Eating healthily has long been associated with hunger pangs between meals. The good news is these healthy recipes won’t leave you feeling hungry. Which ones will you try?
Whether it is moderating your calorie intake or just making an effort to eat better, there is an almost endless array of low calorie but filling meal options you can create in your own kitchen. Here, we give you a few ideas!
MAKE THE SOUP STARTER THE STAR OF THE SHOW
If you want to increase veggies in your diet but find eating larger quantities difficult, making soup and whizzing it to a smooth, flavoursome meal solves all this problem. Soups are also great for vegetarians and vegans to enjoy a portion of vegetables and, depending on what other ingredients you add, protein too.
Soups are great as a starter, but they are also great as a main meal too. Leave the vegetables and other ingredients chunky and help yourself to a generous portion. Serve it with chunky bread or slices of toasted sourdough. Parmesan crisps also add a little extra saltiness to the meal too.
Soup ideas include spicy & sweet tomato soup, vegetable soup with barley and chicken and sweetcorn chowder.
FABULOUS FISH
As an ingredient, fish is one of the most versatile additions to any dish. Packed up of vitamins and minerals, along with good fats and protein, increasing fish in your diet leads to improvement in your skin, hair and nails and can also help with weight loss.
Salmon is rich in omega 3 and as an oily fish, it is packed full of nutrients. Simply pan-frying it and serving on a salad of abundant lettuce leaves, or a bed of steamed veg will create a tasty meal. Don’t forget to add a generous squeeze of lemon for more flavour.
Salmon is also a ‘meaty’ fish meaning it holds its shape and flavour in spiced sauces as well as Chinese inspired dishes too. Explore some other gorgeous fish-based healthy recipes here.
HEALTHY RECIPES WITH TASTY, LEAN MEATS
Protein is essential in anyone’s diet but depending on your choices, you’ll need to look across a range of ingredients.
For meat-eaters, the obvious choice is fish as well as lean meat, such as chicken and turkey, as well as red meat. Limit your intake of red meat, as per Government guidelines. That means making it count when you do include it.
Grill or air fry a lean piece of steak to your liking and then leave it to rest for 5 minutes so that the tendons of the meat relax. Using a very sharp knife, slice it thinly. Pile on top of a mix of salad leaves, serve with a blue cheese sauce and stuff it in toasted pitta bread.
PLANT-BASED PROTEIN
For vegan and vegetarian options, opt for tofu. This meat substitute is made from ‘meaty’ soya protein and takes on a range of flavours. So, when substituting for steak, you’ll need to add some flavour to the pan such as caramelised onions, chopped mushrooms and garlic. Fry in olive oil in a non-stick pan, and when piping hot and just beginning to brown, serve stuffed in vegan pitta bread.
Both of these hearty but healthy recipes are also ideal for wrapping in tortillas too.
For vegetarian and vegan sauce options, make a radish salsa. Radish has a natural peppery taste and goes well with the range of ingredients to create this tasty salsa. Finely chop onion and garlic and squeeze half a lime and a small drop of olive oil. Leave it to marinade for five to 10 minutes and then season with sea salt and pepper. Add finely chopped herbs such as parsley – you can also whizz it in the blender – and mix all this together along with the diced radishes. Allow it to sit and meld together. For the vegan and vegetarian option, leave as it is. For those who are not, add a squeeze of anchovy paste for an extra hint of saltiness.
Serve this radish salsa with a range of dishes including steak wraps, as well as fish such as grilled sea bass.
DELICIOUS, NUTRITIOUS DESSERTS
Just because you are eating healthily, it doesn’t mean that desserts are off the menu. Opting for fruit-based puddings means you are getting the ‘sweet’ shot you are probably craving but from natural sources.
Fruit, like veggies, are loaded with minerals and vitamins, as well as packed full of fibre. Fruit salad may sound boring, but it doesn’t have to be! In winter and autumn, opt for red berry fruit salad, mixing with blueberries and other seasonal berries.
In summer, go all out for sunshine-coloured fruits, mixing mango with papaya, pineapple and any other fruits you enjoy.
To zap it up a little why not add meringue! Whisk egg whites with a small amount of sugar (or a substitute) and bake ‘low and slow’ until just browning. The small meringues should be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
For a quick vegan dessert, whizz up a frozen banana with a tablespoon of cocoa powder. You can either eat straight away or freeze for 20 minutes or so to make a very satisfying ice cream style dessert.
Figs are also wonderful as a dessert, especially when baked slowly in a drizzle of honey (or maple syrup as a vegan substitute). Add chopped pistachio, great for crunch and saltiness, and finish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or mixed spice. Baked slowly for 5 minutes until heated through for a deliciously sticky, fruity treat.
THE JOYS (AND BENEFITS) OF EATING HEALTHILY
Eating better brings many benefits. You may lose weight as you find you’ll snack less as your meals are more satisfying. In turn, you’ll find that you have more energy.
When making changes to your diet, start slowly with small changes. This way, these changes will become habit and before you know it, you’ll have kicked your bad habits.
You’ll also sleep better as your body benefits from an influx of vitamins and minerals. Likewise, your immune system is strengthened. Most people find that they feel better in their mood too and with an increase in eating fish and other ‘good’ fat protein such as tofu and soya, your skin, hair and nails will also start to look and feel better.
Eating healthily doesn’t mean going hungry. In fact, it can mean the opposite – why not try some of these tasty, filling and healthy recipes out for yourself; you might be surprised at how delicious and easy to make they are!