I am trying to post this as part of Lindsay's FoodIsFuel Friday... we'll see how it works.
I am one of those people who could eat the same thing over and over and over and not really tire of it. My hubby however is not one of those people. He loves different flavours and trying new things. He does cook, especially on his days off. Sometimes he even meal plans, he often does the grocery shopping and always does the dishes. So I really don't have to think about it that much. But I feel like I should.
Before kids we were eating a lot of pasta and not a lot of veggies. We both recognized that there was not a whole lot of nutritional content in what we were making so we went to Chapters and bought the ZONE by Barry Sears. I read the science and have heard about it in the media and I ate it for 3 months. I have never felt so well in my life. No headaches, no real cravings, lost weight easily even though we were exercising 5 days a week at that time and didn't have much to loose. I still to this day think it is the healthiest way to eat.
But wow is it a lot of work. EVERYTHING is from scratch. Healthy but tedious. Everything is also measured as it is based on a ratio of 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbs (new research on that).
Yes it works, but for me it is not a long term solution - I just don't want to spend hours every day doing food prep.
As time has gone on I have kept a few general principals from the ZONE. Namely protein with every meal, carbs mostly from veggies or low glycemic sources. And healthy fats with every meal (olive oil, nuts, etc). I usually only drink water although when I started recording it I noticed I almost never drink the recommended 8 glasses a day. I don't do this all the time but I do keep it in mind.
One day I came across a blog called Kalyn's Kitchen. She is a foodie. She makes recipes that are yummy and creative. She also follows the South Beach Diet which is fairly similar to the Zone. Healthy fats, low glycemic carbs and more protein. I am in love. Her meals are delicious and healthy, my hubby likes the different flavours and she has a huge selection of recipes for me to search. Did I mention easy to make and the kids like it? Ya, that's what makes it great. The kids like it, they eat it!
One of my favorite of her meals is turkey meatballs. My kids don't like red sauce (well two of them don't really like it) but we make these turkey meatballs and usually steamed veggies and fruit. Yummy. Ok, I do let them dip it in ketchup, but the meatballs are so good they usually just eat them plain!
See the meatballs in the middle at the bottom? Yum.
I made a whole batch up from a mega pack of ground turkey from Costco and froze them all ready for cooking. There ya go. My fast meal idea that is healthy, real food and a family pleaser. What more could you ask for?
Turkey Meatball recipe here.
That looks SO good I want to eat it!
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