don't know, but **** it felt good to hear!  

My point, before I ramble on more, is to keep an open mind as you go. Going from an unhealthy eating lifestyle to a healthier one can be tough. Be sensitive to your body as well as those you cook for regarding the transition of diet. Don't push yourself (or your family) too hard or too far. Realize that healthy food is going to taste different, arguably bland, until you learn some of the aforementioned methods of keeping flavorful cuisine while maintaining a healthy diet.

Best of luck from another in similar shoes, trying to live healthier!


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 1, 2006)

Big Dog, you definitely get karma for that last post.   And kudos to you for changing your own lifestyle.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Bugs (Feb 1, 2006)

how about a fruitplate


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## Constance (Feb 1, 2006)

Eat half what you usually would, and save the rest for lunch the next day.

Chew your food slowly and enjoy every bit...it will take less to fill you up.

Don't eat anything white...no white bread, white rice, white potatoes.

Drink skim milk.

Your total consumption of protein (meat) per day should be no larger than a pack of cigarettes. 

Trim fat from your diet as much as possible. 

Get up and walk.

Allow yourself a treat once in a while. Just don't get carried away.


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## Claire (Feb 5, 2006)

If you want to get a "creamy" texture to soups and sauces (but aren't supposed to have the dairy), add some instant mashed potato flakes to the liquid.  Ironic, isn't it?  I've always cooked healthy (it is the way I was raised), but "healthy" has come to mean different things over the years.  I started out trying to avoid cream because hubby had heart issues.  So went to using the potato flakes.  Now there's diabetes.  We're back to cream (OK, milk), because the diabetes is more likely to damage him than heart disease is.  Maybe we know a little too much.  I am honestly at the point where I think I'd rather die than have a life without good food.


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## Constance (Feb 5, 2006)

Claire, you can make a very decent white sauce with skim milk. It just takes a little longer to thicken.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 6, 2006)

Claire, my old freind, you can also use silken tofu to replace the cream or potato flakes as a thickening agent.  Just remember that it does have a flavor and so will need to be used with prudence.  

I have used it instead of a roux when making cream of mushroom soup.  The result was quite nice.  In addition, Soy milk makes a great substitute for milk and egg when making egg nog.  It is a touch thinner, but the flavor when mixed with Splenda and nutmeg in nearly identical to the original.

Try a little sliken tofu in fruit smoothies as well.  It's almost like drinking a fruit shake, epecially when banana is added for its creamy texture.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Yakuta (Feb 7, 2006)

I love your posts Goodweed, they are so informative and wise (as someone else stated )

Take babysteps and get rid of one thing at a time

Less refined sugar and more complex carbohydrates than simple.  For example instead of milk shakes, make a smoothie with skim milk and fruit without adding any sugar or as little as possible. Soda loaded with sugar should be first to go.  Fresh fruits should be offered as a dessert alternative to kids.  

Try and use healthy oils for cooking (olive, canola) rather than shortening, lard and other animal fat products.  It's a simple change and not much of a flavor difference but will certainly make you healthy.

Replace cream, butter and other high fat ingredients with fresh herbs and spices.  Remember no calories but a lot of flavor so you don't miss the fat. 

Reduce fried foods or eliminate them if possible from your diet.  Will not happen overnight but pan frying and baking are good options to consider


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## Caine (Feb 8, 2006)

I'm sorry, but the glycemic index is so screwed up that it is almost totally useless. It is based on the idea of the consumption of one particular food item raising the blood sugar level a certain amount compared to the ingestion of pure sugar. Unfortunately you very seldom sit down and gorge yourself on one food item. You normally ingest carbohydrates, proteins, and fats together when you eat a meal, which renders the glycemic index of each individual food item useless. Proteins, fats and, especially, fiber slow down the absorption of the sugars into which carbohydrates are broken down in the digestive tract.

Now, if you want some really good, reasonable recipes that maintain an excellent balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, emphasizing the good fats and good carbohydrates, get yourself a subscription to Cooking Light magazine. If you go to the  COOKING LIGHT web site, you can get two free trial issues. I am not only a multi-year subscriber, but I have given gift subscriptions to at least 6 friends, and they have all chosen to re-subscribe.


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