The Gardener
Senior Member
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What do you all think are good food items and choices for a daily diet?
As for myself, here is my philosophy:
I try to center my dinner meals around lean meats, whole grains, and greens. For my meats, I usually eat chicken, pork, salmon, and turkey. I try to bake all of my meats, and try to avoid pan frying them.
Chicken is great, very versatile, is good diced up and tossed into a curry base to simmer for a half hour or so, or can be marinated any number of ways, or dry rub seasonings can be applied and then baked in the oven. Salmon is not nearly as versatile, but I try to eat it once or twice a week with some lemon and dill, or sometimes teriyaki, or sometimes a cajun dry rub. Turkey cutlets can get dry when cooking them, if I have to pan fry a meat for the sake of menu variety, I'll do it with turkey. I have baked turkey, but do so either with a sage dry rub, or you can literally bake it in a pyrex with a layer of turkey gravy over it (turkey gravy is inherently low in fat), which helps keep in moist. I've also seared turkey in a saucepan, then tossed it in the oven to finish it. Deglaze the saucepan with white wine, add in some broth and some crushed peppercorns, sage or poultry seasoning, and cook it down to a gravy while the lean cutlets bake to completion in the oven.
As for the carb portion of my diet, I try to stick to whole grains as much as I can. I have almost completely converted over to brown rice for all rice dishes. It's good boiled in chicken broth, and for an extra touch you can slice up some green onion, mushroom, and a dash of curry or sage and let it all cook up together in sort of a brown rice pilaf. Brown rice contains more complex carbs than does white rice, and more fiber!
Another great whole grain is Quinoa. It's different... very small "balls" that have kind of a nutty, almost teriyaki-like flavor in and of themselves. Needless to say it goes well with teriyaki chicken, and it's very filling. Just a third cup of the stuff can really fill you up. As it is a whole grain, it has a more complex carbohydrate, and it is also higher in protein than rice is, for instance.
Spelt is one of my favorite whole grains, and is VERY healthy for you. Like Quinoa, it's fairly high in protein for a grain, and also high in fiber. However, Spelt has a more familiar texture, its kind of like a more chewy form of Risotto, and has a very mild nutty flavor that I love. Very versatile, you can season it to match most any dish, and it cooks quickly.
Lastly, one of my favorite carb side dishes is the Lentil. Lentils are GREAT because they are cheap, they are loaded with fiber, loaded with protein, and loaded with high quality carbohydrates. They now have "quick cooking" lentils that are prepared just as you would a serving of rice... you just pour in, say, a half cup of lentils.. then a cup and a half of water, bring to a boil and then let it simmer. 20-30 minutes later you will have a delicious pan full of lentils, ready to be served alongside a chicken breast or whatever protein you are serving. They are GREAT seasoned with some salt, pepper, and cumin. While I cook them, I'll often add in some cumin, some chopped onion, some garlic, and half a bay leaf and they turn out delicious. DON'T add salt to the water while cooking them, as salt will make the lentils' skin tough. Wait until after they are cooked, drizzle a little olive oil over them, then perhaps a few dashes of rock salt, and fold it all together. DELICIOUS and very nutritious.
Any of you have any thoughts, suggestions, ideas for meals? What are your favorite healthy tips?
As for myself, here is my philosophy:
I try to center my dinner meals around lean meats, whole grains, and greens. For my meats, I usually eat chicken, pork, salmon, and turkey. I try to bake all of my meats, and try to avoid pan frying them.
Chicken is great, very versatile, is good diced up and tossed into a curry base to simmer for a half hour or so, or can be marinated any number of ways, or dry rub seasonings can be applied and then baked in the oven. Salmon is not nearly as versatile, but I try to eat it once or twice a week with some lemon and dill, or sometimes teriyaki, or sometimes a cajun dry rub. Turkey cutlets can get dry when cooking them, if I have to pan fry a meat for the sake of menu variety, I'll do it with turkey. I have baked turkey, but do so either with a sage dry rub, or you can literally bake it in a pyrex with a layer of turkey gravy over it (turkey gravy is inherently low in fat), which helps keep in moist. I've also seared turkey in a saucepan, then tossed it in the oven to finish it. Deglaze the saucepan with white wine, add in some broth and some crushed peppercorns, sage or poultry seasoning, and cook it down to a gravy while the lean cutlets bake to completion in the oven.
As for the carb portion of my diet, I try to stick to whole grains as much as I can. I have almost completely converted over to brown rice for all rice dishes. It's good boiled in chicken broth, and for an extra touch you can slice up some green onion, mushroom, and a dash of curry or sage and let it all cook up together in sort of a brown rice pilaf. Brown rice contains more complex carbs than does white rice, and more fiber!
Another great whole grain is Quinoa. It's different... very small "balls" that have kind of a nutty, almost teriyaki-like flavor in and of themselves. Needless to say it goes well with teriyaki chicken, and it's very filling. Just a third cup of the stuff can really fill you up. As it is a whole grain, it has a more complex carbohydrate, and it is also higher in protein than rice is, for instance.
Spelt is one of my favorite whole grains, and is VERY healthy for you. Like Quinoa, it's fairly high in protein for a grain, and also high in fiber. However, Spelt has a more familiar texture, its kind of like a more chewy form of Risotto, and has a very mild nutty flavor that I love. Very versatile, you can season it to match most any dish, and it cooks quickly.
Lastly, one of my favorite carb side dishes is the Lentil. Lentils are GREAT because they are cheap, they are loaded with fiber, loaded with protein, and loaded with high quality carbohydrates. They now have "quick cooking" lentils that are prepared just as you would a serving of rice... you just pour in, say, a half cup of lentils.. then a cup and a half of water, bring to a boil and then let it simmer. 20-30 minutes later you will have a delicious pan full of lentils, ready to be served alongside a chicken breast or whatever protein you are serving. They are GREAT seasoned with some salt, pepper, and cumin. While I cook them, I'll often add in some cumin, some chopped onion, some garlic, and half a bay leaf and they turn out delicious. DON'T add salt to the water while cooking them, as salt will make the lentils' skin tough. Wait until after they are cooked, drizzle a little olive oil over them, then perhaps a few dashes of rock salt, and fold it all together. DELICIOUS and very nutritious.
Any of you have any thoughts, suggestions, ideas for meals? What are your favorite healthy tips?
