One of my goals for 2024 is to eat less processed foods. I don’t eat a lot in general but would really love to cut out my coffee creamer, miscellaneous snacks, and frozen food from Trader Joe’s. I am not saying they are all bad, but have you looked at the label of your coffee creamer? Most of them are just oils and sweeteners, not dairy. I have been watching numerous documentaries on Netflix recently as well as doing research on topics such as farm raised fish versus wild caught and types of eggs that are best to purchase. I was just thinking the other day of my favorite healthy recipes that I enjoy almost weekly.
Even if you don’t want to eat necessarily “healthy” you can just make homemade items. Last year I really attempted to eliminate food waste and made a post on how to use bananas.
Healthy Recipe or Meal: Smoothies
I have been making this smoothie almost daily for a year. I love that it provides me with so much protein and nutrients. You can really make this smoothie recipe your own. Often I add in 1-2 handfuls of spinach which you can’t taste. The smoothie recipe below has about 40 g of protein if you use cow milk.
Healthy Recipes: Homemade Garlic Hummus
- 1-16 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 1 roasted head of garlic (or more)
- 1/4 cup tahini
- Salt, to taste
- 2-3 tbsp water, depending on how thick
- Roast garlic in small container or foil with olive oil, salt, and rosemary for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees. Please see full video online and watch garlic closely so it doesn’t burn and become bitter. Make sure if you don’t use immediately you store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can actually build up toxins if left at room temperature.
- Combine all ingredients above and add water depending on how thick you want the hummus to be. You can serve with pita or vegetables.
Healthy Recipes: Roasted Carrots
There is something about roasted carrots that they taste like candy. I buy a huge pack of carrots at Costco almost weekly because I love making this recipe so much. It’s so easy it sounds silly to write down but sometimes things don’t need to be that complicated.
- 1 bag of baby carrots
- Olive oil to lightly coat carrots
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Red pepper flakes
- Combine carrots, olive oil, and spices in a mixing bowl and toss together.
- Put foil on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes-1 hour at 400 degrees. Flip the carrots every 20 minutes so they don’t burn on one side. If you look dry you can always use a spray olive oil or drizzle on top to finish roasting. The carrots should be soft and taste like candy.
