Healthy Convenience Food?? Does it exist?

I'm sometimes asked for recommendations for healthy convenience foods. Okay, honestly, I'm asked that A LOT! And it's completely understandable. With the pace of life we've all become accustomed to these days, there are times when it's helpful to be able to open a box or a bag and know that a healthy meal or snack is moments away. It's not impossible to find healthy packaged options, but it does require some solid investigation and a little label reading know-how.

Before I get to that, let me just say that my overall recommendation is still to limit packaged and processed foods as much as possible.

Can you challenge yourself to find ways to get fresh, whole foods on the table quickly? You'd be amazed by how quickly a shrimp stir fry can come together, or a big dinner salad with pre-cooked chicken, or even a healthy sandwich loaded up with extra veggies!

Can you expand your definition of convenience foods to include things like:
- Nuts and seeds
- Dried fruit
- Quick cooking whole grains
- Frozen vegetables
- Frozen fruits
- Plain yogurt or cottage cheese

These can become the basis of healthy meals and snacks and often take just as little time to prepare as a more processed option!


And yet...there are times when packaged foods seem like the only solution. For those times, I've compiled a few thoughts for you on how to make the best choices possible.

Self Magazine Healthy Food Award Winners
I was intrigued by the list of Healthy Food Award winners in this month's issue of Self Magazine. I think there are some real winners on that list (and some i may not have given quite so glowing an endorsement to myself). But all in all I think the staffers at Self have been thorough and have produced a good list of ideas for your review.

Fitness Magazine Healthy Food Award Winners
In the same vein as the Self List above, here is the list as judged by Fitness Magazine. The link takes you to a set of slideshows with Top 10 lists by category.

Eat This, Not That Recommendations
Additionally, I think the editors of the Eat This, Not That empire (and I do mean empire - have you COUNTED how many books they've published?) do a great job of helping to highlight better packaged food choices. They also have books on restaurant menu choices, food for kids, and other topics. For the record, I find their website a bit confusing and not very user-friendly but the books are much simpler to navigate!

A few thoughts of my own:
Beyond those lists, I've compiled a few principles to follow when navigating the aisles of prepared foods. Leveraging these principles will let you explore various brands and flavor combinations, looking for what appeals to you vs. buying something just because it showed up on a "list".

Principles:

- Choose packaged foods with the shortest lists of ingredients, and with ingredients you recognize

- Read nutrition labels! Don't be fooled by marketing claims on the front of the package (e.g. Whole Grain! Low Carb! All Natural!) Those words are often meaningless. Instead, read the actual nutrition label and keep meals within reasonable caloric limits, taking note of fiber, sugar, fat, and sodium content (as well as anything else you are watching for your health)

- Limit consumption of packaged meals to once or twice a week "crutches" vs. making them everyday fare

- When selecting packaged meals and snacks, check out the organic section of your grocery store or shop in a health food store like Whole Foods - they've done some of the work for you in narrowing down your options to some of the best ones!

- Build your list of trusted brands and shop their selections first (A few examples: I like Amy's and Kashi in the frozen meals category, Amy's and Healthy Choice soups, Annie's and Back to Nature for snack foods, etc.)

Happy shopping! I'd love to hear some of your personal favorites in the comments section below!

Tuscan Tuna & White Bean Salad

This is a delightful discovery from delish.com that I tried for the first time a few weeks ago. It's a cold salad with a great balance of flavors and textures, packed with 31 g of protein and only 3 g of saturated fat per serving. Better still, you can make it in about 10 minutes and be eating before you know it which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner or a fast lunch. Sometimes cooking is really nothing more than assembling a few quality ingredients, and this is clearly one of those times!
I served this with a good crusty whole wheat bread but you could try it with flatbread or pita or even crackers. I thought a bowl of melon chunks (watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew) made the perfect sweet addition to the meal.


Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad
photo credit: Frances Janisch @ Delish.com
serves 4

1 can (15 oz.) white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion, halved
1 can (6 oz.) tuna in olive oil (drain; reserve oil)
1 c. diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives
2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp. each salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 c. torn arugula leaves

DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl, combine beans, onion, tuna, tomatoes, olives, parsley, 2 Tbsp. of the reserved oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper, tossing gently to combine. Stir in arugula.

Greek Salad - as eaten in Santorini

Five years ago today, my husband and I were in Santorini, Greece with our six-month-old firstborn in tow to celebrate the wedding of two of our best friends (That's the happy couple in the picture!). Only for these two would we travel halfway around the world as first-time parents with a still-nursing, not-yet-crawling baby in arms! And so we did. And it was one incredible trip.

We flew into London and spent a few days there before flying to Santorini (one of the Greek Islands). We loved Santorini and took part in just about everything the small group gathered for the wedding celebration had planned. This included, as I recall, a LOOOOONG hike down a STEEEEEEEEP hill accompanied by donkeys to the coast so that we could take a boat out to a smaller island formed by a volcanic crater. We hiked up the hills of that island (baby asleep in the Baby Bjorn!) and took in the incredible view from the top before hiking back down.

On the evening of the wedding, we walked in procession through the cobblestone streets to a tiny hilltop church where the ceremony was (unexpectedly!) conducted entirely in Greek. Then we processed back to the reception site, tourists smiling upon us, as we arrived with our small contingent at the most intimate and beautiful restaurant terrace, where each chair was positioned to have a view of the perfect sunset that evening. It was a night that I'm sure no one present has forgotten.

So as we wish our dear friends a Happy 5 Year Anniversary, I share with you this recipe for an authentic Greek Salad. I developed this recipe to replicate the salad I DEVOURED our first night on the island. I have never tasted anything so fresh, so simple, and so perfectly balanced. I make this all the time when tomatoes and cucumbers are in season (and sometimes even when they're not!). It's perfection on a plate...and it always brings back fond memories of that very special trip.

Greek Salad

serves 4

4 medium heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 small cucumbers, cut into same size pieces as tomato
1 green pepper, cut into same size pieces as tomato and cucumber
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, each slice cut in half
16 kalamata olives
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 slices of good feta from the thin end of a block (1/4" thick)
2-4 Tbsp. good fruity olive oil
Sprinkle of dried oregano

Chop the vegetables and toss with olives in a bowl. Season with pepper. Divide among four salad bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of feta, sprinkle of oregano, and drizzle (1/2 Tbsp. - 1 Tbsp.) of olive oil. And that's IT!

Lime-Cilantro Chicken with Avocado Salsa

There are some nights when I like to keep my life (and my dinner prep!) really, really easy. But even on those nights, I don't want to sacrifice flavor...or texture...or the satisfaction of really fresh ingredients. I just want something that delivers a filling, fresh, simple meal without a lot of hassle. This is for one of those nights.

The photo and recommendation from Cooking Light (where I found the original version of this recipe) pairs this chicken with saffron rice. Just to mix things up, I plated it over a bed of grilled slices of red potato instead (see recipe below). Either way, you have a complete meal in less than half an hour so you can catch up with your family at the table instead of while you are cooking!

This recipe really showcases the creaminess of a Hass avocado. If you've never worked with a whole avocado before, here's a guide explaining how to handle it. Separately, if you've always shied away from avocados because you've heard that they are high in fat or calories, remember that they are composed almost entirely of unsaturated (aka "good") fat and that 1/4 of a medium-sized avocado is only about 60 calories. Trust me, the texture and flavor that an avocado can add to a dish is well worth those few added calories and grams of "good" fat!


Lime-Cilantro Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2010 issue
Photo credit: CookingLight.com

serves 4

Chicken:
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 (4-6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp. salt

Potatoes:**
8-12 small red-skinned potatoes, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
olive oil
salt and pepper

Salsa:
1 c. chopped tomato
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 Hass avocado, peeled and finely chopped
sprinkle of salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat grill to medium high.

Combine first 4 ingredients (cilantro through chicken) in a large bowl and let marinate for 3-5 minutes. Remove chicken and sprinkle with salt.

Slice potatoes** and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread potatoes on a piece of aluminum foil.

Grill chicken directly over medium high heat until cooked through (about 10 minutes). Place potatoes (on the foil) onto grill, turning once during cooking until done (also about 10 minutes).

While chicken and potatoes cook, prepare salsa. Combine tomato and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add avocado; stir gently to combine.

To plate, arrange 1/4 of potato slices on each dish. Top with a piece of chicken and about 1/4 cup of salsa.

**Note: If you prefer to serve this with saffron rice, simply start the rice when you heat the grill, following package instructions. Then omit the potatoes.