Cooking meals at home is one of the best things you might do for your health.
Having this kind of control of all the ingredients gives you freedom and peace of mind.
Eat cauliflower rice or zoodles.
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“Swapping in the vegetables cuts back on the calories, but allows you to actually eat more!
So, fewer calories for more volume and nutrientsit’s a win-win!”
Lean on frozen vegetables.
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Another benefit of choosing frozen over fresh?
Make your oatmeal with milk.
Because of this, Goodson suggests using milk instead of water when you’re cooking your oatmeal.
“Not to mention it helps make oatmeal more creamy and satisfying.”
Use cottage cheese.
Cottage cheese can be usedin more ways than most people realizeincluding recipes for creamy, homemadeice cream.
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Add chocolate collagen powder to your energy bites.
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Cook extra grains.
Sometimes healthy eating is about being prepared and planning ahead.
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“Allow your surplus to cool completely and place it in a freezer-friendly container.
Use your pre-cooked grains on a busy weeknight when you need a boost of whole grains.”
Swap out sour cream and cream cheese for Greek yogurt.
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You’ll also get the added benefit of probiotics to your appetizer spread."
Use 100% juice as a marinade ingredient.
Roast your entire dinner on one sheet pan.
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There are a few ways to throw a weeknight meal together.
It’s a win-win.
Add water to a pasta jar.
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Then pour it back in.
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Saute your spinach.
Boiling tends to have the harshest effect on the nutrients in spinach.
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Make open-faced sandwiches.
But since a bottom slice can hold everything sufficiently, why even bother with the top half?
Did you knowpotatoesare one of the best appetite suppressants?
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But that doesn’t mean you’re able to’t enjoy fries!
Double-up on veggies.
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you’re only stuck with boring salads.
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The trick is to pair your meals with lots of filling vegetables to round out the meal.
Pile your favorite vegetable toppings on pizza and burgers.
Toss together a serving of pasta with your favorite roasted vegetables.
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Make a roux for cream-based dishes.
until the sauce gets thick.
Add in a bit of cheese, and voila!
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The perfect cream sauce.
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Serve meals with a side of greens.
An easy way to portion control is to fill half your plate with a simple side of greens.
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Fill half your plate with greens and the other half with your dish, and voila!
Easy portion control that you didn’t have to think too hard about.
Add chia seeds.
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Make your own granola.
Not only is granola absurdly expensive at the store, but most bags are loaded with added sugars.
you could avoid both altogether by simply making your own granola at home.
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Here’s aneasy granola recipeyou can try.
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Swap with whole-grain products.
Heat frozen berries for an easy jam.
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Who doesn’t love a good PB&J?
Instead, add 1/2 cup of berries to a saucepan and heat it until the berries are broken down.
Add the heated berries to your slice of toast with peanut butter, and there you have it!
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A healthier PB&J.
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Bake with oat flour.
To make it, all you have to do is blend up rolled-cut oats!
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Try it in some of your favorite recipes, or even test out ourZucchini Bread recipe.
Freeze fruit and kale for easy smoothies.
Do you have fruit going bad in the fridge?
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Before it’s completely gone for good, freeze it for later!
Top salads and oats with sliced almonds, not whole.
Nuts are a great topping for all kinds of dishessalads and oats especially.
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But if you’re not careful, the calories can add up quickly.
Instead, buy a container of sliced almonds.
With the sliced almonds, you get more opportunities for crunch compared to the whole.
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Leave the skins on.
Why peel potatoes, carrots, or even apples when the skins give you a significant amount of nutrients?
Microwave garlic for 7 seconds.
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Peeling garlicis one of the most inconvenient steps when making a recipe with garlic in it.
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Add a splash of milk to scrambled eggs.
Fluffy scrambled eggs are easier to make than you think!
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However, you don’t need to drown your eggs in cream and cheese to get there.
Instead, simply add a splash of milk with two cracked eggs in a bowl.
Whisk to combine, then cook on the pan with just a small amount of butter.
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Continuously stir with a rubber spatula until the eggs are just about cooked, then remove from the pan.
Thicken sauces with pasta water.
Instead, use up a bit of the pasta water that your pasta is cooking in.
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Splash a tablespoon (or two) into the pan with your sauce and stir.
It will naturally thicken.
Cook shrimp with shells on.
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The last thing you probably want to eat is dried-out shrimpespecially after paying a good price to get them!
Let pancake batter sit for 15 minutes.
Most pancake recipes call for you to put in baking powder, which is a leavening agent.
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The baking powder is the key trick to making a fluffy pancake versus a flat pancake.
), leave it for 15 minutes while you get your pan and your toppings ready.
A previous version of this story was published on August 25, 2020.
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It has been fact-checked and updated to include additional copy.
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