Healthy Hints...

Can you feel the heat?!?  No-not the sweltering heat that has been lingering outside for what seems like months now…nor the basketball team that sadly won the championship (I live near Boston, what do you expect me to say?)…rather, I’m referring to the heat in the…KITCHEN! I’ve been cooking up a STORM of healthy options from our home grown vegetables and I’m compiling a list of my favorite go to meals! Now, you may ask-what exactly constitutes a ‘go-to’ meal?

For me, a go-to meal is something I can either a) make in big batches and keep in the fridge for at least three days to enjoy/freeze in batches to quickly defrost and enjoy at a later date, or b) something I can prep and hopefully cook in less than 30 minutes (preferably 20 to be totally transparent) after work because honestly, who wants to slave away in the kitchen after sitting at a computer and typing for 8 hours-sounds fun, no?

Any who, I’ve decided to do a bit of a challenge both for all of you and for me-I’m going to take some staple meals and revamp them-the healthy way!

The reason I’ve decided to do this is because I constantly get asked –“what do you eat?” And as shocking as it is, this is SUCH a hard question to answer! I always think- ‘Wait…What the hell do I eat…?’ I have so many little tricks and ideas that I have been doing for so long now that I honestly forget that they are ‘special.’ These tricks and tips have just become my norm. But now, I am going to revamp recipes using these tips/tricks and am going to share them with all of you!

First and foremost-I’m going to use my garden as the main resource when I can, then the local farmers market second. After those two resources, I’m going to use your average grocery store-something that most people have access to! I’m going to share everything from a tuna salad you’ll die over, a simple homemade sauce that will keep you satisfied without more pasta, homemade pita chips with a great cream cheese dip, ratatouille that will cost less than 3 dollars for a large batch (if you have a garden-otherwise it will cost about 6 dollars-enough for at least 3 meals for two people though), a healthy homemade pesto, healthy canned pickles, etc.

With this being said, now is when I want YOUR help! There are meals that I either use all the time or have been working on to make them healthier, but I want some challenges from all of you as well! I want to know what are some of your favorite meals and I will rework them in my kitchen-this will give me a way to share the tips that are bouncing around in my head in a constructive way for everyone to utilize. There will be plenty of pictures, and I’m even going to be hopefully putting up a couple cooking videos! (No promises though, I’m not the most tech-savvy individual.)

What would you like to see revamped? (I LOVE a great challenge!) An alfredo sauce? Meat loaf? Potato salad? You name it-I’m willing to try it! In the meantime, I’m going to start posting the recipes I’ve been working on…keep the challenges coming!

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay!