Since I am a newlywed, my husband and I are being mindful to create healthy meals and habits that we plan to continue throughout our lives together. Thankfully, he is Italian and also shares with me the love of cooking healthy meals!
We try to go to a local farmer’s market every week to get our produce for the week (one of my fave parts about living in California- there’s a market on every corner!) We usually spend around $35- $40 each week JUST on produce…and that’s great for us since we eat a plant-based diet. My goal every day is to eat the recommended 2 cups of veggies a day at least!
We aren’t super creative all the time, our only goal is to be simple and healthy. The picture above is a meal we made together last week. It was a simple baked salmon seasoned with lemon and pepper, baked sweet potato chips, boiled corn, and a chopped veggie salad which we pour a little balsamic over.
It’s plant based… 75% of the meal is coming from plant sources. This means that 75% of the meal is cholesterol-free since cholesterol is only found in foods coming from animals and it is high in fiber. This meal is also diabetes-friendly since it contains a low fat protein (salmon) with approximately 45 grams of carbohydrates coming from the corn on the cob (30 grams) and 1/2 cup of sweet potatoes (15 grams).
Ready in less than 15 minutes, can you beat it? What about you…what’s your simple, go-to healthy meal?
Great post Lori! I love making sweet potato fries as well.
One of my favorite meals is a beans/greens/quinoa mixture. Start with a rinsed can of black beans heated up in a pot with 1/3-1/2 jar tomato sauce. Sautee onions, garlic, and optional zucchini, and then add to the pot. Near the end of the heating process, add A LOT of kale or spinach. With only a few minutes left, dump in whatever amount of quinoa results from cooking 1 dry cup of it (maybe 2 cups?). Season with Indian spices, or stick with traditional herbs, maybe a shot of Braggs liquid aminos, and top with a good non-dairy cheese like Daiya. It’s super filling and delish!
Plant-based eating has dramatically improved my health/life in the past couple years. I’m glad that you are spreading the word. Great work!