Healthy Eating Meal: Two Healthy Meal Recipes

Healthy Food Menus

A healthy eating meal is going to be a meal that provides the body with needed nutrients and energy. If you have a family to cook for, it can often be overwhelming trying to figure out what to cook.

Healthy Eating Meal: Marinated Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb whole grain pasta of your choice
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups asparagus, cut diagonal
• 2 cups zucchini, sliced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• Squeeze of ½ lemon

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon each of basil and oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Steam broccoli, asparagus, and zucchini until just tender but still crunchy to the bite. Set steamed veggies aside. In a skillet sauté the mushrooms and the shallot until mushrooms turn glossy. Squeeze half of a lemon on the sautéed mushrooms. Set aside.

To make the marinade combine oil, lemon juice, herbs, sea salt, and garlic in a large bowl. Add the steamed vegetables and mushrooms to the marinade and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions and add to the marinade and vegetables. Refrigerate pasta salad for at least four hours or overnight to bring out the flavor of the vegetables and marinade. Serve with whole-wheat rolls.

Healthy Eating Meal: Hearty Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 ½ cups lentil
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1-teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-cup fresh or frozen corn

In a large soup pot, sauté onion and garlic in oil. When onion is transparent, add the carrots, celery, and lentils and bring to a boil. Add the seasonings and herbs, simmer covered for 60 minutes. Add the corn and simmer for five more minutes. Add the parsley right before serving. Serve with whole-wheat rolls and a crisp green salad.

Healthy eating starts with having a well-stocked pantry and freezer with items such as brown rice, bulgur, whole wheat, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, pasta, millet, and a variety of different beans. The freezer should have a variety of frozen vegetables when fresh vegetables aren’t available.

The refrigerator should always have carrots, onions, and celery for starting soups and stews. Get creative and have fun preparing a healthy eating meal for your family more than once a day.