Eating out at restaurants and fast food establishments can add extra calories, salt and sugar to your diet, without providing much in the way of nutrition. Creating healthy menus for home can be simple as long as you keep your pantry stocked with the right kinds of ingredients. Lean proteins, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, heart-healthy fats and low-fat dairy products form the foundation for a healthy menu plan.
Breakfast
Use whole wheat flour to replace ¾ of the flour in your favorite pancake recipe to create a healthy breakfast. Cook the pancakes in non-stick pan sprayed with non-stick spray, instead of butter, and serve with fresh berries and non-fat Greek yogurt for a healthy dish with fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, calcium and protein. Another healthy breakfast menu could include breakfast tacos made with whole wheat tortillas filled with no-sodium-added black beans that have been drained and rinsed, scrambled eggs, chopped bell pepper and tomato salsa. Have this with orange juice and a fruit salad of cantaloupe and strawberries.
Lunch
You may not have a lot of time to put together a complicated lunch menu, but it can still be healthy. Make healthy sandwiches on rye bread with nitrate-free deli turkey, Swiss cheese and sliced avocado. Serve with a bowl of low-sodium roasted tomato soup and a handful of whole grain pretzels. Create an Asian-inspired lunch with a salad of baby spinach, mandarin oranges and toasted almonds dressed with a mixture of orange juice, rice wine vinegar and olive oil. Serve with a bowl of chicken noodle soup made by heating low-sodium chicken broth with minced garlic and ginger, low-sodium soy sauce, cooked chicken, and rice noodles. Top with bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro and lime juice.
Dinner
For the healthiest meals, make vegetables the star at dinner time and accent with small servings of meats, grains and unsaturated fats. For example, create a stir fry with chopped red pepper, snow peas, slivered carrots and a few ounces of shrimp. Serve over brown rice, which offers more nutrients and fiber than white rice, with a salad of cucumber and avocado, which contains heart-healthy fat. Create another healthy dinner menu with a large salad of romaine lettuce, sliced grilled flank steak, feta cheese and wedges of fresh tomato. Serve with a cup of homemade split pea soup and whole wheat dinner rolls.
Quick Tricks
If you feel you do not have time to cook, take advantage of convenience foods that still support a healthy diet. Buy pre-washed salad mixes, but make your own dressing with olive oil, citrus juice and vinegar. Use plain frozen vegetables and quick cooking whole grains such as instant brown rice and whole wheat couscous. When buying canned beans and soups, look for low or no-sodium options.
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