We're in Week 3 of 2015, and if you're anything like me, your best healthy-eating intentions are being tested by the bitter cold and near-constant temptation of bacon-packed carbonara. You probably also know people who seem blissfully unaware of these food pitfalls--folks who serenely dig into their salads and brothy soups without giving the nearby pepperoni pizza a sidelong glance.
But I've discovered the key to their healthy contentment: Being bored with their food. Now, that's not as bad as it sounds. I don't mean these people don't fully enjoy what they eat. But the healthiest folks I know tend to cook the same type of dishes over and over, varying the ingredients and the seasonings as necessary but always returning to the same basic themes. The benefit? Cooking (and thus eating) healthy becomes second nature, and the abundance of smart options protects them from temptation.
So I turned to my fellow colleagues for the healthy foods they make over and over -- and still love:
Sheela Prakash, Editorial Assistant:
Pureed soups. "I toss whatever leftover roasted vegetables I may have lying around in the pot with some vegetable stock and spices. My current go-to has been roasted squash soup spiced with cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Then I have fun with garnishes, which help keep me from tiring of the soups--I like to top the squash soup with pan-fried chickpeas, tahini sauce, and parsley."
Salad greens with vinaigrette. "I always have some variety of lettuce in the fridge. Just knowing it's there pushes me to have a salad at the dinner table almost every night. I also make a simple vinaigrette with shallots, lemon, mustard, and olive oil at the start of the week and store it in a container in the fridge ready to dress those salads all week. To help me not get tired of it, I switch up the variety: arugula, kale, spinach, romaine. This week it's escarole."
Matt Duckor, Restaurant Editor:
Homemade oat bars. "Snacking is a huge problem in my household and where my girlfriend and I really get into trouble when trying to keep healthy. Pretty much everything from the bulk bin--every variety of nut you can imagine, seeds, and anything chocolate-covered--becomes my enemy. This nutty grain and oat bar solves all my problems by combining all the crunchy things I love (oats, almonds, hazelnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds) and binding them together with coconut oil which, apparently, isn’t horrible for you. Genius."
Gabriella Vigoreaux, Editorial Assistant, Food:
Roasted vegetables with a great sauce."I can’t make roasted vegetables without something to drizzle over them. My favorites are chimichurri, a miso-tahini sauce, pestos, or globs of pistachio butter (pistachios, olive oil, and salt blended)."
Bone broth for everything. "On the weekends I make bone broth, but rarely ever use it to make soup. I usually use it to cook mung beans or lentils which I eat for breakfast throughout the week with various toppings."
Porridge a million ways. "I soak buckwheat goats and amaranth to blend for porridge. I eat that for breakfast until I’m tired of it and then I switch things up and do a savory bake with the cooked grains instead."
Anna Stockwell, Associate Food Editor:
Breakfast Smoothies. "I always make my smoothies with a mix of yogurt, nut butter, frozen fruits, fresh greens, and fresh ginger (and fresh turmeric if available). I alternate between adding different seeds, grains, and/or coconut flakes for different flavors and textures, and I always keep a variety of frozen fruits in my freezer so I can switch it up ad desired. And when I have extra fresh mint or parsley on hand, that makes it even better."
Crudités and hummus. "Having a stash of peeled and cut carrots, sliced bell peppers, or peeled and sliced cucumbers plus a batch of hummus in the fridge ready to go means that when I get home dying for a snack I'll reach for that instead of cheese and crackers. I switch up the hummus flavor depending on what I'm craving, or make a big batch of basic hummus that I can top with a different spice and oil combo for every snack."
French lentils and red quinoa: "I love this combo. I cook them separately, then combine equal parts for a big batch of lentils and quinoa that can sit in my fridge for a week and form the base for all sorts of meals. I toss the mixture with vinaigrette and greens for a dinner-worthy salad, or add lots of fresh herbs and diced raw veggies and feta for a packable lunch. Or I might heat it up with some caramelized onions and spices and serve as a side. Sometimes I'll just top it with an egg for a meal in itself."
