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Healthy Cooking Tips

posted by TrueNorth Employee Benefits on Tuesday, June 21, 2016

At TrueNorth we are committed to a encouraging a healthy lifestyle. So from time to time we post tips on eating well, give recipes to try and ideas on just how to live healthier. Today we are talking about how to cut some calories from your cooking habits as well as giving you a couple recipes to try that are a little better for you, too.

The way you cook your food can make a big difference in its nutritional value. Here are some suggestions for healthy ways to prepare your food.

• Go easy on fat, sugar and salt when preparing foods. For example, make oven-baked chicken instead of fried chicken or baked cod instead of fried. You don’t have to leave out all the fat, sugar or salt – just limit the amount you use.
• Flavor foods with herbs, spices and other low-fat seasonings, instead of using rich sauces or gravy. Experiment with different seasonings to find unique combinations that you and your family enjoy.
• Opt for homemade dessert to save money and make it healthier. When you are baking yourself, you can use sugar substitutes and other tricks to make it more nutritional.
• Grill your food. Using very little oil or butter can still enhance the flavor but keep the calorie count down.
• Remove skin from poultry before cooking to lower the fat content.

And to give you some ideas, we pulled a couple recipes from the TrueNorth cookbook that was created almost 10 years ago. Use these recipes to start on your way toward healthier cooking.

Grilled Asparagus

• 1 lb fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• 1 T olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat grill. Lightly coat the asparagus spears with garlic salt and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill over high heat for 2-3 minutes or to desired tenderness.

Chicken Supreme

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• ½ C. dry sherry
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken breasts in a shallow, greased baking pan. Salt and pepper. With a spatula, spread undiluted mushroom soup generously over the chicken. Sprinkle onion over top. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Pour sherry over all and return to oven for 30 more minutes. Serve over rice.

Both of these recipes are quick, easy and flavorful! Thank you to Cindy Williams, a former team member, for both of these wonderful concoctions.