You are what you eat.
For those of you who know us well, you know we try our best to be healthy, budget conscious and efficient in most things we do. Matt loves to exercise and sometimes has to be reminded to eat. I love to eat and sometimes have to be reminded to exercise. We both want to eat healthy but find it hard to find meals that aren’t crazy expensive and are actually enjoyable to consume. It’s easy and cheap to throw together a casserole with all.the.(unhealthy).things. When we got married 22 years ago, Matt’s mom gave me several of his favorite recipes. I tease her that all of them contained a whole chicken, boiled and deboned, a stick of butter, at least 3 cream soups and a pint of heavy whipping cream. That is, of course, an exaggeration, but I’m not off by much. Over the years we’ve found a few recipes that fit into the 1. Healthy 2. Cheap 3. Easy categories, but recently we’ve renewed this search. We’ve also included a forth category - 4. Meal Prep. For lunch, I usually eat whatever I’m feeding the boys or I will graze and not eat anything of value. Up until a few weeks ago, Matt ate PB&J almost every single day at work. I’m not sure how he does that, but regardless, we both decided it was time to make a change and be more conscious of what we are eating, especially for lunch. Along with that, we’ve found some healthy sweet treats to give us what we’re craving after our meals.
God gave us one body and it’s our responsibility to take care of it. Putting good stuff in our bodies is one of the biggest ways we can do that. I’ve been able to lower my cholesterol and liver enzymes just by managing my diet and exercising regularly. If this keeps me off of medicine for those things, then I’ll do my best to continue. I know we aren’t the only ones on a mission to eat differently, so I thought it might be helpful to share some of the recipes we’ve found. It also helps keep us accountable if we know others are following along.
One of the first things we did was purchase Rubbermaid Brilliance containers. We ordered them from Walmart, but they are also on Amazon. The prices seem to be similar, unless they are on sale. We like the glass ones best, but bought some of the plastic ones, as well, because of the dividers available. These seal really well, which is necessary when Matt crams multiple containers in his backpack and jumps on his bicycle to ride 5 miles to work.
Breakfast
We are not huge breakfast people. Occasionally we will make breakfast burritos or pancakes, but usually the boys just grab cereal or something quick. Matt and I usually do intermittent fasting until 10am or 11am, but I like to have something already prepared that I can grab when my fast is over. One of my favorites is Zucchini Blueberry Baked Oatmeal. The last time I made it I used half and half as my milk of choice, as well as frozen blueberries. The recipe I printed a while back did not specify to leave the zucchini liquid. I always squeeze mine out, so I guess you could do either. I like to double the recipe and then add a little pure maple syrup over the top when I warm it up. Our six year old is a fan of this, too. Now I need to go make some for myself. Be right back.
Another one on repeat in our house is Egg Bites. These can be customized to use whatever veggies you want and we also add a little cheese. Matt makes a batch and sticks them in the fridge. We eat these any time of the day, but he likes to take several to work for lunch.
I made Morning Glory Oatmeal for the first time this week and it was delicious. It seems like it has really random ingredients but it turns out so good - and I’m not an oatmeal person. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and omitted the raisins just because I don’t like raisins. Matt added some when he warmed his up for a quick pre-dinner snack. I also added a little pure maple syrup to my serving… YUM.
*Morning Glory Oatmeal, complete with a swirl of pure maple syrup and a sprinkling of walnuts.
Another winner that sounds a little bizarre are the Coconut and Carrot High Protein Muffins. These are made with lentils - yes, lentils. Our 6 year old and our 14 year old like these, too. That’s a win.
Homemade Yogurt sounds intimidating, but you can either have the skills and lots of extra time or you can have the right tools. I just so happen to have the right tools. Years ago I made it using the skills and extra time method, but it wasn’t life changing enough to warrant me doing it again. Not too long ago I found this recipe and I haven’t looked back. I mix three ingredients together and press the “yogurt” button on my instant pot. Seriously, that’s it. I’ve found that 12 hours is the perfect time and I do drain it through cheesecloth for 8-12 hours after its finished to make it thicker. However, that is not necessary. I put the whey that drains out in jars and we put it in smoothies. I usually double the recipe (using a whole gallon of ultra-pasteurized milk) but I only use one can of sweetened condensed milk. It makes it just sweet enough, plus I add some pure maple syrup when serving. “Hey Siri. Add maple syrup to my grocery list.”
*Homemade Yogurt with pure maple syrup and an overripe banana. Yum.
Lunch
The leftovers from a few of our breakfast and dinner meals can easily be packed for lunches, but some we prep specifically. We both have discovered that we do not like warmed over chicken, so that helps narrow down some of our choices. The only chicken we use for lunches is chicken sausage. Walmart has a few all-natural versions and Kroger does, as well. This is just a personal preference - most people probably don’t have a problem with leftover chicken.
Black Bean and Quinoa Salad with Chipotle Sauce was the first recipe we made to divide up for lunches. It’s still in our rotation and one of Matt’s favorites. It has a hint of spice from the chipotle peppers, but it’s definitely not overpowering. Chipotle has more of a smoky flavor than heat, in my opinion.
The Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad has a ton of protein from the chickpea pasta and chicken breast (note it’s eaten cold). Banza pasta tastes a little different than regular pasta, but is super filling and much better for you.
Dinner
Although I try to plan mostly healthy dinner meals, there must be balance, right? Especially when there are children involved who constantly request meatloaf, stroganoff or stromboli. I have found some recipes that they will not complain about that are semi-healthy, but we also throw in some classics.
This Instant Pot Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup is one that we love. I swapped this out for Matt’s family’s broccoli cheese soup recipe because it is a little healthier and just as tasty. The cream could probably be swapped out for half and half, but I haven’t tried that yet. I usually double this recipe and if there are any leftovers, it is just as good for lunch the next day. I serve this with some crusty bread that I probably bought on clearance and stuck in the freezer.
Potato Soup is another favorite around here and I’ve tried many recipes. This is not a quick one (even though it says it is). The time listed probably assumes you’ve already diced the potatoes. However, it is definitely healthier and just as creamy. I also serve this one with some good clearance bread.
*Potato Soup, loaded with bacon, green onions & cheese. Served with a homemade drop biscuit, courtesy of Matt & Benji.
We recently discovered Morgan Peterson on Instagram and she shares a lot of great healthy recipes. The Fall Couscous Bowl is one we tried recently and it will be on regular rotation in our house. I made it for dinner and we had what was left the next day. Our boys loved it, too. The Marketside Apple Chicken Sausage from Walmart is our favorite in this dish. When I make something like this, I usually use more veggies than it calls for. I also used 2 packages of the sausage and there wasn’t much left for the next day.
*The Fall Couscous Bowl, complete with Brussels sprouts and pine nuts.
Another one of her recipes is Thai Peanut Chicken. I wasn’t sure about peanut butter on chicken but Matt picked it out and wanted to try it. It was delicious. This is actually one he warmed up the next day for lunch. I couldn’t find the soyaki sauce so I used Teriyaki instead.
Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli is a simple crock pot meal that our whole family loves. It’s also great warmed up for lunch. The recipe I linked is almost exactly the same. I just double the beef to use 2 lbs and double the cornstarch. Sometimes I throw in an extra bag of broccoli. Don’t skip the sesame oil - it’s the key to getting the Chinese flavor. Matt and I have eaten it with cauliflower rice as well as regular rice and both are delicious.
Treats
Who doesn’t like a little something sweet after a meal? We are always scrounging around in the kitchen to find something sweet, but we recently found some healthy versions that we love. A recipe that I’ve had for over 10 years is No-Bake Energy Bites. Its been hidden away in my recipe binder but I recently dusted it off and started making them again. The boys love them and they are a great healthy sweet treat or snack. I combine everything in my blender and mix, then stick the whole bowl in the fridge until they are ready to roll out. Sometimes they don’t make it to the ball stage before they are almost gone.
A couple of our recipes came from Morgan Peterson on Instagram. The Almond Joy Granola Bars are a favorite and are extremely easy to make. The first time I made them I ran out of almond butter so I used half almond and half peanut butter. We actually liked those better than using all almond butter. Almond butter is healthier than peanut butter and is better for those with some allergies, but you can alter the recipe how you like. Also, don’t skip the sea salt. It’s the game changer!
*Almond Joy Granola Bars. Life changing healthy deliciousness.
Another of her recipes are Healthier PB Cups. We made these exactly as listed and they were YUM!
Quinoa has recently become a staple in our house, even in our desserts. I’ve also had the Quinoa Almond Joy Bars recipe for a while, but they have made their way back to the forefront. Please don’t let the quinoa scare you - you won’t want to miss out on these. Trust me.
Bonus
One of the favorites in our house is meatloaf. Even our parents won’t decline an invitation for this deliciousness. I won’t claim that it’s healthy, but we all devour it. Remember - balance. I made it this week and decided to put it in muffin cups to make it easier to serve as leftovers. I doubled the recipe and it made 12 muffins and an 8x8 dish. My mom gifted me a handwritten recipe binder when we got married and this was one of the recipes she included. Neither of us have any idea where this recipe originated, but we are thankful it exists.
*I’ve never seen a pretty meatloaf, but can’t you just smell the deliciousness? Just make sure to consume it responsibly. :)
Our Favorite Meatloaf
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
1.5 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 beaten eggs
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sage
1/8 tsp salt
Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Soak the bread crumbs in milk while you prepare the other ingredients. Mix all meatloaf ingredients together, including soaked breadcrumbs. Put meatloaf in desired pan. Combine sauce ingredients and spread over the top. Bake 1 hour. I usually try to drain some of the grease off, if possible, but remember - balance.
Please let me know if you try any of these recipes and what you think. Do you have any good recipes we need to try? I would love for you to share!