The leftovers, the last slice of pie and those few cookies have all been polished off from the past few days after Christmas and the new year has come and gone. One of my resolutions is eating healthier and exercising. Out of the two, eating healthier would be my first priority as I’m not one for exercising that often. Doing a million crunches a day to get rid of my midsection doesn’t appeal to me as much as finding foods that I enjoy eating and can tweak to make healthier. Are you thinking the same thing? Well, I’ve got you covered for some great recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Don’t Forget to Eat Breakfast
The healthiest meal of the day is breakfast. I have come to figure out that something as simple as yogurt can go a long way and can fill you up for a few hours.
Yogurt, Fruit & Granola Parfait
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup sliced strawberries (or your favorite fruit)
1 cup granola
In a tall glass or cup, add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt, then granola, and then strawberries. Continue to alternate until each of the ingredients are in the glass.
If you don’t care at all to be this fancy, just add the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. This is how I do it and it’s delicious either way.
Simple Salad for Lunch
Lunch can be just as simple as your morning breakfast, and you can have all your veggies mixed in for your daily dose.
Tomato and Mozzarella Salad
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1 medium tomato, cubed
1 oz Mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy.
Healthy Pizza for Dinner
Didn’t you know that pizza can be healthy, too? I love to make homemade pizza and it’s usually more delicious than the frozen ones.
Chicago Pita Pizza
2 baby eggplants (4 oz. Each)
2 green onions
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
Fresh basil for garnish
¼ lb. Mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive or salad oil
4 (6”) pitas
¾ cups pizza sauce
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the eggplants into 1/2” chunks. Cut each mushroom into quarters. Cut green onions into 1” pieces. In a 10” oiled skillet over medium-high heat, cook eggplant, mushrooms, green onions and salt. Stir frequently until lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Cut a small slit on one side of each pita and fill with Mozzarella cheese. Place the pitas on cookie sheet. Spread pizza sauce over each pitas. Top with vegetables, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes until cheese melts. Garnish with basil.
Is eating healthy on your list this year?
Photo credit: Thinkstock
