A Simple Guide to Create Healthier Meals Every Time

The goal: healthy, flavorful meals. Tool: a simple, step-by-step guide to help you level up the delicious and create healthier meals every time. Welcome to your new and improved blueprint for a healthier, more vibrant diet plan.

The trick to healthy eating isn’t found in a rule book. There is no one with final say when it comes to eating this, or eating that. And healthy eating truly means different things for different people. It all depends on:

• Goals.
• Body type.
• Lifestyle.
• Tastes and preferences.
• Current health.
• Time.
• Finances.
• Age.
• Sex.

That’s it, huh?

You aren’t the only one looking at the list and feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

Fear not. I can’t sit hear and type up a meal plan that is perfect for every person every time, I can lay out a simple guide to create healthier meals every single time.

The Tenets of Healthier Eating

Healthy eating isn’t about making the perfect decision at every opportunity. It’s also not about cutting out carbs, or fats, or meat. Instead it’s about being aware. If you have the right information then you can confidently make healthier and healthier choices every day of the week. Those decisions might start out feeling exhausting but eventually they get easier. Over time they become habit and you don’t have to think of them at all.

If your goal is to create healthier meals for you and your family:

Eat fresh, minimally processed foods whenever possible. If you can choose real, whole foods that are as close to their natural state as possible most of the time, there will always be room for the occasional treat. That can mean starting your day with a green smoothie and ending with a glass of red wine. Or filling your plate with vegetables so that you can enjoy a slice of birthday cake. The point is: you’re not aiming for perfection. You’re aiming for healthier.

Include all food groups and aim for a balance of protein, veggies and fruit, healthy fats and complex carbs. Unless you have a medical or health condition and advice from a doctor or nutritionist to avoid a certain food or food group, please don’t fall prey to a diet that cuts out an entire food group. Truth bomb: cutting out an entire food group is almost always just another strategy to restrict calories. There are nutritional benefits in carbs and fats, just as there are nutritional benefits in protein, vegetables and fruits. Your body thrives on a wide variety of these nutrients!

Practice portion control that is appropriate to you. Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is You’er than You. Dr. Seuss for the win. No matter what, your individual needs, preferences and goals are going to ultimately determine how much of any kind of food you should eat.

Aim for better, not perfect. There is no perfect diet. What works for a twin sister won’t necessarily work for you. And really that’s just fine – because your goal is not to eat the perfect meal every time. Your goal should be to eat a little bit healthier and make a choice that is a little bit better for your body as much as possible.

I’ll give you some tips below but if you want personalized guidance and support, click here and we can talk (for free) about setting up the right plan and right choices for you.

YOUR SIMPLE GUIDE TO CREATE HEALTHIER MEALS EVERY TIME

Simple is almost always better. This guide will help you start with the basics: an appropriate balance of macro- and micro-nutrients. Then I’ll give you a number of strategies to take that foundation and turn it into something delicious.

Mix-and-match foods and flavors, creating a wide variety of interesting healthy meals that keep you motivated to keep cooking and eating this way.

Step #1: Pick a Protein

Whether you are training for a strength or endurance goal, exercising more to lose weight or looking to improve general health and wellness, protein deserves your focus. Your body uses protein to produce the molecules it uses to make your world go round: hormones, enzymes, antibodies, neurotransmitters. Protein is also involved in muscle growth and repair, transportation, and it can even boost the way your body utilizes and burns stored fat. Since your body can’t make protein on it’s own, you have to consume it. Without an adequate dietary supply your body functions at less than optimum level.

Aim to eat a variety of proteins from as many sources as you can. Although the majority of the protein that you eat should be lean, it’s okay to consume a bit of fat from your protein choices as long as it’s high quality (i.e. omega-3 fatty acids from wild salmon, egg yolks and heart healthy fats found in nuts.

Pick Your Protein

No matter your eating preference – whether you are vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, or follow any other personal eating guidelines – protein is a priority. This list includes meat, fish, poultry, dairy and vegetarian sources of protein.

*Nuts and seeds are a good source of protein but I’d consider them primarily a fat. When measuring out portion sizes, measure these in terms of fat, not protein and consider them a secondary source of protein.

Are you a fully plant-based eater? This is a great article from Precision Nutrition describing how to get enough protein no matter what your eating preferences are.

Determine Your Portion Size

You can do this one of two ways:

Measure it. As an active woman you want to make sure that you are consuming .65-.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. 20-30 grams of protein per meal is a good starting point.

*I recommend that everyone spends at least a bit of time measuring portion sizes and tracking your meals, especially if you are new to macros. You don’t have to track forever but it’s important to make sure what you THINK you are eating is what you are ACTUALLY eating. I frequently use the free version of MyFitnessPal to double check why guesses.

Estimate it. If you aren’t interested in measuring your food . Instead you can use a very simple system of measuring portion control using one thing you have on you at all times: your hands.

1 serving of protein, roughly the size of your palm, clocks in at 20-30 grams. The size of your hand determines the size of your portion which means your portion size is 100% individualized to you. The size of your hand is generally in proportion to the size of your body. Smaller hands on smaller people works out because smaller people usually require fewer calories than larger people, and vice versa.

Cook It

There are certain foods within this category that you probably wouldn’t cook…Greek yogurt, for instance. Beyond that, there are a few basic cooking methods and techniques that, once you get the hang of, work for a variety of protein options (and keep it healthy)!

• Roast it. Fish, chicken, pork, beef, and even tofu are well-suited to roasting. Covering your protein or basting with broth will help to lock moisture in and ensure dinner doesn’t dry out.
• Grill it. I’m a huge fan of grilling and like roasting, fish chicken, pork, beef…even lobster do really well on the grill. Marinating ahead of time (more on that later) infuses a ton of flavor and moisture into whatever you are cooking.
• Stir fry it. Short on time? No problem. Stir frying in a small amount of oil gives the protein a great color and the opportunity to make a one pot meal!
• En Pappillote. I learned a technique called en pappillote in college and was obsessed the idea of poach-roasting in parchment. This is a great way to cook lighter proteins and vegetables together with spices, herbs and flavor boosters locked in.

Step #2: Pick Your Starch

Now that you’ve determined what your having for protein, pick your starch/carbohydrate source. Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for your body. They have a bad rap not because they are unhealthy, but because over-processing and lab-manipulation sucks the good out and replaces it with ingredients that have no place in your body. In other words, it’s not the ingredient that is unhealthy, it’s the manipulation.

While all carbohydrates are eventually broken down into the same basic simple sugars, some carbs are digested slowly and actually help to regulate insulin response, boost energy and promote a leaner body composition. Choose complex carbohydrates as much as possible. First of all they are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber, making them far more nutrient dense and slower to digest than their simpler or processed counterparts. On top of that: they keep you fuller longer.

Pick Your Carbohydrate Source

The best sources of carbohydrates to choose from are whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of carbohydrate sources but it’s a great place to start understanding and experimenting with a wider variety of ingredients.

Determine Your Portion Size

Much like measuring protein portions you have the option to weigh/measure out your carbohydrates or estimate them.

Measure it. Aim for about 20-30 grams of carbohydrates, 4-5 times a day. This is a good starting point for active women. Within that carbohydrate goal try to consume 25-30 grams of fiber. If you pick from the list above you’ll find this to be a pretty easy goal to succeed at.

Estimate it. Using the same chart you saw in the protein section, you’ll use your hand to measure out carbohydrate portions. 1 serving of carbohydrates fits roughly into your cupped palm. If fruit is your carb of the moment, 1 whole, medium fruit is 1 serving.

Cook It

Rather than summarize all of the methods, ratios and times for each grain, I’ll link to this very informational infographic.

Here are my go-to methods of cooking these starches for the best flavor, texture and color:

• Baked sweet potato fries are a weekly staple in my home. Set your oven to 425-450, carefully slice your sweet potatoes into fries (I like to keep the skin on for texture and an extra hit of fiber), toss with spices and oil and roast 25-30 minutes until crispy, browned and delicious!
• Rice cooker everything. I found my first rice cooker when we lived in a Hawaii and immediately changed my cooking game. We use our rice cooker for everything and it works quickly (like 4 minutes for quinoa quickly), and is almost foolproof!
• For the best roasted spaghetti squash cut it in half lengthwise, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil, place flesh side down on an aluminum foil lined sheet tray and roast 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees. Wait until it cools before using a fork to gently scrape out the flesh into spaghetti like strands.

Step #3: Choose Your Fat

The best definition of the phrase healthy fat that I can think of is simple: unprocessed. When we think of healthy fats we mostly think of mono- and polyunsaturated fats from foods like salmon, walnuts and avocado. But the reality is that you body needs saturated fat too – and humans have been eating saturated fat (sometimes in large portions), for thousands of years.

That fats that you don’t need are processed fats – trans fats and hydrogenated fats. You find them in processed foods and shelf-stable fats like margarine. You won’t find those on this list either.

Pick Your Fat Source

Healthy fats provide a wide array of benefits including metabolic support, hormone production, immunity, nutrient absorption and brain health. No matter what, choose high quality ingredients (organic when possible) that are stored properly and minimally processed.

Like any and all healthy foods, just because it’s good for you doesn’t mean you can’t over do it. Follow the portion guidelines below to make a well balanced plate.

Determine Your Portion Size

Measure it. 1 portion of fat weighs 7-12 grams. A good place to start is 1 serving of fat per meal meal, 4-5 times a day. Fats are a macronutrient I highly recommend weighing/measuring out for a while. It’s not hard to underestimate the size of a tablespoon of peanut butter and at 9 calories a gram, just right becomes over doing it pretty easily.

Estimate it. Once you’ve had the opportunity to see what true, measured out portions look like you can easily move to the hand-portion sizing technique. For fats, 1 serving is roughly the size of your thumb. So 1 serving of peanut butter, or olive oil, or coconut butter is a thumb’s worth.

Cooking With It

In my opinion the most important thing to know about cooking with fat is that high temperatures alter the molecular makeup of the nutrient. You already know that manipulation can cause some unhealthy and possibly harmful results, so use these guidelines whenever you’re cooking with fat.

Healthy Cooking Oils – The Ultimate Guide by Healthline – learn what fats to use when, how fats change under high heat and how to keep your high-quality oils (that are often a bit more expensive) from going rancid!

After that, the best advice when it comes to raw oils that you might use to finish a dish or make a vinaigrette is to absolutely try to get the best of the best. There is an insane difference in taste between a store brand $4 bottle of olive oil and an amazing bottle of cold pressed, high end olive oil. You’ll never go back!

Step #4: Choose Your Veggies

When it comes to vegetables, the more the merrier. You’ll notice that potatoes, hearty squashes and even corn were listed in the carbs section. Those starchier veggies are consider great sources of very healthy carbohydrates. Which leaves lighter vegetables, like greens, peppers, onions and mushrooms in this section to be consumed to your heart’s content!

Vegetables are low in calorie and high in nutrients. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrients that your body absolutely thrives on. Choose a wide array of vegetables in as many colors as possible to reap the most benefits.

*Yes, tomatoes are a fruit but if it goes on pizza, salad and soup before it’s in a fruit bowl, it’s considered a vegetable for this list!

Determine Your Portion Size

When it comes to vegetables that are fresh, light and full of nutrients, worry less about how much and more about how many colors you can eat. In terms of portion sizing, 1 portion of vegetables can be measured by the size of your fist but again, it’s really hard to over eat veggies so don’t worry too much.

Cooking with Them

There are so many ways to cook vegetables (or not). They’re great raw, roasted, stir fried, grilled, sautéed, steamed and even microwaved. Any vegetable is better than no vegetable but in terms of nutritional benefit, cooking sometimes helps to break down cell walls so it’s easier for your body to absorb the goodness.

Tips to get the most enjoyment from veggies:

• You eat with your eyes, too, and a colorful array of vegetables is aesthetically pleasing. Always try to include at least 3 different colors on your plate.
• Pile your plate high with vegetables. They fill you up but don’t contribute many calories to the overall total.
• Leave some veggies raw, some cooked and some pickled for a fun variety of texture and depth.
  

Step #5: Play with Flavor

We’ve worked through picking a protein, a carb, a fat and vegetables. Now it’s time to play with flavor.

Once you’ve covered your macronutrient and micronutrient foundation you can experiment with flavor boosters – ingredients that bring flavor to the table and add just about zero calories. This is how you can eat healthy every single day. Flavor boosters can bring the same ingredients across the globe in terms of flavor for weeks on end.

Exciting Flavor Combinations from Across the Globe

Italian
Oregano, basil, fennel seed, capers, olives, anchovies, orange

Tex Mex
Cilantro, cumin, lime, chili pepper, garlic, oregano

Thai
Cilantro, mint, basil, lemongrass, ginger, lime, green onion

Moroccan
Cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, saffron, ginger, sesame seeds

Japanese
Miso, sesame, soy, ginger, wasabi

BBQ
Smoked paprika, dry mustard, garlic, celery salt, liquid smoke

Putting it All Together

You can mix and match ingredients however you choose – the possibilities are endless! From grain bowls to plated dinners to meal prep, you can use this guide to create healthier meals every time you want them. To get your creative juices flowing, here are a few of my favorite combos:

Protein + Complex Carbs + Fats + Veggies

Tex Mex Chicken Grain Bowl with Avocado
Dice up chicken breast and toss with salt, pepper, cumin, dark chili pepper and garlic powder. Sauté in oil. Serve over brown rice with chopped Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onion and peppers. Top with salsa and avocado slices and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

Thai Shrimp Stir Fry
Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Cook your shrimp first and set aside. After the shrimp have finished cooking, stir fry an array of veggies: snap peas, onions and peppers. Add fresh chopped garlic, soy sauce, fresh grated ginger, rice vinegar and sesame oil at the end. Serve over brown rice or rice noodles and garnish with chopped scallions.

Mustard Salmon with Kale Salad and Roasted Sweet Potato Fries
First, toss sliced sweet potatoes with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and roast on high heat until crispy. After the potatoes are done, broil salmon with a maple mustard glaze. Make your salad: sliced kale, red onion, green apple and avocado with maple balsamic dressing.

At the end of the day healthy eating and delicious eating can be one and the same. And neither should be complicated! Have fun with it and don’t be afraid to explore new ingredients and flavor profiles!