I Need To Eat Healthy !

[Deborah]

I eat chicken breast once in awhile. But deli fried. Sigh...
I do have a doctor and it's from blood tests that I know about the uric acid stiffness thing.
Whole grains are out of the question-I'll leave out the reason... I used to love Raisin Bran and in fact was looking at a box of it wistfully at the store today.
What's that roasted vegetable thing, olive oil and in the oven?
How do you make zucchini noodles? What's that half a squash with maple syrup and butter in the middle? See, what I mean? I'm not only not into cooking-I'm clueless.

[BackyardFarm]

Originally Posted by Deborah

I eat chicken breast once in awhile. But deli fried. Sigh...
I do have a doctor and it's from blood tests that I know about the uric acid stiffness thing.
Whole grains are out of the question-I'll leave out the reason... I used to love Raisin Bran and in fact was looking at a box of it wistfully at the store today.
What's that roasted vegetable thing, olive oil and in the oven?
How do you make zucchini noodles? What's that half a squash with maple syrup and butter in the middle? See, what I mean? I'm not only not into cooking-I'm clueless.

Family Dollar and Walmart carry the Veggeti (as seen on tv section). It's $12-15. That's how I make my zucchini noodles. Wash the zucchini, cut off the end, put it in the veggeti and just turn it. Out pop the noodle like strands. Sautee those in a pan with some olive oil for about two minutes. Voila. Noodles.
You can also make sweet potato or carrot/parsnip noodles (can also be made into "potato" pancakes) or cucumber (good for a cold "pasta" salad) noodles with it.
Check out Inspiralized blog for recipes that are good. We really like lasagna made with these noodles. And her recipe will make 6 portions. It will keep in the fridge for about 3 days also.

I'm thinking you're trying to cut carbs since you want to do veggies instead of pasta? If that's true...Dreamfields makes a pasta that is low carb (but you must eat a smaller portion than is normally served) and there is one called Zero something at walmart is the produce and salads section that is zero carbs. Don't eat loads of that either as it will upset your stomach if you do. Figure less than a cup of cooked pasta (so a half cup uncooked) and then use lots of tomato sauce. You can do ground turkey or chicken if you don't want to use ground beef. For a vegetarian option you can do beans or minced mushrooms added for a good spaghetti sauce. Olives also add a meaty flavor.

Vegetables in the oven: Broccoli or cauliflower, Frozen or fresh florets, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkle with garlic and parmesan cheese. If you like spicy add a dash of red pepper flakes. Roast on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 25-40 minutes or until you see browned bits on the veggies. Very good. This recipe has converted many people who don't like either to liking them without needing cheese sauce!

Green beans are also good in the oven. Same as above but skip the lemon juice and do a little italian seasoning and garlic instead. Taco seasoning or some cumin and chili powder is also super tasty. Only them cook for 15 minutes. Whole green beans (frozen or fresh) work best because then they're easy to pick up with your fingers like fries.

We also like crispy garlic spicy beans. Heat a little oil (grapeseed is what I use for frying) until it sizzles when you sprinkle water on it. Add beans. cook for about 5 minutes, turning and tossing as you do until they start to get browned. Add garlic and hot pepper flakes, cook for another minute. Drain on paper towels. Salt as desired.

Spaghetti squash you can do in the microwave or the oven. I do mine in the oven. Cook at 350 degrees whole or cut in half. About an hour for whole. 30-40 minutes for halves. Just scoop out the seeds and toss. Then pull a fork through the middle to make "spaghetti" strands. You can add butter salt and pepper and toss around until melted.
Now it's ready for spaghetti sauce, mac and cheese sauce, parmesan garlic sauce, a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar...just whatever. You can also cook a stir fry with veggies and thin strips of chicken and put that on top of the "noodles" and add a little soy or teriyaki sauce.

Delicata squash is best (imho) when you slice it and roast in the oven. 350 degrees. about 20 minutes. I do thickly sliced onions with it. Toss the cooked slices on top of a salad with dried cranberries or pomegranate arils and yum! The slices are also good just cubed up as a side dish. I add a few bread crumbs and a sprinkle of cheese and toast under the broiler really quickly.

The other squash we like in my home is butternut. Sometimes I make it sweet sometimes I make it savory.
Sweet: I cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast for 30-40 minutes or until a fork goes all the way through. I scoop out the flesh and mash it with butter, a few shakes of cinnamon, and a splash of maple syrup.
Savory: I peel and cube up the raw squash (discard the seeds) into 1-2 inch pieces. Mix up dijion mustard, a little olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic and lemon and thyme or rosemary and add to the cubes. Toss around until well coated. Put in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bits of the squash are browned and the biggest pieces are soft.

Carrots and parsnips are my favorite when sliced and simply cooked in a pan with just butter. Don't be afraid of butter. It's not bad anymore. Plus it tastes better than margarine.

If whole grains are out of the question...do you mean all? Or can you have rice and quinoa for example? Quinoa is very quick to cook and is a good protein source if you're vegetarian.
Rice (white) is gentle on the stomach and if you make a batch with broth instead of water is more tasty. It will also keep in the fridge for about five days.

So it sounds like no red meat or fish? Do you just not LIKE those or are you not to have them? If it's a question of taste I invite you to experiment a bit and see if you can find something you do like.
For example...I didn't like fish for the longest time until I found it doesn't have to be a premade tender/fillet or fried (both are yuck to me!). Gorton's makes plain fillets with lemon butter and garlic olive oil. Those are nice and mild if you want to try fish.

Chicken is easy to cook but lots of people over cook it and make it dry. I do what I call oven fried chicken. I take breasts or thighs and cover with beaten eggs, some panko crumbs or almond flour mixed with crushed almonds, italian seasoning, and garlic salt.
Basically homemade fried chicken. But instead of frying it I add or spray a little oil to a hot oven proof skillet (I use cast iron but you can use a regular skillet and just move the chicken to a baking pan). Drop the chicken on and cook for 3-4 minutes so the one side gets crispy. Flip over and pop into a preheated oven (450 degrees) and cook until done. It's not quite as tasty as fried chicken that's fried but it's pretty darn good and the chicken stays juicy!

When we decided to started eating healthy I started looking at Cooking Light magazine/website and Skinny Taste blog for ideas.
I recommend Cooking Light's 12 months of Healthy Habits because it takes you through eating more veggies, cooking more meals, taking up exercise, eating mindfully...just all the good habits but slowly so you stick to them better.

I hope this helps!

[Aerial]

Deborah, here's a handy tool for making the "healthy noodles".

http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Active...dp/B00MG6ZEZM/

Originally Posted by Deborah

How do you make zucchini noodles?