My Healthy Cooking Greatest Hits Mixtape

Healthy cooking is often seen as a daunting task, so I compiled my greatest hits to give you the confidence to become a total healthy cooking rockstar. These are my absolute fave, go-to ways to lighten up recipes, make healthy food taste amazing, and make healthy cooking easier. 

Veg It Up!

Adding veggies to everything is the single easiest way to eat healthier. Here are my biggest veggie tips.

• Prepare as soon as you buy, that way, you remember to cook or eat them and don’t have that sad slimy salad science project going on at the end of the week. At every meal opportunity – ask, could I plop my egg on top of some leftover roasted or sauteed veggies? Add extra chopped veggies to my tuna or chicken salad? Swap in part veggie for other things in meal? You can use cucumbers or zucchini or baby peppers as a base for apps, snacks, mini pizzas.
• Cut half of your mashed potato with cauliflower or celery root .
• Puree veggies into your dips and soups like in this easy yummy Sesame Sriracha Carrot Dip recipe! Just peel and chop 1lb carrots (or use 1lb baby carrots). Microwave in water for 15 mins or simmer on the stovetop until super soft. Puree with 1/4 cup light mayo, 1 TB sriracha, 1 TB sesame oil, 2 tsp minced garlic, 2 tsp minced ginger, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 3/4 tsp salt, and garnish with chopped scallions. 
• Play around with cauliflower rice! You can DIY your own by pulsing in a food processor.  I personally love it raw and crunchy in place of cous cous or to serve with a stew OR roasted at high heat until it’s crispy, browned, and nutty flavored.  I show you how in the Healthy Made Easy Cooking Class too.
• Roasting veggies on parchment is a game changer!  Add roasted veggies to everything from salads to soups and stews.

When it comes to grocery shopping when you’re cooking for 1 or 2 like I know so many of you are. Fill your cart with veggies you can eat raw or cooked to be able to multipurpose them- baby spinach or kale to use in salads or sauté, grape tomatoes, baby carrots you can chop up, peppers. 

Use Easy Flavor Boosters to Make Healthy Meals Taste Amazing

• Try adding my favorite spices like smoked paprika, Italian seasoning blend, cumin, pumpkin pie spice, coriander, ancho chili powder to your cooking.
• Always keep lemons and limes on hand for a burst of flavor – try adding the zest so it won’t be too tangy!
• Treat yourself to garnishes and herbs – parsley and scallions work for any dish – make your food beautiful just for you, because you deserve it.
• Save some of what’s in the dish to sprinkle on top, add some toasted nuts or crumbled flavorful cheeses like feta, goat, or parm shavings. We eat with our eyes! If your meal looks beautiful you’re going to be WAY more satisfied by it and less likely to hit the snack cabinet an hour later.

Gotta Have Healthy Cooking Gear

• A digital meat thermometer is the only way to make sure your lean proteins like chicken breast, turkey burgers, seafood, pork tenderloin don’t overcook and dry out
• A microplane is my desert island tool for mincing garlic, ginger, citrus zest or garnishing with parmesan, pecorino, chocolate
• An immersion blender  is the best to puree those beans or carrots, thicken soups and sauces right in the pot, plus easy cleanup.
• Flexible spatulas are key for flipping delicate healthy foods and leaving behind grease in the pan.
• Parchment paper- for roasting all those veggies you’re gonna rock
• A mini food processor to DIY cauli rice, mince mushrooms to mix in with ground turkey, or chop up leftover veggies to saute.

Seek Out Sneaky Swaps

• Since we’ve been friends here for a while you know of my love for Greek yogurt as a swap for the mayo or sour cream in dips and dressings, as well as in baked goods like mini cupcakes and frostings, mini cheesecakes, and cream in soups.
• The secret to my richest, lightest Brownies and Flourless Ganache Cupcakes? Pureed black beans! And no – nobody can ever tell they’re in there! You can also use pureed chickpeas to make Cookie Dough Truffles or Cookie Dough Cups.
• Other go-to healthy swaps in my recipes are Turkey Pepperoni (tastes JUST like the real deal, but at a fraction of the cals and fat), Powdered Peanut Butter (same!)
• We talked about vegging it up but look for ways to swap in pureed veggie or veggies to bulk up and thicken dips, soups, and even your fave Mac and Cheese recipe.
• Enjoy your favorite pasta dishes in a lightened up way by swapping in veggie noodles! 

Now that you have these tips and tricks you can save time in the kitchen and still eat delicious and healthy.